Learn About Sleep Disorders

For most people, falling asleep and staying asleep are parts of a natural process. Good sleepers are likely to have developed certain lifestyle and dietary habits that promote sound sleep. These habits or behaviors- known as sleep hygiene-can have positive effects on sleep...

What Are The Signs Of Sleep Changes In Older People? Your hair is turning gray, vision is changing, and fine lines are appearing on your face. Even your sleep patterns seem to shift as you grow older. While sometimes hard to adjust to, these are all natural changes in older...

How Is A Woman’s Sleep Unique? How well a woman sleeps significantly affects her quality of life. Being a woman, you are probably aware that, for years, very little research has been available concerning the sleep problems unique to women. if you suffered sleep problems,...

There are two distinct types of sleep: rapid- eye-movement (REM) sleep (when most dreaming occurs), and non-REM sleep. Typically, when you fall asleep you begin in non-REM sleep. Most people spend about 80% of the night in this type of sleep. During non-REM sleep your heart rate,...

Do You Have Trouble Sleeping At Night? Or do you sleep too much during the day? While these problems may be caused by external factors (e.g., noise, light) or temporary stresses (e.g., new baby, starting a new job), it is important to understand that these troubles may also be...

The main effect of sleep deprivation is excessive daytime sleepiness, which can lead to traffic accidents and workplace injuries. Sleep deprivation also has both short and long-term impacts on your health.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) occurs in people who are otherwise healthy. It can reduce sleep quality, daytime functioning and overall quality of life. Although it affects mostly the legs, as the name suggests, it can also affect the arms, trunk, or multiple body parts at the same time.

How Does Obstructive Sleep Apnea Increase My Surgical Risks? There are a number of reasons why obstructive sleep apnea can increase your risk of having a complication during or after surgery. Complications may include a breathing or heart problem. First you may be given a drug to ”put you to sleep” before the surgery. This is known as “anesthesia.” It keeps you from feeling pain during the surgery. It also resents you from being able to breathe on your own.

The term “parasomnia” is used in reference to a wide range of disruptive sleep-related events. These behaviors and experiences generally occur during sleep, and in most cases are infrequent and mild. At times, however, they may occur often enough or become so bothersome that medical attention in indicated.

Do You Snore Loudly? Are you the target of bad jokes or middle of the night elbow thrusts? If this sounds familiar you may already know that snoring is no laughing matter.Loud snoring can be a sign that something is seriously wrong with your breathing during sleep. Snoring indicates that the breathing passage in your throat is not fully open, and the distinctive sound of snoring comes from trying to force air through the narrowed area.

Approximately one in 2,000 people have this condition. Its impact on a person’s life can be significant, even disabling. These are facts you might not know about narcolepsy, but your friends and neighbors who suffer from this sleep disorder know how serious an issue it is.

Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (usually called insomnia) is a problem for one out of every three American adults. If you have ever suffered from insomnia, you know how it can disturb your day and your night. It can make you feel fatigued during the day. It may cause you to have trouble focusing on tasks.

What Is Drowsiness? Your body requires three things: water, food, and sleep. You can choose not to drink water or not to eat food until you eventually die. Your body’s need to sleep is so strong however, that you can try not to sleep, but your brain will eventually make your body sleep, no matter what you are doing at the time.

A main reason that shift work can be challenging to your health and lifestyle is the fact that your body is so sensitive to changes in circadian rhythms. ”What are circadian rhythms?” you ask. Circadian rhythms are like “messages” that tell various body functions when to kick in.

If you didn’t think sleep was all that important, this editorial will change your mind. Written by well-recognized experts in sleep physiology and sleep disorders, it presents scientific evidence supporting the importance of adequate sleep time, and the breakdown of immune defenses that occur without it.