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How to fall asleep without sleeping pills: 7 natural sleep aids that actually work

<p>It’s 3am and you’re suddenly wide awake. Try these seven science-backed strategies to fall back to sleep fast.</p> <p><strong>Give meditation a try </strong></p> <p>As a mindfulness coach, I’m very aware of the day-to-day anxieties and worries that can interfere with a good night’s sleep. One of the most effective natural sleep aids is a quick meditation session to ease yourself out of those stresses. If you’ve never meditated before, you’ll likely find the meditation interrupted by thoughts flashing through your mind.</p> <p>It’s important for you to know that this isn’t a failure on your part, and that you aren’t doing anything wrong. Thinking is just what the brain does, as naturally as lungs take in air. The point is to be non-judgmental yet aware of your thoughts, bodily experiences and breath, moment by moment.</p> <p><strong>Stop wanting to fall asleep</strong></p> <p>It’s counterintuitive, isn’t it? Sometimes trying too hard to do something is the very thing that prevents us from achieving it – and that’s never more true than when it comes to falling asleep. Desperately wanting to sleep will only stoke anxieties that will further stress your brain, essentially feeding it the message that it’s not safe to sleep.</p> <p>Throw in those worries about your to-do list at work the following day, and the whole thing can snowball into a panic attack. Try letting go of that feeling that you absolutely must sleep now, and observe your own anxieties for what they are without judgment. When you stop looking at sleep as a goal, you’ll find it easier to fall asleep.</p> <p><strong>Start a journal </strong></p> <p>If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep, pick up a pen and paper (not your phone!), and start writing: simply scribble down an account of what’s going on inside your head. Although there’s no “right” way to journal, you might start by listing the events of your day, and from there, how those events and encounters made you feel.</p> <p>Building this structured picture of your thoughts may help you see that the problem that’s keeping you up at night, and is likely less overwhelming than you thought. Why my insistence on a pen and paper? First off, studies show the simple motor action that’s involved in the act of handwriting has a calming effect. Secondly, the light emitted by laptops and phones isn’t conducive to falling asleep.</p> <p><strong>Find yourself a "3am friend"</strong></p> <p>Some of us are lucky to have a ‘3am friend’, that close confidant you can call up in the wee hours knowing that they won’t hold it against you in the morning. Although it’s great to have someone to talk to when you want to fall asleep, it’s important that the conversation doesn’t just rehash the anxieties that are preventing you from catching shut-eye in the first place.</p> <p>Rather than using the call to seek solutions for those issues, talk about things that calm your nerves, or even have them assist you in deep breathing. It may sound silly, but doing a series of deep, relaxing breaths can help you let go of the troubles that are keeping you wide awake.</p> <p><strong>Take a warm shower</strong></p> <p>Taking a warm shower not only relaxes your muscles and soothes minor aches and pains, but it also raises your core body temperature. As soon as you step out of the shower, your body starts working at lowering that temperature, which is something that normally happens when you’re falling asleep naturally.</p> <p>(That’s why we always feel the need for a blanket when we sleep, no matter how warm it is!) By kick-starting that temperature-lowering process, you’re tricking your body into falling asleep fast.</p> <p><strong>Stretch yourself to sleep </strong></p> <p>Anxiety keeping you up? Research suggests mild stretching can help take the edge off and relax muscles that have become stiff and sore after a long day. We’re not talking intricate yoga poses or acrobatics here, either: Simple stretches like an overhead arm stretch and bending over to touch your toes should do the trick. Ramp up the relaxation potential with a soundtrack of ambient noise at a volume that’s just barely audible.</p> <p>There are plenty of white noise apps that are free to download, but soft music can work as well (so long as there are no lyrics). Just remember, if you’re using an electronic device to play these sleep-promoting sounds, make sure it’s placed screen-down so you’re not distracted by the light it emits.</p> <p><strong>Read (or listen!) to something new</strong></p> <p>When you’re struggling with insomnia, it might be tempting to pull an old favourite off the bookshelf. In reality, it’s better to read or listen to an audio book that covers a topic on which you know absolutely nothing. New information, while taking attention away from the stressors that are keeping you up at night, gives your brain enough of a workout to make it tire more quickly than when it’s engaged with familiar subjects and concepts.</p> <p>Again, if it’s an audio book or podcast you’re listening to, make sure the light-emitting side of the device is face down to keep the room as dark as possible. Darkness and warmth play an essential part in the production and maintenance of melatonin, the hormone that plays the central role falling asleep.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article by Deepak Kashyap </em><em>originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/conditions/sleep/how-to-fall-asleep-without-sleeping-pills-7-natural-sleep-aids-that-actually-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

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Why do I fall asleep on the sofa but am wide awake when I get to bed?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/madeline-sprajcer-1315489">Madeline Sprajcer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sally-ferguson-64">Sally Ferguson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a></em></p> <p>After a long day, you flop onto the sofa and find yourself dozing off while watching TV. The room is nice and warm, the sofa is comfortable, and the background noise of the TV lulls you to sleep.</p> <p>Then a loved one nudges you awake and reminds you to go sleep – in bed. But when you get there, you find to your frustration that you’re wide awake.</p> <p>Why does sleep come so easily on the sofa but not always in bed?</p> <h2>Why is it so easy to fall asleep on the sofa?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm/sleep-drive-and-your-body-clock#:%7E:text=Sleep%2Fwake%20homeostasis%20balances%20our,that%20it's%20time%20to%20sleep.">Sleep pressure</a> is one reason why you fall asleep on the sofa. This refers to the strength of the biological drive for sleep. The longer you’ve been awake, the greater the sleep pressure.</p> <p>Your body clock or <a href="https://www.thensf.org/what-is-a-circadian-rhythm/">circadian rhythm</a> is another factor. This tells you to be awake during the day and to sleep at night.</p> <p>Your environment will also impact how likely it is you fall asleep. You might have just <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-food-comas-or-why-eating-sometimes-makes-you-sleepy-44355">eaten a meal</a>, your very comfortable sofa is in a warm room, with dim lighting and maybe a TV program in the background. For many people, this environment is perfect for falling asleep.</p> <p>So by the end of the day, sleep pressure is strong, your circadian rhythm is telling you it’s time for sleep <em>and</em> your environment is cosy and comfortable.</p> <h2>What happens after a nap on the sofa?</h2> <p>If you’ve had a nap on the sofa before heading to bed, your sleep pressure is likely much lower than it was before your nap. Instead of having more than 16 hours of wakefulness behind you, you’ve just woken up and therefore have less sleep pressure. This can make it much harder to fall asleep in bed.</p> <p>If you just fell asleep on the sofa for five minutes, you might not have too much trouble getting to sleep in bed. This is because a nap that short is unlikely to reduce your sleep pressure very much. But if you were asleep for an hour, it might be a different story.</p> <p>Your sleep cycles might also be working against you. Most sleep cycles are about <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary-Carskadon/publication/287231408_Normal_Human_Sleep_An_Overview_Principles_and_Practice_of_Sleep_Medicine_MH_Kryger_Ed/links/5db0c338299bf111d4c026c5/Normal-Human-Sleep-An-Overview-Principles-and-Practice-of-Sleep-Medicine-MH-Kryger-Ed.pdf">90 minutes long</a>. They start with light sleep, progress to deep sleep, and then end with light sleep again. If you wake up during deep sleep, you’re probably going to feel groggy – and it might be easy to get back to sleep when you go to bed. But if you wake up during light sleep it could be harder to fall asleep again in bed.</p> <p>The activities you might do when you get up from the sofa – like turning on bright lights or brushing your teeth – can also make you feel more alert and make it harder to sleep when you get to bed.</p> <h2>Why can’t I fall asleep in my own bed?</h2> <p>There are other reasons why falling also in your bed could be challenging. Many people experience anxiety about falling asleep. They <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24005330/">worry</a> about getting enough sleep or falling asleep fast enough.</p> <p>In such cases, getting into bed can be associated with feelings of stress and apprehension, which make it even harder to sleep. It might be easier to fall asleep on the couch, where there is less stress involved.</p> <p>It might also be harder to fall asleep in bed because of poor <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene">sleep hygiene</a>. This refers to your pre-sleep behaviours and sleep environment.</p> <p>Good sleep hygiene, or healthy sleep habits, includes having a regular routine before bed, a dark, quiet room to sleep in, and not using your mobile phone in bed. For many people who don’t have good sleep hygiene, their behaviours before bed and their bedroom environment might not be conducive to sleep.</p> <h2>How can I make it easier to fall asleep in bed?</h2> <p>First, make sure your room is dark, quiet and comfortable. In winter this might mean putting a heater on 20 minutes before you go to bed or taking a heat pack to bed with you. In summer, you might consider air conditioning or a fan to make your bedroom comfortable for sleeping.</p> <p>If you find it easy to fall asleep with the TV on, you might like to play “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iL1Ce1PZFM&amp;t=1s">white noise</a>” in your bedroom as you fall asleep. Some evidence suggests this may make it <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079220301283#abs0010">easier to fall asleep</a> by masking other disruptive noises.</p> <p>Your behaviour before bed also impacts how easy it is to fall asleep. Making sure you follow the same bedtime routine every night (including going to bed at the same time) can help.</p> <p>Also, even though it’s hard, try not to look at your phone while you’re in bed. Scrolling on your phone before bed can make it <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8329667">harder to sleep</a> due to both exposure to blue light and the potentially stressful or alerting effect of the content you interact with.</p> <h2>In a nutshell</h2> <p>The best way to make it’s easier to fall asleep in your bed is to avoid falling asleep on the sofa in the first place.</p> <p>This will ensure all the sleep pressure you build up during the day will be directed towards a deep sleep in your bed.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208371/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/madeline-sprajcer-1315489">Madeline Sprajcer</a>, Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sally-ferguson-64">Sally Ferguson</a>, Director, Appleton Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-fall-asleep-on-the-sofa-but-am-wide-awake-when-i-get-to-bed-208371">original article</a>.</em></p>

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How to set up your room to help you fall asleep

<p>Getting a good night’s rest is essential for your health and quality of life. Sometimes sleep can be disturbed due to coffee or stress but sometimes it can be caused by the state of a bedroom. If you are having trouble falling asleep at night then your bedroom environment might be part of the problem. If your bedroom isn’t the sleep-friendly environment it should be, try these tips today.</p> <p><strong>1. Remove night lights and electronics</strong></p> <p>If you have a bright light shining from a radio or alarm clock, it might be a good idea to cover it at night or turn it around so the light isn’t facing you as you sleep. Our brains can misinterpret dim lights and be aroused to wake up. It is also important to not be on your electronic devices right before you go to sleep due to the light that radiates from the screen.</p> <p><strong>2. Shut your curtains</strong></p> <p>Even though the light from the moon, car headlights or streetlights might be outside your window, they still could be a factor in keeping you up. Drapes will help you fall asleep at night time and stop the morning sun waking you up as well.</p> <p><strong>3. Lower the temperature</strong></p> <p>Just a small drop in temperature can help induce sleep. Experts recommend cooling down your room by a few degrees to aid your brain in drifting asleep peacefully. Studies have also found that wearing socks can help you fall asleep. It is believed that if your feet are warm, it helps the internal body temperature drop.</p> <p><strong>4. Get a comfy mattress</strong></p> <p>A painful mattress will not only disturb your sleep but it will also leave you with aches and pains in the morning. Make sure you shop around and research carefully before buying a mattress so you can get one that allows you to have the most natural and deep sleep. Mattress protectors and mattress toppers are also a worthwhile investment for extra softness and comfort as you sleep.</p> <p><strong>5. Choose the right colour scheme</strong></p> <p>Colours can speak volumes to your subconscious so it is important to paint and decorate your room with calming colours. Colours such as blue, purple and light pink can help calm your thoughts. Select colours that are the right shade to help you feel tranquil before you fall asleep at night.</p> <p><strong>6. Declutter your bedroom</strong></p> <p>The impact of a cluttered room is far greater than you might initially think. If you are tossing and turning in the night make sure that before you go to bed, your bedroom is cleared of unnecessary clutter. Once your bedroom is clean, it will make you feel like you have more space and that you aren’t restricted.</p> <p><strong>7. Choose the right bedding</strong></p> <p>The right sheets, the right pillows and the perfect number of pillows are all factors in helping you fall asleep. Whether you want cotton or flannelette bed sheets, make sure you are maintaining their quality as you use them.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

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8 mistakes insomniacs make when they’re trying to fall asleep

<h2>Going to bed too early</h2> <p>If you slept poorly the night before, you may want to slide into bed ahead of schedule. But this can actually make sleeplessness worse. People with insomnia frequently have irregular sleep-wake cycles. Sticking with a consistent sleep routine – a regular bedtime and a regular wake time – strengthens your body’s circadian rhythms and the biological cues (like melatonin release) that help you fall asleep. Hitting the sack unusually early may garner you some ‘extra’ sleep in the early part of the night, but you’re likely to wake up earlier than normal, throwing your sleep routine even more off-kilter. Aim to have your bedtime deviate by no more than 30 minutes from one night to the next.</p> <h2>Getting in bed before you’re sleepy</h2> <p>I recently had a patient who was often anxious and alert at bedtime – she described the feeling as “wired and tired”. She’d crawl into bed anyway, and lie wide awake late for an hour or more, frustrated and sleepless. I recommended she delay her bedtime until she felt ready to fall asleep. A restless, wired mind is one symptom of sleep deprivation. Learn to recognise the difference between being tired and being sleepy – and hold off going to bed until you feel ready to nod off. Take some extra time with your nightly routine, or find other ways to relax away from bright lights and screens near your face.</p> <div> </div> <h2>Drinking alcohol to help you nod off</h2> <p>Plenty of people are looking for ways to cut back on their drinking. It’s a good idea, according to the US National Sleep Foundation. The relationship between alcohol and sleep is complicated. One drink in the evening may help you fall asleep, but drinking more heavily can be stimulating, not sedating. Even if a nightcap does help you doze off initially, alcohol in your system at night disrupts your rest in other ways, causing lighter, more restless sleep, exacerbating snoring, and making you more likely to have to get up to use the bathroom. If you’re already having trouble sleeping, skip the before-bed glass of wine.</p> <h2>Eating just before bed</h2> <p>People with insomnia may be more prone to late-night snacking. Up later, they’re more likely to get hungry again after dinner. And the presence of stress – whether about daily life or sleep itself – does more than interfere with slumber. It also boosts the inclination for late-night eating, which can disrupt sleep. The evidence is growing about the hazards of late-night eating, and new research suggests that weight gain and rising insulin and cholesterol levels are among the risks. Make your last full meal two to three hours before bedtime, and don’t do a lot of snacking right before bed – or in bed. A light, sleep-friendly snack 90 minutes or an hour before turning in is OK, but eating right before sleep can keep you awake, especially if you have insomnia.</p> <h2>Logging onto social media from bed</h2> <p>Do you do a final check of social media right before lights out? This is a behaviour that often gets pegged to 20- and 30-somethings, but I have patients in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who share this sleep-disrupting habit. Holding your phone close to your face exposes you to bright, blue-wavelength light, which is especially disruptive to sleep. A new study by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh indicates using social media within 30 minutes of bedtime increases disturbances to sleep. Scrolling through Facebook and liking your friends’ Instagram stories will stimulate your mind and keep you alert, just when you need to wind down. Establish a social media cut-off time of at least 60 minutes before bed.</p> <h2>Thinking negatively about sleep</h2> <p>What causes insomnia? Chronic difficulty sleeping can stem from many factors, including health conditions, medications, poor sleep habits and stress. Anxiety about sleep itself often compounds the problem. Negative, distorted thoughts about sleep can trigger the body’s stress response, including raising blood pressure, heart rate and brain activity. This makes it harder to nod off, which further increases anxiety about your inability to sleep. To break this anxious, sleep-depriving cycle, replace negative sleep thoughts with positive ones – a technique known as ‘cognitive restructuring’. For example: “I’ll never be able to fall asleep” becomes, “As I allow myself to relax, sleep will happen.” Use mindfulness practices and relaxation breathing to help you re-focus your thoughts.</p> <h2>Staring at the clock</h2> <p>Sometimes my patients struggling to find a cure for their insomnia go in search of complicated solutions. Clock-watching is a common pitfall for people who struggle with sleep – and the remedy couldn’t be simpler, or more effective. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, stash your bedside clock. Constantly checking the time ratchets up sleep-related stress, and makes it almost impossible to drift off. “The later it gets, the more afraid I feel about the sleep I’m missing, and how tired I’ll be the next day,” a patient told me recently. Place the clock firmly out of your view, so you’re not tempted to check the time again and again.</p> <p>If you struggle to get to sleep, try these <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/conditions/sleep/10-relaxation-techniques-to-help-you-wind-down-for-sleep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 relaxation techniques that help you to wind down for sleep.</a></p> <h2>Trying to get more sleep than you need</h2> <p>The standard recommendation of eight hours of nightly rest is a good one, but it isn’t for everybody, all the time. Individual sleep needs vary. Some people who regularly experience insomnia aren’t built to achieve – or even need – a full eight hours of sleep. For some people struggling with sleeplessness, six or six-and-a-half hours might be a more realistic goal. By focusing too narrowly on hitting the eight-hour mark, you may inadvertently create stress that makes sleep harder to come by. Instead, put your attention on the quality of your rest. Practise good sleep hygiene, create a restful sleep environment, give yourself some relaxing night-time rituals, and pat yourself on the back for making high-quality sleep a priority.</p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/conditions/sleep/8-mistakes-insomniacs-make-when-theyre-trying-to-fall-asleep" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Flight attendant shares her tips for falling asleep on a plane

<p dir="ltr">It’s no secret that trying to fall asleep on a plane is no easy feat. </p> <p dir="ltr">With cramped seats, turbulence and noisy passengers all working against you, some people chalk it up to being impossible. </p> <p dir="ltr">But now, a seasoned flight attendant has shared her go-to tips to get some shut-eye in the sky.</p> <p dir="ltr">Laura Garside, an Australian cabin crew member for Emirates, has revealed one thing she always drinks before a flight to make sure she sleeps well – whether she's working or travelling as a passenger.</p> <p dir="ltr">"If I can, I try to plan my sleep before the flight according to which break I am on, that way I am well and truly ready for it," Garside tells <a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/sleeping-on-a-plane-flight-attendant-tips/f6957715-55d1-452f-b77b-0c8dc17b9ad6">9Honey</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Chamomile tea is also my go to."</p> <p dir="ltr">As a member of the cabin crew, Garside said they are assigned legal rest on long-haul flights.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The time is dependent on the duration of the flight and also the time in which it takes to carry out our award winning service onboard," she adds.</p> <p dir="ltr">"An average break on the long haul flight for us would be between 2.5-3.5 hours, which enables us to rest and recharge."</p> <p dir="ltr">For passengers, she recommends making use of some of the items provided by airlines in handy flight kit bags.</p> <p dir="ltr">"They contain a few useful items; eyeshades, ear plugs and socks! Get comfy and watch a movie or two, perhaps something you've already seen before to help you doze off," she suggests.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Mind-blowing lettuce hack to help you fall asleep in seconds

<p>If you find yourself laying in bed at night unable to sleep, then you may want to pop the kettle on.</p> <p>But rather than making a cuppa right before bed, try boiling lettuce in a mug, a hack people claim is putting them to sleep in seconds.</p> <p>While it sounds absolutely insane, there is some truth to the mind-blowing hack, according to the experts, and it's a sure way to tackle insomnia.</p> <p>TikTok user Shapla Hoque first made the claim in a clip she shared online, which has garnered over 4.8 million views.</p> <p>In the clip, Ms Hoque boiled a kettle and poured the boiling water on some washed lettuce leaves which were shoved in a mug, before removing them as she sipped on the water.</p> <p>Worried it would taste disgusting, she popped in a peppermint tea bag for taste, however this isn't a required step - you could try camomile instead which is known to induce sleep.</p> <p>At first, the nightcap makes her "a bit drowsy" and then in what seems like no time at all, she's completely knocked out in her bed.</p> <p>Desperate for a decent sleep, people took to the comments and revealed they would give it a go, with one admitting: “On my way to the shop to buy 30 lettuces.”</p> <p>While someone else said, “My mum used to do this for me, boiled water and leave it in the pan for 5 min on a minimum heat, always worked a treat and it’s all natural.”</p> <p>So how does it actually work? Studies from 2013 and 2017 say that lettuce, particularly romaine, contains a phytonutrient, called lactucarium, which is said to induce sleep and relieve pain.</p> <p>According to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ladbible.com/" target="_blank">LadBible</a>, the 2017 report stated: “Lactuca sativa (lettuce), an annual herb which belongs to the Compositae family, is known for its medicinal value. Traditionally, lettuce has been suggested to have a sedative-hypnotic property.”</p> <p>And concluded: “The results of this study show that lettuce, especially romaine lettuce, is an interesting and cheap source of sleep-potentiating material and antioxidant polyphenols.</p> <p>“The seed and leaf extracts derived from romaine lettuce potentiates the pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviour in mice.”</p>

Body

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Woman gets proposed to while fast asleep

<p dir="ltr">A woman was woken up to the surprise of her life after her partner slipped an engagement ring on her finger.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jamila Williams slept soundly, and while doing so, Michael Mayorga held a ring box up to the camera and posed for a photo next to her.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taking to Facebook, Mayorga announced that he had slipped a ring on his assumed-to-be fiance at 5 am while she slept.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's 5:00AM. For weeks now I have been planning on how to pop the question.... you know all my moves and you are one very hard woman to surprise," he wrote in the Facebook post.</p> <p dir="ltr">"But the joke's on you because now you're going to wake up with three surprises!"</p> <p dir="ltr"><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839253/sleeping-proposal-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2808660ad16a43729abbe0e8c187aa2b" /></p> <p dir="ltr">Mayorga said she would wake up to the surprise of a "phone full of congratulations notifications and texts," the engagement ring, and most hilarious of all, a picture of her sleeping that she wouldn't want "all over the internet."</p> <p dir="ltr">"Surprise!!" he exclaimed in the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">He promised to let everyone know his partner’s "verdict when she wakes up."</p> <p dir="ltr">The proposal story has gained more than 330,000 likes on Facebook.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The fact I've checked her page like 4 times to see if she woke up yet and I never met this lady a day in my life lol. Let us know how you feel Jamilah!" wrote one user.</p> <div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/MikeDaSituation/posts/10221004679060165" data-show-text="true" data-width=""> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"> <p>Jamilah Williams You're an answered prayer 🙏 💝</p> Posted by <a href="#">Michael Mayorga</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MikeDaSituation/posts/10221004679060165">Monday, October 12, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> <p dir="ltr">"What a surprise to wake up to LOL this is so beautiful congrats you guys...." another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">Finally, Williams woke up and delivered a resounding "yes".</p> <p dir="ltr">"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! When a man finds a good thing you won't have to beg for ANYTHING!" Williams wrote in a post on her own personal Facebook account.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's his loyalty, commitment, Respect, and genuine LOVE for ME! I am overwhelmed with so much love and joy!"</p> <div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/MikeDaSituation/posts/10221392281669988" data-show-text="true" data-width=""> <blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"> <p>It's 5:00AM 😩 for weeks now I been planning on how to pop the question.... you know all my moves and you are one very...</p> Posted by <a href="#">Michael Mayorga</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MikeDaSituation/posts/10221392281669988">Wednesday, December 9, 2020</a></blockquote> </div> <p dir="ltr">"Thank you to everyone for your love and support. We are overwhelmed and words can't express how truly blessed we are. This is only the beginning to the lifetime of blessings straight from God."</p>

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“Seriously, how is this happening?”: Woman falls asleep on flight and gets locked in dark plane

<p>Tiffani Adams woke up in a dark and locked plane after falling asleep on a flight. She took a 90-minute Air Canada flight from Quebec to Toronto on June 9 and, after falling asleep during her journey, she woke up to find the plane empty, dark and parked in Toronto.</p> <p>Her friend posted a Facebook post on her behalf to Air Canada’s Facebook page detailing her experience.</p> <p>"I fell asleep probably less than halfway through my short 1.5 hour flight," Adams said.</p> <p>"I wake up around midnight (few hours after flight landed) freezing cold still strapped in my seat in complete darkness (I'm talking pitch black)."</p> <p>Adams started to panic and call her friend who was waiting for her flight to land, but her phone died during the call.</p> <p>Adams then tried to charge her phone but found that the plane’s power had been switched off.</p> <p>"I can't charge my phone to call for help I'm full on panicking [because] I want off this nightmare asap," she said.</p> <p>"As someone with an anxiety disorder as is I can tell you how terrifying this was," Adams explained.</p> <p>"I think I'm having a bad dream bc like seriously how is this happening!!?"</p> <p>After finding a torch and making her way to the main door, she was unable to negotiate the drop beneath her as it was 50 feet (15 metres) above the ground.</p> <p>However, she was rescued by a man in a luggage cart who was “in shock” to see her on the plane.</p> <p>“When I see the luggage cart driving towards me I am literally dangling my legs out of the plane. He is in shock asking how the heck they left me on the plane. I’m wondering the same.”</p> <p>An airline spokesperson for Air Canada spoke with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/woman-asleep-plane-locked-asleep-toronto-pearson-airport-quebec-a8970506.html" target="_blank"><em>The Independent</em></a> and confirmed the account. They also were told that Air Canada is reviewing the incident and have remained in contact with the passenger.</p> <p>Read the full Facebook post below.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Faircanada%2Fposts%2F2367790213268860&amp;width=500" width="500" height="293" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p>

International Travel

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How to learn while you're asleep

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Can we learn while we’re asleep? The premise might sound too good to be true, but a new study has suggested that it’s possible.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers from Switzerland’s University of Bern have found that people can learn a new language while they’re asleep.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The study, published in </span><em><a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31672-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982218316725%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secsectitle0010"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Current Biology</span></a> </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">earlier this year, discovered that people in a deep sleep can learn new vocabularies. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The participants in the study were put in a controlled environment and given headphones to listen through when they slept. Their brain activity was recorded when the researchers played words from a made-up language. These fake words were paired up with their German translations – for example, the fake word “tofer” is paired with “Haus” (house) and “guga” is paired with “elefant” (elephant).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Upon waking up, the participants were given an implicit memory test. Surprisingly, they were able to correctly answer questions on the made-up words, including what they denoted and whether they were the larger or smaller objects compared to the others.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The researchers found that people’s association between the words and their meaning was stronger when the word was played during slow wave sleep, also known as deep sleep, which they described as the best moment for sleep-learning. It is when the body is most relaxed and the brain is performing memory consolidation processes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It was particularly interesting that language areas and the hippocampus – which normally regulate language-learning while we're awake – were also activated when learning the vocabulary learnt in deep sleep," said co-author of the study Marc Züs in a press release.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It seems these structures regulate memory formation independent of whatever state of consciousness we're in – whether unconsciously in sleep, or consciously while we're awake."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the latest study to support the idea of sleep-learning. In </span><a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/learn-languages-while-you-sleep"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2014</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a team from the Swiss National Science Foundation discovered that listening to foreign languages during sleep helps reinforce vocabulary learning. In 2012, a </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.3193"><span style="font-weight: 400;">study</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by Israeli researchers found that people could associate sounds with scents that they were exposed to when they were dozing off.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the researchers said more experiments are needed to support their findings, the study showed promise in continuous learning – even while you’re unconscious.</span></p>

Mind

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Try this old military trick to fall asleep in two minutes

<p>Struggling to fall asleep? Try an old military technique that's said to help you nod off in two minutes.</p> <p>The method is outlined in Lloyd Bud Winter's 1981 book <em>Relax and Win: Championship Performance</em>, which has enjoyed a recent resurgence online.</p> <p>It was apparently used by the American military service, which found a 96 per cent success rate after six weeks of practice with people reportedly falling asleep in two minutes or less, reports <em><a href="https://www.joe.co.uk/news/sleeping-tricks-197402">Joe.co.uk</a></em>.</p> <p>So how does it work? The method involves two main steps.</p> <p>The first is to relax, and it should take about a minute and a half (which, FYI, isn't included in the two minutes to fall asleep) if you're doing it correctly.</p> <ol> <li>Start by relaxing the muscles in your face.</li> <li>Then drop your shoulders as low as they'll go, followed by your upper and lower arm on one side, and then the other.</li> <li>Breathe out and relax your chest. Then relax your legs (thighs first then calves).</li> </ol> <p>After that, spend about 10 seconds trying to clear your mind. Then focus on one of these images/sayings:</p> <ul> <li>Lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you.</li> <li>Lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.</li> <li>Saying "don't think, don't think, don't think" to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.</li> </ul> <p>If all goes to plan, you should be drifting off about now.</p> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/106848461/try-this-old-us-military-trick-to-fall-asleep-in-two-minutes">Stuff.co.nz</a>.</em></p>

Body

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Doing this one thing before bed will help you fall asleep faster

<p>There’s nothing worse than getting into bed and feeling ready to sleep when all of a sudden a flood of intrusive thoughts decides to jolt you awake.</p> <p><em>Did I say the wrong thing today? I hope Anne isn’t angry at me.</em></p> <p><em>I’ve got so many errands to run tomorrow. How will I get everything done?</em></p> <p><em>What was that sound? Did I forget to lock the front door?</em></p> <p>Before you know it, it’s been an hour and you’re still far from the land of nod.</p> <p>So what can you do to switch off those annoying thoughts and fall asleep faster? Well, the key could be sitting on your desk right now.</p> <p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxge0000374" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">According to a new study</span></strong></a> published in the<em> Journal of Experimental Psychology,</em> writing down a to-do list before turning in could be the secret to getting a longer night’s sleep.</p> <p>Researchers from Baylor University monitored the sleep patterns of 57 adults and told half to write down “everything you have to remember to do tomorrow and over the next few days,” in bullet points or paragraph form for five minutes prior to going to bed. The other half were told to write down what they’d done that day and on the previous days.</p> <p>“We live in a 24/7 culture in which our to-do lists seem to be constantly growing and causing us to worry about unfinished tasks at bedtime,” lead author and assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University, Michael Scullin, said in a statement.</p> <p>“Most people just cycle through their to-do lists in their heads, and so we wanted to explore whether the act of writing them down could counteract night-time difficulties with falling asleep.”</p> <p>What they found was that those who wrote a to do list before bed fell asleep “significantly faster” than those who simply wrote down that they had completed. Furthermore, those who wrote longer, more specific to do lists fell asleep even faster than those who wrote shorter, more general ones.</p> <p>“We think that when people offload everything in their mind that might be hard to remember otherwise, it gives them some relief from that rumination,” Scullin told <a href="http://time.com/5097840/how-to-fall-asleep-faster/" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Time</span></strong></em></a>.</p> <p>But it’s not enough to just think about what you have to do the next day, he explains. “It seems to be the act of writing it out that’s the key ingredient.”</p> <p>Although the nine extra minutes of sleep the to do list participants got over their completed list counterparts doesn’t seem like much, it’s comparable to the results observed in clinical trials for some prescription sleep medications.</p> <p>“It’s not insignificant,” he says. “Getting nine extra minutes of sleep every night can actually make a real difference.”</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, have you tried this method? Did it work for you?</p>

Mind

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Fascinating map reveals which countries have the most trouble sleeping

<p>Have you ever lied awake in bed, <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/2017/03/tips-to-improve-sleep/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">wishing you could fall asleep</span></strong></a>, but your brain simply won’t shut off? No matter how desperately tired you are, you can’t stop thinking about even the most random things, both petty and deep. What happens when we sleep? What am I going to do this weekend? What are other people around the world doing right now?</p> <p>Well, as <a href="https://www.hillarys.co.uk/the-sleep-loss-map/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">a smart new map</span></strong></a> reveals, you’re not alone. At the time of writing, 225,917 of our international friends were in the exact same position over a 24-hour period, tossing and turning, trying to get that elusive shut-eye.</p> <p>The Sleep Loss Map, designed by UK home interiors company Hillarys, analyses Twitter users’ tweets related to sleeplessness and plots their location on the map, giving us a real-time view of which countries are struggling the most to get some sleep. Among the top five nations with the highest numbers of insomniacs are the US, Brazil, Argentina, UK and Mexico.</p> <p>According to Hillarys, the map was designed to help insomniacs feel less alone. “There’s something about being unable to sleep at night that makes everyone else in the world seem so far away,” a spokesperson Tara Hall told the <em><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4256198/Interactive-map-reveals-people-struggling-sleep.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Daily Mail</span></strong></a></em>. “But that’s far from the case. As the Sleep Loss Map shows, not being able to sleep affects most people at times, from the neighbours to strangers in Australia.”</p> <p>The map also includes tips to help people get a better night’s rest, facts about sleeping, and even a helpful animated graphic for people to sync their breathing to, relaxing them and making sleep easier.</p> <p>What methods of beating insomnia have you found effective? Share your story with us in the comments below.</p>

Mind

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Can music help us fall asleep?

<p>According to a <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15782867" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2005 study</span></strong></a>, up to a quarter of Kiwis suffer from chronic sleep problems. Most people who have had to deal with the condition know just how frustrating it can be as well as the negative impact it can have on many aspects of life. However, many people have found treatment from a somewhat unusual source – music.</p> <p>Psychologist Laszlo Harmat studied 94 students who suffered from sleep disorders. He gave one group classical music to listen to for 45 minutes before bed, another group an audiobook, and the third group nothing. After only three weeks, 85 per cent of the music group found themselves sleeping well. Of the audiobook group, only nine out of 30 became good sleepers.</p> <p>But how does this affect those over 60? Another study conducted in 2003 by Hui-Ling Lai and Marion Good involved a similar experiment on people with sleeping difficulties between the ages of 60 and 83. Just like with the student subjects, the music quickly began to work its magic, with half of the group prescribed music before bed becoming good sleepers.</p> <p>So, how can you try it at home? Researchers recommend slow, relaxing music like classical, jazz and blues. It’s also important to keep the music at a volume that isn’t so low that you can barely hear it and not so loud that it prevents you falling asleep. They also making sure the last song on your playlist is one that gently fades out. This way, you won’t be suddenly woken up by the silence.</p> <p>Do you listen to music when you’re trying to sleep? What other secrets do you have to getting the perfect night’s sleep? Share your tips with the Over 60 community in the comment section below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/music/2016/06/original-names-of-famous-bands/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The surprising original names of famous bands</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/music/2016/06/unforgettable-songs-of-the-60s/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Unforgettable songs of the '60s</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/music/2016/04/the-surprising-real-names-of-singers/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The surprising real names of famous singers</strong></em></span></a></p>

Music

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How to fall asleep in under 1 minute

<p>Without a doubt, this is going to leave a lot of people skeptical. But don't knock it until you try it... it really does work.</p> <p>After all if you have experienced many a sleepless night, what have you go to lose? So, it's called the “4-7-8” breathing trick. The short explaination: It simply involves breathing in through your nose for four seconds, holding your breath for seven seconds, and exhaling through your mouth for eight seconds. This isn't just a random selection of numbers, either, this studied combination has now widely been reported to have a chemical-like effect on the brain, and slows one’s heart rate and soothes one to sleep.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">What it does:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>Has an almost sedative drug-like effect for some. This is because in order to hold your breath for seven seconds and then to exhale for eight your body is forced to slow your heart rate. </li> <li>You can literally feel your heart rate slow down, your mind get quieter, and your whole body physically relax. </li> <li>By extending your inhale to a count of four, you are forcing yourself to take in more oxygen, allowing the oxygen to affect your bloodstream by holding your breath for seven seconds, and then emitting carbon dioxide from your lungs by exhaling steadily for eight seconds. </li> <li>It will instantly relax your heart, mind, and overall central nervous system.</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Our verdict:</strong></span></p> <p>Free, easy and works in an instant, what's not to love? From using it to get back to sleep if you wake in the night to having a go-to exercise to calm your nerves when you're feeling stressed, there's a reason everyone is talking about this how-to-fall-asleep-in-under-one-minute trick. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/05/how-to-tell-if-youre-getting-enough-sleep-each-night/"><em>How to tell if you’re getting enough sleep each night</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/05/reasons-why-we-talk-in-our-sleep/"><em>The reason why some of talk in our sleep</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2016/05/yawning-reveals-a-lot-about-your-level-of-empathy/"><em>Yawning reveals a lot about your empathy</em></a></strong></span></p>

Body

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10 expert tips for falling asleep on a plane

<p>One of the necessities of experiencing certain parts of the world is sitting through a gruelling long haul flight. And if you can’t get enough sleep on the plane you can potentially lose days of your long-awaited holiday due to sheer exhaustion.</p> <p>The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way! Dr Delwyn Bartlett, associate professor of sleep medicine from Sydney University and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, has outlined 10 expert tips for sleeping on a plane in an interview with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Huffington Post</strong></span></a>. Follow these tips and you’ll never be short of shuteye on a holiday.  </p> <p>1. If flying east, wake up earlier in the week leading up to your flight to get your body accustomed.</p> <p>2. Try to go for a walk perform an easy exercise in the six hours before you get to the plane.</p> <p>3. Avoid caffeine when you’re on the flight, particularly if you’re flying of an afternoon.</p> <p>4. Get up and walk around at regular intervals at the start of the journey.</p> <p>5. Drink plenty of water to maintain hydration.</p> <p>6. Don’t attempt to fall asleep, until 8pm or 9pm at the timezone you’ve left.</p> <p>7. Avoid cheese right before you sleep, as it can wake you up later.</p> <p>8. If you have to eat anything, consider a small amount of carbohydrates.</p> <p>9. Avoid alcohol, particularly if you’re sensitive to it, as it can fragment your sleep.</p> <p>10. Consider taking three milligrams of Melatonin between 4pm and 7pm at the time zone you’re leaving. This only works if you’re flying east, however.</p> <p>Do you generally have a bit of trouble falling asleep on flights? What methods do you use to get a bit of shut eye while you’re in the air?</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments. </p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/06/23-items-you-must-have-in-your-carry-on-luggage/"><strong>23 items you must have in your carry-on luggage</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/travel/international-travel/2016/06/jet-lag-cure-might-be-just-around-the-corner/"><strong>Jet lag cure might be just around the corner</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/travel/travel-tips/2016/05/taking-care-of-yourself-as-a-senior-traveller/">Taking care of yourself as a senior traveller</a></strong></em></span></p>

International Travel