Michael Jackson’s Death & Prescription Drug Abuse

Soon after Michael Jackson’s death questions arose about his possible abuse of prescription drugs. Five days later those questions remain. Investigators recently took more medications from the rented house where Jackson collapsed.The controversy has focused attention on the nationwide problem of prescription drug abuse. The risk of addiction extends far beyond the rich and famous.The National

Sleep Deprivation: Your Genetic Vulnerability

Why does sleep deprivation affect some people more than others? A new study found that it has to do with your brain’s response to sleep loss.The study involved two groups of people. Members of one group all had a short variant of the PERIOD3 gene. The authors report that people with this genetic variant are more resilient to sleep loss; they tend to function well even after a period of sleep

“Bonne Nuit”: Sleep Lessons from France

In May the Sleep Education Blog reported that people in France rank first in the world in getting the most sleep. One reason they get more sleep than Americans may be that they work four fewer hours per week.Author Mireille Guiliano recently offered her own perspective on the sleeping prowess of the French. Guiliano grew up in provincial France and was educated in Paris. Currently she resides in

Insomnia & HIV

Today is National HIV Testing Day. The CDC estimates that 1.1 million adults and teens in the U.S. were living with HIV at the end of 2006. Twenty-one percent of these people had not been diagnosed.A review in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that insomnia is common in people with HIV. Some studies estimate that as many as 70 percent of people with HIV have

Sleep & Memory: “Replay” to Remember

A study published yesterday reports that the role of sleep in memory consolidation has been confirmed.The study involved mice that ran a maze and then slept. Electrodes monitored their brain activity. While awake the brains of the mice “mapped” the pattern of the maze. Results show that their brains “replayed” this pattern during slow-wave sleep."Ours is the first study to demonstrate this

Big Dreams: From Google to Monster

Dreams have no meaning? Don’t tell that to Larry Page. Or Jeff Taylor.Page recently said that a dream sparked the idea that became the world’s largest search engine. This is how the Google co-founder explained it in his commencement address at the University of Michigan:You know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night with a vivid dream? And you know how, if you don't have a pencil

Sleep Apnea & Abnormal Heart Rhythms in Older Men

A new study examines the link between sleep apnea and “cardiac arrhythmias” – abnormal heart rhythms.The study involved 2,911 older men. Sleep apnea was measured during an overnight sleep study. Heart monitoring detected two groups of abnormal heart rhythms: atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF), and complex ventricular ectopy (CVE).Results show that the general risk of AF and CVE increased as the

Taming Violent Dreams: Treating REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that there are effective treatment options for people with REM sleep behavior disorder.People who have RBD act out vivid, action-packed dreams while remaining asleep. Injuries to the dreamer or a bed partner are common.RBD often is treated with clonazepam, a long-acting sedative. But the study reports that some side effects of this

Overcoming Jet Lag with the Help of a Computer Program

A new study published on June 19 shows that mathematical models can be used to design effective treatment schedules for jet lag. The tools were used to create optimal schedules for bright light therapy.The system was tested on a simulated 12-hour shift of a sleep-wake schedule. This is similar to what a person would experience when traveling from New York to Hong Kong. Simulation results show

Shakespeare & Sleep Disorders: To Sleep, or Not to Sleep

An article in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that Shakespeare “had a very good eye for sleep disorders.”The article explores the pages of Othello. It cites passages that contain references to sleep and sleep disorders. One passage describes how sleep deprivation will be used as a tool for persuasion.Another passage presents a clear description of sleep talking

REM Sleep Enhances Creativity

A new study reports that rapid eye movement sleep – or “REM sleep” – enhances creative problem solving.Participants completed a creativity task in the morning. Afterward, some took a nap that included REM sleep; some took a nap without REM sleep; and some simply rested quietly. Then they were tested on the creativity task in the afternoon.Results show that REM sleep enhanced the integration of

Cooling the Brain to Treat Insomnia

A study presented last week at SLEEP 2009 proposed that “cooling the brain” may be a new way to treat insomnia.The study states that insomnia is associated with increased metabolism in the brain’s frontal cortex. This occurs during the stage of non-REM sleep. Cooling the brain – “cerebral hypothermia” – has reduced metabolic activity in other medical conditions. Can it work for insomnia?The

Surprised by Sleep Apnea: Women, Weight & OSA

Earlier this week Washington Post staff writer Valerie Strauss shared how she discovered that she has obstructive sleep apnea.The sleep disorder was undetected by some doctors she had seen. And the discovery was a surprise to her. She didn’t fit the description of the typical sleep apnea patient.Often it is overweight men who have sleep apnea. But as the AASM has reported, women can have sleep

Diabetes, Sleep Apnea & REM Sleep

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine links obstructive sleep apnea to type 2 diabetes. It shows that there is an increased risk of diabetes in people who have sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep – or “REM sleep.”The multi-ethnic study involved 1,008 people who were evaluated for sleep apnea; 67 percent were African American, 17 percent were Caucasian and 15 percent were

Tired & Fatigued: CPAP Improves Daytime Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea.But a new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that many people with sleep apnea have other complaints: fatigue, tiredness or a lack of energy. The study also shows that treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy can help reduce all of these symptoms.The study involved 313 people with sleep apnea. They had an

Sleep Improves Sports Performance

A study that was presented last week at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., adds to the evidence that sleep can improve sports performance.The ongoing study at Stanford involved five members of the women’s tennis team. They maintained their regular sleep routine for two to three weeks during the season. Then they extended their sleep to 10 hours per night for five to six weeks. Performance was measured

Sleep & Marriage

A study that was presented last week at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., examined the effect of marriage on sleep.The study involved 360 middle-aged women with an average age of 51 years. They reported their relationship status at annual visits. Their sleep also was monitored for three nights.Results show that women who were stably married had better subjective and objective sleep than unmarried

Sleep Apnea & Wind Musicians

A study that was presented this week at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., adds to the recent interest in wind instruments and obstructive sleep apnea.The study surveyed a national sample of professional musicians. There were 760 instrumentalists, as well as 87 conductors and vocalists. They had an average of 30 years of experience; they also

Virtual Reality: Video Games & Sleep Loss

A study that was presented this week at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., reports that excessive video-game playing can interfere with your sleep. The study involved 137 college students. They had an average age of 22 years; 63 percent were women. Casual game players were compared with excessive game players. “Excessive” was defined as playing more than seven hours per week. Results show

Race, Sleep & Obesity

A study that was presented this week at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., examined the link between race, sleep and obesity.The study involved 29,818 U.S. adults. The data came from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. Information was collected during face-to-face interviews. Results show that 52 percent of blacks and 38 percent of

Who Sleeps Better?

A study being presented today at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., examined sleep complaints in the U.S. Results show major differences based on marital status, income, employment and education.The study examined CDC data involving 159,856 people. They were asked how often they had trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or sleeping too much. “Sleep disturbance” was defined as seven or more days of

Treating Insomnia with Yoga & Meditation

A study being presented today at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., reports that an effective treatment for insomnia may be “Kriya Yoga.” This is a type of meditation that combines different yoga techniques.The small pilot study involved 11 adults with chronic primary insomnia. They were between the ages of 25 and 45 years. Seven of them practiced Kriya Yoga for two months; four of them only

Insomnia Linked to Increased Risk of Death

A study being presented today at SLEEP 2009 in Seattle, Wash., links insomnia with short sleep duration to increased mortality. This risk was found in men. The study also found an increased risk in women; but it was not statistically significant.The study involved 1,741 adults. Their sleep was monitored in a sleep lab. Then they were followed up for 10 to 14 years.Results show that the

Sleep Loss & Performance: Missing the Bull’s-Eye

A new study from England used the game of darts to measure the effect of sleep loss on performance. Sixty people had to throw 20 darts at a target; they were tested five times per day for accuracy and reliability.They were tested once after a normal night of seven to eight hours of sleep. Then they were tested after a night of partial sleep loss; they went to bed four hours later than normal but

Risk of Depression in “Evening Types” and “Morning Types”

A new study examines how chronotype may be related to depression. Is the risk of depression greater in “evening types” (“night owls”) or “morning types” (“morning larks”)?The study involved 200 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 99 years. Results show that people who are “evening types” have a higher risk of severe depressive symptoms.MSNBC reports that evening types went to bed around

Wii Sleep: A Nintendo Solution for Insomnia?

In January the Sleep Education Blog reported on the benefits of playing the old-school video game Tetris; it can be a visual distraction that may reduce flashbacks and nightmares after a stressful event.Now Nintendo is developing a video game application that is light years ahead of Tetris; the Wii Vitality Sensor may even help you fall asleep.Nintendo introduced the device at E3 (Electronic

NBA Finals: A West Coast Advantage for the Lakers?

Game one of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Magic will tip off a little after 9 p.m. EDT tonight. The Lakers will have the home-court advantage in the seven-game series; a study in the journal Sleep shows that they also may have a West Coast advantage.The study analyzed 8,495 regular-season NBA games over eight seasons. The researchers did not find that jet lag had a major influence on the

Treating Nightmares in Children with Imagery Rehearsal Therapy

Imagery rehearsal therapy is an effective way to treat adults with nightmare disorder. A new study from Canada shows that it also can be helpful for children.The small study involved 11 boys and nine girls between 9 and 11 years of age. Each child had a moderate or severe nightmare problem; they had one nightmare or more per week for at least six months. None of the children had post-traumatic

Large Tonsils Aren’t the Only Cause of Sleep Apnea in Children

Excess body weight is a major risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea in adults. In children, sleep apnea often occurs when a child has large tonsils and adenoids.But a new study in the journal Sleep shows that the causes of sleep apnea in children are complex. You can’t put all of the blame on the tonsils; weight and nasal problems also play a role in child sleep apnea.The study involved 700

Internet Intervention: Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective treatment option for chronic insomnia. But can online CBT help you sleep better?Some health insurers think so. In November the L.A. Times reported that online CBT for insomnia is covered by some insurance providers.Now a new study published today in the journal Sleep adds to the evidence supporting online CBT for insomnia.