Doctors Orders

It is well-known that people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty with sleep. One of the areas the disease attacks is the sleep/wake center of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This results in severe problems with the timing of falling asleep and waking up – thus the link between Alzheimer’s and the sleep cycle. This can become maddening for family members and caregivers trying to cope with nighttime wanderings and people who sleep most of the day.

Interestingly, several recent ...

I don’t know about you, but when my sinuses are bothering me it’s tough to fall asleep. You lay your head back and it almost feels like you are drowning. Plus, there’s all that pressure in your head. Even propped up, you know you’ll just be waking up in a little while, coughing up the post-nasal drip! What can you do to get some rest? Here are four tips to help you sleep a little easier.

1. While sinus issues and ...

“You need to quit smoking!” If you’re a smoker, you’re probably sick of hearing people tell you that – but what if the message was coming from you, and more specifically your sinuses? If you’re a smoker and have sinus problems, cigarettes may be the culprit. Here are a few reasons why your sinuses could use a break from the smoke.

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your lungs and throat, and studies have linked smoking to various forms of ...

Was it lack of REM sleep, induced by a drug, that killed Michael Jackson?

In the wrongful death case filed by Michael Jackson’s family, it has been hypothesized that death may have occurred due to the medication Propofol, which decreases REM sleep.

REM sleep is also known as paradoxical sleep because, of all the stages of sleep, it most resembles wakefulness. We know that most, but not all, dreaming occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Many theories abound as ...

But parents should still try to correct bad sleep habits, expert says.

A new study of twins suggests that genes may play a big role in how long babies and toddlers sleep at night, while environment is key during nap time.

Researchers found that among nearly 1,000 twins they followed to age 4, genes seemed to explain much of the difference among youngsters’ nighttime sleep habits. In contrast, napping seemed mainly dependent on the environmental setting — especially for toddlers and preschoolers.

So ...

Study finds association between more shuteye, healthier weight.

The more sleep teens get, the less likely they are to be overweight, a new study finds.

Researchers followed more than 1,000 Philadelphia-area teenagers from their freshman through senior years of high school. Every six months, the teens reported their sleep patterns.

The results showed that each additional hour of sleep per night was associated with reduced body-mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The reduction was greatest in ...

New type of med may eliminate grogginess, other side effects, study suggests.

A new class of sleep medications appears to help people fall asleep without causing grogginess the next day, researchers say.

These new medications — known as dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORA) — target a more specific region of the brain than popular sleep drugs such as Ambien and Lunesta, promoting sleep without affecting learning and memory (also called “cognition”), according to the new research.

“We’ve shown that these compounds improve sleep ...

British study shows pattern between children receiving the 2009 swine flu vaccine, Pandemrix, and developing narcolepsy.

The current flu epidemic has been the worst on record since 2009, when the swine flu pandemic was at its peak. But while the latest flu crisis might be temporarily calming down, the 2009 swine flu pandemic continues to have an impact on people’s health. According to an upcoming British study, the widely-used swine flu vaccine, Pandemrix, might be responsible for approximately 800 Swedish and ...

Children who have sleep apnea often act out and do poorly in school, which are signs similar to those of kids with ADHD, according to a new study.

If your child is snoring or sleeping in an unusual position, they could have sleep apnea, a common form of sleep-disordered breathing that may put them at higher risk of behavioral and learning problems, according to a new study published in the journal Sleep.

Researchers led by Michelle Perfect, PhD, assistant professor in ...

First of all, what is an otolaryngologist – also called an ENT? It is a doctor who specializes in ear, nose, and throat conditions. Regardless of which one of those three areas is affected by your health condition, you may need a referral for an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

Let’s take the ear, for example. If you suffer from recurrent ear infections, a balance problem, ringing in your ears, or were born with a disorder of the ear, an otolaryngologist ...