Consumer Reports recently surveyed their readers, asking about the effectiveness of prescription drugs versus mind-body therapies when it comes to 12 different conditions - allergies, anxiety, back pain, colds and flu, depression, digestive problems, fibromyalgia, headache and migraine, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, neck pain, and osteoarthritis.

Can you guess which 3 conditions fared better through the use of mind-body therapies? [Read more →]

As a kid, I devised what I thought were clever - and sort of odd - ways to get myself to fall asleep at bedtime.

I’d lift my hands high up over my head (like a reclining zombie) and hold them there until my arms got so tired that they’d flop to the bed and I’d essentially wear myself out.

For the same effect, I’d jump up and down on my bed or dance to some song stuck in my head. Or I’d tense up and release the muscles in my legs, feet, and toes, unwittingly practicing the stress-management routine of “progressive muscle relaxation”.

I’d heard about counting sheep as a way to lull yourself off to the Land of Nod. I tried it, but it never worked for me. Was I doing it wrong? Counting too quickly? Imagining the wrong breed of sheep? Does this old trick really work? Do sheep equal sleep?  [Read more →]

Ahhh … weekend sleep! Once Friday hits, lots of us stay up later, switch off our alarms so we can doze for longer, and indulge in the simple pleasure of an afternoon nap. Sweet dreams, weekend sleepers!

> 5 essentials of a sleep sanctuary
> Why you should take a nap
> Can you get too much sleep?
> Test your snooze-savvy
> You did what in your sleep?
> Good foods for good sleep
> The trouble with tranquilizers

Bookmark this page to read after checking out this news item from NewScientist:

… poor sleep might actually cause some psychiatric illnesses or lead people to behave in ways that doctors mistake for mental problems.