When Dreams Come Alive: REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Dreams that come to life are the stuff of fantasy novels and horror movies. But it’s also a reality for people who suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder.People who have RBD act out vivid dreams as they sleep. The dreams tend to be action-packed. The dreamer may punch, kick, jump or get out of bed and run. All of this occurs while he or she is still asleep.The disorder may sound funny. But

“Footballers” Getting Premier Sleep in England

U.S. athletes aren’t the only ones talking to sleep experts. Sleep is catching on across the pond too. The Telegraph reports that soccer players – “footballers” - in England’s Premier League are getting help from a “sleep coach.” The focus isn’t on jet lag. Instead it’s on helping players overcome everyday problems that affect their sleep. Common struggles involve insomnia, injuries and

Happier Marriage, Better Sleep

A new study shows that marriage can affect your sleep – for better or worse. Results show that happily married women sleep better than women who are less satisfied with their marriage.Women rated their “degree of happiness” with their marriage. They also provided information about any struggles they have with insomnia.“We found that happily married women report fewer sleep disturbances,” lead

Sleep, Caffeine & the Starbucks Effect

Bloomberg.com reports that Starbucks stores are going to stop the continuous brewing of decaf coffee after 12 p.m. The move is part of an effort to save $400 million by September.You’ll still be able to request a decaf coffee in the afternoon. But you’ll have to wait about four minutes for brewing time. The company reports that demand for decaf coffee in some of its stores tends to drop after

Sleep Apnea: The Leg Link

A new study finds an intriguing link between obstructive sleep apnea and your legs. That’s right, your legs.The study reports that sitting for long periods of the day causes fluid to accumulate in your legs. When you lie down in bed at night, the fluid then shifts from the legs to the neck. The excess fluid in the neck reduces the size of the upper airway. This makes it easier for soft tissue

Surgery Helps “Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep”

ABC News and Good Morning America report that a risky surgery has helped a 3-year-old boy who was unable to sleep.Before the surgery Rhett Lamb was awake nearly 24 hours a day. Although his body was exhausted, his mind remained alert.The sleepless nights caused plenty of trouble. He had mood and behavioral problems. He couldn’t even speak. Overall he was functioning at the level of an 18-month

Sleeping on the Job Proves Costly

ABC News reports that a nuclear power plant was fined $65,000 because security workers were caught sleeping on the job.Video images of sleeping guards were recorded by a fellow guard at different times of day. A federal investigator also discovered a guard sleeping at his post.The incidents occurred at the Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant just outside of Philadelphia. The guards are responsible for

The Phelps Plan: Get on a Schedule

Five months after the Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps is back on a schedule. In the pool. In the weight room. And in bed by 10:30 p.m.“I can get to sleep earlier,” Phelps told the Associated Press. “I have no problem falling asleep now. I was completely worn out my first day back. After two hours or so of working out, I was absolutely dead. I had no problems falling asleep at 10 or 10:30

Sleep Prescribed for President Obama

Doctor’s orders: The new president needs to get some sleep.FOX News reports that President Obama likely got little more than an hour of sleep Tuesday night. After attending 10 inaugural balls, Obama got to work on Wednesday for his first full day in office.FOX contacted three doctors to get health advice for the president. At the top of the list? More sleep.“The 3 a.m. emergency phone call aside,

You Eat How You Sleep?

A new study adds to the evidence linking sleep duration with the risk of obesity. It finds that how long you sleep may affect how you eat.The small study at the University of Chicago involved 11 healthy volunteers. Each participant stayed at a sleep laboratory two times for 14 days each time. During one stay they spent 8.5 hours in bed each night. During the other stay they spent only 5.5 hours

Are Musical Instruments the Answer for Sleep Apnea?

Maybe you shouldn’t have dropped out of band class in junior high or high school. There has been some recent interest in using wind instruments as a possible treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.The theory is that playing a wind instrument makes the muscles in the upper airway stronger. This could prevent soft tissue in the throat from collapsing and blocking the airway during sleep.The idea

A Note to President Obama

Mr. President,After today’s inauguration and many inaugural events, the hard work begins. Actually, it continues. During this time of transition you had to hit the ground running.The days ahead are sure to be long and hard. These times are uncertain. But one thing is for sure: You’re going to need some sleep.The sleep habits of your predecessor are well known. President Bush made it clear from

Preventing Nightmares and PTSD Flashbacks with Tetris

A new study in the online journal PLoS ONE shows that playing the computer game Tetris can reduce unwanted “flashbacks.”This is promising for people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Could it also help other people who suffer from nightmares?The study involved 40 people who watched a traumatic, 12-minute film. It contained scenes of real injury and death.After a 30-minute

Sleep Apnea and Gout: A Painful Connection?

A letter posted in the online Medscape Journal of Medicine on Jan. 5 suggests that there is a clear link between obstructive sleep apnea and gout.What is gout? It is a painful condition that affects the joints. It occurs when high levels of uric acid build up in the blood.Uric acid is produced when food is digested. Normally it is dissolved in the blood. Then it goes through the kidneys. Finally

The Curious Case of the Sleep E-mailer

Add e-mailing to the long list of behaviors that can occur during an episode of sleepwalking.The journal Sleep Medicine has an article “in press” that will appear in an upcoming issue. It describes the case of a woman who sent some strange e-mails while she was asleep.Sleepwalking can involve routine or unusual behaviors. Examples include making phone calls, walking outside or eating. But this is

Drowsy Plow Driving

The snowstorms hitting the Midwest and Northeast are a nightmare for commuters. Driving would be nearly impossible without the armies of snowplows and salt trucks that come out to rid the streets of snow.But for the plow drivers who work all night, clearing the streets isn’t their only challenge. The Nashua Telegraph in New Hampshire points out that they also have to fight to stay awake.Working

More Young Adults Using Sleeping Pills

The New York Times reports that the use of sleeping pills by young adults has risen dramatically. The biggest increase from 1998 to 2006 came among adults between the ages of 18 and 24.The report is based on an analysis by Thomson Reuters. It examined drug claims by adults under the age of 45. Overall sleeping pill use was highest among adults between the ages of 35 and 44.The most popular

Finding the Face of Sleep Apnea

Do you look like you have obstructive sleep apnea? The evidence may be in your photograph.Australian researchers are developing a “photographic analysis technique” to predict a person’s risk for sleep apnea. They take a digital photo of your head and neck from the front and from the side. The photos are examined using image analysis software. Then computations are made to measure specific aspects

Sleep to Keep from Catching a Cold

It turns out that your mother was right all along. Getting more sleep can help you avoid catching a cold.A new study shows that sleeping less than seven hours per night may make you three times more likely to develop a cold. There also was a link to “sleep efficiency.” This is the percentage of time in bed that you are asleep. A high efficiency means that almost all your time in bed was spent

Fighting Jet Lag in the NBA

Pro football players weren’t the only athletes fighting the effects of jet lag over the weekend. The Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat all played on the road against Western Conference teams on Sunday. Only the Magic won, escaping San Antonio with a 105-98 victory over the Spurs.Jet lag is simply a part of life in the NBA. The 82-game regular season schedule forces teams to criss-cross

Blood Flow May Explain Link Between Sleep Apnea & Stroke

Research has shown that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases your risk of stroke. According to the UCLA Stroke Center, OSA is found in almost 50 percent of stroke patients. But the mechanism by which sleep apnea increases stroke risk has been unknown.A new study may provide an answer. It shows that people with sleep apnea have decreased blood flow velocity in the brain’s arteries. Their brains

Will Jet Lag Affect this Weekend’s NFL Playoffs?

A Bloomberg.com story takes an interesting look at this weekend’s NFL playoff games. West Coast teams Arizona and San Diego both must travel to the East Coast to play. Will jet lag affect their performance? Results from this season suggest it might. Arizona finished 9-7 to win the NFC West Division. But the Cardinals were 0-5 in games on the East Coast. San Diego finished 8-8 to win the AFC

No Purple Hearts for PTSD

Does a U.S. soldier who has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) deserve a Purple Heart? The question has sparked a heated debate in the military community.Stars and Stripes, the American Forces Press Service and the New York Times report that the Defense Department recently rejected the idea.A Purple Heart is only awarded when a soldier with one of the U.S. Armed Services is wounded or killed

Should Teens Start School Later?

The Washington Post reports that Fairfax County in Virginia is the latest school district to join the debate over school start times. A proposal would change the start time of most high schools in the county from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.The goal is to help sleep-deprived teens get more sleep. Research shows that teen sleep loss is related in part to a biological change that occurs during the teen

To Go to Sleep, Try to Stay Awake

Sometimes insomnia is a matter of willpower. Where there is a will, there is no way. You may be unable to fall asleep because you try too hard.This is a type of sleep-onset insomnia. Sometimes it is called sleep initiation insomnia. Once you are asleep, you’re fine. The problem is getting to sleep.The solution may be to shift your focus in the opposite direction. Don’t try to go to sleep. Instead

To Go to Sleep, Get Out of Bed

For some people with insomnia, the key to falling asleep is their bed. They need to get out of it.And sleep on the floor? No, they can still sleep in the bed. They just need to stop spending so much time in it.This has to do with psychophysiological insomnia: psycho = mental, physio = physical, logical = study or science of. It occurs when the mind and body interact in a way that keeps you

Should Drowsy Driving be a Crime?

Is drowsy driving a crime? That is the question that Maryland prosecutors recently faced. In August a 19-year-old driver fell asleep behind the wheel. She swerved into oncoming traffic on the Chesapeake Bridge and hit a tractor trailer. The crash turned fatal when the truck plunged into the bay, taking the truck driver’s life.In December prosecutors decided that they would not press criminal

Do the Winter Blues Make You SAD?

Only 74 more days until March 20. What some people like to call the "vernal equinox." You know, the first day of spring.But who’s counting, right? Certainly not people in states like Arizona, Nevada or California. There the sun is always shining. Or so it seems.For the rest of us, there is winter. For some of us, there is a very long winter. Dark. Gray. Dreary. Cold – miserably cold. And

Talking in Your Sleep

The Romantics climbed the Billboard charts in 1984 with the hit pop song, "Talking in Your Sleep." The lyrics feature the memorable chorus, "I hear the secrets that you keep, when you’re talking in your sleep."Talking In Your Sleep (Album V...Each night the song comes to life for many people who suffer from sleep talking. The AASM estimates that about five percent of adults are sleep talkers.

How Much Does Insomnia Cost?

Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. The burden of insomnia often includes anxiety and frustration. It also involves a high economic cost.A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep examines the economic burden of insomnia. The study found that the indirect costs of untreated insomnia are much greater than the direct costs of treating it. The specific results may surprise you.The

Are You in a Sleep Recession?

It was no shock when economists finally determined that the U.S. economy is in recession. Our wallets and investments have been taking a pounding. So has our sleep.Surveys by groups such as Amway Global Wellness Index, Compass Bank and ComPsych Corporation have all reported the same trend: The economy is keeping people awake at night.A new study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep takes a

Sleep for Seven in 2009

So did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2009? Are you going to lose weight? Exercise more? Stop smoking?We all know that resolutions can be hard to keep. It takes discipline to keep your commitment for the long haul. It also requires sleep.Sleep? That’s right. Making sleep your top priority in 2009 will help you achieve all of your other goals. Your mind will be sharper and more focused. You’