Is 100 year olds' secret to longevity sleep?

Is the trick to living out a healthy and productive twilight getting a good night’s sleep? Those who’ve already celebrated their 100th birthday sleep longer and better than the rest of the elderly.The study, published in the May 1st issue of SLEEP used survey data to look at the sleeping habits of the oldest populations in China.They discovered Chinese ages 100 or above slept an average of 7.5

The real Freddy Krueger, “Nightmare on Elm Street” and sudden unexplained deaths

He visits us in our nightmares. The ghoul wearing a striped shirt and fedora slowly taps his razor-sharp finger knives as he approaches. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s knows his sneering burnt face. Freddy Krueger is a horror movie icon, representing everything we fear in our sleep.Today a new generation meets the boogeyman for the first time. The remake of “Nightmare on Elm Street” is now open

The Ambien excuse, Delta flight threat suspect took sleeping pills

A former Air Force intelligence specialist is in custody undergoing competency tests, after he told air marshals he was carrying explosives in his boots, backpack and laptop. The incident caused a Delta flight bound from Paris to Atlanta to make an emergency landing in Maine.Court documents obtained by CNN claim the suspect Derek Stansberry told the air marshals that he had taken eight tablets of

"Snooze or Lose": Dr. Oz's sleep quiz

Television's Dr. Oz is back talking about sleep this week. This time the discussion came in the form of a contest named "Snooze or Lose." Two contestents tucked into beds on set were grilled on basic sleep questions. Watch the entire segment here:As we always do with Dr. Oz., let’s take a look at the facts for each of the three “true or false” questions. Unlike one of the last times we blogged

Fatal familial insomnia: a genetic death sentence

There are genetic diseases and then there is fatal familial insomnia. It’s an excruciating death sentence with no cure and no treatments. Doctors can’t even temporarily relieve the suffering caused by months without sleep. For the unlucky few on this earth who inherit fatal familial insomnia conscience reality is no different than dreams and nightmares.Little is known about fatal familial

iPad insomnia: Amazon Kindle better for your sleep than Apple tablet

With a nearly limitless library of books available for instant download, the Apple iPad is a tempting purchase for literature lovers.There’s just one small deal-breaker: it’s bad for bedtime reading.The device’s bright, colorful screen can get in the way of bedtime habits and encourage insomnia.Over the weekend Frisca Yan-Go, director of the AASM certified UCLA Sleep Disorders Center, told the

Sleep problems often persist after shift work, not permanent

There’s some hope for folks ready to give up the struggle with the overnight shift: insomnia and other sleep problems often associated with those difficult hours may be difficult to shake when it’s over, but it’s not permanent.Research also shows more years of shift work does not lead to worse sleep problems.These findings were part of a 10 year longitudinal study in the April issue of Journal

Inside-out eyelids and sleep apnea, investigating the link

The title and description might make your stomach churn. Floppy eyelid syndrome causes your upper eyelids to become rubbery and turn inside-out spontaneously while you sleep.This strange sounding sleep disorder is often an indicator of sleep apnea.In a study published in the April issue of Ophthalmology, researchers wanted to see how often patients with floppy eyelid syndrome had sleep apnea.They

Learning in your sleep, dreaming with a purpose

A new study is shedding light on one of sleeps biggest mysteries: why we dream. While it’s been known for some time that dreaming helps memory function, findings published Thursday in Current Biology indicate we continue to learn as we dream.Subjects in the study spent an hour navigating navigated a complex 3D maze and then took a 90 minute break.Half the volunteers napped during that period,

Drug combination could solve snoring, sleep apnea

Two pills might be all it takes to treat some cases of sleep apnea. A promising new study found the combination of pseudoephedrine and domperidone dramatically cut down on the loud snoring typically associated with the disorder.Researchers tested the treatment on 23 patients who reported severe snoring and episodes of sleep apnea.Both drugs are widely used to treat symptoms researchers assumed

Projected first-round NFL draft pick has narcolepsy?

Pro football scouts are taking a hard look at outside linebacker Sergio Kindle in the hours leading up to tonight’s NFL draft. The impact pass rusher made a splash at University of Texas, recording 55 tackles including six sacks in 2009, but some teams may pass on Kindle because of his problems off the field. Some of those issues are due to his reported struggles with narcolepsy.Milwaukee

Blogging about obesity, apnea and your brain

America’s public health epidemic is getting more play in the New York Times. This time a blogger is making the case that obesity is bad for your brain.The author references studies comparing brain scans of average and severely overweight people. Obese people, on average, tended to have smaller, more atrophied brains - a feature of dementia.The blogger offers a list of suggested causes, included

“Ambien Zombies”, sleepwalking fears and facts

Last night, Fox News Boston aired the special report “Is Ambien creating a nation of zombies?” The segment called attention to dangerous or even deadly sleepwalking episodes linked to the prescription sleep drug Ambien.While these incidents are a reminder that side effects can occur, millions of people regularly take Ambien and other prescription hypnotics without experiencing any problems.You

CPAP on Milwaukee morning show “The Morning Blend”

Doctors from AASM member center the Sleep Wellness Institute paid a recent visit to the set of WTMJ 4 Milwaukee’s “The Morning Blend” to show viewers the latest technology used to treat sleep apnea.Host Molly Fay even wore a CPAP mask on air.To find out if you are at risk for sleep apnea answer these questions on our blog or take this test at Sleepeducation.com. Get help at an AASM-accredited

Like a dream, Rockies pitcher can’t sleep after no-hitter

On Saturday a revved-up Ubaldo Jimenez made baseball history, on Sunday he was too tired to remember it ever happened.He slept only about two hours the night he threw the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history, during a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.Jimenez was so groggy the next morning he wasn’t sure if the no-hitter ever happened. He told the associated press, “It was like a wonderful

Study: sleep disturbance symptoms differ by race

New research shows the exact effects of sleep disturbances differ by race.A study published this month in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine compared symptoms for white, black and Hispanic people.Each participant filled out a survey about their symptoms, after scientists monitored their sleep.Black participants who had insomnia symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness or frequently snored

The world of overnight work

In many workplaces, the differences the day shift and the overnight shift are quite literally night and day. Life goes at a different pace.The news industry is one of those cases. Although there is always the potential for hectic breaking news, third-shift journalists are sometimes able to dial back their usual frantic pace. Last week a staff photographer for the New York Times posted a gallery

Radio DJ KeKe Luv achieves goal, nearly 8 days without sleep

No one will fault Idaho Kiss FM morning host KeKe Luv for sleeping in Saturday morning. It’s been more than a week since his last visit to dreamland.KeKe Luv, whose real name is Steve Kicklighter topped his own record Friday afternoon by logging about 175 consecutive hours on air.You won’t find him listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The proper paperwork was never submitted to make his

Study finds video games cause only mild effect on sleep

Every school night, millions of teens armed with controllers and headsets clash on the virtual battlefield of “Call of Duty.” You would think these adrenaline-fueled gaming sessions would keep teen males wired all night. As it turns out, getting to sleep following an evening of gunfire, explosions and kill counts isn’t much different than it would be after watching nature documentaries.A new

Radio DJ skips sleep, targets world record

Things are about to get messy on the Idaho airwaves. Radio personality KeKe Luv is approaching his sixth consecutive day of broadcasting, and he hasn’t slept more than a couple minutes at a time.If he can stay awake for two more days he’ll shatter the world record for longest consecutive broadcast. And he only gets three 15-minute breaks a day.KeKe Luv, otherwise known as Steve Kicklighter, does

New York Times blogger's battle with insomnia

In a New York Times blog entry titled “Requiem for a Nice Person” a broadcast writer vents about how a decade long fight with insomnia has made her constantly irritable and unsocial.On her worst weeks, Lindsey Anderson only gets a total of about 12-15 hours of sleep.Here’s how she describes those episodes:“It’s like I am piggy-backing a dwarf around all day — a heavy dwarf. It also feels like I’m

Samsung 3D TV not for the sleep deprived

The future of home entertainment is apparently off-limits if you're behind on your sleep.Electronics manufacturer Samsung posted a warning about its 3D TVs on its website:"Pregnant women, the elderly, sufferers of serious medical conditions, those who are sleep deprived or under the influence of alcohol should avoid utilising the unit's 3D functionality.""Viewing 3D television may also cause

S. Korea wants gamers to sleep, introduces curfew

Anyone who plays video games knows it can be hard to put down the controller and get to bed. For children in South Korea logging off may no longer be a choice.The nation’s Culture Ministry is stepping in with policies aimed at curbing addiction and ending all-night video game marathons.Proposed is a nationwide curfew that would ban minors from playing online games from midnight until 8 a.m. The

Study: Sleep-starved nights may fuel binge eating

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found healthy young men tended to take in an extra Big Mac worth of calories after a sleep-deprived night.It’s the latest study to link sleep to unhealthy eating patterns and obesity.Researchers in France allowed a dozen study participants to eat whatever they wanted over two sleep-regulated 48-hour periods.The first session, the

Help wanted: sleeping bag tester