Here’s Another Reason to Love Chocolates If You’re Sleep-Deprived

Chocoholics might not find it surprising that scientists have found another benefit for their favorite superfood as dark chocolate has already lots of health benefits that you can take advantage of. It’s packed with fiber and minerals that are good for your diet, it’s a fantastic source of antioxidants, can improve blood flow, as well as boost your skin and heart health among many others.

While all of these may not sound much, the fact that you’ll be eating chocolate, a.k.a. one of the best treats in the planet, instead of some soggy green stuff can really motivate you to eat better. And now, with scientific proof that dark chocolate is also a great addition to the diets of those who don’t get enough zzz’s, you have more reasons to snack on these to keep yourself awake on your midday slump.

As 50% of Filipinos are deemed to be sleep-deprived, getting only six hours of zzz’s nightly, looking for ways how to cope is essential. While improving one’s slumber is still the best solution to sleep deprivation, you will still need to manage the effects of the problem while you solve it. As improving your sleep doesn’t really happen overnight, you will need remedies to handle sleep deprivation’s consequences. And dark chocolate may just be one of the best examples of such.

According to a study conducted by Italian researchers, dark chocolate can boost brainpower. By consuming the compound commonly found in cocoa and chocolate known as flavanols, proficiency on cognitive tests is seen to have increased in test subjects, heling scientists conclude that eating chocolate can help people focus better, react faster, and retain information better.

Chocolate and Sleep

But what does all of these have to do with sleep or the lack of it? With sleep deprivation often resulting to poor concentration, slower response, and poorer cognitive functioning, chocolate might just be the perfect instant remedy if you didn’t get a solid night’s sleep.

The study actually helped prove this as well. They’ve discovered that ingesting cocoa after a night of total sleep deprivation counteracts cognitive impairment effectively. They have also discovered that the bigger the cognitive challenge is, the more chocolate help.

Through the study, researchers discovered that chocolate can be a potential remedy to those who are chronically sleep-deprived and that daily consumption can have a positive effect on one’s cognition over the long run.

A Word of Caution

While dark chocolate can be packed with lots of health benefits, you should also remember that it has high calorie and sugar content, so to prevent weight gain and other health complications from regular consumption, you should do so moderately.

Sleep Deprivation: Actual Solution vs. Remedy

It should also be noted that snacking on chocolates is still just a remedy for sleep deprivation. If you really want to have your cognitive functions in full swing, you’ll want to solve your sleep deprivation problem head-on. To do that, improving the quality of your slumber with solid sleep hygiene is still the best and most effective way to enjoy the benefits of getting ample shuteye. A regular sleeping schedule, less stress, good diet, ample exercise, and a Salem Bed can really help you go a long way.

This isn’t to say that eating dark chocolate for better cognitive performance while sleep deprived is something you shouldn’t try. If you feel like snacking post-lunch to perk yourself up, some dark chocolates can really be some of the best options as they will also fuel your brain and maybe even make you more productive for the rest of the day. What we’re saying, however, is that you shouldn’t be reliant on chocolates to keep you awake, alert, and capable.

Yes, There are Best and Worst Days for Sleep

Most people have weekly routines. Lots spend time with the family on Sundays, while Saturdays are practically for chores. Friday evenings are for date nights or night outs with friends and then there’s also a night in, whenever the car’s coding. Of course, things can vary occasionally, but for most people, their routines tend to help them keep their lives in order and easier to handle.

Despite sticking to your routine, though, there are just a few things that you may find to be a challenge to control. Sleep is the best example as you really can’t just force yourself to catch some zzz’s.

However, scheduling your sleep can still be a good idea. According to some studies, there are nights that are just more conducive for a solid night of zzz’s, but there are also nights that are worst for your shuteye. Scheduling some efforts to ensure your sleep can be done more easily by knowing which days it will most likely work and which days you have to get creative and take other steps.

So, what are the days of the week when you get better sleep? According to one publication, Tuesday is the best night for zzz’s. It’s considered as the night that can give you the most restorative sleep possibly because Tuesday evenings already give you a sense of satisfaction that you’ve already conquered the first two days of the work week and that you’re not as beat and trying to recover from all the activities you’ve had over the weekend as you were on Monday evening. Experts also theorize that you don’t usually take alcoholic beverages on these evenings, so such substances won’t have any effect on your zzz’s.

Other studies, however, say that Thursday is the best night for catching some shuteye. Experts explain that while most people are horrific in keeping proper sleep schedules, a lot of those with day jobs at least try to sleep on weekdays so they can function better at work. So by Thursday you may already have had slept at around the same time for the previous days that your body is already a bit used to the routine. This allows you to fall asleep easier and get a pretty solid night of shuteye in most cases.

Better sleep on Thursday evenings can also be a reason why everyone’s so happy about Fridays. Because a good night’s sleep can also affect your mood, the solid evening of zzz’s could contribute to the elation you feel about Fridays. That and the fact that most folks don’t have to wake up early the next day can really be lots of folks are thanking the heavens for these days of the week.

As for the worst night for sleep, it’s none other than Sunday. As most people sleep late on Fridays and Saturdays, Sunday evenings will have you still wired a few hours after dinner because you’ve been up on those times on the previous nights. Your body is just adjusting to a later sleeping schedule by the third day (Sunday) so you’ll still be wide awake around your usual weekday bedtime. Add to this the stress you’ll get by watching the clock and knowing that if you don’t fall asleep right now, you’ll practically be a zombie at the office tomorrow and you got yourself a recipe for disaster. Sleep will even come later and you’ll have another case of the Mondays the next day.

How do you deal, though? It’s still best to just to try and stick to a regular sleep and wake up schedule, experts say. This way, you won’t have to mess with your internal body clock and then suffer from the consequences later on. If you want to sleep in or hit the hay later than usual, stick to just an hour around your regular sleep and wake up time.You might also want to take advantage of Tuesday and Thursday evenings

You might also want to take advantage of Tuesday and Thursday evenings by doing something more relaxing befor hitting the hay. It can be an extended bedtime routine like drawing an actual bath instead of just showering or getting a massage earlier in the evening. Small things that can really relax you might just give you better quality sleep on these nights.You can also work on improving your Sunday zzz’s by skipping afternoon naps and those catchups over coffee with friends.

Want an extra boost to your nightly zzz’s? A Salem Bed might just do the trick. Check out our selections in our website today!

Having a Sense of Purpose Might Just Help You Sleep Better in Your Later Years

It’s a fact that the older you get, the less sleep you tend to get. Seniors experience sleeping problems due to change in one’s sleep architecture. This doesn’t mean that sleeping less is okay, though. Seniors still need to get about 7 to 8 hours of zzz’s nightly to give them ample rest and energy for the next day.

If you’ve been trying to look for ways how to remedy this issue, you might be glad to know that a new technique has been discovered by experts. Apparently, according to a new study, having a sense of purpose can really help you sleep better.

In a study led by neurologist Jason Ong from the Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, they found out that people who have a good reason to get up in the morning tends to sleep better at night. They also have lower risks of experiencing sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome, boosting the quality of their zzz’s.

The research surveyed 800 people with ages 60 to 100 to learn about their sleep and motivations in life. Those who have responded to have found meaning and purpose in their lives tend to have better sleep quality overall, which makes scientists think that one’s outlook in their lives can really aid in sleeping better.

We know this information can up the existential crisis some people may already be experiencing. But who knows? You might just find your life’s purpose one of these days and that might benefit you in your twilight years, so that’s another great thing to look forward to, right?

 

 

Using Allergy Meds to Help Your Child Sleep is Dangerous

Sending kids to sleep can be one of the most challenging things parents face on a daily basis. Sometimes, they just really won’t go to bed no matter how much you beg, threat, negotiate or even yell. There will be lots of crying, lots of trickery, but it might take hours before the little one really conks out and calls it a day.

For some parents, desperate times call for desperate measures. As allergy meds tend to get little ones sleepy in no time, some parents tend to turn to them to speed up the process and send their little ones to dreamland faster. Since most allergy medicines can be bought without prescriptions, it shouldn’t cause complications, right?

Wrong. According to experts, relying on allergy medicines can cause complications in your little ones’ systems. These medications have an active ingredient known as the diphendramine which causes a sedating effect and can also trigger an adverse reaction in kids younger than 5.

Kids sometimes suffer from hallucinations, tremors, and convulsions after taking allergy meds which can be very scary for both parent and child and especially dangerous for little ones. Acute antihistamine toxicity is also a possible dangerous result of such a practice.

So the next time you’re running out of options in getting your kid go to sleep, skip the allergy meds and opt for a more natural way to send them to bed. It might be easier to have them automatically conk out right around their bedtime, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of their well-being.