Science Says To Have More Sex For Better Sleep

Are you looking for an all-natural sleep aid that will ease your stress AND help you fall asleep? Well, we've found it and it's called sex! Pull back the covers and read on:

There's a reason why every sex scene in a movie ends with the couple falling fast asleep. Sex has been proven to promote better sleep, and it all has to do with the hormones produced during intercourse. Sex boosts oxytocin (a hormone that makes you feel connected to your partner) and lowers cortisol (a stress-related hormone). These changes in hormone levels leave your body feeling naturally more relaxed, resulting in a pleasant transition into sleep.

The big snooze especially happens when you reach the Big O. When you have an orgasm, your body releases a cocktail of hormones that help you sleep. Along with sleep-inducing melatonin, oxytocin - aka the love hormone - floods your brain after climax. It makes sense that a chemical that contributes to trust and intimacy would also encourage drowsiness and calm. During an orgasm, the brain also fires feel-good neurotransmitters called endorphins. Low stress levels paired with feelings of intimacy and euphoria have a calming effect on the body, which is the perfect recipe for sleep.

Sex definitely helps you sleep, but it's affect on men and women differs. For women, estrogen levels are known to increase after intercourse, which enhances a woman's REM cycle for a deeper sleep. But don't feel left out, men. After sex, men will release a biochemical known as prolactin, which is directly responsible for feelings of fatigue. No wonder they pass out within minutes!

Sex is important for our sleep and vice versa. A good night's rest will do wonders for your sex life. In a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, women in romantic relationships reported higher levels of sexual desire and had a 14% increase in the likelihood of sexual activity the next day. Women with longer average sleep duration also reported greater vaginal lubrication during sex than those with shorter average sleep.

Clearly sleep and sex are related. They both are important to our overall health and happiness. Get a little frisky tonight and see your sleep (and mood) improve greatly!

Source: https://site.eightsleep.com/blogs/news/sex-before-bed-is-worth-it

How to Deal With Being Alone During the Holidays

For some, the holidays are a few carefree weeks of celebration. For others, they’re a difficult slog and a stark reminder that you’re unable to spend quality time with friends and family.
Being alone is difficult, and being alone during the holidays can magnify some of those feelings tenfold. But as difficult as it can feel, there are opportunities to help make the holidays feel less like a time when everyone else is out having fun.
RELATED: How to Make Friends After College
Here, you’ll find a few various things you can do if you’re by yourself this holiday season.

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1. Practice Self-Care

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The concept of self-care looks different for everyone, but it’s still absolutely necessary. This could mean seeing a therapist or increasing the number of regular visits. It could mean leaning on a spouse or close friend (feeling alone doesn’t necessarily mean you are alone), or taking a trip just to change your surroundings.
Making sure you’re putting yourself first is important. Don’t just stay busy for the sake of it. There’s nothing wrong with skipping the office holiday party if quality alone time is what you’re in the mood for. For some people, self-care can even be a matter of catching up on chores.
“If you're going to be alone, don't let that stop you from having a good time,” advises family clinician Lauren Cook. “You might enjoy going to the movies, doing a deep clean of your apartment or getting knee deep in a passion project.. Get yourself in a state of flow where you lose track of time.”
It also may be advisable to avoid social media and other time-sinks if you think they’ll have a negative effect on your psyche.

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2. Avoid Self-Destructive Habits

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Avoid patterns of behavior that you know can put you in a bad headspace: drinking too much alcohol, overeating comfort foods or even dating just for the sake of it. “Are you numbing out with overeating, alcohol or online dating?” asks divorce coach Catherine Blake. “Pay attention here that you don’t let your self-care routine slide in order to avoid the pain.”
After all, part of practicing self-care also means avoiding negative habits.

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3. Volunteer Your Time

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Taking the time to help those less fortunate will not only feel like time well spent, but it can also help to put your pain in perspective. There are plenty of opportunities around the holidays: volunteer at a soup kitchen, nursing home or toy drive. Animal shelters are a great option, too, helping to “relieve stress and loneliness,” says Ethan Szalar, a recovery coach at Mountainside.
“If someone isn’t ready to commit to buying a dog or cat, they can volunteer at a local animal shelter and enjoy interacting with the animals there while experiencing a greater sense of purpose.”
Helping others and seeing their gratitude can be a great way to re-contextualize the way you feel about the holidays. It’ll also allow you to appreciate the things you do have.

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4. Create New Traditions

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Have something to look forward to with a newly crafted tradition. Think along the lines of a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant every year, or maybe even a weekend getaway if you can afford it. If you have a friend (or friends) in a similar situation, you could even start the tradition together. The point here is to create a new ritual, spinning what could be a depressing situation into something that’ll up the excitement level as the year finishes out.
“For myself, I hated spending the Thanksgiving when I did not have my daughter with my family,” says Blake. “I felt like I was missing a part of me. So I started hosting Friendsgiving for other solo and single parents.”
Look at that blank space during the holidays as an opportunity instead of something to dread.

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5. Seek Out Other People Like You

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Look to join a class around the holiday season. Not only will you get those endorphins pumping, but you’ll likely discover other people who are alone of the holidays for whatever reason.
“Taking an exercise class at a local gym can help people make friends and meet others like them,” says Szalar. “Alternately, they can make new friends while exploring new passions by signing up for a cooking class or cooking a special dish they have always wanted to learn how to make.”
The most important thing is to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. If you’re having suicidal thoughts or ideations, please visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is always an option if necessary. Alternatively, call (800) 273-8255 as you are never truly alone.
These ideas may help if you’re feeling a bit down. You might form new connections and make new friends, sure, but at the very least, you’ll at least learn how to bake a three-tiered cake or discover you really love painting.


Source: https://www.askmen.com/fitness/mental_health/how-to-deal-with-being-alone-during-the-holidays.html

Suffering from Holiday Anxiety? Here’s How to Cope

Andy Williams has always considered Christmas to be the "most wonderful time of the year," but for many of us, it’s actually the most stressful. The holiday season is a time when it's easy to feel overloaded with social obligations, financial pressures and the general expectation to be jollier than usual. With December 25 quickly approaching, some of us will relate more to Scrooge than Santa Claus, turning the holidays into an anxiety-inducing marathon with no end in sight.

Jack Duddy, a Behavioural Strategist at Ogilvy Consulting's Behavioural Science Practice, says there's good and bad news for Scrooges when it comes to festive trends.

RELATED: How to Deal With Being Alone During the Holidays

"I believe that in years to come Christmas will become more low-key in terms of a reduction in gift-giving," he predicts. "But I also believe that in keeping with the trend of people moving towards gaining experiences rather than material possessions, social obligations will continue to be a key aspect.”

Essentially, people are likely to prioritize spending time with family and friends during the holidays to an even greater extent than they do now.

With this in mind, here's a guide to navigating the holidays even if you find the whole shebang more gut-churning than heartwarming.
Tips on Coping with the Holiday Season


1. Learn How to Say No

The festive treadmill of family gatherings, office parties and happy hours with friends can test your mental health as much as it challenges your liver. Duddy recommends being “tactical” with the events you attend, as well as those you politely decline.

“You can’t be there at every single social event,” he says. “[And] if you try to be, you may find you become more over-tired and stress yourself out even more.”


2. Try to Drink a Little Less
This might seem like a buzzkill, but it makes a lot of sense. Duddy says that so-called “hang-xiety” is a real thing which can “stress you out even more for the next day or two” after a heavy night.

Drinking in moderation is also a surefire way to make sure you leave a holiday party before it gets too late – and while you’re stuck on the festive treadmill, you’ll need as much sleep as you can get.


3. Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others
As the holidays are often used to reflect on the year gone by, it’s all too easy to slip into a toxic cycle of comparing yourself unfavorably to others.

"If you're a single man you might feel a pressure to ‘get a partner’ by Christmas so you have someone to go the office party with," says Jo Emerson, a Confidence and Human Behavior expert, “but who says you need a partner to enjoy a party?"

The key is to approach the holidays in a way that suits you, not boring societal norms.


4. Steer Clear of Social Media as Much as Possible
We all know that people tend to present idealized versions of themselves on social media. As you might’ve guessed, this just intensifies during the holiday season when people want to show the world just how much fun they’re having.

"Because our brains are wired to constantly make comparisons between ourselves and others, posts we see of others sharing their 'perfect' Christmas – their presents, social outings and the rest – can make us feel far more anxious that we're not living our lives to the same level," explains Duddy.

He also warns against using social media as a crutch during occasions where you're anxious about speaking to people face-to-face, noting that "habitually 'checking' your phone can increase anxiety because our brains become programmed to believe something might be wrong if we don’t get on Instagram right away."


5. There Are No Rules as to How You Should Spend the Holiday

“If you don’t like sitting around all day, go on a massive hike and pack a turkey sandwich for your lunch,” advises Emerson. She also points out that in 2019, there's no such thing as a "normal" way to spend Christmas Day itself.

"I have other friends with no children who spend the day in their pajamas sipping port, eating cheese and binge-watching movies," she says. "And I have another friend who's single who volunteers at the local homeless shelter – she spends her day peeling potatoes and washing up."
6. Make Yourself an Anti-Holiday Playlist

You’re going to hear “Santa Baby” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at every party, bar and market from now until December 25. Break up the monotony by making your own playlist of the most defiant and unseasonal songs to play in your downtime.


6. Don’t Worry About Being Called a “Scrooge”

Duddy acknowledges that "there's a danger that if people don’t think you're being 'festive enough,' you’re going to get called a 'Scrooge.'”

This in turn can heighten your anxiety, but one solution is to make a joke out of your Scrooge-like behavior. After all, so many people get a little carried away during the holidays that it might be refreshing for your friends and family to hang with someone who’s not that into it.

Vive la festive difference.

Source: https://www.askmen.com/fitness/mental_health/how-to-handle-the-holidays-if-you-re-naturally-a-scrooge.html