. . . new study shows how your brain flushes itself of toxic waste while sleeping Wish you had an extra hour or two of sleep every night? If so, you’re not alone. Recent statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show 50-70 million US adults don’t get an adequate amount of good quality sleep. Yet with increasing sleep deprivation, Americans pay a heavy price. Those surveyed reported significant problems with memory and concentration. So much so, that it adversely affects their relationships, commuting for work or pleasure, handling of finances, and job performance. In fact, lack of sleep is increasingly being blamed for car crashes, workplace accidents, marital problems, as well as a variety of health issues including depression, weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, increased mortality, skin aging, and more. Just how serious is it? We’ve already warned about the negative impact of insomnia on health and safety. And even though Americans admit…

You never feel like you have enough time. Your day seems like it just doesn't have enough hours, or you're too tired to tackle everything on your list. However, rather than attempt to speed up your pace or try another time management technique, consider addressing your sleep - specifically if and how much restorative sleep you're getting in each night. What Is Restorative Sleep?To operate at top energy and efficiency, getting a good night's sleep - seven to nine hours of "restorative sleep" that leaves you waking up feeling rested and refreshed - is essential.The body is self-healing, self-repairing and self-detoxifying - but only if it gets enough rest and sleep, because all this healing, repairing and detoxifying work is done when the body is at rest.To put it straightforwardly, when you wake up feeling alert, rested and ready to start your day, you've had a night of restorative sleep. Restorative sleep applies to the period lasting from deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM), durin…

Sometimes the sensation creeps up on your or comes on suddenly: You have no energy to do anything. Work feels like a slog. You put off household chores like washing dishes or taking out the trash. In between, you settle for takeout because it requires minimal effort. Day after day, the sensation persists, and rather than attribute it to lifestyle habits, you conclude that you have a lack of willpower. According to psychologist Caterina Lino, "Overall, self-control appears to be a better predictor of academic achievement than intelligence. It is also a stronger determinant of effective leadership than charisma, and more important for marital satisfaction than empathy." Willpower and Your Brain Do you believe you lack willpower? The reality is, you probably have more than you know. The truth is, everyone has two parts in their brain that are often in conflict. There is an older, "primitive brain" governed by the pleasure principle; it wants what it wants right now. Another part…