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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why You Keep Waking Up at 3 a.m.—And What Your Body's Trying to Tell You
According to a 2025 U.S. News and World Reports survey, a whopping 89% of adults in the U.S. wake up regularly during the night. This shows that falling asleep is only half the battle when it comes to getting adequate rest; staying asleep presents its own challenges. According to sleep doctors we talked to, there are several different reasons why this happens; there isn't one universal cause. But in every instance, it can be frustrating and often hard to fall back asleep. Here, sleep doctors share the different reasons why people wake up in the middle of the night and their tips for what to do if you can't fall back asleep. 🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊 If you like to wind down in the evening with an alcoholic drink, your relaxing habit may be sabotaging your sleep. 'Alcohol can disturb sleep,' says Dr. Richard Schwab, MD, the Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. 'While alcohol can help someone fall asleep faster, it causes an increase in heart rate, which leads to sleep disturbances in the second half of the night." He explains that this happens with every type of alcohol; it doesn't matter if it's whiskey, wine, beer or something else, saying, 'When alcohol is metabolized in the body, it increases body temperature. This causes the heart to beat faster, which is likely the reason why it can interrupt sleep." Dr. William Lu, MD,the Medical Director at Dreem Health, also says drinking alcohol can lead to waking up in the middle of the night. "Avoiding alcohol is always beneficial for your sleep," he explains. "You may be able to fall asleep easier with alcohol, but in the back half of the night, alcohol has a stimulating effect which in turn can cause earlier wakeups. It is also known that alcohol decreases the amount of deep sleep that you get causing you to feel more tired and less refreshed in the morning." Scientific research backs up the connection between alcohol and sleep disturbances, showing that alcohol disrupts sleep in several ways, including interrupting circadian rhythm, increasing breathing-related sleep events such as snoring and triggering insomnia. Dr. Schwab explains that alcohol interferes with REM sleep, which is important for maintaining optimal brain health. Related: Both doctors say that many common medications—both over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications—are associated with sleep disturbances. Dr. Schwab says this includes antidepressants, corticosteroids (which are used to treat arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies, among other health conditions), beta blockers for hypertension, antihistamines, decongestants and Alzheimer's medications. Additionally, Dr. Schwab says that Benadryl can cause sleep disturbances. He explains taht some people with insomnia take Benadryl because it can help them fall asleep, but he emphasizes that this medication can lead to waking up in the second half of the night. This also happens with many other 'PM' medications, like Tylenol PM. If a medication is causing you to have sleep disturbances, Dr. Schwab recommends taking it in the morning instead of at night. If the problem persists, talk to your healthcare provider. Related: If you consistently wake up in the middle of the night, you could have sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that roughly 30 million Americans have. 'Sleep apnea causes a lot of sleep fragmentation and a lot of people don't know they have it, especially if they sleep alone,' Dr. Schwab explains. Symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, times when you stop breathing during sleep, gasping for air during sleep, waking up with dry mouth, morning headaches and feeling sleepy during the day. If you think you have sleep apnea, talk to your healthcare provider. Sleep apnea isn't the only health condition that can lead to waking up in the middle of the night. Dr. Schwab says that chronic heartburn, chronic pain, COPD or lung disease and other chronic conditions can all cause sleep disturbances. Additionally, menopause symptoms such as night sweats can make it hard to stay asleep. If any of these health conditions are disrupting your sleep, talk to your doctor about possible solutions. Dr. Schwab points out that there are all sorts of environmental reasons why you may wake up in the middle of the night too. Pets, kids, leaving the TV on at night and outdoor noises can all lead to waking up in the middle of the night. Related: Waking up in the middle of the night is frustrating enough, but when you can't fall back asleep, it's even more annoying. If this happens, Dr. Schwab says reading a book in very low light until you get sleepy may be a better solution than lying in bed in frustration. "I encourage people to get out of bed and to go somewhere different such as the couch or another room. Do some quiet activities until you begin feeling sleepy again and then go back to bed to try to sleep again," Dr. Lu adds. If you wake up tired because you didn't sleep well the night before, Dr. Schwab says to resist the urge to nap, which could lead to yet another night of poor sleep. Having general good sleep hygiene tips in place can also help with sleep, he explains. With this in mind, avoid using electronics in the evening, don't sleep with the TV on and keep your bedroom dark and cool. Not getting enough sleep greatly impacts both physical and mental health. If you are struggling to get good, consistent sleep, it's worth it to pinpoint the reason why and troubleshoot from there. That way, you can wake up each day truly well-rested and ready for anything the day brings. Up Next: Dr. Richard Schwab, MD, Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Dr. William Lu, MD, sleep medician physician and Medical Director at Dreem Health America's Sleepless Nights: Stress, Screens, and the Search for Rest in 2025 [Survey Report]. US News and World Reports Alcohol and Sleep-Related Problems. Current Opinions in Psychology. 2020 REM Sleep: What Is It and Why It's Important. Sleep Foundation Are your medications keeping you up at night? Harvard Health What doctors wish patients knew about sleep apnea. American Medical Association. Sleep apnea. Mayo Clinic
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - 4 reasons why a US sovereign wealth fund is a bad idea
President Trump has issued an executive order instructing the heads of certain agencies to 'develop a plan for the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund.' Is that possible, and if so, is it a good idea? A sovereign wealth fund (SWF) — also called a 'savings fund' — is a government-owned and managed vehicle 'designed to be a nest egg, allowing current money to be deployed in a way that benefits future generations,' according to U.S. News and World Reports. Internationally, there are more than 100 SWFs, often funded by the sale of a country's natural resources, such as oil and natural gas, or when the government has excess funds. Norway has the largest SWF, with $1.7 trillion, and Hong Kong is 10th with $514 billion. In addition, several U.S. states have a version of an SWF, again, often funded by royalties from fossil fuel production. But there are several reasons why establishing a U.S. fund is a bad idea. Here are four of them. The U.S. government has no excess 'wealth.' A sovereign wealth fund is a repository for savings. However, the federal government has no savings. Indeed, it has annual budget deficits ($1.8 trillion in 2024) and a whole lot of debt ($36.5 trillion). Under current budget and spending patterns, the federal government would have to borrow money at elevated interest rates to make deposits to a sovereign wealth fund. That makes zero sense. What about the Social Security Trust Fund? That's money workers have paid into Social Security through payroll taxes that hasn't been paid out to recipients. With $2.7 trillion on the books, could that account be turned into an SWF? The problem is the government has borrowed all of that money and spent it, issuing itself IOUs. If the government wants to redeem those IOUs, it has to borrow the money to do so. What about using oil and gas royalties like other SWFs? In the 10 years between 2012-2022, the government received $74 billion in royalties from oil and gas produced by companies on federal leases, according to the Government Accountability Office. Most of that money was distributed to the states. But, again, it makes little sense to put that money in an SWF while the government is borrowing nearly $2 trillion to fund its spending. Better to use those funds to reduce the annual deficit. Of course, it's at least possible the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Republicans will cut federal spending enough that the government shows a budget surplus in the future. But that will be a hard goal to reach. In the last 55 years the government has had a budget surplus in only four of them: 1998-2001. And even if there were a surplus, it would be better to apply that money to paying down the nation's enormous debt. Investments would be politically driven. If elected officials were managing SWF investments, they would be driven partly, if not totally, by political considerations rather than the maximization of returns. For example, if progressive Democrats were managing the funds, they might avoid investing in fossil fuels, gun manufacturers, Israeli companies or companies that didn't demonstrate sufficient diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts — regardless of how profitable those companies were. But couldn't the SWF be run by an independent board of financial experts? Yes, but Trump is currently trying to bring all independent agencies under his direct control, and that would certainly include the sovereign wealth fund. Investments could skew the market. If a sizable SWF were created, large moves could skew the market up or down. For example, if an SWF were to put billions of dollars into a stock — as Trump has suggested with TikTok — it could dramatically increase the value of that stock, but only because demand for the stock might be greater than supply. In fact, it's not hard to imagine wealthy investors lobbying SWF officials to invest in companies the investors own. On the other hand, pulling billions of dollars out of a stock might arbitrarily push the market, or a company, down if more shares were available than investors were willing to buy. Excess money should be returned to taxpayers. If Trump's policies were to create a budget surplus, why put that surplus money in a sovereign wealth fund? The money came from taxpayers in the first place. It should be returned to taxpayers, preferably by lowering taxes. A sovereign wealth fund is just one more way for the government to soak up money that belongs to taxpayers. If Trump's goal is to increase investment, then Americans should be investing that money in ways they, not the government, think best. Merrill Matthews is a public policy and political analyst and the co-author of 'On the Edge: America Faces the Entitlements Cliff.' Follow him on X@MerrillMatthews. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
25-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
4 reasons why a US sovereign wealth fund is a bad idea
President Trump has issued an executive order instructing the heads of certain agencies to 'develop a plan for the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund.' Is that possible, and if so, is it a good idea? A sovereign wealth fund (SWF) — also called a 'savings fund' — is a government-owned and managed vehicle 'designed to be a nest egg, allowing current money to be deployed in a way that benefits future generations,' according to U.S. News and World Reports. Internationally, there are more than 100 SWFs, often funded by the sale of a country's natural resources, such as oil and natural gas, or when the government has excess funds. Norway has the largest SWF, with $1.7 trillion, and Hong Kong is 10th with $514 billion. In addition, several U.S. states have a version of an SWF, again, often funded by royalties from fossil fuel production. But there are several reasons why establishing a U.S. fund is a bad idea. Here are four of them. The U.S. government has no excess 'wealth. ' A sovereign wealth fund is a repository for savings. However, the federal government has no savings. Indeed, it has annual budget deficits ($1.8 trillion in 2024) and a whole lot of debt ($36.5 trillion). Under current budget and spending patterns, the federal government would have to borrow money at elevated interest rates to make deposits to a sovereign wealth fund. That makes zero sense. What about the Social Security Trust Fund? That's money workers have paid into Social Security through payroll taxes that hasn't been paid out to recipients. With $2.7 trillion on the books, could that account be turned into an SWF? The problem is the government has borrowed all of that money and spent it, issuing itself IOUs. If the government wants to redeem those IOUs, it has to borrow the money to do so. What about using oil and gas royalties like other SWFs? In the 10 years between 2012-2022, the government received $74 billion in royalties from oil and gas produced by companies on federal leases, according to the Government Accountability Office. Most of that money was distributed to the states. But, again, it makes little sense to put that money in an SWF while the government is borrowing nearly $2 trillion to fund its spending. Better to use those funds to reduce the annual deficit. Of course, it's at least possible the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Republicans will cut federal spending enough that the government shows a budget surplus in the future. But that will be a hard goal to reach. In the last 55 years the government has had a budget surplus in only four of them: 1998-2001. And even if there were a surplus, it would be better to apply that money to paying down the nation's enormous debt. Investments would be politically driven. If elected officials were managing SWF investments, they would be driven partly, if not totally, by political considerations rather than the maximization of returns. For example, if progressive Democrats were managing the funds, they might avoid investing in fossil fuels, gun manufacturers, Israeli companies or companies that didn't demonstrate sufficient diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts — regardless of how profitable those companies were. But couldn't the SWF be run by an independent board of financial experts? Yes, but Trump is currently trying to bring all independent agencies under his direct control, and that would certainly include the sovereign wealth fund. Investments could skew the market. If a sizable SWF were created, large moves could skew the market up or down. For example, if an SWF were to put billions of dollars into a stock — as Trump has suggested with TikTok — it could dramatically increase the value of that stock, but only because demand for the stock might be greater than supply. In fact, it's not hard to imagine wealthy investors lobbying SWF officials to invest in companies the investors own. On the other hand, pulling billions of dollars out of a stock might arbitrarily push the market, or a company, down if more shares were available than investors were willing to buy. Excess money should be returned to taxpayers. If Trump's policies were to create a budget surplus, why put that surplus money in a sovereign wealth fund? The money came from taxpayers in the first place. It should be returned to taxpayers, preferably by lowering taxes. A sovereign wealth fund is just one more way for the government to soak up money that belongs to taxpayers. If Trump's goal is to increase investment, then Americans should be investing that money in ways they, not the government, think best.
