We can all agree that we feel much better and refreshed after a good night’s sleep. The restorative theory of sleep provides a scientific explanation of that special feeling. Scientific evidence from both animal and human studies has proven our body literally heals and renews itself as we slumber. The majority of restorative functions in… Read more »
“Dreams are often the most profound when they seem the most crazy.” — Dr. Sigmund Freud For the past 15 years, January 24 has been officially proclaimed “Belly Laugh Day.” We all know laughter can often be the best medicine, thus if you’ve ever laughed yourself awake, you may have actually improved your well-being. Laughter… Read more »
It is the holiday season once again. How might visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in our dreams during a blinding snowstorm be a healthy omen? Are gifts beneath an evergreen tree covered in icicles a precognitive message? And, what could the colors red, blue and green mean in your dream? Dreams are often our… Read more »
Are you facing a challenge? Don’t sweat it. Sleep on it. Sleeping allows for dream incubation, a method of guiding dreams with intention to help solve problems. This primordial dream programming ritual to “hatch an idea” was first referenced in the Chester Beatty papyri found near Thebes in Upper Egypt and presently housed in The… Read more »
Male pregnancy dreams are becoming more common. What can they mean? “I dreamed I was pregnant!” the male caller exclaimed on my show. “What kind of a dream is that for a man to have?” The dream could be symbolic and have many meanings, including spiritual incubation for the unification of mind, body and spirit… Read more »
“Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.” Eugene Ionesco, Playwright Your dreams are an innate gift. They possess the ability to open the sacred dream doorways to the divine. If you lost someone you care about, the opportunity to see them again in your dreams is comforting. These are called visitation dreams and… Read more »
It is easy to forget a sweet dream, but a frightening nightmare can last a lifetime. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe your nightmares are a gift in disguise? Finding that hidden nugget of gold they are trying to tell us can often stop the nightmare forever. If you have had a nightmare… Read more »
What do dreams, drawings and Dr. Oz have in common? The short answer is health. The longer answer is health, healing, the diagnosis of life-threatening illnesses, research by Drs. Larry Burk and Bernie Siegel, and the Dr. Oz Show: The Sixth Sense — Shocking Premonitions (Jan. 28, 2017) about lifesaving precognitive dreams. After two recent… Read more »
If there were ever an event that could throw us completely off track, it’s a pandemic. A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence that we can only hope will soon be over! Thankfully, the COVID vaccine is providing that light at the end of a long and distressing tunnel. We will get through this and enjoy life again. Perhaps… Read more »
Have you had strange dreams during the COVID lock-down? You are not alone. As a dream expert, many have reached out to me during this time with similar descriptions of recurrent nightmares such as this concerned dreamer: “There is a dark shadow chasing me down a dark street, and I keep looking back over my… Read more »
Sleep is important for many reasons. During sleep our brain is hard at work cleaning up and organizing all of the activity from the day. The ideal amount of sleep for longevity, decreased risk of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases like Parkinson’s and dementia is 7 to 9 hours. Many people struggle with sleep issues… Read more »
“I have difficulty falling asleep,” “I wake up frequently and cannot easily go back to sleep” and “I wake up too early in the morning” are by far the most common sleep disturbance complaints we hear in sleep medicine. When accompanied by daytime consequences of fatigue, tiredness, lassitude and foggy thinking, the diagnosis is insomnia. … Read more »
Ayurveda is an ancient healing system from India that remains relevant for modern-day concerns such as stress and insomnia. An Ayurvedic drink known as golden milk, containing cow or plant-based milk along with turmeric and other spices, has gained popularity in the last few years as a remedy to induce restful, quality sleep and boost… Read more »
Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is the main calming neurotransmitter released to keep our brain relaxed and balanced when we need it. GABA controls the actions of the excitatory neurotransmitters, so understandably, a person with low GABA may have anxiety, racing thoughts, insomnia, addictions, or even weight gain. Deficiency of GABA levels can be genetic, but more… Read more »
Sleep is the foundation on which we build and maintain our health and is the best way of guarding against stress and age-related diseases. Is the concept of beauty sleep a myth or reality? Science tells us that a good night of sleep is essential for repairing, regenerating and restructuring the skin. Several studies suggest… Read more »
While we all know we need to get a good night’s sleep, many of us don’t realize what good sleep is, or how well we are actually sleeping, says Harvard Medical School Professor of Sleep Medicine Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, FRCP. “Eighty-five percent of people with sleep disorders are undiagnosed and untreated which can be… Read more »
The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and composed of two parts. The outer section, the adrenal cortex, produces hormones that are vital to life, such as cortisol (which helps regulate metabolism and helps your body respond to stress) and aldosterone (which helps control blood pressure). The inner region, or the adrenal medulla, controls… Read more »
Healthy sleep habits in children are essential to their physical, mental, and emotional development. Children will show an improved mood, increased IQ, better grades, and seem all around happier with as little as 20 more minutes sleep per night. Establishing a bedtime routine helps parents and children get the extra rest they need. But as… Read more »
Who is the better friend-the person who doesn’t tell you that you have food between your teeth when you are about to give a speech or the one who lets you know and thereby saves you from embarrassment? For me, a good friend lets you know when something is wrong, even if it may be… Read more »
We all get tired, but sometimes “tired” is insufficient to describe a serious condition. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is far more than just being tired. This baffling and little understood affliction is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue, often associated with muscle and joint pain. It may worsen with physical or mental activity and… Read more »
