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It is pretty normal to use an alarm clock to wake up. It may even say something about your personality. What is not as common, however, is for the clock to mimic a sunrise and wake you with a gradually increasing amount of light. How do the best sunrise alarm clocks make waking easier? Learn how a dawn simulation light works, why it might be preferable to an audible alarm, who benefits most from its use, and what alternatives exist that may help to enforce a circadian pattern, easing insomnia and making it easier to wake and get up....

A panic attack can be stopped or controlled with mind-body techniques such as relaxation, distraction, and mindfulness. Many people will experience at least one panic attack in their lifetime. Learning to recognize panic attacks is an important first step toward managing them, which can often be done without the need for medication. How to Stop a Panic Attack You can help stop a panic attack by breaking it down into phases and symptoms....

Swallowing pills is hard for many people and for a lot of different reasons. Some people have medical conditions that lead to physical difficulty swallowing pills, while others have psychological barriers to taking them whole. No matter the reason, you can learn how to swallow pills by using certain strategies. What Causes Problems Swallowing Pills? If you have a physical problem swallowing pills—such as a small mouth or throat or problems with the muscles involved—it’s called dysphagia....

With food allergies so common in children today, many doctors recommend that parents carry automatic epinephrine injectors to use if their child develops anaphylaxis, a severe type of allergic reaction. Similarly, allergists recommend that adults with severe allergies also carry epinephrine injectors at all times. You may never need to use an epinephrine auto-injector on yourself or your child, but it’s critical to be prepared just in case. Allergic reactions are unpredictable and can progress to life-threatening anaphylaxis rapidly....

You can still have low blood sugar even if you don’t have diabetes. Hypoglycemia occurs when your fasting blood sugar is too low. Nondiabetic hypoglycemia refers to the condition in which a person without diabetes experiences low blood glucose (sugar). Nondiabetic hypoglycemia can happen within a few hours of eating or while fasting, when you haven’t eaten. The latter may be related to a more serious health condition. When it’s not caused by a reaction to medications, such as taking too much aspirin, or a condition like cancer, you may be able to manage your symptoms by changing what you eat....

Most of the medications for constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) are also used for chronic functional constipation, though there are some differences in how they’re used. In both cases, though, these constipation medications are generally only started after dietary and behavioral changes have failed. If that occurs, over-the-counter (OTC) laxatives may provide some relief. Persistent cases may require a prescription constipation medication that increases fluid in the intestines and stimulates bowel movements....

Approximately 30% of the global population has iron deficiency anemia, with women and children being the most affected. According to research from 1999 to 2018, the rates of iron deficiency anemia and mortality (death) associated with the condition have continued to rise in the United States. This article discusses how common iron deficiency anemia is, who is the most affected, and the associated mortality rates. Iron Deficiency Anemia Overview Iron deficiency anemia is a blood disorder that develops when a person’s blood doesn’t have enough red blood cells....

My journey with leukemia started when I was 10 years old. I was an active kid who played on the basketball team when I started feeling very tired. I couldn’t stay up late, and I was falling asleep in class. Normally, I was a straight-A student, but my grades started suffering. Meet the Author Julian Castaneda is a leukemia survivor living in California. He founded a nonprofit, Bags of Love Foundation, in 2019 to help support other kids living with cancer....

Having meibomian gland dysfunction is a common problem. These oil glands are at the edges of both the upper and lower eyelids. You rely on them to make meibum, an oily secretion rich in lipids that ensures that tears don’t evaporate too soon. These glands can easily become blocked or start producing poor-quality oil. Knowing that you’re dealing with this condition is only part of the battle. It’s also important to understand why you, in particular, may have developed meibomian gland dysfunction, as well as why now....

Diabetes mellitus, also called type 2 diabetes or diabetes, is a serious medical condition linked to having excess weight or obesity. It involves high blood sugar and challenges with the way the body processes food. Mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD) occurs when you have excess weight or obesity but do not have insulin resistance, which is when the body’s cells do not absorb sugar well and stop responding to insulin. This is a concern because it can lead to high blood sugar levels and diabetes....

A recent study has found that online crowdfunding campaigns in the United States during the pandemic were more successful in affluent and educated individuals compared to communities that had fewer resources available. Key Takeaways A new study shows that pandemic-era crowdfunding was more common and successful in affluent and educated communities, benefitting groups that already had more resources available to them.Crowdfunding campaign creation and outcome rely on privilege, exacerbating existing social inequities....

What Is Ropinirole? Ropinirole, previously sold under brand names Requip and Requip XL, is a non-ergoline dopamine agonist used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and restless legs syndrome (RLS). Ropinirole acts on the nervous system at dopamine receptors (a neurotransmitter or a chemical messenger). It stimulates the dopamine receptors that help restore the balance of natural dopamine in the brain needed to control movements. This medication is available as immediate-release and extended-release tablets....

What Is Saphnelo? Saphnelo (anifrolumab-fnia) is a treatment option for moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common type of lupus. This medication is a monoclonal antibody, which is a human-made protein that can bind to another protein. Saphnelo, specifically, attaches to subunit 1 of a type 1 interferon (IFN) receptor (binding site). By attaching to the IFN receptor, Saphnelo prevents this binding site from working. Saphnelo also blocks type 1 IFN—a protein that causes many signs and symptoms of SLE—from binding to its IFN receptor....

Severe autism is the most significant level of autism. Also known as level 3 autism, it often means a person is nonverbal or has very limited speech and restricted social communication skills. Severe autism also often comes with sensory processing issues and extreme difficulty dealing with changes in routine. Common behavioral challenges include aggression, running or wandering away, and self-injury. People with severe autism experience profound challenges and requires very substantial support....

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person can have hundreds of involuntary breathing pauses per night. This leads to an array of symptoms and a risk for developing health complications, including certain eye disorders. Early diagnosis of these disorders is essential, because it can prevent and even restore vision loss in some cases. This article reviews the various eye conditions linked to sleep apnea. The Link Between Sleep Apnea and Eye Health Sleep apnea can cause certain ocular (eye) changes that lead to a range of eye disorders....

Ten years ago, researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital carefully crafted a video game that could respond to the physical state of the player in real-time through biofeedback. The more flustered a player gets, the worse they perform in the game. Key Takeaways Researchers have developed a video game that uses biofeedback to respond to the physical state of the player in real-time.The pilot clinical trial shows that the game can help children between the ages of 10 and 17 who have a hard time controlling their anger learn to manage anger and stress more effectively....

Since acne is, in part, caused by bacteria, topical antibiotics (meaning, those that get applied to the skin) are one way to treat acne. Topical antibiotics are typically used for mild to moderately severe inflammatory acne. Medications like clindamycin and erythromycin are most commonly used for this purpose. Topical tetracycline is another option, but it’s prescribed less often because it is known to cause skin discoloration. These come in a variety of forms, including lotions, gels, pads, and toner-like solutions....

Heart failure is what happens when your heart is not pumping enough blood throughout the body. It does not mean the heart has stopped working. Instead, it means your heart is not strong enough to pump blood properly or is not able to fill up with a sufficient amount of blood. This article discusses the different types of heart failure. Heart Failure Overview There are about 6.2 million adults in the United States with heart failure....

Though recent advances in antiretroviral therapy have been nothing short of astonishing—affording people with HIV normal to near-normal life expectancy—there remain significant gaps in treatment among people living with HIV in the United States. In fact, of the nearly 1.2 million Americans living with HIV today, fewer than one in four are able to achieve complete viral suppression, which is key to treatment success. This is a major problem. Without the means to achieve and sustain an undetectable viral load, people with HIV are at greater risk of HIV-related and non-HIV-related illnesses as well as the premature development of drug resistance....

Most people experience abdominal bloating or swelling at some point in their lives. These are common symptoms that can have a variety of causes—from simply swallowing too much air to serious conditions like ovarian cancer. Depending on what’s causing your bloating, it can come on suddenly or gradually. In some cases, it can come and go, or persist for a period of time. It can present as a feeling of indigestion or a tight abdomen, but some people can visually see that their belly is distended or their clothes feel too tight around the middle....