Health: Mood News.

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or more of insomnia cases are related to anxiety, psychological stress, or depression. -- Sleep Disorders journal

Acupuncture For Insomnia

For those who habitually lie awake worrying -- experts call it anxious insomnia -- acupuncture may provide some relief. In a preliminary study, the Sleep Research Laboratory at the University of Toronto and other institutions provided two one-hour acupuncture sessions weekly to 18 people with a history of sleep problems. All the subjects had tested high on measures of anxiety but suffered from no psychiatric or medical conditions that could account for their insomnia. During the five-week study, measures of the subjects' typical anxiety levels improved 21.6 percent. In addition, the participants fell asleep 31 percent faster, woke up 56 percent less during the night, and increased their total sleep time by 27.5 percent. Their levels of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the internal clock, also became more optimal. For longer-term relief, says the laboratory's director, Leonid Kayumov, months of treatment would probably be necessary.

Personal Attraction

As people get to know someone, their perception of that person's looks may change. In one study, 15 people rated one another's personal traits and looks on the first and last day of a six-week project. One woman's attractiveness rating of 5.07 (out of 9) fell almost a full point as her personality rating went from 6.07 to 3.14. But ...