Living With Night Terrors

In the province of sleep problems, night terrors are terrifying. Doree Shafrir’s quest for relief included a cross-country move.

You’ve probably had your share of nightmares interrupting a sound sleep, but night terrors take scary sleep experiences to a whole new level. They can be absolutely frightening.

In 2012, Doree Shafrir, an executive editor for the web site BuzzFeed, chronicled her harrowing and ongoing experiences with night terrors, which started back in 2003. Night terrors are a kind of parasomnia, or sleep ...

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15
DEC
0

World of Dreams

Live Longer With Enough Sleep

In our culture, we tend to value the ability to function on few hours of sleep. But not getting enough sleep can lead to health problems and even shorten your life.

There are an endless number of pursuits that make us want to push our bedtime later and later, from work to Facebook to our favorite TV shows. Making a habit of skimping on sleep can have a huge impact on health and even lead to a shorter life.

Studies have consistently ...

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1
DEC
0

Doctors Orders

Light Sleepers Vs. Heavy Sleepers

What makes someone a light sleeper, and how you can enjoy a deeper, heavier sleep? You’ll rest easy after learning these simple tips.

For some people, the slightest noise awakens them at night. For others, the wailing siren of a passing fire truck doesn’t disturb their slumber. Just why, though, remains a bit of a mystery.

Although many people are self-proclaimed light sleepers or heavy sleepers, researchers have found that little is actually known about why people react differently to noises and ...

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15
NOV
0

Doctors Orders

Light From Devices Can Interrupt Sleep Patterns

Bright and shiny handheld devices, as well as standard lamps, may hinder your cognitive abilities and cause depression if they’re used before bedtime.

Do you post your Facebook status, tweet the latest news, or peruse the internet just before you fluff up your pillow, turn off the bedroom lights, and shut your eyes?

If so, you may be putting yourself at further risk for seasonal affective disorder, depression, and cognitive difficulties, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.

Biologists at ...

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1
NOV
0

Tips and Tricks

Lack of Sleep May Lead to Junk-Food Bingeing

Young men in small study ate more when sleep-deprived.

Lack of sleep can lead you to eat larger portions of high-calorie foods and increase your long-term risk of weight gain, according to a small new study.

Swedish researchers asked 16 normal-weight males to choose their ideal portions of high-calorie meals and snacks. They did this when they had a normal night of about eight hours sleep and again when they went a night without sleep.

The participants chose larger portion sizes after the ...

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15
OCT
0

Sleepless Dangers

Lack of Sleep Linked to Alzheimer’s, Weight Gain

Two separate studies have found that sleep loss may put you at risk for weight gain and Alzheimer’s disease.

MONDAY, March 11, 2013 — Trouble sleeping might be a sign of early Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

The study, published in JAMA Neurology, is a follow-up to a 2012 animal study also conducted at Washington University, in which researchers concluded that mice lost approximately 25 percent of their ...

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1
OCT
0

Sleepless Dangers

Is Melatonin the Answer for Better Sleep?

If you have trouble falling asleep, are a night shift worker, or just temporarily battling jet lag, melatonin supplements may help you get a better night’s rest.

The numbers are staggering — between 50 to 70 million adults in the United States have sleep or wakefulness disorders. About 2 percent of the population uses melatonin supplements for sleep regulation, yet researchers are still learning about the overall effects of this treatment and how best to use it.

Melatonin is a hormone secreted ...

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15
SEP
0

Sleep 101

Insomnia May Raise Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

Early study adds to evidence supporting sleep’s importance in preventing disease.

People with insomnia may have double the chances of a heart attack or stroke as opposed to those who sleep well, a study by Taiwanese researchers suggests.

The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests that having trouble sleeping can make you sick.

It has long been understood that health issues and sleep are often interrelated. Many studies have suggested sleep problems can cause or contribute to such physical ...

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1
SEP
0

Insomnia

Insomnia Linked to $31 Billion in United States Workplace Errors

Research was based on interviews with more than 10,000 people.

Feeling sleepy on the job and having trouble focusing? It could cost you — and the nation as a whole. A new study estimates that insomnia is responsible for 274,000 workplace accidents and errors each year, adding up to $31 billion in extra costs.

The research isn’t conclusive, and it’s possible that some factors other than sleeplessness may explain these mishaps. The findings also depend on the possibly hazy recollections of several ...

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15
AUG
0

Insomnia

How to Recover After a Sleepless Night

Some insomnia is part of our 24-hour society. Here’s how to counter the effects of being sleep deprived.

According to the American Insomnia Study, about 23 percent of American workers are sleep deprived, which costs the American economy $63.2 billion dollars a year in lost productivity.

American adults lose about 11 days a year to insomnia and often go to work too tired to do their jobs properly.

“We live in a society that is on the go 24 hours a day,” says ...

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1
AUG
0

Tips and Tricks

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