AASM-Accredited Sleep Centers: From Alaska to Guam

In 1977 the AASM accredited the first sleep disorders center. Today there are 1,825 AASM-accredited sleep centers and labs.They are providing trusted medical care for people with sleep problems in every part of the country. From coast to coast and Alaska to Hawaii, you can find an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.Recently the AASM also has accredited a few sleep centers outside the U.S. This

Don’t Let Holiday Stress Disrupt Your Sleep

Although the holidays are a time for joy, they can also cause a great deal of stress. Between shopping, decorating and hosting parties, you may find that sleep has moved to the bottom of your priority list.You may tell yourself that you will have time to catch up on sleep in the new year, but you may not realize the harm you can do by skimping on sleep.Dentist and UCSF professor of restorative

Sleep & Memory: Sleeping “Soundly”

A new study examined how sounds affect memory consolidation during sleep.Participants were taught to associate 50 images with a random location on a computer screen. Each object was paired with a corresponding sound.About 45 minutes later they took a nap of 90 minutes or less. This was long enough to enter deep, slow-wave sleep. But they didn’t nap long enough to enter rapid eye movement sleep

Caffeine & Alcohol: “Caffeinated Cocktails” in College

Campus life at college tends to involve poor sleep and sleep deprivation. Often caffeine and alcohol are a part of the problem.Each substance by itself can be disruptive to sleep. Now a popular trend among college students is to combine the two together.Some make their own “caffeinated cocktails” by mixing alcohol with high-caffeine energy drinks. Others simply buy caffeinated beer.A 2007 study

Talking Turkey Sleep

A lot of turkeys will be sleeping well today. They can finally get some rest now that the Thanksgiving season is ending.So how do turkeys sleep? Researchers in Mexico studied wild turkeys - Meleagris gallopavo - to find out.The study shows that the turkeys had a “polyphasic” sleep pattern. They slept multiple times in a 24-hour period. But these sleep periods tended to concentrate between 9 p.m.

Cancer, Chemotherapy & Insomnia

A new study examined the link between insomnia and cancer.The study involved 823 people with cancer; all of them were receiving chemotherapy. Their average age was 58 years; about 73 percent were women.Results show a high rate of insomnia in people with cancer. Forty-three percent had insomnia during day seven of cycle 1 of chemotherapy. Another 37 percent reported insomnia symptoms.“Our

NOVA Explores Dreams Tonight on PBS

The TV program NOVA will explore the world of dreams tonight. “What Are Dreams?” will premiere on your local PBS station.Leading dream researchers will explain how they study the world of sleep and dreams. And they’ll attempt to answer some of the most intriguing questions about why we dream.Do dreams improve memory? Do they enhance our creativity? Do they help us solve problems? Are they crucial

Insomnia & Depression in Women

A new study examined why insomnia is more common in women than men.The study analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical exams.The sample involved 5,469 young adults; their age ranged from 20 years to 39 years.Results show that 16.7 percent of women reported insomnia symptoms; 9.2 percent of men had an

The Importance of Getting Your Beauty Rest

Many women know that a sleepless night can take a toll on the way you look. The next morning you may see dark circles under your eyes or newly formed fine lines on your face. You also may have a sickly complexion.Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Howard Murad told the Los Angeles Times that with age, sleep loss can affect skin more visibly because of progressive loss of cellular water.Sleep

The Insomnia Paradox

A new study from Italy investigated paradoxical insomnia.What’s the paradox? Some people perceive that they have severe insomnia; but their sleep appears to be normal when measured by a sleep study.The study involved 20 people with paradoxical insomnia and 20 controls. They were monitored during an overnight sleep study.Results show that the people with paradoxical insomnia estimated that they

ADHD & Sleep Disorders in Children

A new study examined sleep problems in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.The Italian study involved 55 children with ADHD. They had an average age of about 9 years. They completed a sleep interview and were monitored during an overnight sleep study.Results show that most of the children had disturbed, fragmentary sleep at night. The authors found a significant difference

Sleep Problems in Older Adults

Two new studies examined the link between sleep and frailty in older adults.One study involved 3,133 men from six U.S. centers. They were 67 years of age and older.Results show that sleep problems were highest in frail men. Statistical adjustment found that certain sleep problems were associated with an increased risk of frailty.Men who took at least 60 minutes to fall asleep were 42 percent more

Work & Insomnia: Sleepless Off the Job

A new study from Japan shows that insomnia may be linked to your job.The study involved 1,022 workers; they had an average age of 39 years. They were evaluated across two years.Results show that some workers were more likely to have insomnia for the length of the study. Employees with low social support at work were twice as likely to have persistent insomnia. Those who had an “effort-reward

Deep Sleep: Alzheimer’s, CPAP & OSA

A new study examined the effect of CPAP therapy on sleep in people with obstructive sleep apnea and Alzheimer’s disease.The study involved 52 adults with OSA and Alzheimer’s disease; they had an average age of 78 years. The effect of CPAP therapy was compared with fake, placebo CPAP. Sleep was measured by overnight sleep study.Results show that even one night of CPAP therapy had a positive effect

Sleep in the City: Sweet Dreams for Kids

A non-profit organization in Detroit is educating at-risk children about sleep. It’s also giving them resources to make their sleep environment more comfortable.Sweet Dreamzzz Inc. partnered with the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research to develop the R.E.M. (Rest. Educate. Motivate.) Sleep Program.The interactive program involves hands-on activities, games and songs. Trained volunteers go

Sleep is for the Birds

You may have never come across a sleeping bird. And that’s the way that birds like it.Nature writer and bird surveyor Val Cunningham recently wrote about the life of sleeping birds for the Star Tribune.Most birds keep their sleeping spots well hidden. They’re fearful of becoming a predator’s late-night snack. So they may roost in the same kind of secluded areas that they would use for a nesting

How Moms Influence Teen Sleep

A new study looked for similarities in the sleep patterns of teens and their parents.The Swiss study involved 293 teens with an average age of almost 18 years; 73 percent were female.They completed a seven-day sleep log; they also completed questionnaires about their psychological functioning. The teens rated their parents’ sleep and parenting styles.Results show a correlation between the sleep

Delaying High School Start Times in England

One high school in England has delayed its start time by an hour to help students get more sleep, reports The Independent.The school’s original start time was at 9 a.m. This would seem like a luxury to many U.S. teens who start school before 8 a.m.Now classes begin at 10 a.m. The school day ends 30 minutes later in the afternoon.“Here is something that schools can do to improve the health and

Why Do We Dream?

A new paper suggests that the purpose of dreams may be more than just psychological.Author Dr. J. Allan Hobson proposes a “theory of protoconsciousness.” He is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.Hobson writes that REM sleep provides “a virtual reality model of the world.” Most dreams occur during this sleep stage.He thinks that dreams have a functional use. They allow the brain

Sleep May Help You Eat Healthier

A new study examined the relationships between sleep, job strain and food choices.The Harvard study involved 542 men; their average age was 49 years. They were all motor freight workers who often work long hours and have irregular shifts.Results show that 51 percent reported getting adequate sleep. Almost 88 percent were satisfied with their job; about 30 percent reported job strain.Statistical

Changing Nightmares: Imagery Rehearsal Therapy

“Your Health” columnist Kim Painter reports in USA Today that imagery rehearsal therapy is helping some people change their nightmares.This method is just one form of cognitive behavioral therapy. A variety of CBT techniques have been used to reduce nightmare frequency.One method is to record your nightmares in a diary. Relaxation exercises also may be helpful. Exposure techniques involve “

Improve Your Golf Game with CPAP for Sleep Apnea

According to ABC News, people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea often ignore its serious effects. However, some people seek treatment when they discover that it can improve their performance during their favorite activities.A recent study abstract found that treating OSA in golfers improved their game by up to three strokes off their handicap in 20 rounds of golf.The study included 24

Sleep & Willpower

Is sleep the secret to success at whatever you do? Stanford health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, PhD, thinks so.She focused on our need for sleep – and our frequent avoidance of it - in a recent blog post for Psychology Today. She also described the “Science of Willpower” course she teaches at Stanford.“I make a strong case for sleep as the most powerful resource for greater self-control and

Sleep & Observational Learning

Sleep enhances the performance of motor skills that have been learned through physical practice. Can it also improve skills that have been learned through observation?A new study involved 64 healthy people. They were shown a video of a hand performing a finger-tapping task, reports the LA Times.They were only allowed to watch; they couldn’t practice the movements. EMG monitoring verified the

Caffeine & the Night Shift

A recent study examined the effect that consuming caffeine at night may have on daytime sleep.The sleep of participants was monitored during a night in a sleep lab. Then they stayed awake in the lab for 25 hours. While awake they were given caffeine capsules. Then their sleep was monitored again as they slept during the day.Results show that daytime sleep was worse after taking caffeine. Measures

Thermal Infrared Imaging to Detect Sleep Apnea

The Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep contains the first reported study of “thermal infrared imaging” to monitor airflow during an overnight sleep study. Can this technology be used to detect obstructive sleep apnea?Typically, contact sensors are placed around your nose and mouth to measure airflow during a sleep study. The authors report that these sensors and wires may cause discomfort during

A Sleep Schedule that Works for the Night Shift

A series of studies have found that a “compromise” sleep schedule is effective for people who work night shifts. The results of the latest study were published in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep.The sleep schedule improves alertness during the night shift and daytime sleep after the shift. But it also provides a “compromise” that helps night-shift workers on days off.It enables them to get

The Good Life: Sleep & Retirement

A study in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Sleep suggests that your sleep may improve when you retire.Results show that 24.2 percent of workers had disturbed sleep in the last year before retirement; this dropped to 17.8 percent in the first year after retiring. The odds of having disturbed sleep in the seven years after retirement were 26 percent lower than in the seven years before retiring.The

Children, Media Violence & Nightmares

Just in time for Halloween, the thriller Paranormal Activity and horror flick Saw VI topped the box office charts last weekend. The House of the Devil opened on Friday.They’re the kind of movies that the American Academy of Pediatrics wants parents to help their children avoid. The AAP has just released a revised policy statement on media violence.It reports that the average young person will