How Sleep and Alcohol Are Linked

Sleep and alcohol use are firmly intertwined. We know that 30% of people with insomnia turn to alcohol to help them sleep. We also know that insomnia is one of the greatest predictors of relapse in alcoholics. So what is the problem with alcohol and sleep?

Initially, alcohol induces sleep. It does this by acting on areas of the brain in a fashion similar to sleeping pills. In the first half of the night it increases ...

Continue Reading →
0

Daylight Saving Time: The Effects of Losing an Hour of Sleep

We all complain about losing an hour of sleep when spring comes around, although we enjoy the days staying light longer. Of course, which of us actually get 8 hours of sleep every night anyway, right? So what is the big deal about daylight savings time? The dangers may be more than you imagined – there is a big difference between losing an hour of sleep and actually losing an hour.

All creatures have biological cycles including humans – these cycles ...

Continue Reading →
0

New Study Finds Duration in Sleep Decreases Suicide Risk

A new study published in an online supplement of the medical journal “Sleep” found that for every one-hour increase in sleep duration there was a 72 percent decrease in the likelihood of suicide risk in people with insomnia. Says primary author Linda Oliver, MA, clinical research coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania Behavioral Sleep Medicine Research Program in Philadelphia: “We were surprised by the strength of the association between sleep duration and suicide risk.”

I’m not at all surprised by those ...

Continue Reading →
0

Asleep at the Wheel: Sleep Apnea + Driving Is a Dangerous Comb

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to daytime sleepiness, presenting danger at the wheel, according to preliminary research.

People with sleep apnea are dangers on the road, according to new research presented at the 2013 Sleep and Breathing Conference in Berlin. The findings suggest that people with untreated sleep apnea are more likely to nod off while driving and more likely to fail driving simulator tests than people without sleep apnea.

Meir Kryger, MD, professor of pulmonary medicine at the Yale School of ...

Continue Reading →
0

Sleep and Childhood Brain Development: The Critical Link

In this month’s British Medical Journal, there’s a report on a study demonstrating the relationship of sleep to brain development in kids. It is called the Millennium cohort Study, and it followed 11000 children. Those children who demonstrated irregular bedtimes up to the age of three were the most negatively affected when it came to reading, math skills and spatial awareness. When followed over time, they continued to lag developmentally even by the age of seven — and girls more ...

Continue Reading →
0

How Much is Sleep Deprivation Costing You?

Counting the Cost

In today’s society, job demands are forcing an increasing number of work people to operate well beyond the design specifications of the human brain and body. Today’s workforce are expected to undertake exhausting schedules, whisk across multiple time zones, and work long days. Often suffering from the debilitating effects of jet lag, these people’s health and performance are put in jeopardy. It is estimated that people are sleeping 20 percent less than they did a century ago. With ...

Continue Reading →
0

Going to Work Sleepy: As Bad as Showing up Drunk?

In America’s culture of “sleep machismo,” we’re working more, but sleeping less — and new research shows drowsiness is as risky as drunkenness

Many companies encourage workers to put in long hours or even pull all-nighters — but they might as well promote showing up to work inebriated, according to sleep researchers. “We would never say, ‘This person is a great worker! He’s drunk all the time!'” says Harvard sleep expert Charles Czeisler, who’s found that 24 hours without sleep or ...

Continue Reading →
0

Driving Drowsy

I have some good news and I have some bad news. Which do you want first? Ok. The Good news is that most drivers do NOT drive after drinking. The bad news is that most drivers HAVE driven under the influence……of the #3 cause of car crashes in this country……DRIVING DROWSY.

Sleep Deprivation Effects Same as Being Drunk
After staying awake for 24 hours straight, a person will be about as impaired as if he had had enough alcohol to be ...

Continue Reading →
0

Sleeping and Driving Don’t Mix

Fact Sheet

Safe Driving Sleepy Quiz

Coffee overcomes the effects of drowsiness while driving: FALSE

Caffeine is not a substitute for sleep. It works only in the short run and wears off FAST. You are still subject to sleep deprived “micro-naps” that can last 4-5 seconds. At 55 MPH, that is more than 100 yards!!!

I can tell when I’m going to fall asleep: FALSE

Most people think this is true. It simply is not. If you’re drowsy, you know generally when you might fall ...

Continue Reading →
0
Page 4 of 4 1234