Day: February 26, 2021

Ask the Sleep Doc

Ask the Sleep Doc

As answered by Issue Reviewers Q: Is it possible to sleep too much?   Dr. ThomasHypersomnia is the term used to describe excessive sleep duration, and is not normal. The capability of sleeping 11 or more hours in a 24-hour

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Physical Health

COVID-19 & Sleep

What we know. Three professional perspectives on the pandemic’s impact on our sleep—including tips on how to sleep better. From the Taskforce Associate Professor Sutapa Mukherjee of Flinders University has been a sleep physician since 2005. In addition to working

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Pediatric Sleep

Sleep Challenges of Autism

One doctor’s quest to help families rest. Before Dr. Beth Ann Malow attained her distinguished roles at Vanderbilt University as the Chief of their Division of Sleep Disorders, as well as the Burry Chair of Cognitive Child Development, she was

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Circadian Rhythm

Circadian Rhythms

Can our bodies keep track of time? Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to sleep after the clocks change, or why you feel so sluggish on dark winter days? Or why after working an overnight shift or traveling

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Bedtime Reads

Bedtime Reads: You Are Getting Sleepy

You Are Getting Sleepy: Lifestyle-Based Solutions for Insomnia by Paul Glovinsky, PhD and Arthur Spielman, PhD is an easy-to-follow guide written by two founding experts in behavioral sleep medicine that will help you achieve a good night’s rest. Taking into

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Healthy Sleep

Gender Differences in Sleep

For decades, researchers have reported and recorded differences in sleep for women and men, with more recent studies including transgender and nonbinary individuals. Dr. Michael Grandner of the University of Arizona has been working in the field of sleep medicine

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Nightmares

Sleep Deprivation + Nightmares

Recent research ties sleep deprivation to recurrent nightmares in adolescents aged 10-20. Researchers in China surveyed 19,229 students to reveal that recurrent nightmares occurred more often in those who habitually slept less than eight hours per night. The study found

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Healthy Sleep

Sleep Changes as We Age

A Q&A with Dr. Catherine McCall Catherine McCall, MD is a sleep medicine physician and psychiatrist working at the Seattle VA. She is also the Acting Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences at the University of

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Nightmares

Acting Out Your Dreams?

It could be REM sleep behavior disorder… Thrashing against imaginary intruders? Calling out while dreaming? Sometimes these nocturnal outbursts bother a bedmate more than the wild sleeper. However, even if you sleep alone, it might be worth asking your doctor

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The Buzz About Sleep

Your Latest Buzzword is Monophasic.

Over 24 hours, sleep can be organized into one block, called monophasic, or multiple blocks knowns as biphasic or polyphasic sleep. Little is known about variation in organizational patterns of sleep in humans, but it is expected that monophasic sleep

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Mental Health

Sleep Deprivation & Loneliness

Sleep loss is a significant contributing factor to the public health crisis of loneliness Perhaps you’ve noticed in your own life that when you sleep less, you are less likely to call up a friend or go out to a

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Healthy Sleep

Sleep in the Spotlight

March offers global opportunities to celebrate sleep. With the realization that sleep improves almost every facet of life, you may want to share this important message with family and friends. How can you? The best way is by joining in

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Narcolepsy

Day for Narcolepsy Awareness Projects (Day4NAPs)

PATIENT ORGANIZATION HIGHLIGHT DAY4NAPS is a digital database for narcolepsy awareness events occurring on a global scale. Mark Patterson, MD, PhD, President of the organization, adds, “We also provide links to international narcolepsy and sleep organizations, serving to act as

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Artificial Intelligence

Opinion: What You Should Know About Wearables

Smart apps and devices can track your sleep, but accuracy matters. Two things motivated me to become interested in wearables. First, I wanted to find a more economical and flexible alternative to research-grade actigraphs (the current standard for assessing sleep

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Right Now in Sleep Science

Stop the Clock

The case for eliminating seasonal time changes. In most of the United States, daylight saving time starts each year on the second Sunday in March when we set clocks ahead one hour. A growing body of evidence shows that this

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