TIME Health is reporting that sleep psychologist Joshua Tal warns an unhealthy preoccupation with achieving perfect sleep can produce the insomnia it was meant to prevent. In a new essay for TIME, Tal said a patient recently showed him a sleep score of 61 out of 100 and described months of poor rest, irritability and dread of her own bed. He said he sees such cases often, with ordinary rough patches of sleep turning into clinical insomnia through constant monitoring. It said sleep was long treated as an afterthought, then swung the other way as public-health alarms, wearable devices and the "sleepmaxxing" trend turned rest into a status symbol and a number to optimize.
TIME Health also reported on the skin-care routine of New York dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman, who keeps just five essentials at her bathroom sink despite patients arriving with bags full of products. It said Jaliman, who has sensitive skin, uses a gentle cleanser, vitamin C serum, daily sunscreen, hyaluronic acid serum and azelaic acid cream. She said it is not necessary to copy her exact products, advising people to find a few that suit their skin and stick with them, adding that the best products do no good if they are not actually used.
Separately, TIME Health highlighted reporting from other outlets. It said Slate's Anna Gibbs explained the fraught public-health history behind the term "patient zero," tied to a new Taylor Swift song of that name. It said the Guardian's Sarah Sloat asked eye doctors how to safely remove something stuck in the eye and why rubbing can worsen the problem. It also said ProPublica, the Denver Gazette and reporters Christopher Osher and Evan Wyloge found that Colorado regulators received reports for 15 months that a marijuana-based sleep aid was causing liver damage before taking action, suggesting tighter safety regulations are needed.