Sleep affects a person’s waking hours more than a person realizes. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, restless limb syndrome, narcolepsy, delayed or advanced sleep phase syndrome and parasomnias. 

The Alert, Well and Keeping Energy (AWAKE) sleep support group is part of the Piedmont Newnan Sleep Center’s efforts to help patients get the rest they need to lead normal, productive lives.

“People don’t realize the affect and power a good night’s sleep has on people,” says Jennifer Morrow, the Piedmont Newnan Hospital Sleep Center and AWAKE support group coordinator.

Some common symptoms of not getting enough rest include excessive sleepiness during daytime hours, loud snoring, pauses during breathing while asleep, morning headaches, restless legs during sleep and exhaustion despite having enough sleep hours. Read the rest of this entry

Most people usually find it difficult to get a restful sleep for several hours after sitting under bright lights post sunset. If you are one of those who do not get a restful night’s sleep here is good news for you all. A new LED bio-bulb will soon be allowing you to see at night without hindering body’s natural mechanisms.

A Florida inventor is testing a new LED bio-bulb that could regulate the body’s circadian rhythm by helping control the production of melatonin, the body’s sleep hormone that tells us when it’s night time, Discovery News reported.

Fred Maxik, founder and chief technology officer of Lighting Science Group Corp asserted that this can be achieved by eliminating a small segment of the blue wavelength of light (around 465 to 485 nanometers) produced by the lightbulb. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep disorders often remain undiagnosed. Untreated sleep disorders among police officers may adversely affect their health and safety and pose a risk to the public.

Researchers examined and evaluated associations between sleep disorder risk and self-reported health, safety, and performance outcomes in police officers.

Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study of North American police officers participating in either an online or an on-site screening (n=4957) and monthly follow-up surveys (n=3545 officers representing 15 735 person-months) between July 2005 and December 2007. A total of 3693 officers in the United States and Canada participated in the online screening survey, and 1264 officers from a municipal police department and a state police department participated in the on-site survey.             Read the rest of this entry

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified an intracellular signaling enzyme that regulates the wake-sleep cycle, which could help lead to the development of more effective sleep aid medications. Subimal Datta, PhD, director and principal investigator at the Laboratory of Sleep and Cognitive Neuroscience at BUSM, led the study, which points to a specific enzyme inside neurons in the brain that trigger an important shift in consciousness from sleep to wakefulness and wakefulness to sleep.

The results are published in the November 23 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Read the rest of this entry

Two sleep disorders centers focussing on the children have opened up with dedicated sleep disorders programs  for the suburban Philadelphia residents. These two Philadelhia hospitals intend to help people who have trouble sleeping.

Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers recently opened the Pediatric Sleep Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton also recently opened a sleep disorders center for adults on the third floor of its Medical Arts Pavilion.

Crozer-Keystone Sleep Centers has been opened by Crozer-Keystone Health System to serve children ages six months to 16 years with problems such as sleep apnea, sleep walking, insomnia and night terrors. Read the rest of this entry

A new study presented in November at the American College of Allergy, Asthma  and Immunology Annual Meeting found that obese adolescents have an increased risk of sleep apnea or abnormal breathing during sleep.

Previous research has shown that obese children and teenagers are at higher  risk of health-related problems, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood  pressure and asthma. Children who are overweight are nearly 2-1/2 times more  likely to have asthma than those who are not overweight. Now, this new study  highlights how obesity may interfere with a child’s ability to have restful  sleep.

“Quality nighttime sleep is a key component for advanced executive function  in children and teenagers,” says Sushmita Mikkilineni, M.D., Director Pediatric  Pulmonology for Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ) at Newark Beth Israel  Medical Center. “Untreated pediatric sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, can  exact a heavy toll on young people. Children suffering from sleep disorders may  be hyperactive, inattentive, and chronically tired.” Read the rest of this entry

(Reuters Health) – New research shows high rates of sleep disorders among veterans of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or head injuries.

The study conducted at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, found that among some 300 soldiers with PTSD, head injuries or both, more than half had sleep apnea — a serious interruption of breathing during sleep — and nearly half had insomnia.

“Sleep complaints were universal,” wrote Dr. Jacob Collen and his colleagues in their research summary. Collen’s team presented their findings this week at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Honolulu.

The researchers studied 135 soldiers with PTSD, 116 with traumatic brain injury and 66 with both conditions.

Sleep testing performed on most of the patients found obstructive sleep apnea in 56 percent of them and insomnia in 49 percent. Read the rest of this entry

Clayton Sleep Institute (CSI), in partnership with Sleep Review magazine hosts the 9th Annual Updates in Sleep Medicine 2011. The conference takes place in St. Louis, Mo. at the Four Seasons Hotel beginning on Friday, November 4 and continuing until 12:30 CST on November 5. The annual meeting offers premiere medical and scientific presentations by leaders in sleep medicine on the current trends and latest developments.

Each year, the event attracts sleep specialists, primary care physicians, specialty physicians, nurses, respiratory care practitioners and residents in training from across the United States. The following topics will be covered at this year’s conference:

Managing Circadian Rhythms: Diagnosis and Treatment: this presentation will be given by Mark J. Muehlbach, Ph.D. Dr. Muehlbach is the Clinical Director of the The Clinics at Clayton Sleep Institute. The presentation will help audience members both become familiar with circadian rhythms and identify factors contributing to disruptions in circadian rhythms. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is among the common sleep problems in adults, especially in middle-aged men. And children and kids are equally prone to this most uncomfortable sleep disorder.The effects of snoring upon the overall health of children is established to be detrimental up to great extent.

Association of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA among kids and children has now become a more common occurrence. Across the globe occurrence of persistent snoring on most nights has been reported in 8-12 percent of children.

The incidence of OSA (with significant upper airway obstruction leading to   oxygen desaturation and/or sleep fragmentation) is 2-3 percent in children under the age of 10. Read the rest of this entry

A research study focused on ‘Sleep and vigilance disorders in pregnancy’ revealed that the overall effect of sleep disorders increase during all trimesters of pregnancy.The research was conducted at the Department of Neurology, CHU La Miletrie, Poitiers, France.

Objectives of this study included evaluation of frequency of sleep disorders like sleep apnea disorder, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, and daytime sleepiness according to three defined trimesters of pregnancy. In orders to study and evaluate the effects of sleep disorders like sleep apnea and daytime sleepiness researchers selected 871 young pregnant women on random basis.

The research study was based on a cross-sectional design and included retrospective survey of pre-pregnancy stage, symptoms, and prospective survey of current symptoms. Researchers used questionnaires and interviews to derive inferences. Alterations in the sleeping patterns of mothers were analyzed to evaluate their sleep before pregnancy and sleeping patterns during different trimesters of pregnancy. Read the rest of this entry

A recent poll conducted by the Centers  for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranks Oklahoma the fourth sleepiest  state in the country.  It’s a huge problem. About 30 percent of Americans report having difficulty  falling or staying asleep, while some 10 percent have chronic insomnia.  According to the CDC poll, 14.3 percent of Oklahoma adults report they’re not  getting enough sleep. West  Virginia leads the country at 19.3 percent, followed by Tennessee  at 14.8 percent and Kentucky,  14.4 percent. Insufficient sleep can result in moodiness, irritability and  increased risk for auto and workplace accidents.

 In order to get better sleep  try to go to bed and get up about the same times every day, eat well and avoid  late-night meals, exercise regularly and finally, maintain a cool, dark and  quiet bedroom without distractions such as television or work  projects.

Insomnia, one of the most dreaded – yet highly common – is affecting more than 30% of the world’s population. Not surprisingly, people today have been found to experience 20% less of the good night’s sleep that people from 100 years ago tremendously enjoyed. Often caused by stress and anxiety or involving genetics, insomnia is prompting roughly 10 million Americans to pop prescription medicine to help them fall into a deep slumber.

As the number of “insomniacs” around the world soars, so does the need for trusted, relevant data on how alleviate the condition.

Established in 2005, Help-Me-To-Sleep.com aims to provide a wealth of facts and advice on a range of sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome and shift work sleep disorder. The website contains insomnia definition to help visitors understand the condition, while tackling in detail what causes insomnia and how to treat it. Read the rest of this entry

The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia to treat sleep  problems can reduce suicidal ideation, according to research presented  last week at SLEEP 2011,  the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep  Societies LLC, held in Minneapolis.

The findings show that about 21% of participants with insomnia—65 of  303 participants—reported having suicidal thoughts or wishes during the  past 2 weeks. Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia produced a  statistically significant post-treatment reduction in suicidal  ideation. Treatment sessions were conducted weekly until the final two  sessions, which were conducted bi-weekly.

According to the researchers, a growing body of evidence suggests  that self-reported insomnia and poor sleep quality constitute modifiable  risk factors for suicide. Sleep complaints are listed among the top  suicide warning signs by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service  Administration. No previous studies, however, had evaluated the impact  of a sleep intervention on suicidal ideation.

The study included 303 community outpatients between 18 and 88 years  of age who completed group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia.  The Beck Depression Inventory, which includes a question about suicidal  thoughts or wishes, was administered at both baseline and  post-treatment.

A new study shows that people with primary insomnia may be able to  find relief by wearing a cap that cools the brain during sleep. The  findings were presented last week at SLEEP 2011, the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the  Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC, in Minneapolis.

According to the researchers, a reduction in metabolism in the  brain’s frontal cortex occurs while falling asleep and is associated  with restorative sleep. Insomnia, however, is associated with increased  metabolism in this same brain region. One way to reduce cerebral  metabolic activity is to use frontal cerebral thermal transfer to cool  the brain—a process known as “cerebral hypothermia.” Read the rest of this entry

Gaming and Internet activity are more likely to have a negative  impact on self-reported teen sleep duration than watching television,  according to a study presented at the American Psychiatric  Association Annual Meeting.

Researchers analyzed data about media usage and physical activity  from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey maintained by the Centers for  Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers found different types  of media exposure have different impact on self-reported teen sleep  patterns. Gaming and Internet usage negatively impacted reported sleep  time, while television had no impact, and physical activity improved  sleep time.