Author: CityWomen

November 09, 2018 at 02:00AM When a memory keeps playing in your head on repeat, the desire to cast an IRL version of a Harry Potter “obliviate” charm becomes oh-so-strong. But even though we muggles haven’t figured out a way to manipulate memories just yet, there’s one mind trick that works almost like magic. Here’s how it works: Instead of mentally screaming Shut up! Shut up! Shut Up! at whatever childhood trauma or embarrassing moment keeps surfacing, you simply bring to mind another memory instead, reports Forbes. In the past, researchers at the University of Cambridge found that asking yourself to recall an alternative memory from your past causes you to passively forget said memory that just keeps sliding into your mental DMs. And now, a recent study published by the same team in Nature Communications has gone one step further to find that actually, you actively extinguish the unwanted recall through this process, which is called retrieval-induced forgetting. This replacement method could also work for songs or jingles that get stuck in your head (AKA, earworms), too. Because although Ariana Grande’s new #girlpower anthem is jammy, it might get old after your brain replays it for the umpteen-millionth times. And finally, you might consider using the same replacement logic for your exes. Consider this another vote for the old saying, “You can’t really get over one person until you get under another.” Here’s how to ask for a day off—for the sake of your mental health. Plus, why you should never, ever get back with your ex for the same reason.  Continue

Read More

November 08, 2018 at 12:12PM Common sense would tell you that being asleep and being awake are mutually exclusive. But in the case of sleepwalking—somnambulism, if you’re nasty— they’re not. Sleepwalking is a condition that affects nearly 30 percent of us, according to a 2012 study. Let that sink in: 30 percent. Backing up for a sec: Sleepwalking is a type of parasomnia, which is a fancy way of saying “abnormal things that happen in your sleep.” And aside from sleepwalking, the disorder is also characterized by talking, disorientation, and even leaving the house and driving, says Terry Cralle, RN and certified clinical sleep educator with The Better Sleep Council, a consumer education organization of leaders and experts in the mattress industry. It’s most common in children, according to the Mayo Clinic, although adults can be affected, too. Sleepwalking generally happens during deep, non-REM sleep, Cralle says. There are four phases of sleep that you cycle through while you snooze. REM—standing for rapid eye movement—is the phase where most of your dreaming occurs. Sleepwalking generally occurs during the third phase of sleep, right before REM, says Bill Fish, a certified sleep science coach (someone who works with people to improve their sleep habits and routines) and co-founder of Tuck.com. This is definitely a worrisome thing. Obviously, you’re walking around in your sleep (and could potentially hurt yourself!).  And sleepwalkers typically don’t remember their sleepwalking episodes. Such was the case with one woman, who went on an entire motorcycle ride in her sleep. Or the man

Read More