Positional therapy for sleep apnea involves using devices or techniques that keep you in a specific sleep position to prevent the airway from collapsing, especially for those who only experience sleep apnea when lying on their back. Try sleeping on your side, even though doing so won’t solve the root problem. Also, consider a mattress that elevates your head. Pregnancy pillows sometimes help.... Read More
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Melatonin is Not a Sleeping Pill
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes. Chronobiology is the study of circadian rhythms. One example of a light-related circadian rhythm is sleeping at night and awake during the day.... Read More
Mixing Alcohol and Caffeine
Drinking alcohol and caffeine in combination increases the risk of heavy drinking, alcohol dependence, and physical harm. It seems best to avoid combining the two substances.... Read More
Psychedelics and Mental Health
Psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs vary in their mechanisms of action and risks. All create an altered state of consciousness (for example, an “acid trip”). For many, this brain alteration opens the door to an increased awareness of parts of their environment. Solid objects may appear to breathe in or out.... Read More
Heart Disease Surprises
These newly identified risk factors include inflammatory diseases. These risk-raising conditions include gout, psoriasis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune collagen vascular diseases. These diseases are all associated with an increased tendency to develop coronary artery disease. Each of the conditions increases the inflammasome.... Read More
A New Breast Cancer Risk
This is the first study analyzing breast density changes, over time, in an individual breast (rather than averaging the two breasts). While breast density typically declines with age, a slower rate of decline in one breast (than the other) often precedes a cancer diagnosis in that breast.... Read More