Lack of Exercise = Lack of Sleep

Tommy sprawls on the couch, his eyes glued to the TV screen and the latest Spiderman movie. Shelly is curled up in the easy chair, her only movement her fingers on the controls of her Game Boy.   It's a perfect summer day filled with golden sunshine and light breezes. Tommy should be outside playing baseball. On the sidewalk across the street, Shelly's friends are engaged in a game of hopscotch. But hey! Both the kids are quiet and... Continue reading ...

  With the hectic lifestyles most of us lead these days, napping has become almost a way of life. Think naps are for sissies? Listen. Even the sports teams are getting into it.   "A lot of things may change in the NHL," Scott Mellanby of the Atlanta Thrashers says, "but not naps. It's just a part of being a hockey player."   One complaint from participants in the Olympics is sleep deprivation. With jet lag and getting used to... Continue reading ...

 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... Continue reading ...

A study in the Oct.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that long-term alcoholism affects sleep even after long periods of abstinence, and the pattern of this effect is similar in both men and women. Results indicate that in long-term alcoholics who had not had a drink for up to 719 days, the percentage of slow wave sleep was significantly lower (6.6% in men, 11.1% in women) than in controls (12.0% in men, 12.1% in women). Continue reading ...

Sleep is one of the necessities of life along with water, food and air. But just how much sleep do we need? What is too much? What is too little, and how does sleep affect our health?A new study, reported in Science News, explains that Alzheimer's is linked to lack of sleep. Plaques of Alzheimer's increase in the brains of mice and also in  the spinal fluid of people during wakefulness. These plaques destroy brain cells and lead to... Continue reading ...