Latest news with #SleepHealth
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sex Before Bed May Help You Sleep Better, According to Science
A new pilot study suggests having sex before bed could help you sleep better. This isn't the first study to link sex before bed to better sleep. Sex creates a surge of oxytocin, which is a natural sedative, and provides stress relief, all of which might explain boosted sleep performance. Finding the perfect recipe for a good night's sleep can feel pretty complicated. Experts have recommended everything from keeping your bedroom cool at night, to sticking with consistent sleep and wake times, to avoiding screens for hours before bed. But you can now add a much simpler sleep-enhancing hack to the list: Have sex. That's the major takeaway from a new study published in the journal Sleep Health. This is a pilot study, so the findings are preliminary, but they raise a lot of questions about how sexual activity may help us sleep better and whether you should consider this move for yourself. Here's what the study found, plus what doctors want you to keep in mind. Meet the experts: W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast; Jessica O'Reilly, PhD, relationship expert and Astroglide's sexologist; Jennifer Wider, MD. For the study, researchers recruited seven heterosexual couples who were healthy, sexually active, and living together in Australia. The participants, who were in their mid-20s, all reported that they had sex at least twice a week. The researchers monitored the participants over 11 nights, and asked them to do three different things: Have no sexual activity, engage in solo sex that ended in an orgasm, and have partnered sex that ended in an orgasm. To measure their sleep, the participants wore a wireless headband to track their brain activity, movement, and breathing overnight. They also filled out diaries every morning to track their sexual activity, sleep quality, mood, and feelings of readiness for the day ahead. The researchers discovered all kinds of interesting things. On nights when the participants had sex, they went to bed later than on nights with no sex. But they also spent about seven minutes less being awake during the night after they conked out, and spent a larger amount of their time in bed actually sleeping (basically, they had good sleep efficiency). In general, sleep efficiency was 93.2 percent after masturbation and 93.4 percent after partnered sex, while it was 91.5 percent on nights when people didn't have sex. Worth noting: The participants didn't notice any big differences in how well they thought they slept—this is just what the sleep tracking data found. That said, the participants reported feeling more motivated and ready for their day the morning after having partnered sex than when they abstained. It's important to point out that this isn't the first study to link sex before bed to better sleep. A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research had people keep a diary for 14 days and found that those who had partnered sex that ended in orgasm fell asleep faster and reported having better sleep quality than those who didn't have sex before bed. But the latest study actually showed that there were improvements in sleep quality. There are probably a few things going on to result in this positive sleep effect, according to W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. 'The first is probably related to the chemical changes brought about by orgasm,' he says. 'The hormone oxytocin—which is released after you have an orgasm—acts as a natural sedative,' he says. In addition to oxytocin, the hormone prolactin is released after orgasm, leading to a relaxed feeling, says women's health expert Jennifer Wider, MD. All of those factors combined 'can definitely enhance sleepiness,' she says. From a more holistic view, sex is usually a stress-relieving activity, so it may be that people felt more ready to fall asleep afterward, Dr. Winter says. And it may also just quiet down your mind, says Jessica O'Reilly, PhD, relationship expert and Astroglide's sexologist. 'Post-orgasm, decreased activity in brain regions like the amygdala and cingulate cortex reduces arousal and emotional stimulation,' she says. That can also make it easier to fall asleep, she points out. A lot, actually. 'During arousal and orgasm, you may experience elevated levels of dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins, which can elevate mood, reduce stress and assuage anxiety,' O'Reilly says. 'Natural opioids released during sex can also make you more resilient to pain, like headaches and cramps.' Ultimately, if you have the option to have sex or not and you want to ensure you'll get a good night's sleep, it may be best to get down with a partner before bed. 'Sex in general contributes to positive emotional feelings and contentment, which is where you want to be in the moment before sleep,' Dr. Winter says. 'Feeling that sense of being connected is a great way to head to sleep.' You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Doing This One Fun Thing Before Bed Will Help You Sleep A Lot Better, Per Study
A new pilot study suggests having sex before bed could help you sleep better. This isn't the first study to link sex before bed to better sleep. Sex creates a surge of oxytocin, which is a natural sedative, and provides stress relief, all of which might explain boosted sleep performance. Finding the perfect recipe for a good night's sleep can feel pretty complicated. Experts have recommended everything from keeping your bedroom cool at night, to sticking with consistent sleep and wake times, to avoiding screens for hours before bed. But you can now add a much simpler sleep-enhancing hack to the list: Have sex. That's the major takeaway from a new study published in the journal Sleep Health. This is a pilot study, so the findings are preliminary, but they raise a lot of questions about how sexual activity may help us sleep better and whether you should consider this move for yourself. Here's what the study found, plus what doctors want you to keep in mind. Meet the experts: W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast; Jessica O'Reilly, PhD, relationship expert and Astroglide's sexologist; Jennifer Wider, MD. For the study, researchers recruited seven heterosexual couples who were healthy, sexually active, and living together in Australia. The participants, who were in their mid-20s, all reported that they had sex at least twice a week. The researchers monitored the participants over 11 nights, and asked them to do three different things: Have no sexual activity, engage in solo sex that ended in an orgasm, and have partnered sex that ended in an orgasm. To measure their sleep, the participants wore a wireless headband to track their brain activity, movement, and breathing overnight. They also filled out diaries every morning to track their sexual activity, sleep quality, mood, and feelings of readiness for the day ahead. The researchers discovered all kinds of interesting things. On nights when the participants had sex, they went to bed later than on nights with no sex. But they also spent about seven minutes less being awake during the night after they conked out, and spent a larger amount of their time in bed actually sleeping (basically, they had good sleep efficiency). In general, sleep efficiency was 93.2 percent after masturbation and 93.4 percent after partnered sex, while it was 91.5 percent on nights when people didn't have sex. Worth noting: The participants didn't notice any big differences in how well they thought they slept—this is just what the sleep tracking data found. That said, the participants reported feeling more motivated and ready for their day the morning after having partnered sex than when they abstained. It's important to point out that this isn't the first study to link sex before bed to better sleep. A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research had people keep a diary for 14 days and found that those who had partnered sex that ended in orgasm fell asleep faster and reported having better sleep quality than those who didn't have sex before bed. But the latest study actually showed that there were improvements in sleep quality. There are probably a few things going on to result in this positive sleep effect, according to W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. 'The first is probably related to the chemical changes brought about by orgasm,' he says. 'The hormone oxytocin—which is released after you have an orgasm—acts as a natural sedative,' he says. In addition to oxytocin, the hormone prolactin is released after orgasm, leading to a relaxed feeling, says women's health expert Jennifer Wider, MD. All of those factors combined 'can definitely enhance sleepiness,' she says. From a more holistic view, sex is usually a stress-relieving activity, so it may be that people felt more ready to fall asleep afterward, Dr. Winter says. And it may also just quiet down your mind, says Jessica O'Reilly, PhD, relationship expert and Astroglide's sexologist. 'Post-orgasm, decreased activity in brain regions like the amygdala and cingulate cortex reduces arousal and emotional stimulation,' she says. That can also make it easier to fall asleep, she points out. A lot, actually. 'During arousal and orgasm, you may experience elevated levels of dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins, which can elevate mood, reduce stress and assuage anxiety,' O'Reilly says. 'Natural opioids released during sex can also make you more resilient to pain, like headaches and cramps.' Ultimately, if you have the option to have sex or not and you want to ensure you'll get a good night's sleep, it may be best to get down with a partner before bed. 'Sex in general contributes to positive emotional feelings and contentment, which is where you want to be in the moment before sleep,' Dr. Winter says. 'Feeling that sense of being connected is a great way to head to sleep.' You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AdaptHealth Corp (AHCO) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Challenges with Strategic ...
The company reduced its full-year revenue expectations by $40 million and adjusted EBITDA expectations by $5 million due to the disposition of certain incontinence assets. Free cash flow was negative, and certain cash collections anticipated in the first quarter were pushed into the second quarter. Net revenue for the first quarter declined 1.8% compared to the prior year quarter, partly due to one less business day. AdaptHealth Corp ( NASDAQ:AHCO ) has a broad geographic footprint with over 660 locations, positioning it well to capture market share and lead the transformation of the home health industry. The company is on track to achieve its free cash flow guidance for the full year, with a significant improvement from negative $38.9 million in the prior year quarter to negative $0.1 million. AdaptHealth Corp ( NASDAQ:AHCO ) reduced its debt balance by $25 million in Q1, contributing to a total debt repayment of $195 million over the last five quarters. The Diabetes Health segment showed signs of recovery with sequential improvement in new starts and the best resupply attrition rate in two years. First quarter revenue exceeded the midpoint of guidance by $13.1 million, driven by strong performance in the Respiratory Health and Diabetes Health segments. Story Continues Q & A Highlights Q: Can you provide additional color on the improvements in the Diabetes business, particularly regarding growth in pumps and CGM? Also, is the guidance change only due to the incontinence asset sale? A: The guidance change is exclusively for the disposal of certain incontinence assets. Regarding diabetes, we saw positive movement in our pump business, showing growth over the first quarter of 2024. In CGMs, we experienced a second consecutive quarter of sequential growth in new starts, indicating a turnaround in the diabetes segment. - Jason Clemens, CFO Q: Regarding new starts in Sleep Health, is this a market issue or a market share issue? Are you losing share, and how do you plan to address it? A: Starts were slightly off, but it's not due to external factors. In certain geographies, we need to improve our setup speed and operations. We have detailed plans with our Commercial and operations teams to address these gaps, and we remain confident in our full-year guidance. - Jason Clemens, CFO Q: Can you clarify the impact of tariffs on your fiscal 2026 outlook, given recent developments? A: We are feeling better about our tariff exposure than we did previously. Many manufacturers received clarifications on their Nairobi classification, which may reduce our potential impact. We are not in a position to change our $10 million potential impact estimate for fiscal '26 yet, but the outlook is more positive. - Jason Clemens, CFO Q: There was a step-up in CapEx this quarter. Is this related to tariffs or increased demand? A: The increase in CapEx is due to outperformance in Respiratory Health, driven by increased sales during a heavy flu season. This is unrelated to tariffs and is a result of patient census growth in respiratory conditions. - Jason Clemens, CFO Q: Can you discuss the progress and future expectations for the One Adapt strategy? A: One Adapt focuses on leveraging our scale from past acquisitions to deliver operational efficiency and brand unity. We aim to simplify our entity structure and enhance our commercial team's reach to maximize patient access. This strategy is expected to drive growth in the back half of 2025 and into 2026. - Suzanne Foster, CEO For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
