Everyone loves to get a good night’s rest. The whole next day seems to go better and our attitude is more positive. The problem is there are many obstacles to obtaining peaceful rest at night. Are you afraid that you may have a sleep disorder? There are plenty of them out there – let’s look at the symptoms of five of the most common conditions that keep us from being well-rested.
Let’s begin with the most common sleeping problem that we ...
Continue Reading →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 →There has been an astounding increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). In one study, the increase approached 800% in the past decade over the last. Is there something driving this or are we making the diagnosis too often?
We know that both childhood sleep apnea and insufficient sleep can present with symptoms indistinguishable from ADHD. These symptoms consist of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and an inability to pay attention. Because of the ...
Continue Reading →It is unknown if respiratory-related leg movements are just a marker of more severe obstructive respiratory events or whether the leg movements per se confer risk of cardiovascular disease.
Respiratory events that trigger leg movements predicted cardiovascular disease in older men with obstructive sleep apnea, researchers reported here.
After adjusting for clinic site, age, body mass index, and race, respiratory-related leg movements were associated with a 58 percent increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease in older men, according to Sayaka Aritake, PhD, ...
Continue Reading →Patients with obstructive sleep apnea might also be at a higher risk for the often fatal condition known as sudden cardiac death, according to a new study.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) takes a person’s breath away throughout the night, but the corresponding increased risk of sudden cardiac death shows that it might also take someone’s breath away forever, according to a study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The largest study of its kind looked at 10,701 patients from ...
Continue Reading →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 ...
Continue Reading →Your age and your health are just two factors to consider when choosing a mattress. Find out which type of mattress may help improve your quality of sleep.
When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, your bed can make a big difference. That’s why it’s important to understand that choosing a mattress is not a “one size fits all” endeavor. In fact, research shows that selecting a mattress is extremely personal. Your age, your health, and whether you sleep ...
Continue Reading →Parasomnia in children is associated with significant daytime symptoms including headaches, excessive daytime sleepiness, and mood disturbances.
Sleep disordered breathing, periodic limb movement, and mood disturbances are common comorbidities in pediatric patients with parasomnias, researchers reported here.
Among children with parasomnia, roughly half surveyed reported snoring, mood disturbances, or demonstrated signs of obstructive sleep apnea on a pediatric sleep questionnaire, according to Arveity Setty, MD, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, and colleagues.
Other common co-conditions with pediatric parasomnia included breathing pauses, frequent ...
Continue Reading →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 ...
Continue Reading →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 ...
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