Most of us know what it feels like to wake up from a deep, high-quality sleep: We get out of bed feeling mentally sharp and positive about the day ahead. Unfortunately, factors like stress, distractions, and uncomfortable bedroom environments can all keep us up at night and make energized mornings a distant dream. Over the years, I’ve interviewed dozens of physicians, psychologists, and neuroscientists who specialize in sleep to get their intel on the tools and techniques that will actually help people achieve their deepest rest....

“Based on the data I’ve seen and my conversations with scientists who study the physiology of orgasm, it does not seem to be the case that orgasms induced by different forms of stimulation ’look’ different physiologically,” says Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D., a social psychologist, author of the Sex and Psychology blog, and expert at Lovehoney. “Anatomically, an orgasm refers to a series of contractions that occur in the genital region, so if you define ‘orgasm’ solely in terms of a physiological response, an orgasm is an orgasm....

RELATED STORY: How To Spot Narcissistic Abuse: 15 Behaviors & Warning Signs Some common traits of anti-social personality disorder (known colloquially as sociopathy) include manipulation and exploitation without remorse. “Malignant narcissists spend a lot of time plotting, and they act with malicious intent,” he explains. “They’re sophisticated in what they do.” The combination of sadism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism can be extremely dangerous, Malkin says. It most often leads to aggressive behavior and sometimes violence....

It turns out that even folks with an MTHFR gene variant who are more prone to methylation challenges, aka inefficiencies, can go decades (or even a lifetime) without realizing they have an MTHFR enzyme that operates suboptimally. “We can go a lot of years and not notice a lot of effects or issues. We might notice, ‘Oh, I have trouble with this,’ or ‘I feel down sometimes’—but who doesn’t, right? The signs are vague enough because they affect so many systems that it would be hard to say [suboptimal methylation] is the one cause—it’s usually multifactorial,” Carnahan explains....

The truth is: not all skin care ingredients are created equal. In fact, understanding which vitamins are beneficial for your skin type can make the world of difference when tackling common skin concerns like dark spots, elasticity, signs of aging, dullness, and uneven tone.* As board-certified holistic dermatologist Gary Goldfaden, M.D., previously told mbg, starting in your 20s, ““the amount of new collagen that your skin produces declines while the rate of its destruction increases....

“Why are you getting so defensive?” they ask. In the heat of the moment, you’re 100% convinced that you’re just stating the facts of the situation and sharing your point of view. And that’s not being defensive, right? …Or is it? “To be defensive is to react with an overprotective mentality to a situation that perhaps doesn’t warrant it,” marriage therapist Linda Carroll, LMFT, writes at mbg. “Rather than listening with an open heart, we respond with our metaphorical shields up and weapons drawn....

Sometimes, new opportunities are right there to greet you. But more often than not, there is something that writer Charles Epstein calls the space between stories. He describes it this way: The old world falls apart but the new has not yet emerged […] Without the mirage of order that once seemed to protect you and filter reality, you feel naked and vulnerable, but also a kind of freedom. Awareness is like a road map of understanding that can help you feel less alone while facing transition....