All Sleep Articles

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- People in their 30s and 40s who got less sleep at night were more likely to develop the early buildup of plaque in the arteries of their heart, according to a new study. The study is the first to link an objective measure of the duration of a person's sleep to an established method for assessing the risk of coronary artery disease, a CT scan that measures calcification in Read more...

Sleep helps the mind learn complicated tasks and helps people recover learning they otherwise thought they had forgotten over the course of a day, research at the University of Chicago shows. Using a test that involved learning to play video games, researchers showed for the first time that people who had "forgotten" how to perform a complex task 12 hours after training found Read more...

If a good night's sleep helps the brain and body perform better, it's a good guess that sleep problems can cause more than just fatigue. Numerous studies have shown a connection between sleep disorders and medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and metabolic disorders, including the risk of obesity and diabetes mellitus. Sleep and Your Heart Sleeping Read more...

Now you can let your old Grandpa or Grandma snore - if it doesn't bother anybody else, according to new sleep research at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's Medical Faculty. Prof. Peretz Lavie reported at the European Sleep Research Society in Glasgow last week that snoring is a health risk in young and middle- aged people, but surprisingly not in the elderly. About five percent Read more...

There is a difference between nodding off due to sleep deprivation and power napping, a U.S. newsletter says. The Harvard Men's Health Watch says people often fall asleep when they least want to -- at their desks or worse, behind the wheel -- when sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation may be caused by not devoting enough time to sleep or by medical conditions such as restless legs syndrome, sleep Read more...

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Dutch researchers said cognitive deficits were reversed after six weeks of sleep therapy. The study, published in the journal Sleep, found that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. However, these specific brain function alterations can be reversed through Read more...

September is "National Menopause Awareness Month" and SleepBetter.org, an educational Web site dedicated to helping people sleep better, is offering the 40 million American women of menopausal age -- and the more than 1 million more joining their ranks annually -- helpful tips for obtaining a more restful night's sleep during this time in their lives. "Sleep difficulties are a Read more...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2008 (Xinhua) -- Loss of sleep, even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt one's immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs, according to a recent study. Researchers from the University of California reported on the Sept. 15 issue of Biological Psychiatry that losing sleep for even part of one night can trigger the key cellular pathway that Read more...

"Sleep on it" really is good advice, according to new research showing how memory is boosted by slumber. A good night's sleep has a dramatic impact on the way the brain functions the next day, scientists have discovered. Sleep appears to strengthen connections between communicating nerve cells in the brain -- a process thought to form the basis of learning and memory. Read more...

A good night's sleep isn't a luxury -- it's a necessity for life, sleep experts say. In fact, studies have shown that sleep is as intrinsic to a person's health, well-being and survival as food, water and oxygen. In one study, sleep researchers with the National Institutes of Health found that rats -- scientists say they need about 12.6 hours of sleep a day, more than what the Read more...

by Krisha McCoy, MSDefinitionSleepwalking is a sleep disorder in which a person partially awakens during the night, and walks or performs other complex behaviors while still technically asleep.Causes Some causes of sleepwalking include: GeneticStressMagnesium deficiencySleep deprivationFebrile illnessesCertain medications (antidepressants, tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, and Read more...

by Jacquelyn Rudis If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night to find someone sleepwalking around the house, you know that it’s an unnerving experience. But should you wake the person up? Some people argue that waking sleepwalkers will confuse and anger them, possibly endangering the person doing the waking. Others believe that sleepwalkers should be woken up because they may harm Read more...

by Bethanne Black It's 2:00 a.m. and you're staring at the ceiling. Youcheck the clock every five minutes to calculate how much sleep youcan squeeze in before the alarm jolts you awake. You've tried warmmilk and relaxation tapes, yet you're still wide-awake. Should youtake a sleeping pill? If this sounds like your nightly routine, take heart. Insomnia affects millions of people, and new sleep Read more...

by Pat Curry A mother is awakened in the middle of the night by aterrifying scream. She races to the room of her three-year-old son, whois sitting up in bed with tears running down his face, his heartpounding. The more she tries to soothe him, the more agitated hebecomes.A college student walks into her parents' bedroomwhile they're sleeping and pours a glass of water into her mother'sdresser Read more...

by Amy Scholten, MPH Your head pounds. You feel unmotivated, irritable, anddepressed. You can't concentrate or come up with creative ideas foryour project at work. The dinner party you were looking forward toall week suddenly feels like an enormous burden on your dwindlingenergy reserves. You wish the world would leave you alone, at leastuntil you had a chance to catch up on your sleep. But you Read more...

by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With Sleep Apnea | Resource GuideThe goal of treatment for sleep apnea is to decrease the frequency or completely eliminate episodes of breathing interruption.Treatment may involve the following:Lifestyle changesSurgeryOther treatmentsWhile a Read more...

by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With Sleep Apnea | Resource GuideYou have a unique medical history. Therefore, it is essential to talk with your doctor or healthcare provider about your personal risk factors and/or experience with sleep apnea. By talking openly and regularly Read more...

by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With Sleep Apnea | Resource Guide The actual symptoms of sleep apnea when it’s occurring are: Very loud snoringEpisodes of long pauses of interrupted breathing during sleepPossibly struggling, snorting, gasping, choking, and partially or Read more...

by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With Sleep Apnea | Resource GuideThe purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are usually administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions.AdultsThere Read more...

by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MDMain Page | Risk Factors | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment | Screening | Reducing Your Risk | Talking to Your Doctor | Living With Sleep Apnea | Resource GuideA risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition.It is possible to develop sleep apnea with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors Read more...