Dealing with sleep disturbances when you’re feeling depressed can seem like a vicious circle. The more depressed you feel, the harder it is to sleep. And the more exhausted you feel, the harder it is to fight depression. It can feel like there’s no way to break the cycle. And it’s frustrating to feel tired yet be unable to fall or stay asleep. Here’s what you should know about the relationship between sleep disturbances and depression....
If you’re having a hard time coping with infertility, you are not alone. Research has shown that the psychological stress experienced by those with infertility is similar to that of people coping with illnesses such as cancer, HIV, and chronic pain. In addition, studies have found that men are at risk for anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction, and decreased self-esteem. These psychological effects may occur regardless of whether a couple is facing male infertility, female factor infertility, both male and female infertility, or unexplained causes....
Pregnancy and childbirth changes people’s bodies in significant ways. After all, there’s a lot of growing and stretching that has to happen for you to gestate and birth your sweet baby. Many are able to heal and return to normal—or a “new normal”—after childbirth, though it often takes many months (or years) to get there. Some women end up with a separation in their abdominal muscles after childbirth which leaves bellies looking stretched out long after pregnancy....
Have you ever experienced this heart-wrenching feeling that arises when your child is sleepy, hurt, or hungry, and they cry for the babysitter to comfort them rather than you? How do you regain the emotional bond with your child? How can you stop the awful feeling that your child likes the babysitter more than you? Try one of the following suggestions to help work things out between you and your child....
Emotional avoidance is a common reaction to trauma. In fact, emotional avoidance is part of the avoidance cluster of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, serving as a way for people with PTSD to escape painful or difficult emotions. Avoidance refers to any action designed to prevent the occurrence of an uncomfortable emotion such as fear, sadness, or shame. For example, a person may try to avoid difficult emotions through the use of substances or dissociation....
Research shows that heavy alcohol use can damage short- and long-term memory and affect brain structure. There may be ways to lessen alcohol’s effects on memory by reducing the amount of alcohol consumed and by using memory techniques to overcome memory loss issues. How Alcohol Affects Memory Memory is divided is into retrospective (long-term) and prospective or working (short-term) memory. Retrospective memory is remembering all events and episodes that have happened in our lifetime....
Sleep is important for your ability to focus and concentrate, mood, general health, and well-being. Unfortunately, many people with ADHD struggle with sleep issues, so they often do not get the sleep they need. It can take time and effort to learn how to fall asleep with ADHD. Fortunately, you can take steps to address sleep issues and get a better night’s rest if you or your child have ADHD. These sleep strategies can help adults and children learn how to fall asleep with ADHD....
Pirate’s Treasure is a variation on Capture the Flag that uses beanbag “treasure” instead of colorful flags. This game gets kids running, jumping, and throwing as they try to grab all the treasure for their own team. It’s easy to learn and play, so it’s perfect for any outdoor gathering with a lot of kids. Adults can play too, so try this at a neighborhood block party, school field day, or family reunion....
A common question as we make advances in our understanding of depression is the following: Is depression a disease? The answer is: Yes, depression can be considered a disease—but this is not the most common word used to describe it. Most commonly, you will see the words “disorder” or “illness” used to describe depression; however, some experts refer to depression as a disease because the term underscores its physical and mental effects....
Newborns tend to be quite noisy, making a variety of sounds besides crying, like sneezing and hiccuping. Most of these noises are reactions to new sound disturbances around them and are healthy signs that their nervous system is functioning and maturing. But, you may have also heard your newborn make a gagging or gurgling noise, and this can be understandably alarming. Besides just a normal clearing of their throat, there may be other reasons why your newborn is gagging, and it all starts with some excess fluid left in their lungs after birth....
Whether you’re feeding your baby by breastfeeding, formula feeding, or a combination of both, you are likely going to use a bottle at some point. Most of us don’t really think twice about bottle feeding. After all, it’s not that complicated, right? Put the milk in the bottle, put the bottle nipple in your baby’s mouth, and you’re ready to go. But if you’re breastfeeding your baby and bottle feeding part-time or transitioning to bottles, it may not be that simple....
Most children start toilet training between 18 months and 3 years of age. With the pressure for many children to be out of diapers to attend preschool, potty training can be extra stressful for parents, especially when their toddler is resisting learning or just not getting the hang of it. When attempts at potty training don’t seem to be working, it can help to understand why. They’re Not Ready Before the age of 18 months, most toddlers do not have control of urination and defecation to consciously delay it until they can get to the bathroom....
Studies show that stress during pregnancy likely impacts the developing fetus. As such, researchers from Washington State University sought to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is causing stress to pregnant and postnatal people and what measures they are taking to cope with this stress. Key Takeaways The COVID-19 pandemic adds a layer of additional stress to pregnancy.Lack of access to resources, healthcare, and social support are common stressors.Practical help can be accessed via your healthcare team....
Witnessing a young child who is coughing and feeling congested is nothing short of heartbreaking. If your kid is dealing with those types of symptoms, it’s possible that they have RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is a very common respiratory illness that causes fever and cold-like symptoms and can affect people of all ages. It normally circulates during the fall and winter months, especially in close-knit quarters where young children congregate....
Research has shown that teenagers and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to be at an increased risk of driving impairments. This is not surprising given the core symptoms of ADHD — including problems with distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness — which can impede safe driving and can often lead to very serious accidents. One study, “Serious Transport Accidents in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Effect of Medication” published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that drivers with ADHD had a 45% to 47% increased rate of serious transport accidents (defined as serious injury or death) compared to drivers without ADHD, in both men and women....
A sedentary lifestyle has long been discouraged by healthcare providers due to its potential long-term negative physical impacts. Key Takeaways Recent research found more time sitting had a negative impact on mental health.Even with physical activity, the negative effect on mental health was not addressed unless sitting time was decreased as well.Being young and female was associated with higher rates of depression. Now, a new study published in Sport Sciences for Health reinforces this advice while also showing how increased sitting during COVID-19 lockdown adversely impacted mental health....
Shame and guilt are two powerful emotions that can have a major impact on individuals’ lives. If you live with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you may be all too familiar with these feelings. Shame and guilt can fuel your OCD and make it harder to manage your condition. Shame is an intense feeling of humiliation or worthlessness. It’s often accompanied by a sense of powerlessness and helplessness. Guilt, on the other hand, is a feeling of remorse or responsibility for something you’ve done wrong....
Having strong social connections is important to a person’s physical and emotional well-being. In fact, research shows that kids who have a strong sociometric status tend to have lower levels of inflammation and have better interpersonal skills. Overall, your teen’s sociometric status is an indicator of how they are viewed by their peers. Researchers measure sociometric status to better understand the behaviors and outcomes of kids who have different types of peer relationships....
Most of the time, birthing plans don’t happen the way parents expect. For Ashley Austrew, a freelance journalist and mom of two, hers were happily the exception. There were no complications with her pregnancies, but they did leave her with something unexpected—stretch marks. Austrew says she first saw them developing around her lower belly. Key Takeaways Post-pregnancy stretch marks affect people mentally and emotionally.Accepting and appreciating your body is a step toward normalizing stretch marks....
In vitro fertilization (IVF) rates are fairly good—a study of approximately 156,000 women found that the average live-birth rate for the first cycle was 29.5%, which is comparable to the success rates for a natural cycle in couples with no fertility issues. Key Takeaways A new study sheds light on why many IVF embryos fail to develop.Columbia University researchers say it’s due to DNA replication errors in the earliest stages of cell division....
