There’s sleep, there’s good sleep, and then there’s sleeping like a professional athlete. When it comes to professional athletes, even good sleep isn’t good enough. If you have poor sleep habits, fixing your routine can feel insurmountable. But at the
There are as many opinions on napping as there are hours in the day. Is napping good or bad? How long should you nap? When should you nap? Do kids need naps? These are some of the questions that Dr.
Don’t Skip This Part of Your Workout! You go to the gym every day. The day isn’t complete without a workout or practice, and your cupboard is stocked with everything you need to rebuild and recover – or so you
Many bodily functions can be impacted by high-altitude and low-oxygen environments, especially sleep. High-quality sleep is crucial for mood, memory, and overall health and well-being. When sleep is consistently disrupted, troubles with focus, stress, problem-solving, and energy can arise. High-altitude
Waking up rested and ready for the day is a wonderful feeling. Stress, noise, or snacking on spicy chicken wings too close to bedtime can lead to a terrible night of sleep. Reducing stress or noise can be hard, but
Sleep is a normal and reversible activity that is essential for recovery. Studies show that sleep is important for health and performance, especially for athletes. Getting enough sleep not only helps athletes perform better but also impacts overall physical and
For travelers on the go, creating an environment conducive to healthy sleep can be complicated, especially if the sleep setting is unfamiliar. Fortunately, healthy sleep can be achieved in every corner of the planet. Global Variations on Sleep Time When
One healthy sleep habit is having a consistent and soothing bedtime routine. Ideally a bedtime routine begins 30 to 60 minutes prior to bed and is consistent. This signals to your mind and body that it is time to prepare
When you think about getting a good night’s sleep, you probably imagine a completely quiet room. When that isn’t possible, a little noise might actually help you sleep better. Different types of noise can mask disruptive sounds and help you
What Causes it and How to Remedy It While sleep deprivation – or not getting enough sleep is common, there is a remarkable increase as we age. Sleep deprivation affects about 10 to 20 percent of individuals in the general
The American Heart Association (AHA) has added sleep to their cardiovascular health checklist! In 2022, AHA’s previous checklist, known as “Life’s Simple 7” was updated to “Life’s Essential 8”. Cardiovascular disease is the top cause of death worldwide. Since the
You may be familiar with the practice of daylight saving time (DST), which moves the clock time one hour forward in spring and returns one hour backwards to standard time in the fall. The saying “spring forward and fall backwards”
Sleep is a crucial biological process. Humans need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep each night to operate at our best. However, studies suggest that up to 1/3rd of the population does not achieve this amount. Lack of proper
Each night as you drift off to sleep, your brain begins going through a series of sleep stages. These stages combine to form a sleep cycle, but it doesn’t end there. You go through several sleep cycles each night. What
On an intuitive level, we all know that good sleep is vital for our health. However, if we scratch the surface of this understanding a little bit, problems can start to emerge. Do we know what good sleep truly is?
Is This the Master Key? Sleep might be one of those rare occasions when science needs to listen to poetry. In Macbeth sleep is extolled because it “knits up the raveled sleeve of care,” perhaps the most famous Shakespeare comment
Whether you love to travel or have to hit the road for work, traveling can interfere with getting quality sleep. Traveling may have an adverse effect on your sleep for a few different reasons, including the following: Change in circadian
If you take any type of medication, it is important to understand how traveling may affect your medication schedule and the effects of the drugs. It is also helpful to take steps to ensure you stay on track the best
Many people struggle with not only falling asleep at night but also staying asleep all night. Typically, this restlessness is blamed on work and home stress. It could also result from too much screen time that can leave your nerves
Everyone’s body has an internal clock that regulates your sleep-wake cycles. This is referred to as your circadian rhythm (patterns your body follows based on a 24-hour day). Unfortunately, when you travel over multiple time zones, your internal clock does
We have heard it all before, the numerous reasons that are made as to why we are not prioritizing sleep. When people break a bone, they go to their doctor to have it assessed. Why is it any different for
Over the past several years, two hot topics have emerged, with an impact on health and safety, from issues associated with daytime sleepiness. The first calls for the elimination of Daylight-Saving Time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine put out
Have you ever felt grouchy or irritable and blamed it on a bad night of sleep? Well, you were not wrong. Daytime sleepiness can affect a person’s mood as well as their physical health. It is important that you
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
When there are so many people and activities competing for your attention, prioritizing sleep can feel impossible. Here are 5 tips that can help. Even if you’re busy, you can… 1.) Start each new day brightly.Even if you didn’t get
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
…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
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
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