Project Sleep Wizard

            Notable comic actor Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Laughter is considered to be a universal language that transcends culture and bridges individuals globally with its contagious power and its ability to uplift spirits. This remarkable human feature, serving as a social function, has stunned science for decades. Beyond its societal and cultural significance, laughter acts as a catalyst for enhancing one’s mood and reducing stress.            One of the most widely known effects of laughter is its ability to reduce stress and thus limit any distressing emotions. Through the release of endorphins, these natural chemicals promote a sense of calm and well-being within the body. Furthermore, our body’s cortisol (more colloquially known as the stress hormone) levels also decrease, indicating an increase in our stress resilience. The inc...

             You know that feeling when you are being chased down a dark alley and come across a dead end. Sweat drips down your sternum as your heart beats a million miles an hour, and then suddenly… you wake up. These hyper-realistic dreams are a result of a phenomenon known as REM rebound.           Our most complex and vivid dreams occur in the final stage of sleep, known as REM (rapid-eye movement sleep). This REM period lengthens throughout the course of the night as you cycle through the various sleep stages, reaching its maximum duration just before you awaken. The REM portion frequently suffers the most when you get less sleep than the recommended 7 to 8 hours.  So when you do finally catch up on sleep, it comes to bite you back full force and brings with it more intense dreams. Psychologist Tore Nielsen, director of the Dream and Nightmare Lab at the Sacré-Coeur Hospit...

  It’s the Formula One season in Singapore! Formula One stands at the zenith of motorsport in the contemporary world, owing, in large part, to the high-octane action, the cutting-edge technology, and the amazing skill of the drivers. These drivers, individuals of which peak performance is required in every race, face a multitude of challenges, ranging from controlling nerves to dehydration. However, another challenge F1 drivers need to deal with (more commonly than you may expect) is jet lag. In this article, we'll examine what jet lag is, how Formula 1 drivers deal with it, and how you can personally apply these principles to your own life. Jet lag, also known as desynchronosis, occurs when a person's internal body clock, or circadian rhythm, becomes misaligned with the external day-night cycle of their new location. F1 drivers face this issue due to the global nature of the sport; along with their teams, they need to move around the globe to various different places...

  Childhood, for many, is a cherished period of innocence and wonder. It is a delightful time when the world is viewed through the child’s lens of curiosity as each day brings about new discoveries.  However, not everyone’s childhood is a repository of joyful memories. Some individuals sadly carry haunting memories from their early years into their adult lives, profoundly affecting their mental health and sleep patterns. Reflecting on this, one might be reminded of the old saying “The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.” This proverb aptly captures the essence of how traumatic childhood experiences linger into a person’s psyche. While the axe, representing the passage of time, may move on and forget, the tree, a symbol of the affected individual, retains the marks and scars, both physical and emotional, of those early, devastating moments. These painful and distressing memories can manifest in uncountable ways affecting the day-to-day lives of a person, such as recurring nigh...

               Renowned Norwegian historian Christian Lange once said , “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” Our world is ever changing, full of new and upcoming advancements that make our lives easier and more convenient. While technology has become a reliable resource, have we been forsaking important factors in our lives to it? Undoubtedly, it has made our lives more convenient and interconnected, yet there is growing concern about its impact on sleep, a prominent aspect of our well-being.           We follow a natural bodily rhythm known as the circadian rhythm, which orchestrates our sleep-wake cycles. The main actuator of this rhythm is the hormone melatonin, which helps in inducing sleep. However, the blue light emitted by electronic devices, such as smartphones and computers, can interfere with melatonin production, disrupting our sleep patterns....

            Sleep deprivation can have a profound impact on the creativity levels of musical artists, hindering their ability to produce innovative and inspiring works of art. Creativity is a fundamental element of the artistic process. Have you ever wondered if a sleepless night can dull the sparkle in an artist's melodies and dampen the fire of their artistic inspiration?           The answer is yes, and any disruption in its expression can be detrimental to an artist's career and artistic growth.           Numerous studies have explored the correlation between sleeplessness and creative thinking, shedding light on the significant consequences of insufficient sleep on an artist's ability to generate original ideas and unique artistic expressions. One finding from research conducted by the University of California, San Diego, is that...

            Commonly referred to as “highway hypnosis,” microsleep is responsible for 16.5% of fatal car crashes in the United States. A further study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that over 40,000 injuries and 1500 deaths yearly in the US are the results of microsleep. But what exactly is microsleep? Microsleeps refer to brief, unintended episodes of loss of attention and lack of responsiveness to the environment, lasting as little as a few seconds or as long as a few minutes. As the name suggests, it occurs so quickly that people experiencing microsleep may not even realise they have fallen asleep. During an episode, a person may appear to be awake and even have their eyes open, but their brain does not process information.            Microsleep occurs most as people who haven't slept enough or have slept poorly attempt to stay awake during mon...

  The realm of artistic pursuits offers a path into creative expression while simultaneously providing a soothing boost to those who suffer from depression and similar mental health issues. The power of emotional release in the form of painting, drawing, sculpting, or partaking in any style of art certainly shouldn’t be underestimated.  Art therapy is an extensively researched topic with many varying styles that range from those concerning more common forms of art such as simply drawing, dancing, sketching and other similar activities to encourage emotional release to variants concerned mainly with more theoretical and philosophical approaches. These variants include Jungian art therapy, based on the theories of the famed Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, with significantly more focus on exploring deeper psychological aspects of the mind than the usual emotional-expression based art therapy most would be accustomed to.  The use of art as a therapeutic form of mental health ...

  When we think about environmental factors affecting mental health, we often think about the social environment or their home-life situation. However, recent evidence shows that weather and seasonal conditions can also impact an individual's mental health. A recent study called “Temperature and mental health: Evidence from the spectrum of mental health outcomes" showed that  hotter weather raised more unfavourable mental health outcomes as compared to colder weather. For instance, higher temperatures were linked to both an increase in suicides and emergency room visits for mental illness. It was also found that when exposed to extreme heat, people are more prone to act irritably, angrily, or even violently.  Cities located in warmer areas typically see more violent crime than those in cooler areas. In a study conducted by the Association of Psychological Science to examine the relationship between Chicago's daily shootings and the weather from 2012 to 2016, it was found ...

  Too many of us find ourselves guilt-ridden after waking up from an afternoon nap in the midst of the cult of productivity that dictates our lives. Napping is a ubiquitous experience known to bring about memory consolidation, preparation for subsequent learning, executive functioning enhancement, and a boost in emotional stability. Nevertheless, many shun the idea of midday power naps claiming that it disrupts the sleep cycle leading to erratic and abnormal sleeping patterns.  One of the primary benefits of napping is that it undoes the cognitive deficits caused by sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep can cause a decline in cognitive and memory-recording faculties. However, both have been seen to improve after a midday nap with increased levels of productivity and energy. In addition, napping also enhances subsequent learning and promotes emotional processing. Children have been seen to exhibit better emotional regulation skills in the face of challenging stimuli (like a puzzle) ...

              In the era of Instagram and TikTok, body image isn’t just personal; it’s global. How does this global conversation influence individual mental health? Pop culture has had an indisputable influence on modern society, and nowhere is this impact more evident than in the perceptions of body image among teenagers. Tucked within its folds, pop culture contains a powerful paradox: it can both liberate and confine, uphold and challenge, inspire and distress.           As teenagers navigate the tumultuous journey of adolescence, the intertwining threads of body image and mental health become increasingly prominent, significantly influenced by the omnipresence of pop culture. One of the most significant revolutions within pop culture in recent years has been the body positivity movement. This campaign, primarily driven by social media, endorses the acceptance and appreciatio...