Archive for December, 2007
December 31st, 2007 at 03:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
I think virtually everyone has had the unfortunate experience of driving while drowsy and struggling to stay awake. But not everyone has pondered the best “quick fix” short of getting off the road for a full night’s sleep. This week the New York Times blogged about a new study in the medical journal Sleep that attempted to answer the question: is it better to drink coffee or take a nap?
Answer: Coffee. But read on… how old you are is the deciding factor!
I wasn’t that surprised by this result. I think coffee can have quite a kick to it–more so than a short nap can. This is especially true in the short term. Had the researchers prolonged the drivers’ time on the road, however, passing the point at which the caffeine begins to wear off, I wonder how the results would be changed.
The most interesting discovery from the study, though, was that the effect of the coffee and napping varied by age. Middle-aged people responded better to coffee, and younger-aged people (those between 20 and 25) found the nap to be nearly equally as good as the coffee.
This partly can be explained by the fact the younger people slept longer and more deeply than the middle-aged participants during the half-hour nap. So it makes sense, then, that the younger drivers gained more from their naps than the older drivers.
Pulling over to the side of the road to take a short nap does have its risks. More often than not, it’s simply not safe to just pull over and tune out–especially in remote areas where you don’t know if someone will approach you and cause trouble. While the sleep doc should be advocating the nap, I have to say coffee is more practical in today’s world. I just hope that those people who truly are sleep-deprived and unable to focus on the road do themselves good by calling a time-out and finding a safe place to rest up. Maybe even spend the night.
One thing that the researchers did not look at was my favorite of both worlds…the Caf-Nap. If you get the chance to look in my book BeautySleep, you will see this technique described, but let me give you the basics:
- Get a lukewarm cup of drip-brewed coffee.
- Drink the whole thing and then close your eyes.
- Nap for about 20-25 minutes.
- When you awaken the caffeine will be kicking in and you should have gotten enough rest to go for another 3-4 hours.
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Technorati Tags: sleep, The Sleep Doctor, driving, safety, naps Read Original Post Here
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December 30th, 2007 at 08:06pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Noise barrages come in different forms but if you are resident, ideally your place would solicit an overall sound of silence. With these silence and convenient moods, people would normally find themselves looking forward to lying on their bed and taking that long deserved nap. As long as it is quiet that is.
But for people living in the urban neighborhoods, it may sometimes be an issue with regards to peace and order especially when construction and renovation is concerned. Now whenever construction sets in, chances are you will have to deal with the noise by jackhammers and constant hammering of walls. Now once the noise issues set in, sleep deprivation starts.
It is a good thing to deal with them every once in a while. But the aftermath is really something that needs to be considered. Sleep is a sensitive endeavor, people just have to find ways to deal with it.
DOHA • Residents in Al Sadd area are spending sleepless nights due to noise generated by relentless construction activities around the locality.
The problem is acute near the Al Sadd Plaza area, where work is going on in full swing for day and night at three or four construction sites.
Source: The Peninsula
How to sleep better, jackhammers, nap, peace and order, sleep, Sleep Issues, sleep deprivation, sound of silence Read Original Post Here
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December 29th, 2007 at 12:22pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
There are times when decisions get the best out of you and while this dilemma may continue to circle around your mind, chances are you would hear someone tell you to “Sleep on it!”
Well this is not really the best way to resolve the problem. You are just buying time to extend the decision-making process. Also, do you really think you can sleep when something has been left unsettled? I highly doubt it.
Conflicts and problems are part of the sleep deprivation problem. Some people may not consider it as serious but to people who are often caught in decision-making issues, it does tend to lessen their sleeping hours. While some may call it psychological, it is indeed something serious if you think about it. You just have to try and settle issues rather than save them for another day if you want to be at peace with yourself.
The premise: Buyers who have narrowed down their search to two houses get a chance to sample the lifestyle they’re buying into by spending a day and a night in the house.
The shtick: The sellers vacate the house and the buyers experience the home by hosting guests, lighting a fire in the fireplace, walking the neighborhood and cooking a meal.
Source: Courant.com
decision making process, How to sleep better, sleep, SLEEP Psychology, sleep deprivation Read Original Post Here
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December 28th, 2007 at 05:07pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Gotta love this headline: “Man, kids swept to sea on mattress.”
Last week one of the crazier headlines (remotely related to my field) covered a wild rescue: a 35-year-old man and his two kids–one aged 11 and the other 12–were picked up more than a mile off shore in Australia, clinging to life on a mattress! They had been paddling along the shoreline off a bay looking for junk (or maybe treasure) when the tide dragged them out.
Okay, so now you’re wondering just how in God’s name a mattress can float for so long. Well, when I read more about this bizarre story, I learned it was an inflatable mattress, which had sprung a leak. Oops. I guess mattresses don’t make for good rafts. But allegedly it did last for an hour and a half after it got a hole–just in time for the Coast Guard to show up and snap these hapless souls out of the water. Good thing, too. The water in this area is cold and they had no life jackets. They were treated for mild hypothermia but suffered no injuries.
I have no idea what inspired the man to encourage these kids to hop aboard their magic watercarpet. I wonder if these pre-teens scratched their heads at the thought of launching a mattress into the ocean. I certainly don’t want to pass too much judgment because they may not have had access to any other “flotation device,” but they certainly learned a lesson the hard way. Maybe they will go into boat-building now that they have some more sense (hopefully).
And maybe we should add yet one more disclaimer to inflatable mattresses: NOT a flotation device!
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Technorati Tags: air mattress, water safety, beach safety Read Original Post Here
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December 28th, 2007 at 11:06am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
The search for sleep remedies continues to this day and while we all know that people need to sleep, there are drugs that are still continuously trying to find sleep alternatives to back off people from coffee to make sure they retain their sanity and strength.
However, Darpa scientists are claiming that they have found a drug to eliminate sleepiness:
A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. The discovery’s first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.
The treatment is “a totally new route for increasing arousal, and the new study shows it to be relatively benign,” said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a co-author of the paper. “It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess.”
Source: Wired
So much for solving sleep deprivation but it is hard to imagine a person without an ounce of sleep. Drugs are know to help, but this discovery seems to need more support and tests for it to be a good discovery for sleep deprivation.
darpa, drugs, How to sleep better, scientists, sleep, Sleep Cures, Sleep Disorders, SLEEP News, sleep deprivation, sleep remedies Read Original Post Here
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December 27th, 2007 at 10:20pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
People think that sleep disorders are something to worry about but overall, it seems that obesity will become another problem since staying up awake would most likely lead them to find something to eat. Once this happens, people would surely have problems trying to keep up and maintain their weight.
You suffer from sleep and now obesity. They are indeed related and if people are not careful, chances are they are increasing their health risk even more. While people cannot be restrained that much when it comes to looking for food while they are awake, sleeping on an empty stomach may be bad as well. In summary, it seems that unless a person is able to control sleep disorders and their stomach, they may want to consider a visit to the nearest physician for further diagnoses and medication necessary.
For years, experts have warned that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart attack. Now, there’s more bad news: Being fat makes it harder to sleep, and sleep deprivation can increase your craving for food.
Recent studies at the Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere show that those who sleep poorly are more likely to have weight problems than sound sleepers, that high-fat diets can alter sleep cycles and that hormones controlling our appetites can rise and fall with the quality of our shut-eye.
Source: Baltimoresun.com
empty stomach, Health Issues, health risk, medication, obesity, sleep, Sleep Disorders, sleep disorders Read Original Post Here
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December 26th, 2007 at 03:21pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
For any person who is in search of means on how to sleep better, a lot of things can be considered to do so. However, for each recourse requires various factors that include psychological and mental disorders. Sleep may sound like a simple problem to go by but while many consider it a major problem, it remains that sleep disorders may be caused by what we actually perform daily.
Sometimes, the problem may lie on the external factors and certainly these are problems that do not really require medical assistance. Check them out since it may be good to help you in sleeping better.
Redecorate your bedroom. “Make the bedroom a cool, dark, well-ventilated room,” Kinzie said. While you’re at it, upgrade to a mattress large enough to leave enough room between you and your bedmate. (Spooning isn’t ideal for a good rest.) Also, leave your laptop in the living room, don’t make a space for the TV on the night stand, and trade AC/DC for Enya.
Skip the Diet Coke nightcap. Nix caffeine, cigarettes and alchohol in the hours before bed. It’ll hamper your Saturday night plans, but you’ll wake up refreshed for Sunday morning.
Source: DesMoinesRegister.com
How to sleep better, medical assistance, mental disorders, sleep, Sleep Disorders, sleep disorders Read Original Post Here
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December 25th, 2007 at 11:09am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
So much has been said on how to sleep properly. Many have taken on the areas of beds and mattresses, sleeping positions and proper observance of sleeping hours. But there is still one area of sleep which many would never have thought would be of importance. And this area is the pillows we use to lay our heads on or simply cuddle to make us gain that longing slumber we always look for.
Most focus on other aspects of sleeping. For most, pillows don’t have much use when sleep is being tackled. But with this excerpt, perhaps people with sleeping problems may want to check out if pillows can make a difference the next time they sleep.
(Source) “I have back issues and neck issues,” says Jones, 46, of Selma, Calif. “I’ve gone through a gazillion pillows. The solution for me was a wedge and synthetic pillow. I put those two together, and that seems to help me the most.”
But what works for her won’t necessarily work for you. Pillows now come in a number of shapes. You also have several other options, from the materials that fill the pillows to the fabrics that cover them. But finding the ones that will fit your sleeping habits might require some sleepless nights.
“With pillows, there is a lot of personal testing,” says Jones, coordinator of Saint Agnes Medical Center’s Diagnostic Sleep Lab in Fresno, Calif. “What works for one person isn’t going to work for another.”
beds and mattresses, How to sleep better, pillows, sleep, Sleep Education, SLEEP News, SLEEP Psychology, sleeping positions, sleeping problems Read Original Post Here
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December 24th, 2007 at 10:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Nothing beats being able to get that much needed time off and sleep from the grueling year that was. Many people have encountered sleeping difficulties and the best way to try and make up for it is Christmas day when practically everyone is on vacation.
You may say that it is a form of forced vacation. All around the world everyone is celebrating Christmas and while many are feasting and having reunions, there will be plenty of time to sleep and rest, even for just a day.
Sleeping through some parts of Christmas day can be the best gift that all people can enjoy.
Merry Christmas and sleep comfortably and soundly!
(Source) “In order to best enjoy the holiday season, anticipate and budget the extra time needed to carry out your holiday ‘to-do’ list. Getting an early start and doing a little bit each day will save time and relieve stress. Delaying your ‘to-do’ list until the last possible minute not only leads to sleep loss, it also makes one contend with heavier street traffic and more aggressive crowds in stores,”
christmas, christmas day, reunions, sleep, SLEEP News, Sleep Therapy, sleeping difficulties Read Original Post Here
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December 23rd, 2007 at 02:20am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
The holiday season calls for some hectic demands when it comes to managing the amount of sleep you can get. Parties and shopping are most probably the first things that would be the main reason for not being able to sleep regularly.
There are people who also have to cram for work, render overtime and make sure that before year’s end, all work has been turned in. In the end, getting home may become a problem, and for people who may feel sleepy on the road, better stop and take a short nap before you get a permanent nap that you may regret.
Sleeping and driving do not mix. Surely it would be best to take this seriously. Sleep is something that we have trouble settling and for sure it will be something that can be an issue during this Christmas season.
(Source) Dr. Thomas Lo Russo, medical director of the Northern Virginia Sleep Diagnostic Center says there is documented evidence that the number of car crashes increases over the holidays.
He says people need to pay attention to their natural body rhythms and drive when you are most awake between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Consider resting between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
If it’s a long journey, he says, “About every 100 miles, take a break. Move around, maybe have a cup of caffeine.”
amount of sleep, christmas season, holiday season, How to sleep better, sleep, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News Read Original Post Here
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Previous Posts
I think virtually everyone has had the unfortunate experience of driving while drowsy and struggling to stay awake. But not everyone has pondered the best “quick fix” short of getting off the road for a full night’s sleep. This week the New York Times blogged about a new study in the medical journal Sleep that attempted to answer the question: is it better to drink coffee or take a nap?