Mysteries of Sleep: Brain Activity and Sleep's Restorative Effects

Lab rats may provide us with new clues on the mechanisms that make sleep restorative. A study published Wednesday in the Journal of Neuroscience, the authors say, is the first to precisely measure brain energy to learn more about the biological functions of sleep.Researchers observed a dramatic energy surge in certain parts of rats’ brains when the animals first fell asleep. While the rats were

The Perks and Perils of Split Sleep Schedules for Shift Workers

One of the most difficult aspects of shift work is figuring out when to sleep. You may get right to sleep after work but wake up earlier than intended, alert and unable to return to sleep. It may feel fine in the afternoon, but by the time the next shift starts exhaustion sets in.Some shift workers adapt by splitting their sleep into two shorter periods each day. It works like this: sleep 4 to 5

Americans Replace Work with Sleep in Recession

Contrary to previous reports, we aren’t staying awake worrying about the recession. A new government survey shows the average American gained sleep since the housing bubble burst and unemployment rates inflated.The Labor Department’s 2009 American Time Use Survey reports last year we spent 17 fewer minutes a day engaged in work compared to 2007. In turn, we’re sleeping an extra six minutes.

Review: “Wide Awake: A Memoir of Insomnia”

In “Wide Awake: A Memoir of Insomnia” author Patricia Morrisroe provides an entertaining overview of the basics of sleep medicine and the lengths people go to find sleep.Morrisroe has battled insomnia for most of her life. In the book she describes her frustrations of waking up most nights and never getting back to sleep, a problem that dates back to childhood.The story is about the author as

Energy Pods let Google Employees Snooze in Style

Here’s one big reason why Google is consistently near the top of every annual “Best Companies to Work For” list. Among the many well-documented perks of working for Google is the leeway to step away from the desk and take a nap. Google stands out from the other companies with nap rooms by offering a stylistically futuristic sleep pod right out of the show Caprica. That oversized salon hair dryer

Urban Air Pollution Spikes Sleep Disordered Breathing

Add sleep-disordered breathing to the list of health ailments associated with heavy air pollution. New findings may further fuel the green movement by providing another reason to curb emissions.People living in highly-polluted urban areas get poorer quality sleep, which is often plagued by breathing problems. The effects only get worse during the sweltering summer heat, when ozone alerts are

Body Clock Breakthrough Could Lead to Magic Jet Lag Pill

Jumping time zones won’t be so jarring if the findings from a new study pan out. Researchers have pinned down the hormone responsible for regulating circadian rhythms.This breakthrough could lead to new treatments for jet lag. A hormone supplement in the form of a pill in theory could readjust the human body’s circadian rhythms.A team of German researchers tested the treatment on lab mice.The

Alcohol Use Risk Rises for Adolescents with Sleep Problems

Teens that develop sleep problems around the onset of puberty are more likely to use alcohol. A new study connects previous findings on adolescent sleep problems and alcohol use to puberty.Some early-maturing adolescents develop “night owl” tendencies during the sleep pattern transition associated with the onset of puberty. Those individuals are most at-risk to develop sleep problems.Separate

Fox News Report: Dentist Helps Florida Couple Stop Snoring

Word is getting out about oral appliances to treat obstructive sleep apnea. A Florida couple profiled by Fox News recently endorsed the latest technology in sleep dentistry.The oral appliance shown in the video above work best as an alternative to CPAP therapy for mild to moderate forms of sleep apnea.Find a dental sleep specialist near you.For regularly updates about the latest in sleep

Vuvuzelas keep English soccer team awake at World Cup

After more than a week, most World Cup viewers have complained that an ear-splitting noise is drowning out every broadcasted. The sound comes from fans blowing on vuvuzelas, a traditional South African horn that sounds like a swarm of angry killer bees.After hearing vuvuzelas for 90-plus minutes on the field, players on the English squad were furious when that same noise later kept them from

Positional therapy harness helps reduce sleep apnea for some

A positional device that makes you sleep on your sides may be an effective alternative to CPAP in solving select sleep apnea cases. Study results from the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine show apneic episodes caused by sleeping on your back can be nearly eliminated by changing positions.The Zzoma Positional Sleeper is a large harness designed to prevent people from sleeping

Improve your sex life with CPAP

The answer for some men’s sex woes may not be that oft-advertised little blue pill. A new study shows CPAP can dramatically improve sexual function for obstructive sleep apnea patients.Patients with the most severe cases of sleep apnea reported the largest improvement in sexual relationship after three months of CPAP treatment. Those with fewer apneic episodes still saw a noticeable

24 hour endurance races pits drivers against sleep deprivation

Few events in all of sports measure up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in terms of pure difficulty. Drivers must battle their own circadian rhythms and maintain at speeds up to 210 miles per hour to finish the prestigious French endurance race held every year in June.Manufacturers usually dominate the race coverage. Make no mistake the outcome is largely determined long before the race, during the car

Refresh narcolepsy research: Stanford lab needs your votes to win $250k Pepsi grant

The sleep research community is asking for your help to win funding for narcolepsy research. The Stanford University Center for Narcolepsy is eligible to win a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project, a monthly contest to fund causes that will make a positive impact. The vote is open to anyone, and it ends at the end of June.Click here to vote for narcolespy research.As of Tuesday, June

Moderate aerobic exercise can improve sleep quality for insomnia patients

A modest jog or a few dozen laps in the pool may help insomnia patients rediscover restful sleep. A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine demonstrates how moderate-intensity cardio exercise can improve overall sleep quality.Exercising 4-8 hours before bedtime helped primary insomnia patients get to sleep faster, wake up less often and increase total time

Live World Cup coverage causing U.S. viewers to lose sleep

Once every four years the beautiful game interferes with beauty sleep on a worldwide scale. Soccer fans far away from the World Cup host country have no choice but to set their alarm clocks early or stay up late to see their nation’s squad compete on the biggest stage in sports.This year fans in Europe and Africa have the circadian advantage. The World Cup, broadcasted live from South Africa,

SLEEP 2010: Top 5 New Findings

The Sleep Education blog is counting down the top five studies of SLEEP 2010, the annual meeting of sleep professionals. Members of the research community and the media were introduced to hundreds of new abstracts at the convention center in San Antonio.5. Morning type pitchers have the advantage in Major League BaseballPlayers chronotypes and time of first pitch play a major role in performance

Paralyzed by happiness, strong emotions trigger real-life sleep disorder narcolepsy with cataplexy

Imagine living in fear of the one thing everyone wants - those moments of happiness. For the unlucky few cursed with a rare sleep disorder, one fleeting blissful thought is all it takes to launch a paralyzing attack.At first the muscles start to full heavy, then the head begins to fall forward and the body falls to the ground. The victim remains lucid the entire time. Just one bad fall could

Non-stop lifestyle catches up with Diddy, now tortured by insomnia at 40

Sleep can elude even those who appear to have it all. Rapper Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs rules over a hip-hop empire valued in the hundreds of millions, throws lavish parties and has an entourage of dozens of people including his own personal barber.The one thing missing from Diddy’s life is sleep."I was proud of working 18 hours a day and sleeping three hours a night," he told ABC’s “Nightline”

Student Sleeps Through Obama Keynote Speech

Normally the Sleepeducation blog avoids subjects related to politics, but this viral video from a Monday high school graduation ceremony in Kalamazoo, Mich. is too good to pass up. A student seated behind President Barack Obama was caught on camera falling asleep during his keynote speech. The video, above, comes courtesy of WOOD-TV8, who broadcasted the event live Monday.The boy seated at the

SLEEP 2010 concludes in San Antonio

The final sessions of the SLEEP 2010 scientific program ended at 4:45 p.m. Central Time at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. The SLEEP 2011 25th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies is scheduled for June 11 to 15, 2011, in Minneapolis.

Ability to sleep while caring for infant predicts relationship satisfaction

A couple who can sleep while caring for an infant is a couple that’s more likely to last. Results of a new study show first-time parents’ relationship satisfaction is related to the amount of sleep they get.Investigators studied 22 couples 7 weeks after the birth of their first child.Self-reported relationship satisfaction tended to be higher when parents slept longer, as measured by actigraphy.

When gray looks green: sleep and drifting color perception

Sleep researchers have observed a strange phenomenon that occurs the longer we stay awake. Over the course of the day the color gray starts to appear greenish. Sleep reverses the effect and the next morning gray looks like gray again.It appears color perception drifts over the course of a day and is restored during sleep.The study presented this morning at SLEEP 2010 is one of the first ever to

Tired teenagers prone to depression

High school students who don’t get the recommended nine hours of sleep per night are three times as likely to have depression, according to a research abstract to be shown Wednesday at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio.The study found sleep deprivation is widespread among teens in the U.S. 52 percent of seniors at a public high school in New Jersey reported excessive daytime sleepiness.Students averaged

Teen auto accident rates higher when school starts earlier

Statistics from a new study show teenage drivers are more likely to get in an accident when classes start earlier. Crash rates are 41 percent higher for students who attend schools that begin around the crack of dawn.The teen driver study presented Wednesday at SLEEP 2010 further fuels a movement to push forward school start times.The data came from data from two adjacent communities with similar

Study: Morning type pitchers have the advantage in Major League Baseball

Logic would assume night owls in Major League Baseball have the upper hand over the morning larks as long as they’re not on the daytime heavy schedule of the Chicago Cubs.Turns out this only partially true, in a league dominated by night games and red-eye charter flights statistics show “morning type” pitchers somehow are at an overall advantage. The statistical boost they get in day games far

Final day of SLEEP 2010

The third and final day of the SLEEP 2010 scientific program is now underway. With the final plenary session wrapping up, there are still another four rounds of oral presentations, two more workshops and symposia sessions.SLEEP 2010 will conclude this afternoon at 4:45 p.m. Central Time. Look for more abstract analysis throughout the day on this blog. And follow our tweets from San Antonio at

Sleep helps legendary "Guitar Heroes" learn complex motor tasks

Sleep on it and you’ll be better equipped to tackle more complicated motor tasks, like the endless wailing, shredding guitars solos of “Through the Fire and Flames,” one of the most difficult songs on Guitar Hero.Researchers used the popular video game, and the fake plastic guitars that come with it, to learn about sleep and complex motor learning. They found overall performance dramatically

Second day of SLEEP 2010 comes to a close

The final discussion group, clinical workshop and oral presentations for the second day of SLEEP 2010 are underway and will conclude at 4:45 p.m. Central Time.Day three of the scientific program will begin with the final plenary session at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.Dr. Susan Redline will be the featured speaker. Her presentation is titled "Childhood Antecedents for Chronic Health Conditions: The Role

All types of traffic noise likely to disturb sleep, harm morning work performance

Buyers beware: living in a home near the airport, a busy road or train tracks will likely translate to a lot of groggy mornings at the office. An abstract presented Tuesday at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio exposes the tolls of sleeping in an environment with a lot of nighttime noise.The study found subjects exposed to recorded traffic noise while sleeping reacted slower during a psychomotor vigilance

Bears to hibernate through morning preseason practices

Add the Chicago Bears to the growing list of professional and college sports teams pushing forward practice start times.The Chicago Tribune is reporting 10 out of 16 of the Bears’ training camp sessions will be held at 3 p.m. The team traditionally holds practice at noon.This news comes the same day as a Stanford University study demonstrated the benefits extra sleep can have on athletic

Large-scale study links abnormal sleep length to heart risk condition

When it comes to sleep, getting too much of a good thing may be a sign there's something wrong. Researchers in the U.K. have tied long sleep to metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.The latest study to tie excessive sleep to adverse health effects was presented as a poster this morning at SLEEP 2010.The large-scale study involved more than

Photos from inside SLEEP 2010

We're nearing the end of day two of the SLEEP 2010 scientific program, and its been a memorable couple of days down in San Antonio. Sleep experts and enthusiasts who were unable to join us right outside the River Walk still have a window into the meeting's latest developments.In addition to using the blog to bring analysis to the studies drawing a lot of interest, our team is using Twitter to

Most U.S. soldiers come home with sleep disturbance

The numbers are staggering for soldiers in the weeks after returning home from war. Researchers say 86 percent of them have some kind of sleep disturbance.An abstract being presented at SLEEP 2010 shows the toll deployment takes American servicemen and women’s sleep.Participants in the study were assessed the moment they stepped foot back on U.S. soil. The follow-up was 45 days later. Authors

Highly variable sleep schedule increases risk for suicidal college students

A new study that’s the subject of a presentation at SLEEP 2010 is the first to show sleep schedules can predict an elevated suicide risk, independent of depression.A sample of at-risk undergraduate students at the Florida State University had an average bedtime of 2:08 a.m. that varied by about three hours on any given night. They slept around 6.3 hours a night.Sleep schedule variability was the

Sleep apnea in kids predicts lower grades, behavioral problems

Obstructive sleep apnea is a not only a health risk for children, it’s a barrier to academic success. Schoolchildren with moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing averaged a half a grade lower than their peers. Those same children are also prone to behavioral problems according to an abstract presented Tuesday at SLEEP 2010.None of the children with OSA brought home report cards with an “A”

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans sleep-deprived, Europeans better rested

It’s no secret that many Americans regularly clutch a cup of hot coffee to get through another sleep-deprived day. Far fewer Europeans are downing espresso shots to fight daytime sleepiness according to a research abstract that was the subject of a presentation at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio.The study found 19.5 percent of adults in America have moderate to excessive sleepiness. A previous study by

Stanford NCAA football players sleep longer, perform better

The Stanford Cardinal is learning sleep may be the key factor in gaining the upper hand in the increasingly competitive Pac-10 college football conference.A group of football players at Stanford University ran faster and responded quicker when two more hours of sleep were added to their daily training regimen.The findings are the latest to show sleep can help athletic performance. Lead author

12-hour shifts take strong toll on nurses, raise mistake risk

Continuing on the theme this morning the negative effects irregular work schedules can have on employees, a new study seemingly condemns a common practice in the medical industry. The results could give hospitals incentive to change scheduling strategies to avoid potentially life-threatening mistakes. The study found nurses who work 12-hour shifts rarely get restful sleep, and may struggle to

Late-starting shifts harm sleep, limit productivity

The key to maximizing workplace productivity while minimizing fatigue may be a shift start time that allows workers to sleep right before reporting for duty.New research suggests shifts that start in the late morning to early afternoon work best for employees. Start times between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. may limit sleep and harm performance.Sleep can be difficult to come by during the late night shifts

Day two of SLEEP 2010 underway

The second day of the SLEEP 2010 scientific program is underway at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Plenary speaker Dr. Daniel Buysse is approaching the end of his lecture "New Adventures in Sleep Quality."Starting at 9 a.m., four more authors of abstracts will deliver oral presentations. Research abstracts will be presented as posters from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. A

Day one of SLEEP 2010 concludes

The final session of oral presentations in the first full day of the SLEEP 2010 scientific are underway and will conclude at 5:00 p.m. Central Time.Tomorrow’s program will begin at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday with a lecture by Dr. Daniel Buysse titled “New Adventures in Sleep Quality.” Dr. Buysse is the program director of the Neuroscience Clinical and Translational Research Center at the University of

Study: Sleep-disordered breathing swells in the summer months

Summertime may spell sleep complications for children with seasonal allergies. Some children develop temporary sleep-disordered breathing similar to sleep apnea about the time school gets out.The results of a study (#0392) featured at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, may lead to new treatment strategies.Sleep-disordered breathing in

CPAP shown to reverse brain tissue damage from sleep apnea

New research (#0329) indicates CPAP therapy can reverse the damage to adult brain tissue caused by obstructive sleep apnea. Grey matter volume in hippocampal and frontal structures significantly increased only three months after the start of CPAP.With treatment, the cognitive impairment caused by obstructive sleep apnea is also reversible.The authors noticed no further improvement in gray matter

Two U.S. military supported studies find bright lights can improve alertness, reduce post-traumatic stress

A series of brief flashes of bright light is all it takes to improve alertness at night, as reported in a research abstract (#0257) presented Monday at SLEEP 2010.Test subjects were wakened two hours after their typical bedtimes, brought into a dark room and were exposed to a two-millisecond light pulse once a minute for an hour.Researchers at Stanford University noted a significant improvement

Early bedtime benefits: young children who sleep more score higher in school

Setting bedtime rules encourages the healthy development of preschool-aged children. In an abstract (#0040) being presented at SLEEP 2010 in San Antonio, children who had a regular bedtime scored higher on language, reading and math assessments.Earlier bedtimes were linked to higher scores in most of the developmental measures.Children who slept less than 11 hours per night, the AASM’s

Study: insomnia linked to earlier death

Having any of the four types of chronic insomnia carries an increased risk of death, according to a new abstract (#0607) on display at SLEEP 2010.The 20-year study followed tracked the health problems and sleeping habits more than 2,200 people. Each subject responded to two to three mailed surveys in 1989, 1994 and 2000. Using the social security death index, researchers found 128 study

Sleepwalking into adolescence: parasomnias tend to persist past childhood

Childhood parasomnias like sleepwalking or bedwetting don’t necessarily stop at adolescence. The remission rates for these pediatric problems are actually quite low heading into the teenage years.The research abstract (#251), presented as a poster today at SLEEP 2010, compared parasomnias incidents rates for children ages 6 to 11 over the course of less than five years.The children’s parents

Sexsomnia: it’s more common than you think

The description is eye-opening, but even more shocking is how often sexsomnia occurs. New research suggests nearly eight percent of patients at sleep disorder clinics have Sexsomnia. The abstract (#252) will be displayed later this morning at SLEEP 2010.The prevalence of sexsomnia for men, at 11 percent, was nearly three times higher in than for women.The study is the first to examine the

Blogger is back online, SLEEP 2010 updates to resume

Due to technical problems on our host site Blogger's end, we've been unable to update the Sleep Education blog as promised until now. We've been providing updates from SLEEP 2010 via Twitter and on Sleepeducation.com. Because Google has fixed the problem look for updates from now until Wednesday, the end of the annual meeting.

Plenary session to kick off SLEEP 2010 at 8 a.m.

SLEEP 2010 will begin in about three hours at 8 a.m. Central Time at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. Look for live coverage all day right here at the Sleepeducation Blog.Today's plenary session features a keynote address by Derk-Jan Dijk, PhD, a professor of sleep and physiology at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England and the director of the Surrey Sleep

New research developments on display at SLEEP 2010

Beginning on Monday, June 7, more than 1,100 research abstracts will be presented during the scientific program at, showcasing the latest findings in sleep research from around the world.The majority of the abstracts will be on display as poster presentations from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday, June 7 and 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 8 and Wednesday, June 10. Each poster

Invited lecturers headline SLEEP 2010's scientific program

At SLEEP 2010 from Monday, June 7, to Wednesday, June 9, six experts in sleep science and sleep medicine will present their recent research findings as invited lectures. Each presentation will take place from 1:45 to 2:45 Central Time on the Monday and 1:30 to 2:30 on Tuesday and Wednesday as scheduled:Monday, June 7“Infant and Toddler Sleep Disturbance: Helping Families Get a Good Nights Sleep”

Colleges hope to lure owls, offer midnight classes

All-night cram sessions and “after-hours” parties are nothing out of the ordinary in the average college town. Some universities are starting notice the night-owl habits of students and are scheduling classes late. And we’re not talking about traditional night classes. These schools are holding class at midnight.The extremely late classes are to reach out to shift workers and keep up with an

Waking often to urinate linked to increased death risk

Many people every night wake up in the middle of the night for a trip to the bathroom, and in most cases they think nothing of it. When it happens multiple times a night, there’s new reason to be concerned. New research shows nocturia, or frequent overnight urination, signals a higher risk of dying.The study released by the American Urological Association found the elevated risk applies to men

Sleep monitored in 520-day mock Mars mission

Six men parted ways with their families and the comforts of earth to embark on a landmark journey to the red planet Thursday morning. The mission will last exactly 520 days, enough time to reach Mars, spend a month on the planets surface, and return home to Earth. At its closest point in orbit, the planets are about 55 million kilometers apart. However the space capsule’s crew will only move a

Obese short-sleepers eat out often, prefer fatty food

A large Japanese study suggests eating habits are only part of the reason why short sleep duration is interconnected with obesity. Findings published in the May issue of SLEEP show short sleep and high Body Mass Index are linked to a tendency to eat out and a taste for fatty foods. The authors suggest other unknown biologic factors are also at play.Researchers reached this conclusion using a

Auto accident rate higher for excessively sleepy Michigan motorists

An analysis of driver data collected by the Michigan State Police further demonstrates the risks associated with drowsy driving. The study published in the June issue of SLEEP is the first to look at the driving records of randomly selected test subjects.The findings suggest extreme sleepiness multiplies the likelihood of being in an accident causing serious injury. Overall crash rates were about