All articles tagged with #insomnia
TMZ released audio of Darrell Sheets’ girlfriend’s 911 call after his death, in which she recalls hearing a gunshot during a late-night confrontation and notes he had been battling insomnia and family drama. Police later revealed a suicide note referencing Facebook bullying, and Sheets, 67, was pronounced deceased with an autopsy confirming suicide and a negative toxicology report.
Columbia sleep-nutrition researcher Marie-Pierre St-Onge explains that a Mediterranean-style, fiber-rich diet consumed across the day—favoring fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, lean proteins, and minimizing refined sugars—supports better sleep by providing sleep-regulating nutrients, stabilizing blood sugar, and boosting melatonin. Large studies link this eating pattern to less insomnia and longer, more efficient sleep. In her own routine, she emphasizes three-hour-gap between dinner and sleep, a breakfast of high-fiber cereal with banana, lunch featuring sourdough bread with yogurt and fruit, and dinners with fish, legumes, and vegetables, plus dim lighting before bed to cue melatonin and a consistent sleep schedule.
Orthosomnia—a fixation on perfect sleep—can be worsened by wearables, as data from trackers is not always accurate and can spur anxiety about each night's sleep. Experts advise stepping back from the numbers, practicing solid sleep hygiene, and listening to body cues rather than chasing the app score.
A Tom’s Guide feature by sleep editor Nicola Appleton explains that staying up late and dozing off in front of the TV can blunt your body’s sleep cues, trigger wakeful hormones like cortisol, and lead to 3 a.m. wake-ups. Citing Dr. Joshua Roland and Dr. Matthew Walker, the piece highlights how ignoring natural sleep signals reduces sleep pressure and raises cortisol, especially when combined with evening screen time, light exposure, and late caffeine. It lists three common habits—working late, afternoon caffeine, and falling asleep in front of the TV (a habit an estimated 61% of people share)—that disrupt sleep, and it offers science-based tips to reset your nightly routine and sleep through the night.
A small trial (15 participants) in obstructive sleep apnea found that low-dose quetiapine can extend sleep but impairs next-day cognitive function and driving performance, with slower reaction times and more attention lapses; some did not feel sleepy despite worse performance. The study cautions against using quetiapine as routine sleep medication for sleep apnea and calls for larger, longer studies and more personalized treatment approaches.
In a small, blinded crossover trial of twenty adults with insomnia, a single oral dose of 10 mg THC plus 200 mg CBD shortened total sleep by about 25 minutes and cut REM sleep by roughly 34 minutes, while delaying REM onset by more than an hour. High-density EEG revealed calmer activity in lighter sleep stages but reduced slow-wave activity in deep sleep and increased fast rhythms in posterior regions during REM, indicating more nocturnal arousal and shallower sleep. Next-day cognitive tests were largely unchanged, though participants reported mild sleepiness. The study’s limitations—small sample size and one-night exposure—call for longer-term research on safety and tolerability of medicinal cannabis for sleep.
Two MD Anderson-led studies of more than 18 million US adults aged 18–50 found that poor sleep patterns are linked to higher risk of early-onset cancers (bowel, breast, uterine, ovarian), with insomnia associated with up to a threefold increase in cancer risk within five years. While the findings suggest sleep disruption could be a modifiable risk factor, experts caution that association does not prove causation and more research is needed to account for lifestyle factors and other confounders. Globally, cases and deaths from cancer in under-50s have risen over recent decades.
Nighttime overthinking can be a subtle sign of burnout, with insomnia and burnout potentially forming a vicious cycle. A psychologist advises a 30-minute wind-down before bed, dim warm lighting, and gentle activities (stretching, music, reading) instead of doomscrolling. If sleep issues persist, consult a medical professional. Burnout is believed to affect up to 65% of UK workers, making nighttime rumination an important warning sign to heed.
Nicolas Cage says he turned down Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia in 2002 and Nolan didn’t call back after the rejection; he notes directors often take it personally, but David O. Russell did reach out for Madden, a gesture he appreciated, and Cage discusses his Spider-Noir series beyond the film-choices story.
Nicolas Cage says Christopher Nolan won’t call him back after he turned down Nolan’s Insomnia, a pattern he notes occurs with other directors; he adds that David O. Russell did eventually offer him another project, proving not all directors take rejection personally. Cage is also promoting Madden (as John Madden) and making his Spider-Verse debut.
A study with 92 participants using Edison-inspired wake interruptions found four mental states (C1–C4) that appear across wakefulness, sleep onset, and light sleep, including a bizarre dream-like C3 with a neural signature of reduced frontal–occipital connectivity. This shows dreaming can occur while awake, challenges the strict wake/sleep divide, and has implications for paradoxical insomnia and creative insight during wake–sleep transitions.
A German home-based trial (n=155) found magnesium bisglycinate, taken as 250 mg elemental magnesium before bed for four weeks, modestly reduced insomnia symptoms versus placebo, but the effect is small and not a cure. The study emphasizes timing and routine, though it did not track sleep stages with objective measures. Diet remains the safer starting point for magnesium intake, with foods like seeds and greens; supplements may help those with low intake but can cause GI issues at higher doses. Medical advice is advised for kidney disease or interactions with certain meds, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia remains a stronger proven treatment for chronic insomnia; more rigorous studies with objective sleep data are needed.
Insomnia affects a large portion of adults and frequently coexists with other health issues, but modern research treats it as often an independent disorder that benefits from targeted treatment. CBTI is effective yet underutilized, while sleeping pills carry risks; newer dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) offer safer pharmacological options, though long-term safety data are limited. Practical tips include getting up when unable to sleep and engaging in calming activities, taking short daytime naps (no more than 20 minutes), and considering online CBTI. Treating sleep problems can also improve co-occurring conditions like chronic pain, depression, and cardiovascular issues, with higher risk among women, older adults, and those with lower socioeconomic status.
Over the past two decades, scientists have reframed insomnia from merely a secondary symptom to often an independent disorder that can precede or outlast other conditions. CBTI (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) has proven broadly effective but remains underused due to clinician familiarity and funding gaps, while newer options like dual orexin receptor antagonists and online self-delivered CBTI offer safer alternatives to sleeping pills. Treating sleep problems can also improve comorbid issues such as chronic pain, depression, and anxiety, and insomnia affects women, older adults, and those with lower socioeconomic status more acutely.
A large international analysis of more than 130,000 adults with chronic insomnia found that long-term melatonin use (≥12 months) was associated with an 89–90% higher five-year risk of heart failure (4.6% vs 2.7%), about a 3.5-fold increase in heart-failure hospitalizations (19.0% vs 6.6%), and nearly double the risk of all-cause death (7.8% vs 4.3%). The results show association, not causation, and are based on medical records; they are preliminary and not yet peer-reviewed, prompting calls for prospective trials to clarify safety.