Category Archives: Sleep

Tiredness… it’s one of the most obvious signs that you haven’t been sleeping well. If you wake up tired or can hardly make it through your day, chances are, you probably didn’t sleep well last night. But did you know there are other pointers that could provide you with some insight into the quality of ...click here to read more

The key to getting a good night’s sleep may lie in simply spending more time outdoors, according to new research published in Current Biology. Technology-filled environments could be responsible for issues with our circadian rhythm and sleep timing, which causes us to have trouble falling and staying asleep. Previous research has shown that exposure to ...click here to read more

A new study out of the UW Medicine Sleep Center at Harborview Medical Center has discovered a link between chronic sleep deprivation and the suppression of the immune system. While many people notice that they get sick when they haven’t slept enough, Dr. Nathaniel Watson of the Sleep Center and his team set out to ...click here to read more

Highly demanding jobs often result in intense stress that may affect an individual’s mental health and capacity for sleep. For some people, the use of natural sleep aids may help alleviate the symptoms of stress and other mental health conditions attributable to difficult jobs, whereas for others, the high stress levels at work may destroy ...click here to read more

New research published in Nature Genetics has discovered a genetic link between sleep disturbance and medical conditions such as restless leg syndrome, schizophrenia, and obesity. The study examined the biological mechanisms that control insomnia, the duration of sleep, and excessive daytime drowsiness. They also looked at how they related to the medical and life histories ...click here to read more

Whether you are the snorer, or your snoring partner is keeping you awake at night, you know it disrupts your sleep and can be quite annoying. Some people think snoring is a result of being in a deep sleep, but it can actually be indicative of a very serious health problem. This problem is, sleep ...click here to read more

Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) is a condition that affects workers who perform changing shifts or work at night. Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. workforce takes part in shift work, which goes against a person’s natural circadian rhythm. SWSD develops as a result of recurrent sleep disruptions and is most commonly seen among individuals ...click here to read more

Sleep apnea patients are at an increased risk for blood clots in the lungs—known as pulmonary embolism. Patients who have had at least one pulmonary embolism have a 30 percent higher risk of developing another one in their lifetime. A future pulmonary embolism (PE) carries with it a nine percent higher risk of mortality. The ...click here to read more

Sleep problems pertain to a wide range of disruptions in patterns of sleeping, such as the inability to sleep, or insomnia, and the grinding of teeth during sleep. These disruptions may actually interfere with the capacity of a person to rest each night, resulting in a variety of physical and mental health issues that require ...click here to read more

Smartphone device may assess your sleep-wake cycle and help your monitor your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) developed a system of monitoring sleep-wake cycle among patients by simply using the patient’s smartphone. Dr. Yaniv Zigel, head of BGU’s Biomedical Signal-Processing Research Lab (BSP) and Professor Ariel Tarasiuk, head ...click here to read more

It is recommended by the National Sleep Foundation that seniors over the age of 65 aim for seven to eight hours of sleep, but for many this goal is hardly attainable. Many of us find it difficult to fall asleep or even stay asleep, so by the time we wake up we are tired and ...click here to read more

Tossing and turning every night isn’t just annoying and exhausting. New findings suggest that it can actually be detrimental for your brain. A common sleep disorder – known as rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) – puts those affected at a greater risk for neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and dementia ...click here to read more

Short-term sleep deprivation can raise the risk of heart disease. The study focused on those individuals working in emergency jobs such as firefighters or paramedics. They often partake in shift work or may be required to work a 24-hour shift. Extreme fatigue is known to affect mental and physical abilities, but the researchers wanted to ...click here to read more

A new report suggests that Americans who only get five hours or sleep or less happen to be in many cases heavy soda drinkers. Soda is a common source of sugar in our diet, and both soda drinking and sleep insufficiency are associated with obesity, which is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. ...click here to read more