One of the best ways to treat anxiety? A full night's rest, new research suggests.

Researchers discover that not only can anxiety prevent you from sleeping, but not getting a good night's sleep might also cause anxiety.

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  • Anxiety disorders are frequently associated with poor sleep. The intuitive conclusion is that anxious individuals are too worried to fall asleep.
  • However, a recent fMRI study revealed that failing to get a good night's sleep, even for healthy individuals, can also contribute to anxiety levels the next day, raising them by up to 30 percent.
  • The findings suggest that one of the best ways to treat anxiety may be to get in a full night's rest.
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'Waves' of fluid clear the brain of toxins during sleep, say researchers

The finding represents one of the first times we have observed how the human brain clears out its waste products.

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  • Evidence has been mounting that one of the major functions of sleep is to clear out metabolic waste products like beta-amyloids and tau proteins.
  • These waste products tend to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, implying that they play some part in neurodegenerative diseases.
  • Now, researchers from Boston University have discovered that these toxic byproducts are flushed out in waves by cerebrospinal fluid during the slow-wave sleep phase.
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To make laziness work for you, put some effort into it

If laziness is written into our genes, why not embrace it?

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We are being lazy if there's something that we ought to do but are reluctant to do because of the effort involved.

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Not enough sleep throws your circadian rhythm off, leading to potential cognitive problems

Sleep deprivation leads to a shutdown in the production of essential proteins.

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  • Two new studies indicate what happens when your natural circadian rhythm is disrupted by not enough sleep.
  • The production of essential proteins is disrupted by a lack of sleep, which could result in cognitive decline.
  • From dementia to an uptick in obesity, sleep deprivation wreaks havoc in your physiology.
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Sleep hacking: How to control your mitochondrial clocks

Light controls your body clock. Hack it to get better sleep.

  • You can go a month without food, or three or four days without water, but try to go three or four days without sleep. "It's at least as important as water. But you don't see people going on water diets very often, but you do see people who just don't get enough sleep all the time," says Dave Asprey
  • Quality sleep is foundational to good health, helping to ward off diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's. It's also a key strategy for anti-aging.
  • Dave Asprey shares what he's learned about sleep hacking: Don't eat after the sun goes down, turn the lights down as much as you can after the sun goes down, and black out your room – you'll need more than regular black-out curtains. Watch the video to find out why.
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