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... Read more ...
I previously posted about the diagnosis of insomnia, the difference between primary and secondary/comorbid insomnia, and the importance of evaluating for and treating any underlying causes of insomnia. I encourage you to read my Secondary Insomnia post before reading any more of this post. Today I will be talking more about medication treatment options for secondary (comorbid) insomnia. Although persons with primary insomnia (insomnia not... Read more ...
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... Read more ...
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Except for tracheotomy, it is also the most effective treatment for OSA. CPAP is basically a computerized air pump that delivers pressurized air through a hose and then through a nasal interface into the patient's throat. The pressurized air splints open the upper airways, preventing the airflow pauses (apneas) and airflow... Read more ...
In my last blog we began a discussion of seasonal affective disorder or SAD. We will pick up where we left off. There is actually some debate in the psychiatric community whether or not SAD is actually a separate diagnosis, apart from general depression. Those who claim it is not suggest that it is no more than a seasonal coincidence that occurs in someone with recurring episodes of depression. As support to this idea... Read more ...
You’ve all seen the ads. You might have even heard about the charges of “disease mongering” that have been bandied about, specifically about this disorder. We are going to start covering the topic of restless legs syndrome (RLS). (By the way, disease mongering is when someone with a financial interest in a disease, like a pharmaceutical company with an effective medicine, publicizes a disorder with the sole... Read more ...
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... Read more ...
We started our discussion about restless legs syndrome (RLS) in my recent blog, so let’s continue where we left off. Mild symptoms of RLS occur in 5-15% of the general population, which makes it the second or third most common sleep disorder. Of these cases, only about 2-3% are considered clinically severe enough to require treatment. It appears to occur more commonly in females and can even affect children. Due... Read more ...
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