Begin to Spring Forward Before the March 8 Change to Daylight Saving Time

Are you planning ahead for the change to daylight saving time on Sunday, March 8? You should.Sleep experts advise you to go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night before the time change. This will give your body time to adjust.You may be thinking, “It’s only an hour. What’s the big deal?”Well, the one-hour time change may affect you more than you realize. Consider these research findings:New

Sarah Connor is Right: A Sleep Study Can Help You Terminate Your Sleep Problem

Sarah Connor has the right idea. If she is going to save the world, she has to get some sleep first. If only she could get rid of these pesky nightmares.So in tonight’s episode of the Terminator TV series she checks into a sleep clinic for a sleep study. Of course, things don’t quite go as expected. Or as the show’s promo says, “Suspicious things begin happening.”You can check out the episode

Losing Weight: Which Diet is Best?

If you are obese, weight loss is one strategy to reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. It is unlikely to cure sleep apnea, but it can help. And losing weight can produce many other benefits for your health and well-being.But where do you begin? There are so many types of diets. Each one has its supporters. And it’s easy to be lured in by an advertisement – many of which make false

President’s Address: Economy is the “Source of Sleepless Nights”

Last night President Obama gave his first address to a joint session of Congress. As expected, it was dominated by talk of the economy.Early in his remarks the president noted one side effect of the struggling economy: It’s keeping us awake at night.“You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up

Losing Weight: Bariatric Surgery & Sleep Apnea

Is bariatric surgery a good treatment option for an obese person who has obstructive sleep apnea?A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine provides caution. The study involved 24 men and women with sleep apnea.Before surgery they had an average body mass index (BMI) of 51. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered “obese.”Their sleep apnea also was severe. They had an average

Sleep Apnea & Women: What are the Signs?

Male. Middle-aged. Obese. Snores loudly and frequently. Bedpartner notices pauses in breathing during sleep. That is the typical description of a person who has obstructive sleep apnea.But don’t be mistaken: Women have sleep apnea too.Do women have different symptoms than men? A new study takes a look. It compared 20 women with 71 men who were all admitted to a sleep clinic.The average age, body

A Table for One: Sleep Related Eating Disorder

You wake up in the morning and discover that your kitchen is a mess. Half-eaten food is scattered all over the place.The kitchen was spotless when you went to bed. So what happened?It may be a case of sleep related eating disorder. SRED involves compulsive binge eating that occurs during the night.Episodes often occur nightly. Some people with SRED even eat more than once per night.The eating

Sleeping Scared: Nightmares & Children

As a parent it is natural to be concerned when your child has a nightmare. But should these disturbing dreams cause you to worry about your child?In most cases nightmares are a normal and common part of a child’s development. They occur in equal rates among boys and girls.Children tend to begin having nightmares between the ages of three and six. The frequency of these disturbing dreams usually

Planes, Dreams & Relationships: When Dreaming is Believing

You’re sleeping during the night before a scheduled plane trip. Suddenly you wake up from a dream about a plane crash. Do you still get on the plane the next day? Or do you change your travel plans because of the dream?New research examines this and other questions about dreams. The results of six studies provide a look at how dreams affect our daily lives.The plane crash study involved 182

Acupuncture for Insomnia: Is There a Point?

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been around for thousands of years. Can it be used to treat insomnia today? A new scientific review takes a look at the evidence. The authors looked at 30 studies. What did they find? Acupuncture improved some aspects of sleep in 93 percent of the studies.But the quality of the studies varied greatly. Only a few studies compared

Morning Headaches & Sleep Apnea

A new study takes a look at the link between morning headaches and obstructive sleep apnea.The study involved 462 people with sleep apnea. A control group included 101 people without sleep apnea.Results show that about 34 percent of the sleep apnea group reported having morning headaches. People with moderate to severe sleep apnea were more likely to wake with a headache.Morning headaches also

Drowsy Racing: NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Learns About Sleep Loss & Parenthood

Even a top NASCAR driver can suffer from drowsy driving. Especially when he’s a new parent.Florida Today reports that sleep loss may help explain Jeff Gordon’s disappointing 2008 season. It seems that the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is still adjusting to fatherhood. His wife Ingrid gave birth to their daughter Ella Sofia on June 20, 2007.“It's that I'm not sleeping,” Gordon recently told

Tension Headaches, Naps and Insomnia

Maybe it’s not such a good idea to take a nap when you have a headache. A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows there may be a link between headaches, naps and insomnia.The study involved 32 women who have tension headaches. Their average age was about 22 years. Ninety-four percent of the women reported that stress was a trigger of their headaches.Eighty-one percent of the

Sleep & Relationships: Practical Tips to Help a Sleep Stealer

Yesterday we looked at some signs that you or your bed partner may be a sleep stealer. Today let’s discuss three ways to put an end to sleep stealing.First, seek medical help for an ongoing sleep disorder. Meet with a board-certified sleep specialist at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.Many sleep disorders can be disruptive to your bed partner’s sleep. These include snoring, obstructive

Sleep & Relationships: Are You a Sleep Stealer in Bed?

For all of the procrastinating men out there, here’s a quick Valentine’s Day checklist. (You did know that today is Valentine’s Day, right?)Chocolate. Flowers. More chocolate. Overly sentimental greeting card that somehow expresses “just how you feel.” Sleep.Sleep? Sure – a good night’s sleep may be exactly what your valentine needs – especially if you’re a sleep stealer.A sleep stealer? That’s

To Sleep or To Wake: A Drowsy Driving Dilemma

Today Boston Globe writer Geoff Edgers shares some interesting insights from his recent episode of drowsy driving.It wasn’t quite a near-death experience. But it was enough to destroy his tire. And put a scare into the friend who was riding with him.It also caused him to question his priorities. Where exactly is sleep supposed to fit in his busy schedule? It seems like the need for sleep is a

Sleep for a More Satisfying Life

Are you satisfied with your life? If not, how’s your sleep? A new study shows there may be a connection.Life satisfaction and sleep quality are known to be important factors in your overall health and well-being. But how are they related?Does poor sleep cause you to be less satisfied with your life? Or does low satisfaction with your life lead to sleep problems?The researchers sought to find

What Disease is the #1 Killer of Women?

Did you guess cancer? You’re close, but wrong. Diabetes? You’re getting colder. The answer: In the U.S. heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. Surprised?Don’t feel bad if you got the answer wrong; you’re not alone. The NHLBI reports that 35 percent of women are unaware that heart disease is the leading killer of women.February is American Heart Month. So now is the perfect time to

Can a “Sleep Diet” Really Help You Lose Weight?

Research has linked your risk of obesity to how long you normally sleep. So can you lose weight by getting more sleep?Seven women decided to take the challenge. Their story is told in Glamour magazine and on the Today show.They practiced a specially designed “Sleep Diet” for 10 weeks. They were told to refrain from making any other changes to their eating or exercise habits.The results? Six of

Co-sleeping, Bed Sharing & Infant Deaths

A new study reports that infant mortality rates attributable to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed have quadrupled since 1984. The rates of these deaths increased from 2.8 to 12.5 deaths per 100,000 live births from 1984 to 2004.Why the dramatic increase? The Washington Post reports that it could be an issue of data shifting.There are stricter guidelines for sudden, unexpected

Weight Loss & Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is common in people who are overweight or obese. So is weight loss an effective way to treat sleep apnea?A new study from Finland shows that people with mild sleep apnea may benefit from weight loss. Participants were put on a very low calorie diet. They also received supervised lifestyle modification.The treatment led to an average weight loss of 10.7 kg, which is almost

Drowsy Driving & Rumble Strips

You’re sleepy, but you’re intent on making it to your destination on time. So you keep driving.You fight to keep your eyes open. Suddenly you’re startled by a loud noise as your car begins to shake.Your eyes pop open as you realize that your car was drifting off the road. You just encountered a rumble strip.The first shoulder rumble strips appeared on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway in 1955.

Are the Bed Bugs Biting While You Sleep?

First, the basics. Yes, bed bugs are real. Yes, they can bite you while you sleep. And yes, it appears they are making a comeback.This week the New Jersey Assembly passed a “bed bug bill.” It requires landlords to promptly exterminate known bed-bug infestations.It was believed that bed bugs had been eradicated from the U.S. Strong pesticides such as DDT seemed to wipe them out.But recent reports

Avoid Putting an Infant to Sleep in a Car Seat

Car safety seats should never be used to put a baby to sleep. That’s the warning for parents after the recent death of an infant in Quebec.The mother of the 2-month-old baby had put him to sleep in a car seat after he woke up crying early one morning. An hour later when she checked on him she realized that he had stopped breathing.This issue received attention in 2006. An article in the British

Bed Partners: Sleep Apnea, CPAP & Marriage

When obstructive sleep apnea invades the bedroom, no one sleeps well. A person who has severe sleep apnea may briefly wake up more than 30 times an hour. The loud snoring and gasping sounds also disturb the bed partner’s sleep.The sleep problems can be a source of conflict in a marriage. Often the bed partner chooses to sleep in a separate roomThe best treatment for sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. A

A Hormonal Link Between Restless Legs & Pregnancy

A new study in the journal Sleep links restless legs syndrome in pregnant women to the hormone estradiol.Results show that in the last trimester, pregnant women with RLS have much higher levels of estradiol than healthy controls. Estradiol is an estrogenic steroid hormone.RLS is more common in women than in men. Symptoms often appear for the first time during pregnancy. These symptoms tend to

Sleep Problems & Depression in Children

Sleep problems and depression often are linked together. But which one comes first? Do sleep problems cause depression? Or is it the other way around?The relationship is a complex one. But a new study in the journal Sleep shows that sleep problems in children may predict the future onset of depression.The study involved 300 pairs of twins. They were evaluated for sleep problems and depression at

My Child Bangs His Head in Bed as He Sleeps

For a parent it is one of the most disturbing sleep disorders. You hear a strange sound coming from your young son’s bedroom at night. So you go in his room to see what’s wrong.You find your son banging his head into the pillow or mattress. He repeats this action over and over again. Or he may be sitting up, banging the back of his head against the wall or the headboard.The bizarre sight may send