Bedtime Reads

Bedtime Reads- Wide Awake and Dreaming

Looking to learn even more? For each issue, we highlight books about sleep. Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy  by Julie Flygare  Winner of the San Francisco Book Festival Award for Biography/ Autobiography,  Wide Awake and Dreaming is a revealing

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Insufficient Sleep Syndrome

Insufficient Sleep Syndrome

Getting enough sleep?  Millions of people suffer from chronic sleep-wake disorders that make them struggle to get through the day. Many others burn the candle at both ends to juggle work and family and play, but with the effect of

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Hypersomnia

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

Most of us have had an occasional morning when we wake up thinking, “Just five more minutes. Please just let me sleep five more minutes.” We likely nonetheless drag ourselves out of bed and face the day in a groggy

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Advancing Sleep Health

The Science of a Good Night’s Sleep

While sleep seems “quiet and restful”, it is, in reality, an active process and involves complex neurophysiology, engaging a number of brain systems. This multi-component physiology leads to restful sleep night after night but also presents multiple vulnerabilities that can

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Insomnia

My Child Can’t Sleep

How to manage pediatric insomnia  Judith A. Owens, MD, MPH, is an internationally recognized authority on pediatric sleep and the author of numerous original research and review articles in peer-review journals on the topic. Her particular research interest is in the neurobehavioral and health consequences

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Exercise

Sleep in Athletics

Recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) included sleep health as part of its first official mental health position statement. Additionally, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the US published its first position paper on sleep health for athletes with

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The Buzz About Sleep

Your Latest Buzzwords are Process C & Process S.

Your Latest Buzzwords are Process C & Process S. The two processes that regulate the timing and length of sleep.  PROCESS C Where do Process C and Process S come from? Process C refers to our internal clock—our body’s natural sleep

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Insomnia

How to Find Help for Your Insomnia

Paul Glovinsky, PhD has been working in the field of sleep medicine for more than 35 years. His study began in 1979 when he met Arthur Spielman, PhD, one of the founders of behavioral sleep medicine. Active on Dr. Glovinsky’s dissertation committee, their

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Insomnia

Insights into Insomnia

Sleep. We all know it is important. Sleep is when your body heals itself, both mentally and physically. Getting adequate sleep is linked to better mood, memory, and immune function, while poor quality sleep is associated with higher body weight

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Insomnia

Have You Been Worried About Insomnia?

Below are some questions that a doctor might ask to help determine whether you are at risk for insomnia. If these issues concern you, contact your primary care physician.  Please remember that insomnia is treatable. I often have difficulty falling asleep. 

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Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence in Sleep Medicine

How AI is changing the field Artificial Intelligence (AI) consists of computer programs that perform decision-making and pattern-recognition tasks previously done by humans. Classical automatic algorithms are programmed to recognize events and patterns. By learning from data, AI algorithms can reproduce what

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Healthy Sleep

Short Sleeper & Long Sleeper

Lesser-known sleep disorders may alter how long you sleep.   Based on research and diagnosis, only around one percent of the population will be diagnosed with short sleeper. Likewise, one percent will be diagnosed with long sleeper.   What is short sleeper? 

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Insomnia

What is CBT-I?

What to understand about the gold standard in insomnia treatment. If you are experiencing insomnia—or finding it difficult to fall asleep several times per week, you may be told by your healthcare provider about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).

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Healthy Sleep

Ways to Get Through the Day on Little Sleep

There are many indicators of poor sleep quality. While many warning signs are sleep sensitive—such as irritability, poor mood, worse performance, difficulties concentrating—most could also be explained by other factors.   The main test I use is to ask: How do you

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Right Now in Sleep Science

The index of Nighttime Offline Distress (iNOD)

3,008 adolescents aged 10–18 years were surveyed to develop a new self-reporting index to measure the difficulty of disengaging from social media at night. The index of Nighttime Offline Distress (iNOD) showed that youth with higher scores on the index reported

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Bedtime Reads

BEDTIME READS: Sleep Disorders for Dummies

Looking to learn more? Each issue, we highlight one book about sleep.  Sleep Disorders For Dummies by Max Hirshkowitz and Patricia B. Smith  An easy-to-follow guide to help you get a good night’s rest. Sleep Disorders For Dummies is for anyone who has trouble sleeping—or has a loved one who suffers

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Healthy Sleep

Consequences of Poor Sleep Quality

What happens if you regularly sleep less than seven hours per night and/or usually live with disrupted sleep to the point of sleep deprivation? Sleep professionals are often asked, “Why should I care about my sleeping habits?”  The reason you

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Ask the Sleep Doc

Ask the Sleep Doc

As answered by our Special Issue Reviewers  Q: What are some warning signs of sleep deprivation?  __________________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Thomas: Waking up tired, needing more than two cups of coffee, feeling tired, yawning, having difficulty focusing during the middle of the afternoon and

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Healthy Sleep Habits

Understanding Caffeine & Sleep

A majority of adults begin the day with caffeine. Drinking caffeine 4-6 hours before bed has been shown to impact the ability to fall asleep & sleep quality.  Research shows consuming caffeine before bedtime can suppress the production of melatonin, a

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Insomnia

Insomnia 1991-2021: How Treatment Has Changed

Views on insomnia and “trouble sleeping” have undoubtedly changed throughout the past few decades. As it became more culturally acceptable to talk about insomnia, treatments began being requested. Three World Sleep Society sleep experts have watched the field grow, expand

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Bedtime Reads

Bedtime Reads: How to Sleep

Anyone having trouble sleeping has heard the “sleep hygiene” rules: Don’t drink caffeine after 2:00pm, use the bedroom only for sleeping, put down screens an hour before bed. But as the millions with poor sleep can attest, following one-size-fits-all directives

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Ask the Sleep Doc

Ask the Sleep Doc

As answered by Issue Reviewers Q: Any tips on making time for sleep in a busy life?   Dr. ThomasThe key is to consider good and adequate sleep as necessary for health, just like optimal food, exercise, relationships and so

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Circadian Rhythm

Sleep in Space

Can we adapt to a new night and day? NASA is planning a mission to the Moon in 2024. After several lunar missions, NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars. This series of missions for exploration is called Artemis 1.

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Pediatric Sleep

Sleep Disorders in Kids are Common

Differentiating the usual from the unusual. All parents are familiar with the stress of trying to get kids to sleep—as well as the worry that comes when that sleep isn’t sound. Children often experience more sleep disturbances than adults, but

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Circadian Rhythm

How You Spend Your Days Can Affect Your Nights

From night owls to morning larks. Circadian rhythms are our body’s time keeper, differentiating day and night, telling us when it is time to eat and releasing sleep hormones like melatonin when it is time to sleep. Psychologist and PhD

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Healthy Sleep Habits

Better Sleep, Better Immunity

I was always fascinated by the conventional wisdom and personal experience that sleep helps fight infections. And isn’t it interesting that, on the other hand, not sleeping enough makes us more susceptible to get infected? There is something happening during

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Nightmares

Nightmares & Sleepwalking

When is there cause for concern? Believe it or not, sleepwalking and excessive nightmares are related—and both could potentially require a visit to the doctor. Learn more about these common sleep disorders, and when to seek treatment. What is sleepwalking?According

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Artificial Intelligence

New Treatment for PTSD-Related Nightmares

A college student watching his father deal with nightmares due to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) created a smartwatch app that was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Using his father as the test subject, Tyler Skluzacek

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Sleep Related Movement Disorder

Your Latest Buzzword is Hypnic Jerks.

When you are falling asleep and your body suddenly jerks, jolts or startles, this is a hypnic jerk or benign myoclonic jerk. Some people refer to them as a twitch, start or involuntary contraction, but all words are describing the

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Pediatric Sleep

Melatonin

From hormone to over-the-counter supplement. Dr. Lourdes DelRosso is passionate about helping people find good rest. She has a particular interest in restless sleep and restless legs syndrome. Along with her work in sleep medicine, Dr. DelRosso has often been

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Healthy Sleep

How to Know if You Have a Sleep Disorder

What is a sleep disorder? Simply put, a sleep disorder is a problem or condition that results in lack of quality sleep. Lacking quality sleep impacts daytime function and a myriad of physical and mental elements. Sleep is a basic

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Healthy Sleep

What is “Regular” Sleep?

Understanding the definition and why it’s important for our health. Regular sleep can be explained as being “not irregular” and vice versa. Sleep is naturally prone to be irregular, as it occurs in “chunks” that are loosely linked together, and

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Physical Health

Epilepsy & Sleep

Five things you should know. Doctors have long recognized a complicated dynamic between sleep and seizure activity in people with epilepsy. As a neurologist who specializes in treating epilepsy, as well as sleep disorders, Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer is on the

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Hypersomnia

The Hypersomnia Foundation

Patient Organization Highlight The Hypersomnia Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit, patient advocacy organization working on behalf of people with idiopathic hypersomnia and related rare sleep disorders. Diane Powell, the current Chair of the Board of Directors and CEO, explains, “Idiopathic

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Mental Health

Social Rejection & Sleep

Is there a connection? Humans are social creatures, yet the research on how sleep is related to many social processes has been largely unexplored. Social rejection seemed like an easy one to investigate because interpersonal stressors—like social rejection—have routinely been

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Circadian Rhythm

The Case for Later School Start Times

Why starting school later is healthier for our teens. By helping the next generation maximize their potential, decrease risk-taking behaviors, improve driver safety and improve quality of life, adjusting school start times can have a positive effect on an entire

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Right Now in Sleep Science

Sleep Deprivation + Dementia

Does sleep impact dementia risk? A new study suggests that sleeping less than 5 hours per night is associated with a two-fold greater risk for dementia when compared to sleeping 7-8 hours per night. Additionally, taking longer than 30 minutes

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Sleep Apnea

When Breathing During Sleep Isn’t Normal

Hypoventilation & hypoxemia. HYPOVENTILATIONVentilation is the process of breathing air in and out. In this process, carbon dioxide is exhaled from the lungs and oxygen enters the blood stream after inspiration of air into our lungs. We ventilate air during

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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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Ask the Sleep Doc

Ask the Sleep Doc

As answered by Issue Reviewers Q: Is it normal to awaken to use the bathroom several times per night?   Dr. ThomasNo. This reflects either fragmented sleep, resulting in periods of wake after each sleep cycle, bladder irritability or increased

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Mental Health

Sleep + Unwanted Thoughts

A new study reveals that sleep deprivation and/or lack of sleep impairs the ability to stop and block unwanted thoughts. Intrusive, negative or unwanted thoughts tend to be a complaint of those living with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other

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Mental Health

Sundowning

A sleep disorder may be affecting your loved one with dementia. Antonio Culebras MD, FAAN, FAHA, FAASM is a Professor of Neurology at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. His research has led him to study a sleep disorder

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Bedtime Reads

Bedtime Reads: Sleep-Wrecked Kids

In Sleep-Wrecked Kids: Helping Parents Raise Happy, Healthy Kids, One Sleep at a Time, author and speech pathologist/myofunctional practitioner with 38 years of clinical experience, Sharon Moore will explain: • The importance of sleep for kids• The good sleep formula•

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Pediatric Sleep

The Discovery of a New Pediatric Sleep Disorder

Recently, I was a member of a group of international sleep researchers who developed consensus diagnostic criteria detailing a new sleep disorder in children called Restless Sleep Disorder or RSD. With this new discovery, we intend to improve clinical practice

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Healthy Sleep

Creating Your Optimal Sleep Environment

There are many things that affect sleep, including physical health, mental health, sleep habits and the physical environment. The physical environment is generally defined as all the things in a person’s sleeping space that are either conducive to sleep or

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Healthy Sleep

4 Things to Know about Sleep & Stress

The topic of stress and sleep is of the outmost importance as we head into 2021. The unprecedent times we have been living in since March 2020 have had a devastating effect on sleep, especially because of the stress caused

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Patient Organization Highlight

Patient Org Highlight: ASAP

Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners ASAP is an organization for patients with sleep apnea created by patients with sleep apnea. Kathy Page, Past President of the ASAP Board of Directors explains, “Everything we do, everything we create or try to

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Healthy Sleep

Danger on the Road

Watch out for drowsy driving. High speed. No skid marks. A serious accident. These hallmarks often indicate to crash scene investigators that a driver nodded off at the wheel. MICROSLEEPWe’ve all seen someone do it: in a meeting, in a

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Nutrition

Nutrition & Sleep

How to improve your sleep by changing your eating & drinking habits. The relationship between nutrition and sleep is far from being completely clarified. However, the available scientific evidence supports a few tips that can improve your sleep: 1.) Cut

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The Buzz About Sleep

The BuZZZ about Sleep

Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, or OMT as it’s regularly referred to, is a therapy of exercises for the face and tongue that can improve or even eliminate causes of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. The muscles of the tongue, throat and

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Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea 101

What everyone should know about this common sleep disorder. Sleep apnea is a pervasive, potentially dangerous disorder that deserves wider public awareness and understanding. An estimated 80% of moderate to severe cases go undiagnosed, and this sleep disorder can wreak

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Sleep Apnea

Snoring is Common But Not Always Normal

Snoring is extremely common—one of the most common presenting symptoms to a sleep clinic. I had the good fortune to work with Professor Colin Sullivan, a pioneer of the sleep field and inventor of CPAP for the treatment of obstructive

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Pediatric Sleep

Yes, Children Can Have Sleep Apnea Too

Understand the rates, risks and treatments for your little one. All around the world, parents worry about their children’s health. And while there is plenty of talk around how much sleep children should get, there is not always talk about

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Stacey Quo, DDS, MS
Dental Sleep

Sleep in the Dental Chair

Stacey Quo, DDS, MS has made it her passion to help patients who might never know they have a sleep disorder, find rest. Sometimes you discover sleep disorders in the most unlikely of places. Like the orthodontist’s office. Dr. Stacey

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Ask the Sleep Doc

Ask the Sleep Doc

As answered by our Autumn 2020 Special Issue Reviewers Q: How do I know if I’m getting enough sleep? Dr. ThomasThe average sleep requirement is about 7 hours, but shorter and especially longer is normal. The need to sleep in

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Bedtime Reads

Bedtime Reads: The Sleep Revolution

Looking to learn even more? Each issue, we highlight one book about sleep. Check out this bestseller in sleep. Arianna Huffington, of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global, is the author of The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night

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Healthy Sleep

Let’s Talk About Sleep

When international sleep experts collaborate, the public benefits Pop quiz, hotshot. If someone asked you to name the three pillars of health, could you? Sure, there’s healthy food (please stop talking about kale) and then there’s exercise (can I get

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Healthy Sleep

The Consequences of Poor Sleep

Missing one night of sleep is a normal occurrence for individuals around the globe. But what if you lack sleep on a regular basis? Or if you’re unable to obtain quality sleep due to a sleep disorder? Then, the consequences

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Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea & Stroke

The symbiotic relationship you need to know about Twenty years ago, you would be hard pressed to find data on sleep apnea’s connection to stroke. Even ten years ago it may have been difficult to find supporting data to clarify

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Healthy Sleep

The Sleep Secret Experts Prioritize

…And Why You Should Too Sleep is one of the three pillars of good health, along with a balanced diet and regular exercise. The world’s leading sleep experts have hectic daily agendas, often directing a sleep center or university department

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Mental Health

Sleep & Self-Worth

The Unlikely Duo Affecting Your Life It is not uncommon to read about connections between exercise or balanced diet with health and self esteem. But researchers are urging we take a look at the third pillar of health: sleep. Recent

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Right Now in Sleep Science

Poor Sleep + Blood Pressure

Poor sleep can raise blood pressure and alter gut microbiome. A recent scientific study suggests that staying awake all night can lead to high blood pressure, though it’s not yet clear what mechanisms underlie the development of this conditions. Researchers

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Healthy Sleep

5 Untruths We Believe About Sleep

The 94 classified sleep disorders are not always to blame In the world of medicine, Sleep Medicine is a relatively young subspecialty, but it’s evolving at a rapid pace. Sleep Medicine is a subspecialty of practice and research devoted to

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The Buzz About Sleep

Sleep Divorce

When a couple stops sleeping in the same bed or bedroom in an effort to better sleep quality and quantity, such as when a member of the couple has a sleep disorder or works a night shift. The term gained

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Patient Organization Highlight

Patient Organization Highlight: The Snooze Button

The Snooze Button—That’s the name of the podcast, the working title of the book and various other projects connected to the book. The man behind the button is Neil Hedley. Hedley explains, “I’m the host, producer, webmaster, social media guy,

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Pediatric Sleep

10 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Sleep

Sleep. How can a parent help a child sleep better? First, by knowing that sleep is one of the most significant contributors to your child’s physical and mental health. Sleep is important. As parents, the primary point of action we

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Healthy Sleep

Healthy Habits for Healthy Sleep

Healthy sleep is sleep which restores and energizes you so you feel wide awake, dynamic and energetic all day long, yet 1 in 3 Americans is not achieving healthy sleep. Many people assume getting a good night’s sleep is judged

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