Sleep Info

Many opponents of later school start times say that if schools start later, kids will simply go to bed later.  According to new research, however, that’s not necessarily so. In a national study of urban teenagers, researchers found that high school start times after 8:30 a.m. increased the likelihood that teens obtained the minimum recommended amount…
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Flu season is underway in the United States, and there are indications that it’s going to be a bad one.  Right now, four states have reported widespread flu activity, and it’s said to be spreading fast.  There are a lot of things you can do to avoid getting sick, such as getting a flu shot, washing…
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People who worry about poor sleep have more emotional and physical problems during the day than those who do not worry, regardless of how well either sleep, according to research conducted at The University of Alabama. In a review of more than a dozen sleep studies going back more than 20 years, Dr. Kenneth Lichstein,…
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A new study shows that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy improves quality of life measures in people who have obstructive sleep apnea. Results show that there were significant and clinically meaningful improvements in general quality of life and sleep-related quality of life measures after the initiation of PAP therapy for sleep apnea. The improvements…
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The period between the Thanksgiving and the end of December completely terrifies a lot of people.  Office parties, visiting relatives and holiday shopping can all create a huge amount of stress, and if that stress isn’t checked, it can keep you from getting the good night’s sleep you’ll need to keep rushing from here to there….
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Every year people say after their Thanksgiving feast that the tryptophan in turkey is making them need a nap.  There’s no doubt that many people end up groggy and sleepy after devouring loads of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and everything else that goes with Thanksgiving, but is it really the turkey that leads to the…
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New research indicates that young people with insomnia are more likely to use alcohol, and vice-versa. “Parents, educators, and therapists should consider insomnia to be a risk marker for alcohol use, and alcohol use a risk marker for insomnia, among early adolescents,” writes Rutgers University-Camden researcher Naomi Marmorstein in the study. Marmorstein, a professor of…
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We are officially in the time of year that a lot of people hate.  For much of the country right now, sunset is around 5:00 p.m. or even earlier, and it’s not going to get any later until after December 21.  With sunrise at around 7:00 a.m., many people are waking up in the dark…
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 Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may put elderly people at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to new research. According to the new study, biomarkers for amyloid beta, the plaque-building peptides associated with Alzheimer’s disease, increase over time in elderly adults with OSA in proportion to OSA severity. Thus, individuals with more apneas per…
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Ever sleep poorly and then walk out of the house without your keys? Or, even worse, space out on the highway and nearly hit a stalled car? A new study is the first to reveal how sleep deprivation disrupts our brain cells’ ability to communicate with each other, leading to temporary mental lapses that affect…
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