TedEd: What causes insomnia?

A TedEd by Dan Kwartler

Why do you stay awake at night? There might be many quickly resolved reasons, but there is a type of stress that causes continued sleeplessness. Insomnia is stress about not being able to sleep, which seems like an endless loop. There are many common reasons like pain and emotions that may keep you awake, and longer sleeplessness that is caused by jet lag when your circadian clock is off. Usually, fatigue puts us to sleep. But sometimes, underlying conditions can prolong this, and the bedroom becomes associated with the stresses of insomnia. This causes the brain to produce hormones that are normally produced when in danger, causing you to become hyper. In this state, you are constantly looking for threats, so even the slightest thing becomes major to you. So even when you do get some sleep, you do not get good sleep. Usually, your metabolism slows to conserve glucose, which the brain needs. But PET scans show that insomniacs increase metabolism, draining glucose and making them tired. When this lasts months, it becomes chronic insomnia, which may also cause anxiety and depression. Fortunately, there are treatments. You can relieve stress, make sure there are no distractions in your bedroom, and try to make yourself tired with relaxing activities. You should also sleep on schedule to keep your biological circadian rhythm in place. Of course, insomnia-like symptoms can also be caused by genetics. Some people have circadian clocks that last longer than 24 hours, making it seem like they can't sleep, but they can get sleep, too - just on their own schedule.

The New Yorker: The Therapeutic Power of Gardening

The New Yorker: The Therapeutic Power of Gardening

By Rebecca Mead

    As Britain began enforcing COVID-19 lockdowns, purchases of gardening supplies began going up. The British have long had private and public gardens. But studies have found that gardening can also have a calming effect.

    This may be in part because of the perpetual growth of plants during this uncertain time. Growing plants has also been found to have been helpful to soldiers in trenches during World War II and those with PTSD. Even rats have been observed to be more energetic around nature rather than typically cage fixtures.

TedEd: How the world's first metro system was built

A TedEd by Christian Wolmar

In 1863, many people were losing faith in the London Underground project, which aimed to establish an underground railway to ease above ground traffic congestion in London, the then-biggest city in the world. The project cost 100 million dollars in today's money, and many believed it wouldn't work. But on January 10th, as the first ever subway in the world opened, thousands traveled underground to ride on it. The Metropolitan Railway first traveled across a 4 mile stretch and quickly expanded. Charles Pearson was the first to come up with the idea in the 1840's but was met with lots of resistance because people thought it was impractical. Of course, there was the problem of digging an underground tunnel inside a city. To solve this problem, workers dug into existing roads, then made a tunnel from brick archways, then covered it back up. However, this was very destructive, and sometimes, work was stalled due to flooding. Suburbs and stores soon began growing around stations. Soon, as the original method of tunneling began taking too long, a device called the Greathead Shield greatly reduced the amount of work and time needed to dig. The lines dug with this machine were called tubes, and were much deeper than the old lines, so they could go anywhere. Today, cities around the world have subway lines, all thanks to the ingenuity of Charles Pearson.

TedEd: What’s that ringing in your ears?

A TedEd by Marc Fagelson

Have you ever heard that constant ringing noise when there is nothing making noise? Tinnitus is the presence of a buzzing or ringing sound when there is nothing making it, and approximately 1 out of every 7 people have it. It has plagued everyone from Da Vinci to Darwin. Normally, sounds cause vibrations in your ear that cause the cochlea to send signals to your brain, allowing you to hear the sound. However, most tinnitus induced sounds don't go through your ear. Instead, they are created internally inside your central nervous system. Why? Silence creates a baseline for your brain so that it can detect when it changes and identify that sound is being generated. But loud noises, diseases, and age can damage your ear, affecting the baseline noise. As cochlear cells are lost, they become less sensitive and create less vibration, making it harder to hear things. To compensate, the brain pays extra attention to sound, like you might do when adjusting the radio. This is supposed to help you hear weak noises, but it can also raise the baseline noise, making silence seem not-silent. This type is called subjective tinnitus. This usually doesn't have bad effects, but in people with traumatic memories, they can seem worse, leading to bothersome tinnitus. This second type can have more significant impacts, increasing PTSD, insomnia, and depression. There is no cure, but doctors can help patients come to terms with their illness. This involves sound therapy, where patients listen to soothing tones, or ones that are similar to the ringing.