Going To Bed Late Can Increase Negative Thinking And Worry

Sleep can affect or even shape your life beyond the ways you  could imagine.

Skimping on sleep and staying up late could indicate you’re headed for a negative spiral of persistent worry and negative thinking, according to new research from Binghamton University.

The researchers asked 100 students to complete several questionnaires and two computerized tasks to gauge repetitive negative thinking (RNT) by measuring how much the subjects worried, ruminated or obsessed over something. The subjects also answered questions about their sleep habits and schedules.

Going To Bed Late Can Increase Negative Thinking And Worry.

Serious Dangers Sleep-Deprived Teens Face

About.com/Parenting

Most teens aren’t getting the 9 ¼ hours of sleep recommended by doctors. According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Late evening sporting events, long hours of homework, and part-time jobs can interfere with a good night’s sleep. For other teens, video games, social media, and web surfing prevent them from going to sleep at a reasonable hour.

7 Serious Dangers Sleep-Deprived Teens Face.

Poor Sleep Can Lead to False Memories

PSY BLOG

Short of sleep? Your memory could be playing serious tricks on you.

We all know that lack of sleep affects our memory, along with other cognitive abilities.

Sitting in the office, sleep deprived, it’s difficult to remember your own name, let along the ever-lengthening to-do list. But now new research shows that not getting enough sleep increases the chances your mind will actually create false memories.

The study, published in Psychological Science, allowed one group of participants to get a full nights’ sleep, while another had to stay up all night (Frenda et al., 2014).

Poor Sleep Can Lead to False Memories — PsyBlog.

Your Body Does Incredible Things When You Aren’t Awake

Your Body Does Incredible Things When You Aren’t Awake.

The sleep and mental health connection:

A Q&A with Russell Foster | TED Blog

We spend about a third of our lives asleep — a figure that may make all that time spent in bed seem like a waste. But according to neuroscientist Russell Foster, it is quite the opposite.

Russell Foster: Why do we sleep?

In today’s talk, given at TEDGlobal 2013, Foster explores why we sleep, a question which no one has been able to definitively answer. We know that it is vital for our general health, that is likely connected to memory consolidation and that, without it, we are more prone to accidents. In the talk, he also gives a few tips for getting better sleep and debunks some common sleep-related myths.

The sleep and mental health connection: A Q&A with Russell Foster | TED Blog.

Nina Martin

Dec 9 2013: Excellent talk! This is at the heart of preventive medicine, so easy and cheap a way to increase one’s health.

My two cents:
Bed-time routine similar every day, sleep routine similar through the week, wind down properly if you don’t fall asleep within minutes of putting the head on the pillow, don’t use backlit screens (although eReaders that are e-ink based are fine), possibly use a wake-up lamp as alarm clock, possibly use a light-therapy lamp when having breakfast during the dark part of the year if you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, and find/trust your own sleep cycle. Ladies, your hormonal cycle might alter your need for sleep, too. And finally, I’ve heard regular yoga practice decreasing the amount of hours needed each night.

I recommend “Day in the life of your brain” by The Scientific American if you want interesting reading material!

How Long to Nap for the Biggest Brain Benefits

Taking a nap, we’ve seen time and again, is like rebooting your brain. But napping may be as much of an art as it is a science. The Wall Street Journal offers recommendations for planning your perfect nap, including how long to nap and when.

How Long to Nap for the Biggest Brain Benefits.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Poverty In Canada

George Stroumboulopulos Tonight | 10 Things You Might Not Know About Poverty In Canada.

Sleep soundly and beat the heat – put your pillow in the fridge

Sleep soundly and beat the heat – put your pillow in the fridge – StumbleUpon.

High temperatures, well into the evening, affect your body’s natural cooling process as you prepare for sleep. “The body normally releases heat through hands, face and feet around the time of sleep onset, and usually continues to cool until around 4am,” says Dr Chris Idzikowski, director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre and author of Sound Asleep. “If anything prevents that decrease in temperature, then sleep quality is impaired and it is difficult to fall asleep.” Although he also warns that at the point where your body temperature is at its lowest, you may wake up if you don’t have enough bed linen to keep you warm.

Choice of bed linen is important (natural fibres are best) and if your mattress is made from foam or other synthetic materials: “Try using a mattress protector made from cotton wadding.” Idzikowski also suggests keeping your pillow in the fridge during the day and retrieving it as you go to bed. Loose-fitting nightclothes (in cotton or silk) could be more effective than sleeping naked: “Natural fibres wick away moisture from your skin.” Spreading out, rather than sleeping curled up, will help you keep cool.

Click to read:Sleep soundly and beat the heat – put your pillow in the fridge – StumbleUpon.

Homeless in the GTA: Finding affordable housing especially tough for women

Story: Toronto Star

Lisa Roberts and her 15-month-old son, Liam, spend their days at the Whitby library or walking around parks and playgrounds. At night, the same playgrounds become their place to sleep, curled up in the play structures wrapped in blankets.

Roberts, 38 — who is nearly eight months pregnant with a girl — and her son have been homeless since the beginning of May, when she had to leave her basement apartment in Whitby because her landlord’s son was returning from university.

Living off welfare, she has been unable to find a one-bedroom apartment for less than $800 in Durham Region.

Homeless in the GTA: Finding affordable housing especially tough for women | Toronto Star.

Counselling after an assault…

How to handle a counselling session: Inputs from Margaret Edwards & Charlotte Chapman,COUNSELING TODAY

The first session after an assault is particularly challenging, and a lot rides on that session because it often determines whether a student will follow through with getting help in a timely manner. If a client in this situation feels judged, is pressed too fast for details or is offered unsolicited advice, she or he may not return for the second appointment. It is important to slow down and to support these clients as they try to make sense not only of what has happened but also their resulting reactions.

The approach of motivational interviewing, as developed by William Miller and Stephen Rollnick, is especially helpful in establishing a safe, trusting psychological environment in which to work through a trauma. Motivational interviewing is based on autonomy, collaboration and evocation. For example, asking for permission before providing information or advice and reflecting feelings rather than asking questions about what happened allows the counselor to join with the client without also joining her in the trauma. In addition, allowing the client to set the pace and goals of counseling helps her to re-establish a sense of agency in her own healing, which is important in likewise re-establishing her sense of psychological safety.

Client scenario: Anna is a college junior just getting ready to take her final exams. She walked into the counseling center today in tears and said she wanted to talk about a bad date she had two weeks ago. Anna explains that she attended a date function with Chris, the roommate of her friend Josh. At first, she says, things went pretty normally — drinks, dinner, dancing and barhopping afterward. Anna’s first indication that she might be in trouble was Chris’ insistence on pushing more drinks on her. The second occurred when Chris took her home after the function and followed her in, even after she said no. Chris repeatedly suggested they have sex and ignored Anna’s response.

Read further:http://ct.counseling.org/2013/04/after-an-assault/