Health Matters

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

An app that helps with nightmares

By Alice Park

Senior Health Correspondent

Nightmares have occasionally come for most of us. But for people with PTSD, they can be especially persistent, terrifying, and exhausting. A device approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2020 to help people with nightmares, called Nightware, is now gaining fans in the military, a population with higher rates of PTSD than the general population.

Here's what to know about Nightware and how it works:

Nightware is an app connected to the Apple Watch, which users wear at night.
A sensor tracks the sleeper’s body movements, heart rate, and other metrics to identify when a nightmare is likely starting.
The watch buzzes to interrupt the nightmare; the user usually stays asleep.
A recent study of 65 vets with PTSD found that Nightware improved sleep among the most compliant users.

READ THE STORY.

Share the story

What else to read

Bivalent COVID-19 Boosters Help Keep Older People Out of Hospitals, CDC Says

By Madison Muller/Bloomberg

The bivalent boosters give adults ages 65 and older the most protection against hospitalization, according to new government data.

I’m a Blind Scientist and Inventor. More Disabled Kids Should Have the Opportunities I Had

By Joshua Miele

"If an average sighted kid can build a career in STEM, shouldn't an average blind kid be able to as well?" writes Joshua Miele

Am I Gaining Muscle or Fat From My Workout?

By Markham Heid

The extra pounds you notice after starting a workout aren't from muscle. They aren't from fat. They're from water. (Originally published in 2017.)

Why Do I Hate the Sound of My Own Voice?

By Kate Samuelson

The reason why has to do with your vocal cord vibrations. (Originally published in 2017.)

Are Airport Body Scanners Safe?

By Markham Heid

The type of body scanner found at U.S. airports—called a millimeter-wave scanner—doesn't pose much of a cancer risk, health experts say. (Originally published in 2017.)

One Last Read

The Troubling Politicization of Routine Childhood Vaccines

Long-accepted, routine childhood vaccinations are under fire.

According to a new survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 35% of parents believe that parents—not the government—should be the ones to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children against diseases like the measles. In 2019, only 23% held this belief. Registered Republicans were far more likely to object to school vaccine mandates than Democratic voters.

If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.

Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and edited by Mandy Oaklander.