Nightmares: Why We Have Them and How to Stop Them
Do you or someone you love suffer from nightmares? Learn more about the most common causes of nightmares and how you can stop them.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity And Daytime Functional Impairments Confounded By Short Sleep Duration
A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that daytime functional impairments in older men with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are largely explained by total sleep time rather than OSA severity. A modest link between OSA severity and daytime sleepiness, measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, was no longer statistically significant after controlling for total sleep time.
Sleep and Aging: The Effects of Aging on Sleep and Sleep Patterns
Sleep and aging are closely related. Learn how sleep affects not only aging but also mental health, physical health and memory.
Poor Sleep Linked To More Colds
US researchers found that people who slept fewer than seven hours a night, and who spent more of that time awake, were nearly three times more likely to develop a cold than people who had eight hours or more of undisturbed sleep. The study was the work of Dr Sheldon Cohen, of the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and colleagues, and was published in the 12 January issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Medical Conditions that Interfere with Sleep
Certain medical conditions can interfere with sleep. Keep reading to learn how medical conditions, such as stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTS, ADHD and asthma, affect sleep.
Lulling The Brain To Sleep Requires Support Cells, Not Neurons
Brain cells called astrocytes help to cause the urge to sleep that comes with prolonged wakefulness, according to a study in mice, funded by the National Institutes of Health. The cells release adenosine, a chemical known to have sleep-inducing effects that are inhibited by caffeine. "Millions of Americans suffer from disorders that prevent a full night's sleep, and others - from pilots to combat soldiers - have jobs where sleepiness is a hazard.
Sleep Apnea Linked To The Progression Of Liver Disease
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Bariatric Surgery Clinic have found that the chronic intermittent hypoxia that often characterizes Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a common form of SDB, is independently linked to the progression of liver disease. In this study, researchers recruited 90 severely obese patients presenting for bariatric surgery at without known diagnoses of obstructive sleep apnea.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Holy Grail of Biological Questions: Why Do We Sleep?
The Holy Grail of Biological Questions: Why Do We Sleep?
In this blog, I am going to deal with a question that has stumped some of the most talented researchers in the world. That should hopefully get your attention- this vexing question seems simple, but represents the “holy grail” of biology. The question: why do we sleep? Consider this- we spend approximately one-third of lives doing it and scientists are still not quit sure why. (Much of this and future blogs on...
Memory, Brain Function, and REM Sleep: Are They Related?
In my last blog we discussed at length the different stages of sleep, namely non-REM and REM, the biological need for sleep to stay alive, and started discussing what some researchers believe may be the function of some portions of non-REM sleep. We reviewed how there is some evidence linking declarative memory (memory of facts and figures) to slow wave sleep and procedural memory (the ability to perform tasks like riding a bike or playing...
Headaches and Sleep
Headaches come in all shapes and sizes, from tension headaches caused by excessive stress or even excitement to the devastating pain of cluster headaches to debilitating and recurrent migraine headaches. Headaches have one thing in common. They make you miserable. What causes headaches? As mentioned above, stress is one cause. Allergies, sinusitis, head colds can all bring on a headache. Some medications also can cause...
The Function of Sleep Not Quite Explained
We finished the last blog in mid-thought. We were talking about REM sleep and the idea of brain plasticity- the rewiring of our brains that take place when we learn new information. A recent study in rats showed that 4 days of REM sleep deprivation decreased the amount of new cells in the part of the brain that is associated with long-term memory, in other words they did not make those new circuits. Another study with...
Secondary Causes of Insomnia
Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep, or the complaint of unrestorative/unrefreshing sleep. Most people experience short-term insomnia from time to time, but when insomnia lasts for more than several weeks, it is considered chronic and should be evaluated by a physician. Insomnia used to be classified by sleep specialists as either primary or secondary insomnia. Secondary insomnia was insomnia that was due to an...
Kicking those Addictions
As we move into the New Year and make out our list of resolutions, be sure to add giving up your addictions. I'm not speaking of the hard drugs. I'm sure the majority of my readers aren't hooked on heroine or cocaine. Neither am I talking about drugs prescribed by your doctor. It's true that some of these may be addictive, or, at the very least, habit forming, but if your doctor has prescribed them and if they are working for you...
Sleeping Away the Common Cold
There is no cure for the common cold, or so we've been told. But a recent study led by Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg suggests that if you can't cure it, then find a method of preventing it. The study, which appeared in the January 12, 2009, issue of Archives of Internal medicine, shows that, of the 153 volunteers, those who slept fewer than eight hours a night were more likely to contract a cold. For two...
All Sleep is Not Created Equal
In my last blog we were reviewing the fundamental question of why we sleep. We left off trying to sort out the level of activity of the brain and body during different stages of sleep (i.e. Non-REM and REM). During non-REM the body and brain are at their most relaxed state. Ironically, most people think of REM as deep sleep, but actually during REM the level of brain activity resembles the awake state. Our most...
In this blog, I am going to deal with a question that has stumped some of the most talented researchers in the world. That should hopefully get your attention- this vexing question seems simple, but represents the “holy grail” of biology. The question: why do we sleep? Consider this- we spend approximately one-third of lives doing it and scientists are still not quit sure why. (Much of this and future blogs on...
Memory, Brain Function, and REM Sleep: Are They Related?
In my last blog we discussed at length the different stages of sleep, namely non-REM and REM, the biological need for sleep to stay alive, and started discussing what some researchers believe may be the function of some portions of non-REM sleep. We reviewed how there is some evidence linking declarative memory (memory of facts and figures) to slow wave sleep and procedural memory (the ability to perform tasks like riding a bike or playing...
Headaches and Sleep
Headaches come in all shapes and sizes, from tension headaches caused by excessive stress or even excitement to the devastating pain of cluster headaches to debilitating and recurrent migraine headaches. Headaches have one thing in common. They make you miserable. What causes headaches? As mentioned above, stress is one cause. Allergies, sinusitis, head colds can all bring on a headache. Some medications also can cause...
The Function of Sleep Not Quite Explained
We finished the last blog in mid-thought. We were talking about REM sleep and the idea of brain plasticity- the rewiring of our brains that take place when we learn new information. A recent study in rats showed that 4 days of REM sleep deprivation decreased the amount of new cells in the part of the brain that is associated with long-term memory, in other words they did not make those new circuits. Another study with...
Secondary Causes of Insomnia
Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep, or the complaint of unrestorative/unrefreshing sleep. Most people experience short-term insomnia from time to time, but when insomnia lasts for more than several weeks, it is considered chronic and should be evaluated by a physician. Insomnia used to be classified by sleep specialists as either primary or secondary insomnia. Secondary insomnia was insomnia that was due to an...
Kicking those Addictions
As we move into the New Year and make out our list of resolutions, be sure to add giving up your addictions. I'm not speaking of the hard drugs. I'm sure the majority of my readers aren't hooked on heroine or cocaine. Neither am I talking about drugs prescribed by your doctor. It's true that some of these may be addictive, or, at the very least, habit forming, but if your doctor has prescribed them and if they are working for you...
Sleeping Away the Common Cold
There is no cure for the common cold, or so we've been told. But a recent study led by Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg suggests that if you can't cure it, then find a method of preventing it. The study, which appeared in the January 12, 2009, issue of Archives of Internal medicine, shows that, of the 153 volunteers, those who slept fewer than eight hours a night were more likely to contract a cold. For two...
All Sleep is Not Created Equal
In my last blog we were reviewing the fundamental question of why we sleep. We left off trying to sort out the level of activity of the brain and body during different stages of sleep (i.e. Non-REM and REM). During non-REM the body and brain are at their most relaxed state. Ironically, most people think of REM as deep sleep, but actually during REM the level of brain activity resembles the awake state. Our most...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
