What factors contribute to being a heavy sleeper. How can light sleepers improve their sleep quality. What are the benefits of deep sleep. How do sleep cycles affect sleep quality. What lifestyle changes can promote deeper sleep.

Understanding Light and Deep Sleep Patterns

Sleep is a complex biological process that involves alternating cycles of REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. A typical sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes and repeats throughout the night. During sleep, we spend approximately 75% of our time in NREM sleep, which consists of four stages of increasing relaxation.

Stage one, often referred to as light sleep, is the transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep. As we progress to stage two, our breathing and heart rate become more regular, and our body temperature drops. The deepest and most restorative sleep occurs in stages three and four, characterized by slower breathing, muscle relaxation, and tissue repair and growth.

The Difference Between Light and Heavy Sleepers

The distinction between light and heavy sleepers is largely subjective and can vary based on individual factors. Young adults typically spend more time in deeper sleep stages as their bodies grow and develop. In contrast, older adults tend to experience less deep sleep and are more likely to wake up during the night.

Research has shown that the brain’s production of sleep spindles may play a role in determining whether someone is a light or heavy sleeper. A study published in Current Biology found that individuals whose brains produced more high-frequency sleep spindles were more likely to sleep through noise disturbances.

Benefits of Becoming a Heavier Sleeper

Achieving deeper, more restful sleep can have numerous positive effects on your overall health and well-being. Some key benefits of becoming a heavier sleeper include:

• Improved immune function
• Increased energy levels throughout the day
• Better regulation of anxiety and depression
• Enhanced metabolism
• Improved memory and cognitive function

By focusing on strategies to become a heavier sleeper, you can potentially reap these benefits and experience a higher quality of life.

Strategies to Promote Deeper Sleep

If you’re looking to transition from being a light sleeper to a heavier sleeper, there are several strategies you can implement to improve your sleep quality:

Create an Optimal Sleep Environment

Your sleeping environment plays a crucial role in determining the quality of your sleep. Consider the following tips:

• Keep your bedroom cool and dark
• Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows
• Use blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out light
• Minimize noise disturbances with earplugs or a white noise machine

Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Maintaining a regular sleep schedule can help regulate your body’s internal clock and promote deeper sleep. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

Practice Relaxation Techniques

Incorporating relaxation techniques into your bedtime routine can help calm your mind and prepare your body for sleep. Some effective methods include:

• Deep breathing exercises
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Meditation or mindfulness practices
• Gentle stretching or yoga

Natural Supplements and Remedies for Deeper Sleep

Certain natural supplements and remedies may help promote deeper sleep. However, it’s essential to consult with a healthcare professional before adding any new supplements to your routine.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain that helps regulate sleep-wake cycles. Over-the-counter melatonin supplements may help improve sleep onset and quality for some individuals.

Magnesium and Calcium

Both magnesium and calcium have been found to be effective in treating insomnia and promoting deeper sleep. These minerals play important roles in regulating neurotransmitters involved in sleep.

Herbal Remedies

Some herbal remedies, such as valerian root, chamomile, and passionflower, have been traditionally used to promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. While more research is needed to confirm their efficacy, some people find these natural remedies helpful.

Lifestyle Changes to Enhance Sleep Quality

In addition to creating an optimal sleep environment and trying natural remedies, certain lifestyle changes can significantly impact your ability to become a heavier sleeper:

Limit Caffeine and Alcohol Intake

Caffeine can remain active in your system for hours after consumption, potentially interfering with sleep. Try to limit caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and evening. Similarly, while alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, it can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to poorer sleep quality overall.

Exercise Regularly

Regular physical activity can help improve sleep quality and duration. However, it’s best to avoid intense exercise close to bedtime, as it may have a stimulating effect.

Manage Stress

Chronic stress can significantly impact sleep quality. Incorporate stress-management techniques into your daily routine, such as journaling, talking to a therapist, or practicing mindfulness.

The Role of Technology in Sleep Quality

In today’s digital age, technology plays a significant role in our sleep habits. While some technological advancements can help improve sleep, others may hinder it.

Blue Light Exposure

The blue light emitted by electronic devices can interfere with the production of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. Consider limiting screen time before bed or using blue light filtering apps or glasses.

Sleep Tracking Devices

Wearable devices and smartphone apps that track sleep patterns can provide valuable insights into your sleep quality and help you identify areas for improvement. However, it’s important not to become overly fixated on the data, as this can lead to increased anxiety about sleep.

When to Seek Professional Help

While many strategies can help you become a heavier sleeper, persistent sleep issues may indicate an underlying sleep disorder or health condition. Consider consulting a healthcare professional if:

• You consistently have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
• You experience excessive daytime sleepiness
• Your sleep patterns significantly impact your daily life and well-being
• You have concerns about snoring or breathing issues during sleep

A sleep specialist can conduct a thorough evaluation and recommend appropriate treatments, which may include cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), sleep medication, or addressing underlying health conditions.

The Impact of Sleep on Overall Health and Well-being

Understanding the profound impact of sleep on our overall health and well-being can serve as a powerful motivator for improving sleep quality. Deep, restful sleep plays a crucial role in numerous bodily functions and processes:

Cognitive Function and Memory

During deep sleep stages, the brain consolidates memories and processes information learned throughout the day. This process is essential for learning, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Individuals who consistently achieve deeper sleep often experience improved cognitive function, sharper focus, and enhanced memory retention.

Physical Recovery and Growth

The deepest stages of sleep are when the body undergoes significant physical restoration. This includes repairing tissues, building muscle, and releasing growth hormones. Athletes and individuals recovering from injuries particularly benefit from increased deep sleep, as it accelerates physical recovery and enhances performance.

Emotional Regulation

Quality sleep plays a vital role in emotional regulation and mental health. During sleep, the brain processes emotional information and recalibrates our emotional responses. Individuals who consistently achieve deeper sleep often report better mood stability, increased resilience to stress, and a lower risk of developing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Immune Function

Deep sleep strengthens the immune system by promoting the production and distribution of immune cells throughout the body. This enhanced immune function helps protect against various illnesses, from common colds to more serious health conditions.

Metabolic Health

Sleep quality significantly influences metabolic processes, including glucose metabolism and hormone regulation. Consistently achieving deeper sleep can help maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and support overall metabolic health.

By recognizing the far-reaching effects of sleep on our health, we can better appreciate the importance of striving to become heavier sleepers. Implementing the strategies discussed in this article can lead to substantial improvements in sleep quality, ultimately contributing to a healthier, more balanced life.

Adapting Sleep Strategies to Individual Needs

It’s important to recognize that sleep needs and patterns can vary significantly from person to person. What works for one individual may not be as effective for another. As you work towards becoming a heavier sleeper, consider the following approaches to tailor your sleep improvement strategies:

Experiment with Different Techniques

Don’t be discouraged if a particular sleep strategy doesn’t yield immediate results. Try different combinations of techniques and give each approach sufficient time to take effect. Keep a sleep journal to track your progress and identify which methods work best for you.

Consider Your Chronotype

Your chronotype, or natural sleep-wake cycle, can influence the effectiveness of various sleep strategies. Some people are naturally early risers (larks), while others are night owls. Understanding your chronotype can help you align your sleep schedule and habits with your body’s natural rhythms.

Adjust for Life Changes

Life circumstances, such as changes in work schedules, travel, or family responsibilities, can impact sleep patterns. Be prepared to adapt your sleep strategies as needed to accommodate these changes while still prioritizing deep, restful sleep.

Address Underlying Health Conditions

Certain health conditions, such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or chronic pain, can significantly affect sleep quality. If you suspect an underlying health issue is impacting your sleep, work with a healthcare professional to address these concerns alongside your efforts to become a heavier sleeper.

By taking a personalized approach to improving sleep quality and becoming a heavier sleeper, you can develop a sustainable sleep routine that supports your overall health and well-being. Remember that achieving optimal sleep is a journey, and with patience and persistence, you can experience the numerous benefits of deep, restful sleep.

How to Become a Deep Sleeper

Light sleepers are at the mercy of factors both internal and external that serve to prevent them from getting a deep, restful night’s sleep. Sleeping is an individual struggle and light sleepers often feel themselves at the mercy of sounds. While genetics and the possibility for a sleep disorder certainly play a role, there are lifestyle choices that you can exercise control over to help yourself get a better night’s rest.  

Why do you want to sleep deeper?

Here are just a handful of ways that getting a full night’s rest benefits you:

• Immune function
• Energy levels throughout the day
• Sleep helps to balance the onset of anxiety and depression 
• Metabolism is regulated
• Memory is improved

How to start sleeping more soundly in the city of Houston

With all these benefits in mind, here are some ways you can start impacting your sleep in a positive manner today:

• White noise: to help you fall asleep and normalize the excess sounds.  
• Melatonin: a natural chemical produced by the brain, it is also sold over-the-counter in most pharmacies to help effect the onset of sleep. 
• Magnesium and calcium supplements: both have been found effective for the treatment of insomnia. 
• A cool and dark sleeping environment: while you should feel free to get cozy underneath the blankets, keep the ambient temperature cool and as little light as possible. 
• Keep a regular sleep schedule: aiming to get to bed at the same time every night is a boon for the rhythm that your body seeks when trying to sleep. 

And a few things to avoid when trying to sleep deeply…

• Electronics before bed: the blue light of the screen interferes with feeling tired. 
• Limit caffeine: caffeine takes hours to leave the body- if you have your last cup at 4 p.m., caffeine can still be active in your system at midnight. 
• Booze before bed: alcohol may help you pass out, but you will not get restful sleep. And chances are that once your blood alcohol level lowers and the effects wear off, you may just wake up. 

Pain is another limiting factor when it comes to sleep- if you are struggling with long standing pain related to a spinal condition, give our office in Houston a call to schedule an appointment so we can detect the root of your pain and set a course for treatment. It’s time we start getting you the rest you deserve. 

Dr. Randall Holmes, D.C. 

What Makes a Heavy Sleeper?

Are you a light sleeper who gets up several times during the night, or a heavy sleeper who can’t understand why your weary partner complains about the neighbor’s barking dogs or your snoring? Even if you sleep alone, being a light or heavy sleeper can wreak havoc in your day-to-day living. Is this part of normal sleeping habits or symptoms of one of the many common sleep disorders?

If you’re a light sleeper, you may benefit from white noise, such as an environmental sound machine, to diffuse any external noise that could wake you up throughout the night. An air conditioner that produces a low-level hum can serve the same purpose too.

If you’re a heavy sleeper, who simply doesn’t hear noise as their light sleeper counterparts do, you may be better able to enjoy undisturbed sleep. However, if you are a heavy sleeper, it is easier for you to oversleep and miss or be late for important events. If this is problematic, set two alarm clocks, and if necessary, place one across the room from your bed so that you actively have to get up to turn it off.

Understanding Light and Deep Sleep

During sleep, you alternate between cycles of REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement). This cycle repeats about every 90 minutes. During the night, 75% of your time is in NREM sleep, which consists of four stages of increasing relaxation.

Stage one, also known as light sleep, is the phase between being awake and asleep. Deeper sleep begins in stage two, where your breath and heart rate become regular and your body temperature drops.

Stages three and four are the deepest and most restorative stages of sleep, in which breathing slows, muscles relax and tissue growth and repair occurs.

In general, young adults spend more time in deeper, heavier stages of sleep as they grow and develop. Older adults spend less time in deep sleep and more likely to awake at night.

But the difference between light and heavy sleepers is largely subjective. Someone who gets eight hours of sleep a night may not experience as much slow-wave, deep sleep as the same person who gets six hours of sleep.

How Does Light and Deep Sleep Work?

In a small study, published in 2010 in Current Biology, researchers described the relationship between how sleeping adults respond to noise and the levels of brain activity as sleep spindles. Researchers found that people whose brains produced the most high-frequency sleep spindles were more likely to sleep through loud noises. More research, however, needs to confirm these results.

If a person complains of feeling unrested because of light sleep, he or she should look at the factors that might be contributing to their inability to achieve deep sleep. A doctor may recommend a sleep study in a sleep lab to see if one of the many common sleep disorders are the underlying cause. Some common sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, can contribute to light sleep by causing frequent awakenings throughout the night because of breathing irregularities.

While it is hard to generalize about what makes some people light sleepers and others heavy sleepers, many factors under your own control affect the quality of sleep you get. Take a look at lifestyle, medication, alcohol, and caffeine for example.

Practicing healthy sleep habits – maintaining a regular sleep schedule, limiting caffeine and alcohol use, and sleeping in a quiet, dark and cool space – can all help foster a healthy sleep hygiene and deeper, heavier sleep.

Lifestyle Tips for Better Sleep Quality

For some people, falling asleep can be a difficult task and staying asleep can be even harder. If you categorize yourself as a light sleeper, these lifestyle changes can help you fall asleep and stay asleep during the night.

• Drink Hot Water or Tea. Drinking warm to hot drinks such as tea or water have a wonderful calming effect. Stay away from caffeinated teas.
• Stay Away from Heavy Meals and Alcohol. Being too full can make it harder to fall asleep because your body does not get the change to burn off the fat, causing the food to become stored fat. Alcohol may also make it easier to initially fall asleep, but can often lead to interrupted sleep.
• Adjust Temperature of Room. One of the best ways to stay asleep throughout the night is to create a comfortable sleep environment. This starts with setting the temperatures to where it is not too hot or too cold, just comfortable.
• Reduce Light. Make sure all lights are off or dimmed so the room is as dark as possible. If there are lights that cannot be turned off, wear a sleeping mask so that the lights do not bother you.
• Reduce Outside Noise. If outside noises keep you up at night, try using an environmental sound machine or similar white noise device to diffuse any external sounds.
• Stick to a Schedule. Regularity is sleep’s best friend. Try to adhere to a strict bedtime and wake time every day, even on the weekends. When your body has a routine, it knows when to start winding down and preparing for sleep.

Many common sleep disorders go unnoticed and untreated without the proper medical diagnosis. If sleep is something you struggle with on a nightly basis, do not hesitate to contact Sleep MD NYC for a consultation and path towards some much-needed restful shuteye.

Aging changes in sleep: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Sleep normally occurs in several stages. The sleep cycle includes:

• Dreamless periods of light and deep sleep
• Some periods of active dreaming (REM sleep)

The sleep cycle is repeated several times during the night.

AGING CHANGES

Sleep patterns tend to change as you age. Most people find that aging causes them to have a harder time falling asleep. They wake up more often during the night and earlier in the morning.

Total sleep time stays the same or is slightly decreased (6.5 to 7 hours per night). It may be harder to fall asleep and you may spend more total time in bed. The transition between sleep and waking up is often abrupt, which makes older people feel like they are a lighter sleeper than when they were younger.

Less time is spent in deep, dreamless sleep. Older people wake up an average of 3 or 4 times each night. They are also more aware of being awake.

Older people wake up more often because they spend less time deep sleep. Other causes include needing to get up and urinate (nocturia), anxiety, and discomfort or pain from long-term (chronic) illnesses.

EFFECT OF CHANGES

Sleep difficulty is an annoying problem. Long-term (chronic) insomnia is a major cause of auto accidents and depression. Because older people sleep more lightly and wake up more often, they may feel deprived of sleep even when their total sleep time has not changed.

Sleep deprivation can eventually cause confusion and other mental changes. It is treatable, though. You can reduce symptoms when you get enough sleep.

Sleep problems are also a common symptom of depression. See a health care provider to find out whether depression or another health condition is affecting your sleep.

COMMON PROBLEMS

• Insomnia is one of the more common sleep problems in older people.
• Other sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, or hypersomnia can also occur.
• Sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops for a time during sleep, can cause severe problems.

PREVENTION

Older people respond differently to medicines than do younger adults. It is very important to talk with a provider before taking sleep medicines. If possible, avoid sleep medicines. However, antidepressant medicines can be very helpful if depression affects your sleep. Some antidepressants do not cause the same side effects as sleep medicines.

Sometimes, a mild antihistamine works better than a sleeping pill for relieving short-term insomnia. However, most health experts do not recommend these types of medicines for older people.

Use sleep medicines (such as zolpidem, zaleplon, or benzodiazepines) only as recommended, and only for a short time. Some of these medicines can lead to dependence (needing to take the drug to function) or addiction (compulsive use despite adverse consequences). Some of these drugs build up in your body. You can develop toxic effects such as confusion, delirium, and falls if you take them for a long time.

You can take measures to help you sleep:

• A light bedtime snack may be helpful. Many people find that warm milk increases sleepiness, because it contains a natural, sedative-like amino acid.
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine (found in coffee, tea, cola drinks, and chocolate) for at least 3 or 4 hours before bed.
• Do not take naps during the day.
• Exercise at regular times each day, but not within 3 hours of your bedtime.
• Avoid too much stimulation, such as violent TV shows or computer games, before sleep. Practice relaxation techniques at bedtime.
• Do not watch television or use your computer, cell phone, or tablet in the bedroom.
• Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake at the same time each morning.
• Use the bed only for sleep or sexual activity.
• Avoid tobacco products, especially before sleep.
• Ask your provider if any of the medicines you take may affect your sleep.

If you cannot fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and do a quiet activity, such as reading or listening to music.

When you feel sleepy, get back in bed and try again. If you still cannot fall asleep in 20 minutes, repeat the process.

Drinking alcohol at bedtime may make you sleepy. However, it is best to avoid alcohol, because it can make you wake up later in the night.

RELATED TOPICS

Light Sleepers vs. Heavy Sleepers

Some people wake to something as simple as their partner’s foot gliding across the bed, while others could peacefully sleep through a hurricane. Why is this?

Undiagnosed sleep disorders, lifestyle choices, genetics, hormonal imbalance, and varying levels of brain activity are potential causes for extreme differences in sleep sensitivity. Still, specialists know little about why some people sleep light while others rest deep and heavy. The mysterious cause is a popular conversation, and although we may humorously discuss our sleeping sensitivities, light sleepers are frequently frustrated by inadequate sleep.

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In this article, we will discuss the differences between light and heavy sleepmers and provide advice to light sleepers yearning for quality rest.

Different Sleep Stages

We cycle through two main stages of sleep throughout the night: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). REM is the stage of dream development while NREM provides deeper sleep. We spend significantly less time in REM sleep because there are four cycles of NREM our body must alternate through to reach it. Here’s how it works.

• Stage One (NREM sleep): This stage is the shortest, lasting only a few minutes. It occurs when we are between a state of consciousness and sleep. Our breathing, heart rate, brain wave activity, and eye movement slightly slow while muscles relax.
• Stage Two (NREM sleep): The second stage of sleep lasts approximately 30 to 60 minutes. During this time, our breathing, heart rate, and brain wave activity progressively slow, eye movement ceases, and our muscles relax further.
• Stage Three/Four (NREM sleep): Our breathing, heart rate, and brain wave activity reach their lowest point during these deep and restorative stages of sleep. Stages three and four are crucial to our everyday health because our body heals itself during this time. In fact, young people still developing spend a longer amount of time in the last NREM stages. The first cycle of deep sleep lasts 45 to 90 minutes but subsequently shortens.
• Stage Five (REM sleep): After you’ve left the restorative phase, your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure increase and your eyes begin rapidly shifting from side to side. Your brain wave activity intensifies as well, mimicking similar patterns as when you’re awake,  perhaps the reason most dreams occur during this time. This stage typically lasts 10 minutes and only accounts for 25 percent of your slumber.

Once the stages are complete, your body begins the cycle again, repeating it four to five more times. However, deep sleep is not always attainable. Light sleepers may remain in stage one or two a majority of the night, attempting but never experiencing restorative sleep. On the other hand, deep sleepers may spend a prolonged amount of time in stages three and four.

How Are Light Sleepers and Heavy Sleepers Different?

Light sleepers are easily disturbed by external stimuli, such as light, smell, and noise, while heavy sleepers are not. However, the amount of time spent in each sleep stage is not fully responsible for these varying levels of sensitivity.

A recent sleep study found sleep spindles (a type of brainwave) also affect our ability to remain asleep when exposed to external stimuli. The researchers used an EEG to track the presence of sleep spindles in twelve sleepers. They found the more sleep spindles a person produced, the less likely abrupt changes in light, noise, or smell woke them. Although high-frequency sleep spindles effectively block out disrupting changes to our sleep environment, doctors are yet to find a way to increase them.

The researchers also found sleep spindles were especially active during the second sleep stage, right before reaching deep sleep. This may be the reason light sleepers struggle to obtain restorative rest.

Fortunately, light sleepers can take additional measures to enhance the quality of their sleep.

How to Achieve a Good Night’s Sleep

• Establish a sleep schedule. Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day will maintain your body’s internal clock or circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is a 24-hour biological process that controls the sleep-wake cycle. If you rise and rest at the same time every day, your circadian rhythm will quickly adapt to promote wakefulness and sleepiness at an appropriate time. When establishing your sleep schedule, be sure to allocate at least 30 minutes to fall asleep.
• Create a bedtime routine. Completing stressful activities, such as working before bed, may cause nighttime anxiety and frequent wake time. Prevent tossing and turning by creating a routine you can associate with rest. This may look like reading a book, bathing, or journaling.
• Maintain a comfortable room temperature. Decreases in body temperature lead to sleepiness while increases in temperature promote alertness. This process is called thermoregulation and is a part of our circadian rhythm or internal body clock. Before falling asleep, your body temperature needs to drop. However, if your room is too hot, your body may struggle to cool off and thus, rest. Sleep specialists recommend keeping your room temperature at 60 to 67 degrees to promote thermoregulation.
• Keep electronic devices out of your bedroom. Blue light radiates from televisions, computers, and phone screens. Blue wavelengths are useful during the day because they enhance alertness, mood, and reaction time. However, they are harmful at night.

  Research by Harvard Medical School

  shows blue light powerfully suppresses melatonin production—a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

• Block out external stimuli. Blackout curtains or eye masks can shut out disrupting light while noise mufflers will suppress any loud noises.
• Evaluate the quality of your mattress. If you constantly wake from discomfort, it may be time to invest in a higher-quality mattress. An unsupportive mattress unfit to meet the needs of your unique body type and sleeping position can cause frequent tossing and turning from body pain and result in poor quality sleep.

FAQ

Is being a heavy sleeper bad?

Being a heavy sleeper is not bad. If you sleep for seven hours a night and identify as a deep sleeper, the only foreseeable drawbacks are sleeping through things you probably shouldn’t, such as an alarm. Otherwise, receiving a good night’s sleep on a regular basis can preserve your overall health by improving immune function, memory, and learning ability.

Is snoring a sign of deep sleep?

While you may find it surprising that your sleep partner’s own snoring doesn’t wake them up, snoring is not always a sign of deep sleep. Snoring is typically the result of a blocked nasal passage which can arise from bedroom allergens, a common cold, dry climates, or unhealthy sleeping positions. Along with insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring can also be a symptom of sleep apnea—a sleep disorder causing breathing to repeatedly stop and start throughout the night.

How many hours of sleep should I get?

According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

adults need 7 hours of sleep or more. However, the amount of time you rest does not always determine whether or not you got enough sleep. Heavy sleepers may sleep a significantly shorter amount of time than light sleepers, but wake feeling better rested. This is because they spent enough time alternating through the deep sleep stages while the light sleeper did not.

Should I take melatonin if I can’t sleep?

Our body naturally produces melatonin before sleep, so unless your doctor has suggested melatonin supplements, we suggest avoiding them. Too much melatonin can actually reduce the time and quality of your sleep. It also carries adverse effects like headaches, nausea, joint pain, anxiety, mild tremors, and depression.

Should I see a doctor if I’m a light sleeper?

Follow our above advice on how to achieve a good night’s sleep before reaching out to your doctor. If your sleeping patterns continue resulting in daytime sleepiness or nighttime anxiety, consider reaching out to a sleep specialist. They will find the root cause of your light sleeping by conducting a series of sleep studies and other tests to create an individualized plan for you.

Conclusion

Changes in schedule, our jobs, stress, environmental factors, and even the food we eat alter our sleep sensitivity. If you find yourself sleeping light, improve your rest by practicing good sleep hygiene. This will consist of making your sleeping environment darker, colder, and quieter. You can also establish a bedtime routine you identify with calmness, such as reading or taking a relaxing bath. Sticking to specific sleep-and-wake times will help as well.

However, if you’re light sleeping results in sickness, anxiety, depression, or the inability to fulfill your daily responsibilities, the assistance of a medical professional may benefit you. Regardless of your route to better rest, we encourage you to prioritize it because the quality of your days stem from the quality of your sleep.

This article is for informational purposes and should not replace advice from your doctor or other medical professional.

About the author

McKenzie Hyde is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and a full-time writer focused on sleep health and the mattress industry. She currently writes articles on a variety of topics, ranging from sleep hygiene to the newest trends in the mattress and bedding industry. Just some of the topics she has covered include best sleep practices for students, the consequences of going without sleep, and choosing the right bed if you suffer from back pain. McKenzie Hyde holds a Master of Arts degree from Utah State University where she studied literature and writing. While there, she taught argumentative writing and wrote a variety of articles and analyses for literary and academic journals.

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9 Important Things Your Body May Be Trying To Tell You If You’re A Light Sleeper

While some people are able to sleep through the night without stirring, there are those of us who fall into the “light sleeper” category. Instead of resting peacefully, we toss and turn, wake up easily, and often feel tired as a result. And hey, it’s common to have the occasional bad night. But if the problem is ongoing, your body may be trying to tell you something.

“A light sleeper is someone who wakes up easily throughout the night due to noises, movements, etc.,” Ramiz Fargo, MD, a sleep medicine specialist at Loma Linda University Health, tells Bustle. “There are four phases of sleep. Stages one, two, three, and rapid eye movement sleep (REM) sleep. Light sleepers spend more time in stage one (light sleep) than heavy sleepers. This is the phase at which the body is in between being asleep and awake.”

There are many reasons why you might not fall into the deeper stage of sleep, including both health and lifestyle factors. To figure it out, “try changing up your routine to help improve your sleep quality,” Matteo Franceschetti, co-founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, tells Bustle. This might include taking fewer naps during the day, limiting your caffeine intake, and staying off your phone before bed, he says.

If that doesn’t do the trick, look into the various medical conditions that can impact sleep, including sleep disorders, anxiety, and even things like hyperthyroidism. Being a light sleeper can be chalked up to lifestyle habits, health concerns, or a combination of the two, so read on for a few possible culprits, according to experts.

1

You Have Anxiety

Ashley Batz/Bustle

If you have anxiety, there’s a good chance that’s what’s keeping you up at night.

“The more our waking lives are consumed with fear-driven concerns, the more our sleeping brain is apt to stay in a light sleep,” Jeffrey M. Ellenbogen, MMSc, MD, a board-certified sleep medicine expert, tells Bustle. “The reason is simple. While our waking brains can rationally distinguish one thing from another, our sleeping brain cannot easily sort between threats.” So even if you’re able to cope with it during the day, your sleeping brain may not be able to.

To combat anxiety, you’ll want to treat it ASAP, possibly by seeing a therapist, and also find ways to calm your mind before bed. You can “engage in a relaxation technique prior to sleep to reduce anxiety and deepen sleep,” Dr. Ellenbogen says, such as a soothing bedtime routine, deep breathing, or even meditation.

2

You Have An Over-Active Thyroid

Ashley Batz/Bustle

Certain physical health issues can keep you from falling into a deep sleep night, including an overactive thyroid , which is also known as hyperthyroidism.

“As one of the hormone control centers in the body, the thyroid is responsible for many of our most fundamental functions,” Samantha Morrison, a health and wellness expert for Glacier Wellness, tells Bustle. “In practice, an overactive thyroid can lead to the overstimulation of the nervous system, increased heart rate, and anxiety, all of which can affect sleep patterns. As a result, it’s not uncommon for people with an overactive thyroid to be light sleepers.”

3

You’re Hungry

Ashley Batz/Bustle

Sometimes, being a light sleeper can stem from the simplest of habits, such as not eating enough before bed.

“This is common with people who eat early dinners,” Matthew Ross, COO of The Slumber Yard, tells Bustle. “If you eat by 5 or 6 p.m., then your brain starts to tell your body that it’s time for more fuel around 2 or 3 a.m.” And before you know it, you’re awake.

“One way to get around this is to consume a small quantity of honey or a piece of peanut butter toast right before you go to bed,” Ross says. “These two foods are difficult to metabolize, which should help keep your body busy during the night.”

4

You’re Consuming Too Much Caffeine

Hannah Burton/Bustle

If you’re consuming too much caffeine during the day — or even in the hours before bed — you’ll be able to tell come nighttime.

“Drinking caffeine late in the evening throws your body’s internal clock out of whack,” Ross says. “This not only makes it more difficult for you to fall asleep but it also affects your body’s natural sleep cycle. As such, you’ll find that you don’t fall into deep REM sleep as easily and will be more prone to wake up due to tiny disturbances and movements. “

To remedy the situation, try having coffee and other caffeinated drinks earlier in the morning, and then switching to water later on. That way the caffeine will have a chance to leave your system, before it’s time for bed.

5

Your Bedtime Routine Needs An Upgrade

Ashley Batz/Bustle

Remember, lifestyle choices can play a big role in how well, and how deeply, you sleep. And this includes what you do as you get ready for bed.

“Using electronic devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets before bed stimulate your mind and body, which can make it more difficult to fall asleep in the first place,” Ross says. “This can affect your body’s internal clock and subdue the release of melatonin, which is a sleep-inducing hormone. This disruption to your body’s natural sleep cycle can make it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.”

6

Your Body Is Stressed

Andrew Zaeh for Bustle

While mental stress can keep you awake, partaking in physically stressful activities right before bed can turn you into a light sleeper, too.

“Engaging in stressful activities at night, like working out, can raise your body’s core temperature, increase your heart rate, and signal your body to release adrenaline,” Ross says. “Again, this comes back to affecting your body’s natural sleep cycle. These kinds of activities make it more difficult for your body to engage in REM sleep, which means you’ll be more apt to wake up during the night for multiple reasons.”

While it’s not necessarily bad to exercise before bed, it is technically a physical “stressor.” So if you find that you’re a light sleeper, you may want to move your workout routine to earlier in the day, and see if that makes a difference.

7

Your Bedroom Is Too Warm

Stock-Asso/Shutterstock

While you might think a warm and cozy bedroom is where it’s at for good sleep, the opposite is actually true.

“One of the main factors that impact falling and staying asleep is temperature,” Franceschetti says. “Sleep happens with your core temperature drops. If this doesn’t happen then you have trouble with both falling and staying asleep during the night.”

That’s why lowering the heat before you hit the hay is a good idea. As Franceschetti says, the room should be anywhere from 61 and 68 degrees. Once you cool it all down, you may find that you sleep better.

8

You Have A Sleep Disorder

Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

While you might not think a sleep disorder could be to blame, it’s definitely worth looking into.

“It’s important that if people are waking up frequently throughout the night that they make sure they’ve considered obstructive sleep apnea as a cause,” Nicole Harkin MD FACC, of Manhattan Cardiovascular Associates, tells Bustle. “Other things that could clue you in that this might be the case include snoring, someone telling you that you stop breathing in your sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, or unexplained high blood pressure.”

Your doctor can do tests to figure out sleep apnea is what’s keeping you awake, and prescribe remedies so you can finally get the sleep you need.

9

You Have Acid Reflux

AstroStar/Shutterstock

If you’re someone who suffers from acid reflux, it might be what’s keeping you awake — and for reasons you may not have even considered.

“Acid reflux can trigger both adrenaline release and pain,” sleep expert Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, tells Bustle. “Both of these disrupt deep sleep.” So it’s not just the other typical symptoms, such as heartburn or nausea, that might have you tossing and turning.

Being a light sleeper can be tough, especially if you’re waking up tired all the time. But by treating any underlying health conditions, as well as making a few tweaks to your daily routine, you can turn yourself into a deep sleeper, and snooze through the night with the best of ’em.

How To Get Better Sleep

“Last night was rough.” “I just couldn’t fall asleep.” “I kept waking up.”

We’ve all uttered these familiar phrases more than a few times in our lives, but they never seem to make a difference. Well, that’s where Oura comes in. With these sleep tips, you can start cracking the sleep code and put yourself on the path towards a good night’s sleep.

Oura’s Ten Tips For Better, Deeper Sleep

1. Give Your Screens a Break at Least 1 Hour Before Bed

Being under the covers is more comfortable than the couch, and your phone could probably use a charge, so give your phone, tablet, or TV a break and yourself some time to wind down before bed. By tuning out earlier, you can make sure your circadian rhythm isn’t disrupted by your screen’s blue light.

2. Stick to Your (Reasonable) Bedtime, Even on Weekends

Improving sleep starts with consistency, so becoming a creature of habit can go a long way. If you set a reasonable bedtime window and stick to it, even on weekends, it can help you maintain your natural circadian rhythm and be rested and ready when your morning alarm goes off.

3.  Find Your Ideal Room Temperature

Warmer? Colder? Somewhere In The Middle? Regardless of your temperature preferences, physiology and science both point to the ideal nighttime room temperature being around 67 degrees Fahrenheit (19. 5 degrees Celsius). Your body temperature decreases to initiate sleep, so a cool room can give you a head start.

4. Save Your Large Meals & Heavy Workouts for the Daytime

When you head to your favorite 24-hour late-night food establishment or hit the gym too close to bedtime, your deep sleep takes the hit. An elevated metabolism or heart rate can disrupt your sleep, so it’s best to avoid exercise and heavy meals in the 3 hours prior to your ideal bedtime.

5. Schedule Some Time to Unwind

Of course, this one is easier said than done. However, if you reserve time to unwind–by employing practices like mindful meditation, taking a relaxing bubble bath, or reading a novel–you train your body to enter a relaxed state.

Think about it like you would a muscle: the more you practice engaging your rest-and-digest system while you’re awake, the easier it becomes to generate that same response at night and get some quality sleep.

6. Trade That Late-Night Glass of Wine for Some Extra Sleep

Alcohol may help you feel relaxed before bed, but too much can rob you of highly valuable REM sleep. Once the alcohol’s effects wear off, you may also wake up continuously throughout the night.

7. Move That Late-Night Espresso to Mid-Day

The effects of a late afternoon coffee can last much longer than you think. Caffeine raises your heart rate, making it more difficult to fall asleep. It can also disrupt a key signal in your brain, adenosine, that helps your body regulate your internal clocks. Keep in mind that soda, tea, and even chocolate can contain enough caffeine to disrupt sleep as well.

8. Don’t Exercise Late, Exercise Regularly

Stay active daily. Go for a run or just a casual walk around the block to avoid sitting for long periods. As little as thirty minutes of activity a day can set you up for a good night’s sleep.

9.   Reserve Your Bedroom for Rest & Recovery

If you can, creating separation in your home or apartment can really make a difference. Reserving your living room for media consumption and making it home base for all your screens can get you in the habit of sticking to tip #1 in this list.  Taking the TV out of the room, leaving your phone charger on the kitchen counter, or making sure your work from home setup isn’t next to your bed can help you create an environment reserved only for sleeping. Your internal clocks respond to these sleep cues and your body will thank you.

10. Naps Are Great for Recovery but Remember to Time Them Out

And finally, taking a nap is a great way to rest and recover, but there are good and bad times to take for them. Try to take your naps before 3pm, as naps too close to your ideal bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep at night.

Sleep is Unique to You

If the idea of a good night’s sleep feels foreign to you, try out any or all of these tips and see how they impact your sleep quality. Stick with a new technique for at least a week to give your body time to adapt to the changes and reveal any effects. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

And, always remember, sleep is different for everyone, and what works for some may not work for you. Try experimenting with a few of these strategies, discover what works, and hold on to what’s best for you, your body, and your sleep.

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February 12, 2020

When Baby is a Light Sleeper

Is your baby a light sleeper? Are you tiptoeing around the house, getting irritated your dog for breathing too loudly every time she is asleep? Do you dread the transfer from your arms to the crib, because no matter how fast asleep baby seems, she is all of a sudden wide-eyed and awake the second you get her in her crib? 

I hear this from parents A LOT. They say they work so hard getting their baby to sleep, but their efforts seem increasingly futile because it seems like no matter what they do, if they try to put baby down, she is instantly WIDE AWAKE. And it feels almost impossible to get her back to sleep.

Let’s start with a little myth busting about baby sleep

Everyone, including all babies, are light sleepers and everyone, including all babies, are heavy sleepers. We sleep in cycles. Cycles that move us from light sleep to deeper sleep and back multiple times a night. 

So yes, your baby is a light sleeper. But your baby is also a deep sleeper, too.

Some babies spend more time in light sleep stages before getting into a deeper sleep. While some babies go from light sleep to deep sleep in almost no time at all. Either way, everyone goes through these cycles every time they shut their eyes. 

Deep Sleep vs Light Sleep

The sleep that does us the most good, the truly restorative sleep is non-REM sleep or deep sleep. Typically, we get that deep, non-REM sleep in the middle of our sleep cycles. People tend to feel more rested and can get by on less sleep than others when they spend more of their sleep time in deep sleep. 

When I hear parents saying that their baby is a light sleeper, it is probably that their baby tends to spend more time in light sleep than in deep sleep. Light sleep cycles are  the sleep states where we dream and are more aware of our surroundings, and are easier to wake up from. 

Babies’ sleep cycles are also significantly shorter than adults’, so they are spending time in light sleep more often than adults. If you find that your baby always seems to be waking easily or frequently, part of the challenge may be due to timing. 

Can you teach your baby to spend more time in deep sleep?

Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The bad news first: you can’t really teach your baby to spend more time in a deep sleep than a light sleep. 

Here is the good news! What you can do is help your little one to fall back to sleep on their own when they wake up.  

Independent Sleep and eliminating sleep props

There are a lot of elements to teaching a baby to fall asleep independently, but the most important one is the elimination of sleep props. A sleep prop is anything external that baby relies on to go to sleep. You can think of it as the way baby knows how to go to sleep. They have never practiced going to sleep on all their own, so they don’t know how to do it.

Feeding, rocking, pacifiers, or being walked around in their parents’ arms are all good examples of sleep props. If baby needs a car ride to fall asleep, then they’re going to need another car ride when they wake up again at the end of the next sleep cycle. If your baby always gets rocked to sleep, they learn to rely on that motion as part of the process, so once they wake up at night, they’re waiting for you to help recreate that situation that they know how to fall asleep in. 

These habits, or sleep props, that babies associate with and rely on to fall asleep are typically the difference between a “bad sleeper” and a “good sleeper”.

All babies can be “good sleepers”

The babies that people tend to refer to as “good sleepers” have the same sleep cycles as the ones who wake up crying every time their parents try to put them down. It is likely that these “good sleepers” have just gotten the hang of falling asleep on their own. Then when they wake up, they can squirm around a little to get comfortable, maybe babble to themselves for a few, then go happily back to sleep.

You can’t stop your little one from waking up during the night, it is how our bodies work. Helping them learn to fall back to sleep independently (just like you likely do) is the key to helping you both get the deep, rejuvenate, and uninterrupted sleep that you both need and deserve. 

How do I help baby learn to be a “good sleeper” without a sleep prop?

One of the most common questions I am asked as a Baby Sleep Consultant is, “How do I teach my baby to sleep without the bottle, nursing, pacifier, being rocked, etc. ?” The answer really depends on each individual baby. We all have our unique learning styles and what we find helpful in terms of support while learning a new skill. The bottom line is that your baby is going to have to practice doing this activity (falling asleep) in a new way (without their sleep props). 

Another common question I get asked is, “How much crying, protesting, or fussing will there be?” Well, this is going to be a change for your baby. So, they are likely going to have an opinion and feelings about making this change. Just like most people have feelings about making changes, because as humans, we seem to not love change. Being consistent in encouraging and supporting them in practicing falling asleep in their new way (without their sleep props) will help you and your baby see sleep success more quickly and with less protest in the long run.  

The gift of sleep when baby is a light sleeper

The gift of sleep is a wonderful gift to give your babies. Especially because all babies (and adults) are light sleepers at least part of the time. And no one can change that.

The gift of learning to sleep well on their own is one that keeps on giving throughout their life. And trust me, it will benefit your entire family for years to come. (Did anyone say more sleep for mom and dad, too!? Yes, please!)

Are you unsure how to approach helping your baby learn to sleep well? Are you a bit nervous that whatever you try might make sleep worse? Well, the good news is that I’m here to help you with either or both of those questions and concerns. Set up your free evaluation call to chat with me, and get the information you need to move forward!

Cheers to healthy, happy sleep!

Bonnie

90,000 “Who wakes up the sleeping brain of a commoner?”

Nobody asked the question: how did the rank and file serve in the tsarist army, for example, people from villages who did not even have elementary literacy? It is clear that teaching left-to-right commands was not difficult, but everything else . .. It turns out that this issue was resolved quite positively, according to Primorskaya Gazeta.

Teaching on command

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Ministry of War finally decided that it was imperative to teach the lower ranks of the army to read and write.However, even before that there were so-called “company schools” in the troops, but they selected the most developed soldiers who were already familiar with reading and writing, who were then sent to a training team to train non-commissioned officers. Thus, the company school had nothing to do with general education. “How did you start organizing this extremely important matter?” – the Khabarovsk newspaper “Priamurye” in 1908 asked a question.

Further, the newspaper wrote: “First of all, an order was issued in the district, where in the most general phrases that could not arouse zeal in anyone, it was said that, they say, it was time for the Russian soldier to become literate, in pursuance of which the higher authorities corps and divisions must make orders. As expected, the subordinates in their turn repeated from word to word the directive given from above, avoiding any details and leaving everything to the discretion of God and the company commander. He summoned a junior officer and dumped all the “burden” on his shoulders. The junior officer, having summoned the senior non-commissioned officer, did exactly the same operation with him … And so, in such a way, the teaching technique with a sin in half is adjusted, and the main and completely independent conductor is the non-commissioned officer. ”

How the classes were organized, the newspaper also described very colorfully: “Of course, there are not enough books for everyone, and many sit with completely empty hands, looking out the window or at the non-commissioned officer, thinking about anything, but least of all about the lesson …To this it must be added that in some shelves there is also a phenomenon when a textbook, obligatory for everyone, is absent for a long time. The economic part of the regiment “is going” to write it out and, of course, subscribes it when the training course comes to an end. In this case, the company is procured with alphabets of all kinds and editions, both existing and in general ever existing within the Russian Empire ”(something very familiar, isn’t it?).

Az, beeches, lead …

How did the army “teachers” act? “Drawing letters on the blackboard, the non-commissioned officer, who is not stopped by the company commander, calls them not by the sound method, but“ as they taught in our village, ”i.ie: a, be, ve, ge, de … At the same time, you often come across such Old Believers who say: “az, beeches, lead, verb” … etc., in which, again , nobody bothers them. With very rare exceptions, the officers regard this “venture” as not worthy of serious attention and as invented more out of idleness by the Petersburg “liberal” generals … In general, all this enormous waste of time ultimately yields such results that entering the service did not know how to read and write, and even more so, he will not learn… “

So, the author of the article, undoubtedly well aware of the realities of the army, was quite critical of the methodology of teaching literacy in the army. At the same time, he emphasized the role of officers who – if properly performed their duties – could cope with this task. Indeed, it was so; we can recall the well-known to us Vladimir Arseniev. According to the recollections of those who served with him, he often conducted general educational conversations with the “soldiers”, read them fairy tales and stories, tried to convey to them the structure of the world, some questions of natural science … Of course, such functions were not listed in the military regulations, and engage in similar activities only a conscientious and competent officer could.

It is curious that approximately the same conclusions were drawn by the author of an article in the newspaper “Far East” in 1905. Here is an excerpt from it: “A soldier is, in general, an underdeveloped person who makes it extremely difficult to command in battle, semi-literate, clumsy, with dormant brains, often does not even know the Russian language – he comes to the troops and begins to absorb a variety of information about which earlier had no idea. Who teaches this mass, who awakens the sleeping brain of a commoner, who makes him a strong and dexterous person? Obviously, an officer, this true worker who, without loud phrases, conscientiously does his inconspicuous work, often interrupting from bread to kvass and wild game in the corners of the bears, who in peacetime stands guard for philistine security, and in wartime – fills the battlefields with blood. “

Officer’s duty

Of course, the officers were different. Some devoted all their free time to cards and vodka, others read books, trying to develop, which was rather difficult during service, for example, in the Far East. But in general, we can say that it was the officers, both infantry and naval officers, who in many ways carried culture and education to the outskirts of the Russian Empire. It should not be forgotten that all of them studied at the military institutions of the central part of the country, and many of them directly in the “cultural capital” of St. Petersburg.And although there were no theaters, libraries and museums in the “bear corners”, the Russian officers themselves introduced, pompously speaking, culture to the masses. Moreover: the desire to bring as much benefit as possible prompted them to even learn exotic languages ​​…

Here is the magazine “Aeronautical”, 1906, an article entitled “Teaching aeronautics in oriental languages.” The main arguments of its author are as follows: “Whoever took part in the last war remembers what it means not knowing the Chinese language; how many losses, unproductive waste of money and setbacks have happened to us just because of the lack of good honest translators.In those military units, in which officers accidentally fell, even if they understood the Chinese language in the slightest degree, they brought tremendous benefits – such units prospered in all respects. We must assume that now knowledge of this language is even more necessary, as everyone understands that the war in the Far East has not ended, and therefore we must seriously prepare. And mainly to increase the number of people who know local languages. ”

The author believed that for this it was necessary to increase admission to the “Institute of Oriental Languages ​​available in Vladivostok” – this is how the Oriental Institute was sometimes called, formed in October 1899 (it was the first higher educational institution in the Russian Far East).60 students recruited for the 1st year studied Chinese (compulsory for all), Japanese, Korean, Mongolian and Manchu languages ​​(2nd year students chose one of four). We’ll talk about him below, but now here’s what. Few people know that in connection with its opening, namely on July 1, 1899, the Chinese language class that existed at the Vladivostok gymnasium was abolished. It existed since 1895, and Vsevolod Mikhailovsky, an interpreter of the Vladivostok District Court, taught there for four years free of charge (!).

Love for hieroglyphs

He was a fairly well-known person in the city, a former teacher of the city gymnasium, a vowel of the Vladivostok Duma, a member of the Society for the Study of the Amur Region; for his work in teaching Chinese to those wishing to speak in 1899, he was awarded a personalized gold watch with a chain and a token. He studied the language at the Tung-wen-guan college in Beijing, founded in 1861 to teach Chinese foreign languages ​​and sciences, that is, Vsevolod Mikhailovsky could well be considered a professional.Nevertheless, later, in 1916, being a volunteer, he also graduated from the Sino-Manchu branch of the same Oriental Institute. An interesting question is – was there any sense in such training and who attended these courses? This was reported by the newspaper “Vladivostok” in March 1897, summing up the first results of training.

“A year has already passed since the translator of the Mikhailovsky court opened courses for studying the Chinese language. We consider it interesting to provide some information … Classes took place twice a week, first in the premises of the Police Department, and then in the hall of the Museum of the Society for the Study of the Amur Region, where they continue to this day.There were 80 lessons during the year, two hours each. All listeners were 30 people, of which they attended: 4 people – 1 lesson, 2 – 2, 2 – 3, 5 – 5, 5 – 6, 2 – 8, 3 – 10, 3 – 20, 1 – 28, 1 – 30, 1 – 48, 1 – 60 “. There were 15 officials, 9 officers, 2 military doctors, 4 private individuals. As you can see, the composition was rather random, but intelligent; but the attendance is clearly not up to par.

As for some successes, the newspaper cited the following fact: one of the students of these courses, assistant prosecutor Muravyov, during Mikhailovsky’s illness acted as a translator in a criminal case about the Chinese, and they understood him “without difficulty.”Apparently, it was Mr. Muravyov who was the only one who attended 60 lessons … Meanwhile, the need for professional translators, of course, was, and first of all, the local authorities were interested in their appearance. It was at least frivolous to rely on the Chinese who would somehow explain Russian laws, decrees and orders to their compatriots. It was even more dangerous to trust them in military affairs.

To be continued

Ivan Egorchev, full member of the Russian Geographical Society

90,000 Drawings-instructions on how to become a cat in real life

Agree, who of us has never dreamed of swapping places with his cat at least sometimes? The artists Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar thought about this and created a simple and understandable guide for humans on how to become a cat in real life. So, what do you need to do to be like your pet in everything?

When the owners call you, do not answer for anything. Close your eyes more tightly and pretend to be sound asleep, remembering to point your ears to the side.

Don’t forget to get up at three in the morning to lick your master.

When a family member gets up from the chair for a moment to pour himself some tea, immediately take his place and pretend you are here for centuries.

Pretend that you really want attention from your mistress, and as soon as she caresses you, run away as fast as you can.

When your hostess starts to unfold her gifts, it is very important to immediately help her by sitting on the wrapping paper.

At night, one should not sleep, but with a bang open the drawers of the dresser in the master’s bedroom.

Never leave a person alone while eating.Always be there – at the table.

When the hostess starts packing her things to go on vacation, first of all, pack yourself in her suitcase.

Bring the hostess to the refrigerator and meow plaintively until she opens it.

You don’t know what people need hair for? Of course, so that you play with them!

Ignore all the toys the owners bought you.Play with only their socks!

When a person puts a new bedspread on the bed, use every opportunity to leave your author’s drawing on it. And the darker it is, the better.

Any object looks much better after falling to the floor – you didn’t know about that?

Do not let a person leave the house, he must stay with you at all times – what if you need something?

It is not necessary to go through the cat’s door before the person himself opens it for you.

If your owner wants to grow plants, taste them. If they turn out to be completely unusable, then just dig the earth, scatter it all over the house, and turn the pot over. Repeat daily.

Each new chocolate bar for your mistress means a new deliciously rustling toy for you.

Never let the owners close the doors, including the toilet.

Always refuse even the most beloved food if you see that the hostess has bought a lot of it in reserve.

And, finally, the most important advice on how to become a real cat (it is advisable to follow it in human incarnation as well) – be yourself!

Larisa Solodovnikova

HG Wells “When the Sleeper Wakes up”

– Just think! To become the owner of everything in the world thanks to sleep! How amazing it is!

Many of us have dreamed at least once that one day, without spending any work for this, suddenly become rich and famous overnight.Or even become the ruler of the Earth. As a rule, such dreams come true in childhood, and at a more mature age, it is they who help a person achieve certain heights in life. Although, becoming obsessive, such dreams can lead to a madhouse. But let’s not talk about the sad … The main character of Wells’s novel, the Englishman Graham, was able to make these very naive dreams come true. And for this he did not need much effort – he only had to wake up for six days in a row, and then fall asleep soundly.Fall asleep and sleep for a long time, for a very long time, for several centuries and at the same time manage not to die. And to wake up already the ruler of the world, the richest man on the planet, owning most of the surface of the globe. But his power is purely nominal, in reality it belongs to the White Council, also known as the Board of Trustees. It was thanks to several generations of guardians that Graham became so fantastically rich. Initially, they represented the usual board of trustees, which was appointed to manage the small capital that Graham had by the time he fell asleep.Then the capital of his brother and another person, the same artist, in whose house he fell into a dream, was added to it. It was only through skillful capital management and aggressive policies that his modest savings grew into unprecedented and virtually unrestrained financial and political power. In the world of the future, Graham became the Sleeping God, and the White Council became his prophets, carrying his will to the peoples of the Earth. And these prophets were very unhappy with the fact that the Sleeper, who had served as the foundation of their power for so long, woke up.The idea of ​​parting with practically unlimited power did not suit the Board of Trustees at all, which immediately gave rise to a logical idea in their circle to get rid of the suddenly awakened Graham as soon as possible.

If you rank the most famous science fiction writers, then the name of H.G. Wells will certainly fall into the top ten, and maybe even the top five. And, although his fantasy novels were written at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, they still retain their popularity, despite the fact that more than a hundred years have passed since their publication.But they remember mainly “The War of the Worlds”, “The Time Machine” and “The Invisible Man”, which was clearly facilitated by numerous film adaptations of these books, while “The Sleeper” remains in the shadows. And, meanwhile, this is a very curious work – one of the first dystopias, which saw the light already in 1899. The author unfolds before the readers a grandiose picture of a world order that is strikingly different from that rather prim Victorian world, which is well known to his contemporaries. According to Wells, in the world, in addition to the possessions of the Sleeper, only a couple of more or less influential states will remain – Germany and Russia.The population of the Earth is concentrated in huge mega-cities covered with glass domes, where self-propelled streets stretch between cyclopean buildings connected by a mass of bridges and cable cars, and the sky above the city is stirred by the blades of hundreds of windmills that supply electricity to the entire city, in which the lights never go out. Above the windmills, nimble aeropiles flash and swift airplanes sweep. When reading the descriptions of the city, paintings from the famous “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang immediately come to mind, who, perhaps, when creating his immortal creation, was guided by Wells’s descriptions. But, reading the descriptions of London of the future – a city where “a dizzying bulk of facades, gloomy and mysterious, with incomprehensible dull inscriptions” rises, I want to mentally replace “dull inscriptions” with “neon” ones in order to immediately get a classic cyberpunk description of the city. The author devotes so much space to the story about the City that, inevitably, you begin to perceive it as another character. In all of England, there are only four cities left, in which the entire population of Foggy Albion is concentrated, while there are no villages at all.The population itself is mostly made up of “blue” workers (so called because of the color of their uniforms), in fact, in the position of slaves. All the rest lead a very comfortable lifestyle, and the pink dream for all is to get into the Cities of Pleasure, where you can be given all kinds of entertainment and pleasures until death. And death there is also a pleasure, since the procedure for voluntary euthanasia has long been developed and worked out to the smallest detail. The upbringing of the adolescent generation is completely and completely shifted from the shoulders of parents to the shoulders of educators, and education in schools, in order to make it as comfortable and easy as possible, is conducted both in a semi-game form and with the use of hypnosis.The author also talks about many different technical innovations, most of which now can only cause a smile. So, for example, a kinetoscope appears on the pages – an analogue of our video, only instead of cassettes or disks there are double cylinders, and the screen is round. His descriptions of aviation technology are also interesting: small – aeropiles, and large – airplanes. He talks in detail about the way to control the airplane: for turns, holes in the wings are used, which can be tightened by membranes, and for climb or descent – a motor moving along the body of the aircraft along the boom, due to which, apparently, the center of gravity is shifted.But I did not understand one point related to the description of the airplane device: the length of the airplane is 1000 feet, and the length of the passenger cabin is 500 meters – is it like if 1 foot is equal to 0. 3042 meters? Maybe you mean 500 feet, and the meters appeared during the translation? Although, on the other hand, there is another similar example: in the world of the Sleeper, the decimal number system has been replaced by the twelve (for the life of me, I don’t understand why it is better than the one we are used to), the author tells the readers about it for a long time, gives the names of new numbers (for example, for example, an analogue of our hundred, ten dozen, gross – a dozen dozen), and then, in the scene of Graham’s conversation with the Old Man, the Old Man suddenly declares in plain text that he is seventy years old (!) – how can this be if “seventy” is “Seven dozen”, and he counted all his life in dozens? In general, Wells was not particularly lucky with forecasts – he missed a lot, predicting the fading of revolutionary sentiments in the world and the purchase of political parties by the capitalists; a few years after the book was written, a revolution began in Russia with a well-known result. What this is connected with is not entirely clear, because in the text of the novel he himself periodically makes it clear that the views of a socialist are not alien to him: universal happiness “or” We ourselves have resurrected old dreams of universal happiness: everyone is equal, everyone should be happy, there is no luxury available to only a few – these ideas have been forgotten for two centuries. ” And the whole conversation of the Sleeper with Ostrog about the present and future of the world can be easily disassembled into quotes – many phrases from it have not become outdated to this day.Only with wind energy, he guessed one hundred percent – now this area of ​​generating electricity, as environmentally friendly, is rapidly developing.

The author’s image of Graham was somewhat vague and contradictory. After awakening, his passivity is not surprising, because it is quite difficult for him to realize the fact that he slept for more than two hundred years and the world will never be the same as before. But cowardice is not justified by this, and after all, a few days later he shamefully fled during the uprising organized by Ostrog to overthrow the White Council.At a time when thousands of people shed their blood in the name of the Sleeper, he sat in a dark alley and talked with the Old Man. But after a few more days, demonstrating miracles of heroism, he single-handedly detains an armada of airplanes carrying detachments of black police to disperse a new uprising. Where is he real? What was Graham like before sleep, how did he change after? No answer. One gets the impression that for Wells, the figure of the protagonist was not at all the main one. He saw his main task as conveying to readers his own views on the development of society and ways to optimize it.And man simply did not find a place in these constructions.

Bottom line: the novel clearly loses against the background of other, more famous works of the author. Emotional emasculation doesn’t do him any good. But the story of Graham, whose life was weakly smoldering for a long time, so that later, flashing brightly, illuminate the path to freedom for people, it could well be more exciting. In my opinion, it is better to re-read “The Time Machine” or “The Invisible Man” again. I can only recommend it to readers who want to trace the roots of such an undoubtedly interesting genre as dystopia.

P. S. The book contains a small reference to Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds:

“- During this time there was a war, – said Izbister.

– Yes, I had to go through it.

– And then these Martians.

90,000 “I have a light dream. How can we make it stronger? ” – Yandex.Qu

Sensitive sleep is sometimes a real problem both for the “sleeping” person and for the household. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome this “ailment”.

You can learn more about methods of improving the quality of sleep in the following literature:

Tips for healthy sleep.

“How to overcome insomnia. Healthy sleep in 6 weeks “

The Cannes TV market saw a revolution in Russia

If you look at the Mipcom list of serial premieres and Fresh TV’s selection of” the most interesting TV series in the world “, it will be clear already obvious: there is no theme or genre that is guaranteed would bring success.What matters is the specific story and how it is told. A double from a parallel world, the ancient history of Britain, the “producer of the revolution” Trotsky, Dutch miniatures of the 17th century, a serial killer who brings out a copycat killer. As you know, there are a limited number of plots in the world, but there are a lot of variations. If, nevertheless, we try to isolate the trends: first, the top is a hospital drama and, in general, various stories about doctors (and not turning it into a mini-series “Arrhythmia”?) And second – formats from South Korea are literally spreading around the world (about how what it is, you can get an idea by looking at the “Stairway to Heaven” that was walking several years ago on the “First”).

Every year at Mipcom the focus is on a country, this year it is on Russia with its “content revolution” (Russian Content Revolution – as the organizers of the market put it). The fact that we are really undergoing serious shifts in the serial business can be judged at least by the fact that as many as three Russian projects were included in the Fresh TV review – earlier, if one or two were included, it was already considered a great success. The selection for the title of “freshest” series went to “House arrest”, “The Curse of Sleepers” and “Better than People.”

“House arrest” based on the script by Semyon Slepakov is filmed for TNT by Pyotr Buslov. The corrupt mayor of a provincial town (Pavel Derevyanko) is placed under house arrest at the place of registration. And he is registered in a communal apartment where a neighbor lives, his sworn enemy (Alexander Robak). Already from the small excerpt shown, it is clear that this is very funny and very topical – a rare Russian TV series dating back to the traditions of Saltykov-Shchedrin.

The Curse of the Sleepers by Ilya Kulikov is a mystical thriller, the plot of which revolves around paintings depicting people immersed in sleep.

And in the series “Better than People” by Yellow, Black and White, an android killer brought to Moscow by mistake (Paulina Andreeva, absolutely wonderful in this role), ends up in a family in crisis and shows unexpected qualities.

Success of “Gogol”

The film “Gogol. Beginning ”, which, as you know, is the first two episodes of the Gogol TV project (Sreda company for TV-3). The producers told the Cannes audience about the experience of releasing the series in theatrical release.

“Better than people”, which already has a train of international presentations, has now been shown in Cannes not only in the Fresh TV review, but also in the Russian Drama Showcase program along with the “Former” and “Golden Horde”. And none of these projects gave any reason to be offended for the state. “The Former” is a vigorous, modern in tempo and rhythm series about the eccentric daughter of a major corrupt official, sent by her father to a rehab clinic (Lyubov Aksenova), and a very atypical doctor-psychologist (Denis Shvedov). As its producers told in Cannes (and this is again the Yellow, Black and White company), the project was created based on the personal experience of people who worked in one of the rehabilitation clinics.

Golden Horde (co-production of Amedia and Mars Media) with Yulia Peresild and Alexander Ustyugov, who is clearly becoming fashionable, despite fears, turned out to be not a cranberry, but a strong and magnificent show in the spirit of Turkish TV series, which are now in trend. It is not without reason that the Turkish company Global Agency is engaged in the international distribution of the Golden Horde.

The culmination of the Russian Content Revolution was the eight-episode drama, really dedicated to the Russian revolution, Trotsky (the Sreda company for Channel One), which was presented in Cannes as a gala premiere.The show of the first episode was preceded by performances by producers Konstantin Ernst and Alexander Tsekalo. Ernst said that Trotsky was a rock star by all external features: a black leather jacket, women (“in the last two weeks, however, this is unpopular”), round glasses, only a guitar is missing. In the performance of Konstantin Khabensky, Stalin’s opponent killed by an ice ax is still not so much a rock star as a reflective intellectual, in his youth – a rebel, similar to the heroes of Dostoevsky, only he was unlucky: twenty-year-old Leib Bronstein met on his way not the investigator Porfiry Petrovich, but the chief Odessa prison of Trotsky, and this meeting played an ominous role for the whole country.But there is in the concept of “Trotsky” one more, not declared moment, even more curious than the rock star of the protagonist. In the 100 years that have passed since October 1917, the revolution in cinema was revealed as something wonderful, then as something terrible, but here it first appears as a business project. Entrepreneur of social upheavals Alexander Parvus (Mikhail Porechenkov), peering into the intelligent appearance of Plekhanov and the cunning squint of Lenin (Evgeny Stychkin), decides to stake on Trotsky. It is his genuine passion that, according to Parvus, will become the engine that will allow the business plan to be successfully implemented.In this story, as you know, all the characters miscalculated. On the main TV market of the world, where everything is subordinated to the interests of business, it was clearly not superfluous to remind about this.

BIBLE – Gospel of Matthew 26 chapter 43 verse – Mt. 43

After the High Priestly Prayer, the Lord “ went out with His disciples beyond the Kidron stream, where there was a garden, into which He and His disciples entered ” (John 18: 1 ). In the Garden of Gethsemane on the slope of the Mount of Olives, separated from Jerusalem by a narrow valley with the Kidron stream, the Lord stopped at the place where “ often gathered there with His disciples ” (Jn.18: 2). A little later, Judas Iscariot, who knew perfectly well where the Lord could be, would lead the soldiers there. In anticipation of the arrival of Judas, Christ, taking with him the apostles Peter, James and John, left for prayer. We call this prayer the prayer for the Chalice: “ And he took Peter, James and John with Him; and began to be horrified and sad. And he said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death; stay here and stay awake. And moving away a little, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour would pass him; and said: Abba Father! everything is possible for You; carry this cup past me; but not what I want, but what You.Returns and finds them asleep, and says to Peter: Simon! are you sleeping? couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And going away again, he prayed, saying the same word. And when he returned, he again found them asleep, for their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him. And he comes a third time and says to them: Are you still sleeping and resting? It is finished, the hour has come: behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let’s go; behold, the one betraying Me has drawn near. “(Mk.14: 33-42). The Evangelist Luke supplements the story of other evangelists with an indication of the appearance of an angel who strengthened Christ (Luke 22:43), and that the tension of prayer and the deathly anguish of Christ led to the appearance of heavy sweat, which, like drops of blood, fell to the ground (Luke 22:44) ).

Almost at the same time, the Lord turns to the Father two so different prayers. The high priestly prayer was a victory prayer, consoling all the apostles in the coming separation from Christ and showing what benefits await them as a result of the death of the Teacher and His victory over the devil.The Gethsemane prayer is sorrowful, but what was the reason for the unexpected sorrow of Christ and why, in contrast to the High Priestly prayer, the Lord takes only three as witnesses to the prayer for the Chalice, and, in fact, why does He take them? There is no simple answer to these questions and there is no possibility “to promise ourselves a complete comprehension of the mystery of the Gethsemane event, which the Lord himself marked the inviolability of our trial by bringing only a few of the Apostles closer to it, and just brought it closer” Philaret of Moscow, St. Word on the consecration of the temple of our Lord Jesus Christ in honor and memory of His Gethsemane prayer (1845) // Izbr. works, letters, memories. M .: PSTBI, 2003. S. 405 ..

As a starting point for reflection, let us recall the words of Christ before the resurrection of Lazarus, when He turned with a prayer to the Father: “ Father! I thank You that You heard Me “- and then said:” I knew that You would always hear Me; but he said this for the people who are standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me ”(Jn.11: 41-42). The Lord makes openly some prayers for the sake of teaching people. The prayer of Gethsemane can also be seen as necessary not for Christ himself, but for His disciples.

Let’s first look at the Gospel text: it says that the Lord was horrified, grieved, grieved in soul, was in a struggle. What kind of struggle was this? When we spoke about the temptations in the wilderness, we relied on the statement of St. John of Damascus that Jesus was not overwhelmed by thoughts, that the devil attacked Him from the outside.Proceeding from this, it is impossible to assume that in Gethsemane in the person of Christ some sinful division of thoughts and desires was revealed. It is also difficult to imagine that the One who said to the disciples: “ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body ” wanted to avoid death and suffering.

The Holy Fathers say that prayer in Gethsemane reveals the truth of the human nature perceived by the Son of God: “He said this because of the weakness that he was clothed with, because he was not in a false form, but was truly clothed with it.And if truly he was weak and clothed with weakness, then it was impossible that weakness should not be afraid and not be embarrassed. Since he took on the flesh and clothed himself with weakness, then in hunger he was fortified with bread, in labor he was tired and in sleep he seemed powerless, and when the time of his death came, it was necessary that then that which was inherent in the flesh would also work; After all, the confusion of the impending death attacked Him so that His nature would become apparent, namely, that He was the son of that Adam, over whom, as the Apostle says, death reigned (Rom.5:14) “ Ephraim the Syrian, St. Interpretation of the Four Gospels. 19. P. 285–286 .. That is, the fear of death in Christ refers to the so-called unashamed passions of human nature voluntarily perceived by Him and indicates, like the thirst, craving, desire for sleep experienced by Him, that human nature in Christ is opaque, real …

The natural aversion to death for all people should have been more pronounced in Christ because of His sinlessness. “I would not have known how great the beneficence and love for me, a sinner, my Lord and Savior, had He not revealed before me what they are worth to Him” (bl.Augustine). We all have the experience of daily dying and communion with death through sins, but in Christ death had no place for itself. The death of Christ could only be voluntary; He had no need to die. Just as Adam before the Fall could not die, but died as a result of his disobedience, so Christ, like the new Adam, heals Adam’s disobedience, subordinates human will to the Divine will and freely accepts death for someone else’s sin as the Lamb of God (see: John 1:29) … St. Filaret Drozdov: “What a bitterness, what a burden this mysterious cup, for which He prayed: Yes, he walks by, revealing to them the true perceived humanity, not alien to weakness, although alien to sin, and which at the same time he accepted by the eternal will His Father, the verb: Not as I want, but as You.Alas, this is the bitterness of our sins, this is the burden of our guilt before God and the executions we deserve, which the Lamb of God took upon Himself. ” Philaret of Moscow, St. Word on the consecration of the temple of our Lord Jesus Christ … S. 406 ..

Some interpreters say that the main reason for the Savior’s grief was not the fear of suffering and death, but how the disciples would perceive them: “Taking with them Peter, James and John He was saddened. But before He brought them with Him, He did not feel sorrow; only with them sorrow appeared.So His sorrow does not come from Himself, but from those whom He took with Him. It must be understood that the Son of Man brought with Him not just anyone, but the very same disciples, to whom he showed that He would enter His Kingdom, at that time when, in the presence of Moses and Elijah on the mountain, He was surrounded by the radiance of His eternal glory … He said: all of you will be offended about Me this night (Matt. 26:31). He knew that they would be afraid, that they would flee, and that they would renounce. And since the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not forgiven neither here nor in eternity, He was afraid that they would deny that He is God when they see Him beaten, spat upon and crucified … Death itself does not cause fear, but its time, for after death, people’s faith will be strengthened by the power of the Resurrection. ” Ilarius of Pictavia, St. Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. 31. 5 // Biblical commentaries … New Testament. T. 1 b: The Gospel of Matthew 14-28. Pp. 318–319 .. Blzh. Jerome, continuing the same thought, says that the Lord suffered not because of fear of forthcoming suffering, but because of pitiful Judas and the temptation of the apostles, because of the rejection of Him by the Jewish people, because of the fall of the unfortunate Jerusalem. Jerome of Stridon, blzh. Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. 4. 26. 37 // Biblical commentaries … New Testament. T. 1 b: The Gospel of Matthew 14-28.S. 319 ..

As partners in prayer (“ Stay here and watch with Me ” – Matt. 26:38) The Lord took with Him only three apostles, who on the Mount of Transfiguration “ saw His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten from the Father ”(John 1:14). “Why didn’t He take everyone? In order that they do not fall ” John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew. 83. 1 .. But did the knowledge of Christ restrain Peter, James and John from confusion and temptation in Gethsemane during the prayer of Christ? We see that even the best of the apostles could not stay awake with the Savior and succumbed to the spirit of excessive sadness from the inevitability of separation, despite Christ’s threefold call to gather strength and spend this last time of communion with Him in prayer, so as not to fall into temptation from the weakness of the flesh (in the immediate sense implies the flight of the apostles, the denial of Peter and the temptation of the Crucifixion).Evangelist Matthew notes that the Savior’s reproach is mainly directed to Peter (Matt. 26:40), who had just been going to die for Christ’s sake at the Last Supper, and now could not resist sleeping for a short time. In the service of Great Thursday, the unreasonable self-confidence and inactivity of the apostles is contrasted with the vigilance and activity of Judas: “ Lord, you came to your free passion, you cried out as Your disciple: if you could not stay with Me even at one hour, what promise would you die for Me’s sake? See how Judas is awake, but is trying to betray Me to the wicked.Rise up, pray, but no one will reject Me, in vain is Me on the Cross, Long-suffering glory to Thee. ” Matins of Good Friday. Antiphones 6 ..

The Gethsemane prayer of the Savior, in addition to all that has been said, became a guide for prayer work for Christians. So, St. Filaret of Moscow, first, sees in the Gethsemane prayer (when the Lord, “approaching the limit of His earthly field, in order to bring God the Father a prayer, both important and mysterious in the subject, just as difficult in circumstances, left the cathedral with three selected disciples others, and then from the three chosen ones into perfect solitude, rekshi: Sit that, Dondezhe shed I will pray there ||| Philaret of Moscow, St. Word on the consecration of the temple of our Lord Jesus Christ … p. 405.) the image of a solitary prayer “in every possible separation from everything created, immersing the soul in the one presence of God” Philaret of Moscow, St. Word on the consecration of the temple of our Lord Jesus Christ … S. 405 ..

Secondly, the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane encourages the Christian to strengthen the ascetic feat: “When you think that this is the Only Begotten Son of God, from eternity with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigning in Heavenly Throne and now He has not abandoned this Throne – that He, clothed in our poverty, weakness, baseness, is thrown in prayer to the earth in order to seek salvation through prayer, and with humility to expose, atone for and heal our pride, then the stricken thought seeks Is there a rather humiliated place in the world or a position into which a person could humbly throw himself, so that he would not be too ashamed of this Divine humiliation? With such reflection, how light and sweet our prayerful kneeling and worship of the earth should be for us, which sometimes seem so hard for our weakness and, perhaps, for our laziness! ” In the same place.S. 406.

And, finally, thirdly, the memory of “the victorious race of Jesus in Gethsemane”, where “the power of all possible temptations is defeated by the power of Christ’s prayer, and this victorious power has not passed away, but remains and will remain, because Jesus Christ yesterday and today Same, and forever (Heb. 13: 8) ”Ibid. keep the believer from despondency and hopeless sorrow. “There, not far from the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, be cast down with your sins, sorrow, tightness, fear from the open jaws of death and hell, and remember that the bitterness of your cup has already been drunk most of the time in the great cup of Christ’s suffering, which is under the burden, on The strong Gethsemane ascetic has already put His lightening hand on you, that your Savior, who has accomplished the whole work of your salvation for you, expects from you only the message of His passions (Phil.3:10), which is possible for your, though weak, faith, love and gratitude ” Philaret of Moscow, St. /// Word on the consecration of the temple … S. 407 ..

Source

Yu. V. Serebryakova. The Four Gospels. Tutorial. 2nd ed., Rev. and additional .. M .: PSTGU, 2017. – S. 298-304 90,000 Drugs and drug addiction. What everyone needs to know What are drugs?

What are drugs? Drugs are substances that can cause a state of joyful intoxication – euphoria, and with systematic use – addiction and severe dependence.

What drugs are there? Drugs are of natural origin, known since antiquity (marijuana, hashish, opium, hemp) and synthetic, that is, chemically obtained. Drugs of the psychotropic group are sometimes used as drugs.

What is addiction? Drug addiction is a state of chronic poisoning of the body in which a person experiences an irresistible attraction to the drug. What effect does a drug have on a person? A person in a state of drug intoxication ceases to experience mental and physical pain, a feeling of lightness and comfort appears.A feeling of lightness leads to a loss of control over oneself and a loss of a sense of reality. There are times when a person begins to think that he can jump out of a window and fly through the air, etc. The state of narcotic intoxication continues only when the narcotic substance is contained in the blood.

What is substance abuse? Substance abuse is a type of drug addiction in which poisons that affect the nervous system and the brain are used as a drug. Usually these are organic solvents: glues, varnishes, gasoline.Substance abuse occurs even in young children, is characterized by a malignant course and the rapid development of dementia.

Are narcotic substances used in mainstream medicine? Yes. Drugs are used as a powerful pain reliever in limited quantities and under strict medical supervision.

What is drug withdrawal? After some time of regular drug use, euphoria is replaced by severe physical dependence – a person uses drugs not so much for the sake of euphoria as for fear of being withdrawn – an extremely difficult and painful condition that accompanies the return of the body to normal activities.With a sudden withdrawal from the drug intake, anxiety, insomnia, depression, aches and pressure in the joints, very unpleasant, painful sensations in the muscles, there may be cramps in the limbs, etc. (chills, palpitations). In such a state, a person is ready for any act, just to get money for a new dose of a narcotic substance. Because of this, drug addicts commit many crimes. Not everyone is able to withstand withdrawal, and therefore many choose to continue using the drug as the only means of resolving the problem.

Is it true that there are soft, “safe” drugs to which almost no addiction develops? There are drugs from which addiction develops later, there are drugs from which addiction can develop after a week of use. But this does not mean that drug addiction cannot develop from soft drugs – marijuana, cannabis, etc. (Almost everyone who became drug addicts started with them.) “Soft” drugs almost do not cause physical addiction, i.e. the phenomena of abstinence (breakage) are expressed in a mild degree: mild sleep disorders, increased excitability, discomfort in the region of the heart, lack of appetite, drowsiness.However, there is a pronounced mental attraction, mental dependence in the form of an irresistible (or difficult to overcome) desire to live in an illusory world, i.e. in drunkenness, a person feels his power, supposedly an exacerbation of intellectual capabilities, can “on request” cause vivid illusions, hallucinations with a sense of bliss. “Soft” drugs are also dangerous – we are talking only about relatively longer periods of onset and less intensity of physical dependence, and the need to leave for the unreal world, the desire for euphoria, ie.That is, mental dependence with cooling to real life is the same. The division of drugs into “soft” or “hard” is not scientific and does not correspond to the real state of affairs.

How does drug addiction develop in people who use “soft” drugs? Those who constantly use drugs gradually become less sensitive to them. This is a general pattern of pharmacology. After a while, the usual doses are no longer enough to achieve euphoria. The victim of drug addiction is forced to increase the dose.Subsequently, this is not enough, then there is a transition to a stronger narcotic substance. So gradually a person becomes involved in strong drugs, there is almost no getting rid of them. If in the beginning the use of the drug gives a “high”, then later the absence of it brings deep suffering.

Which drugs are more dangerous and which ones are less dangerous? Drugs cannot be classified as more or less dangerous. Where did the division into “soft” and “hard” drugs come from? This is an advertising device for drug manufacturers and dealers.The drug mafia, in an attempt to increase the number of drug users, has introduced the false idea that “soft” drugs exist.

Why is it believed that drugs are primarily a problem for young people? Indeed, the majority of drug users are young people. There is a very simple explanation for this: drug addicts die very early and do not live up to adulthood. Young people have their own problems, in particular, the age of 13-19 years – the age of critical, crisis, when a teenager is mentally most vulnerable.Young people are generally inclined to search for something new, unusual, inclined to imitate when overestimating their capabilities. Today’s youth is in especially difficult conditions of ever-increasing evil and impoverishment of love. This leads to neurotization, throwing, rejection of reality. In the absence of a spiritual orientation, there is a desire to escape into the fantasy world (and friends – drug addicts so temptingly describe the state of “high”), people with an unstable psyche and an unformed system of values ​​quickly fall under their influence.

What harm, besides addiction, do drugs bring to the body? Absolutely all drugs by their nature are poisons that affect all systems of organs and tissues, but especially the central nervous system, brain, reproductive system, liver and kidneys. As a rule, people with the best health, with regular drug use, live no more than ten years. Most die earlier. It is very common for people who use drugs to die within the first year after they start using the drug.Since drug addicts use non-sterile syringes, many blood-borne diseases are common among them – AIDS, hepatitis and others. They often die from these diseases before the drug poisoning occurs.

How does drug addiction affect a person’s mental image? At the beginning, there is only an increasing cooling to reality, which seems uninteresting, gray, flat, completely joyless and engulfed in memories of drug intoxication, a desire to experience it again.Emotional devastation gradually increases, irritability, apathy, relaxation of the will arise, and with the use of certain drugs (sniffing glue) dementia increases. Outwardly, all this is manifested by lethargy, callousness, rudeness, selfishness, deceit, uncriticality. A person who uses drugs loses control over his life, is deeply reborn, becomes completely different. He has callousness, rudeness, cruelty, selfishness, deceit. Intelligence gradually decreases, i.e.e. mental ability. He becomes uncritical of himself, does not see his shortcomings. Very soon there is a narrowing of the circle of contacts and the circle of interests and acquaintances. All interests of the drug addiction victim revolve around drugs. He speaks and thinks only about them and about the methods of obtaining drugs or money to buy them. Addicts can talk about drugs with interest for hours. Due to rudeness, selfishness, a person loses his friends. Old acquaintances are gradually lost and only those who are somehow connected with drugs remain.The victim degrades and completely loses personal freedom.

How does drug addiction affect a person’s sexual sphere? A person suffering from drug addiction very quickly loses the ability to reproduce offspring. Drug addicts, if they have children, are usually born sick, often mentally retarded.

Why and how does a young person get involved in drugs? This happens for a variety of reasons. Imitation of the leader, comrades, “for the company.” For many, the reason for drug addiction is lack of spirituality and a false system of values ​​- an egoistic arrangement of the soul, in which “high”, personal pleasure becomes the meaning and purpose of life.Poor mental and physical health, weak will and easy suggestibility, defects in upbringing, selfishness, bad company – these are the circumstances contributing to drug addiction. Heredity plays an important role. In addition, the drug mafia has a special methodology for involving as many young people as possible into drug use. One of the main ways is the free distribution of the first doses of drugs. There are times when the first doses are injected by force. Having become drug addicts, and therefore buyers of their goods, these unfortunate victims get a hundredfold return on the money spent on the first free doses.

How long does it take to transform a person from a healthy person into a drug addict? This is mostly unpredictable. A lot depends on individual characteristics and heredity. For some, one injection is enough to turn into a complete addict.

How great is the danger for a young man if he just wants to try a drug, “indulge”, and then quit? Everyone who became a drug addict started with this thought. There are times when a person tried a drug and did not become a drug addict, but this is reminiscent of the game “Russian roulette”.If you have tried drugs at least once, no one can guarantee that it will end well for you. You cannot know in advance whether you have a predisposition to addiction or not. The most dangerous drugs are for those who experience a particularly strong voluptuousness when taking them.

Where is the line between a drug user and a drug addict? Formally, a person who uses drugs differs from a drug addict in that he can refuse to take them, but a drug addict cannot.But in fact, this line is blurred and, most importantly, drugs dull a person’s sensitivity and he does not feel this line. Already addicted to a drug, it seems to him that he is able to quit. Awareness of what has happened comes only when the addiction has gone too far to stop on its own. The line, the difference … the same as a person who only occasionally drinks – from an alcoholic, i.e. the presence of a craving for the drug, which arises faster; in drug addiction, the very transition from use to abuse and to addiction occurs imperceptibly for a person, (“imperceptibly”) is caught in demonic networks.It seems to a person that he can stop at any moment, and the disease has gone too far.

How is drug addiction treated? First, the drug is removed from the body, then they try to remove addiction and attraction with medications. This is followed by the treatment of complications, since the patient is in a state of complete disorder of all body functions. Drug addiction treatment is possible only if the patient wishes.

How effective is drug addiction treatment? Drug addiction treatment is ineffective.The number of people who have returned to normal life is counted in units. Those who managed to break from drug addiction very slowly return to their old way of life. The consequences of drug abuse will last a lifetime and the person will never be the same as he was before. In many ways, the changes are irreversible. The whole difficulty of treatment lies in the fact that the overwhelming majority of patients do not want to be treated at all. Just as a mouse, which irritates the pleasure center with an electric shock, dies of hunger near the feeding trough, so drug addicts are ready to die, but not lose their “high”.They perceive a pronounced morbid mental attraction to the drug as their desire, and actively strive to experience vivid images and feelings. Even with the desire for treatment and after the removal of bodily sensations and complications – for a long time (up to 2 or more years), mental attraction remains, at times aggravated. Considering that the person has already been damaged, deprived, it is clear how difficult it is to fight drug addiction.

Why is addiction so poorly treated? As mentioned above, drug addiction has social, spiritual, moral reasons and is also associated with a hereditary predisposition.Treatment of any disease begins with eliminating the cause. But a doctor cannot make a person more moral, this is not in the competence of a doctor. The doctor also cannot isolate the patient from his comrades, eliminate the defects of upbringing, change the system of human values. Hereditary predisposition cannot be changed at all. In the presence of a hereditary predisposition, all efforts should be aimed at preventing hereditary traits from manifesting.

What do drug addicts die from? In most cases, from overdose.In a few years, a drug addict is waiting for the complete destruction of the liver and the whole body. But many do not live up to this moment and die from allergies, infectious and concomitant diseases, such as AIDS or hepatitis. Many commit suicide or die violent deaths, as drug addicts live in a criminal environment and are often associated with organized crime. The addict loses the instinct of self-preservation and can easily freeze, become a victim of a crime, get into an accident, die from an accident and many other reasons.

What is the danger for society and the state is the problem of drug addiction? People who use drugs cease to be productive members of society, unable even to reproduce offspring. Being physically and legally citizens of the state, they not only do no good, but cause harm. Drug addiction becomes, as it were, a disease of society, destroying it from the inside, killing people one by one, like an infectious disease of a cell in an affected organism. Addicts are easily manageable.Being addicted to the drug, they are deprived of human freedom, will and become an obedient instrument, carrying out the orders of the one who controls them. Drug addiction destroys the family, and it is a strong family that is the basis of the existence of society and the state. Drug addicts suffer from serious infectious diseases and infect other people with them. Drug addiction is such a scourge as war, and maybe even worse. The widespread occurrence of this vice threatens the existence of the nation and the state.The introduction of drug addiction and other vices among young people is the most effective way to conquer and destroy a country without firearms or atomic weapons.

What problem is drug addiction – spiritual or medical? Drug addiction is a complex problem: spiritual, moral, medical, state, legal, social and even political.

How should you behave in order not to become a drug addict? In order not to become a drug addict, you need to avoid bad company, never communicate with those who already use drugs.Especially those people who offer to try drugs for free should be avoided. In no case should you try drugs at least once. Remember: you can get addicted to drugs even after one injection! Decisively and permanently stop all communication with those who invite you to try drugs! Do not listen to the music of drug addicts, it can have a bad effect on the soul. Also, avoid concerts of contemporary rock music, as there are usually active drug dealers and generally avoid any places where you might encounter drug addicts and drug dealers.

What should parents do to prevent their child from becoming a drug addict? It is necessary to educate the child so that he does not have a desire to leave the family on the street, to bring up in the spirit of Christian and national values. The general development of culture, including musical culture, is of great importance, as well as the introduction of a child to the Church from an early age. A child from a one-child, incomplete and dysfunctional family becomes a drug addict easier. Try to keep your child in touch with the best kids from the best families and keep them off the TV.Contemporary rock music can contribute to drug addiction.

How do parents know when their child is using drugs?

The first sign: Your son or daughter is clearly intoxicated, but his mouth does not smell.

· Second, you find the child so sound asleep that there is no way to wake him up.

· Third: dilated pupils.

Are there special methods and organizations dealing with drug addiction treatment? There are not many such organizations, but they do exist.All methods have a necessary condition for treatment: a strong desire of the patient himself. Do not hesitate to seek help from competent people, doctors.

How long does it take for an addict to become a full-fledged member of society? At least two years are needed, before full rehabilitation is several years, but if a person is already addicted to drugs, then the consequences will remain for life.