Have you ever noticed how waking up after a restless night leaves you dragging through the day? It turns out there's more to it than just feeling tired. Recent studies highlight that quality sleep is crucial in lifting our mood and boosting our energy levels. For instance, researchers found that people who consistently get a good night’s rest report higher positive emotions, less daytime sleepiness, and lower stress and anxiety. It’s fascinating to see how something as simple as improving your sleep environment, starting with the right mattress, can significantly affect how you feel each day. Let’s look at the science behind sleep and discover how making the right choices tonight can transform your tomorrow. How Sleep Affects Your Brain When you sleep, your brain processes memories and emotions from the day. This helps you stay balanced and positive. Better sleep leads to positive emotions and a better mood throughout...

How long have we been hearing about how the tryptophan in turkey makes us sleepy at Thanksgiving dinner?  “Oh honey, can I help clean up later? I ate too much turkey.” “Shovel snow? Outside? Now? But I ate too much turkey.” “No, no. I wasn’t sleeping in front of the tv. I was just resting my eyes. It was all that turkey.”     Finally, the Truth About Turkey It’s a fact. The amino acid tryptophan, that’s found in turkey, makes us sleepy. But the truth is there are many foods high in tryptophan. Here is a list:   Milk - 732mg per quart Canned tuna - 472mg per ounce Turkey - 410mg per pound Oats - 147mg per cup Cheese - 91mg per ounce   Turkey Has An Accomplice So if the turkey isn’t absolutely loaded with tryptophan, then what is it that makes us sleep? Could the masked...

  The first years of life are crucial to child development. And we're learning so much about how vital sleep is to brain development. There has been a lot of research into how to help your kids sleep better at night, and the scientific community is consistently learning new things. A research team led by Dr. Ze Wang at the University of Maryland conducted a study that involved nearly 12,000 volunteers between 9 and 10 years of age from across the country. Their research compared children who typically got less than the recommended nine hours of sleep to children who generally got nine or more hours of sleep per day. The study was conducted over a two-year period, and both groups were matched according to key factors like gender, household income, body mass index, and puberty status.  According to Dr. Wang, "Children who had insufficient sleep–less than nine hours per...

  Yes, of course. So let’s focus on precisely which foods can help you sleep. We’re also going to review some other factors involved in improved sleep quality. And just so we cover all the bases, we’ll confirm and dispel some commonly held misconceptions about sleep.    Foods Naturally Rich In Melatonin Melatonin is a hormone, and it’s been proven essential to our sleep. Many people follow a Mediterranean diet that includes many fruits and vegetables just for this reason. Melatonin is recognized as a hormone that helps regulate our sleep. Let’s look at some of the foods rich in this important hormone.       Unroasted nuts: Who knew they could be the perfect night snack? Having a moderate portion of nuts after dinner will increase the level of melatonin in your body, and this can help you sleep. Be sure to give yourself enough time between dinner and...