TikTok can be a rabbit hole… especially if you have a habit of diagnosing yourself via the latest viral video, which just so happens to be about sleep. TikTok creator Olivia Lutfallah posted a video on April 1, 2024 that has already accumulated over 34 million views suggesting that the “T-rex arm” sleeping position is associated with being neurodivergent. (1) TikTokers had quite a few comments on the video — over 24,000 to be exact — with some people saying that they have ADHD and sleep in this position. “It’s just cozy. I do it for extra support, ” said one TikTok user. “I have ADHD and alwa ..read more

No one would be surprised to hear that sleep and mood are connected — feeling like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed or being considered “not a morning person” comes with a natural understanding that poor sleep keeps you from being your best self.  Researchers have also noticed a complex relationship between sleep, wakefulness, and mood, and plenty of studies aim to uncover how each aspect plays a role in daily life and functioning and the impacts of poor sleep on mental health and wellbeing. A recent University of Michigan and Dartmouth Health study found that mood patterns are c ..read more

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is perhaps one of the most significant and challenging sleep health issues of our time. Today, drugmaker Eli Lilly reported promising results in the treatment of OSA. The company released data that showed that its GLP-1 drug, Tirzepatide, reduced irregular breathing in OSA patients. As part of a two-part trial on the effectiveness of the drugs, patients were given Tirzepatide, which is the active ingredient in Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound. Mounjaro is used in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, and Zepbound is used to help in weight loss for patients battling obes ..read more

If you browse through Amazon looking for children’s natural sleep aids, you’ll stumble across products that market themselves as “melatonin-free.” Some are positioned next to supplements advertising that they contain melatonin — a  potentially confusing lineup for parents in search of a sleep aid for their little ones.  What some people don’t know is that melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced by your body to regulate your circadian rhythm. Melatonin supplements are available over-the-counter in the United States, but are not approved by the FDA — and are available only w ..read more

When we pull the covers back on the finer points of our sleep architecture, or the organizational structure of our sleep stages and how we move through sleep cycles, one sleep stage in particular stands out for its importance to our well-being and cognitive function: deep sleep. (1)  While most people know that the REM sleep stage is when most dreaming occurs, they  probably aren’t familiar with the host of biological housekeeping functions that occur during deep sleep. (2) This sleep stage does the lion’s share of the work to make us feel restored and refreshed when we wake, but it ..read more

As we age, a variety of factors impede our ability to fall asleep, from circulating worries, to aches and pains, to more serious medical conditions. In addition, women report an increase in sleep issues during menopause, making it harder than ever to “sleep like a baby” the further and further we get away from our own childhoods. But, a new study reveals a potential strategy to ease severe insomnia in older women — yoga. The new study, published on March 29, examines 12 weeks of India-based participants between 60 and 70 years of age, who had severe insomnia. (1) Six days per week, for 60-min ..read more

Raise your hand if you remember when users needed a college-issued email address to join Facebook. Yep, it happened — I was there. I’m an elder millennial who proudly recalls my cellphone-free years, yet also wonders how we survived without Googling every ailment.  I limit my kids’ screen time and never let them use their tablets before bedtime (the mom who writes for a sleep website knows that kids’ screen time and sleep don’t mix!). But it’s a “do as I say, not as I do” situation, as I’m part of the 65 percent of millennials who use social media many or most nights before bed.  A ..read more

Celebrity wellness routines often consist of habits that, to be frank, are just not in the cards for some of us. Gwyneth Paltrow starts her day by mouth scraping, oil pulling, meditating for 20 minutes, dry brushing, working out, and sipping on celery juice. (1) Imagine doing all of that before commuting to work? Kim Kardashian has a 9-step skincare routine, and the products are quite the splurge for many. (2)  Jennifer Aniston said recently in an interview with Self that she feels better now than she did in her twenties, so when I read through her nighttime routine I immediately knew th ..read more

We could all use some help in our sleep routine from time to time. Whether it’s trouble falling asleep or just never being able to finish a good dream, natural sleep aids like matcha are an attractive remedy. If you’re not already a green tea connoisseur, you might be interested to learn that adding a cup of home-brewed matcha tea to your day might improve your restfulness.  Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between matcha and sleep and whether it’s worth adding to your bedtime routine.  Note: The content on Sleepopolis is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldn ..read more

“I’m reliving the same day, over and over,” said Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day. As reported by The Sun, this experience is reality for 26-year-old Alyssa Davis. Davis compared the concept of the 1993 film to her diagnosis of a rare sleep disorder, with which she had been unknowingly struggling with for years, saying that she “relives the same exhaustion” every day. (1) “I had never even heard of my condition before my doctor told me I had it,” said Davis in a recent Instagram post. (2)  Davis said in another video that the sleep disorder has caused her to, “Consistently tumble a ..read more