The Army has a sleep problem. Here’s how to fix it.
By: Maj. Jeff Jager and Aaron Kennedy, November 20, 2016 Editor’s note: The following is an opinion piece. The writers are not employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff. The use of alcohol is known to degrade mental capacity and impair decision-making. The military prohibits its use during duty hours for common-sense reasons, and does the same with other substances that can degrade readiness. But when it comes to other actions that can do similar damage, or worse, we promote them with reverence, pretending …
What Happens To The Body If We Don’t Sleep? Obesity, Hallucinations And More.
By Jhesset E Apr 18, 2016 03:59 AM EDT With our daily lives getting busier day by day, it’s hard to devote time to getting some sleep. For some people, the 24 hours in a day is insufficient to finish all their tasks and napping may be considered a waste of time. But sleep is actually very significant. Our brain works the hardest when we are asleep, repairing and strengthening our cognitive and other bodily functions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that insufficient sleep is a public health concern. Their studies showed that with sleep deprivation, several sleep-related …
Medications May Cause Dementia, But It Could Be Untreated Sleep Apnea.
02/27/2016 01:58 pm ET | Updated Feb 29, 2016 By Brandon R. Peters, M.D. The news was enough to give you indigestion: Some of the over-the-counter and prescription medications most widely used to treat heartburn and acid reflux are linked to the development of dementia. The research suggesting a possible association is the latest in a string of implicated drugs over the past few years, including medications taken to treat anxiety, seizures, insomnia, and allergies. What is going on? Before emptying out the medicine cabinet, take a moment to consider the role of untreated obstructive sleep apnea. Scientific research can …
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis relapse may be triggered by sleep disturbances.
Many people understand the importance of a getting a good night’s sleep, but recent research indicates that two inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis could relapse due to sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances are associated with absenteeism at work, as well as an increased need for healthcare services. Research shows that it is also closely linked to gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. These problems could include hypertension or impairment of glucose control, and increased inflammation. While getting back into a normal sleep pattern can often resolve health issues, science tells us that it is different with IBD and sleep. With IBD …
The Dangers of Drowsy Driving.
Nodding off at the wheel kills almost as many Americans each year as drunk driving By Consumer Reports Last updated: January 14, 2016 Nodding off at the wheel isn’t just frightening—it can be fatal. Consider that at 55 mph you cover the length of a football field in 5 seconds. In fact, about one-fifth of fatal car crashes involve a drowsy driver, according to a 2014 study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, in which specially trained investigators analyzed 14,268 car crashes between 2009 and 2013. To combat that problem, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently initiated a campaign …
Lack Of Deep Sleep May Set The Stage For Alzheimer’s
Updated January 6, 20161:35 PM ET Published January 4, 20165:05 AM ET JON HAMILTON Jeffrey Iliff (right) and Bill Rooney, brain scientists at Oregon Health & Science University, look over an MRI. The school has an especially sensitive MRI unit that should be able to detect precisely when during sleep the brain is being cleansed of toxins. Courtesy of Oregon Health & Science University There’s growing evidence that a lack of sleep can leave the brain vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease. “Changes in sleep habits may actually be setting the stage” for dementia, says Jeffrey Iliff, a brain scientist at …
Lack of sleep is hurting Canada’s kids — and parents are drugging them to try to help out, new study shows.
University of B.C. nursing professor Wendy Hall says child sleep deprivation is linked to learning difficulties, behavioural problems and even increased risk of obesity. Photograph by: Arlen Redekop , PROVINCE A surprising new Canadian study suggests 70 per cent of children have trouble settling into what should come naturally — sleep. And further, about 30 per cent of parents struggling with this problem give their kids over-the-counter medications such as melatonin, a so-called “magic pill” with unknown long-term effects. University of B.C. researcher and nursing school professor Wendy Hall — who has studied child sleep for 10 years — says …
Why children who sleep more get better grades.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015 10:35 AM UTC Sleep plays a fundamental role in the way we learn. Emerging evidence makes a compelling case for the importance of sleep for language learning, memory, executive function, problem solving and behaviour during childhood. A new study that my colleagues and I have worked on illustrated how an optimal quantity of sleep leads to more effective learning in terms of knowledge acquisition and memory consolidation. Poor quality of sleep – caused by lots of waking up during the night – has also been reported to be a strong predictor of lower academic performance, reduced …
Drowsy Driving Monitoring Systems Trending Toward Inward-looking Camera-based Tech
Published on December 7, 2015 Driver monitoring systems (DMSs) can analyze driver behavior or detect patterns tending towards micro-sleep to issue appropriate warnings and help revive the driver’s focus. Several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have therefore adopted behavior-based DMS that employ frontal cameras, steering angle sensors, and sensors on the steering wheel. However, the current generation of behavior-based sensors used in passenger vehicles is capable of harbouring only two to three functions at most. Many vehicle OEMs are therefore moving from behavior-based DMSs towards inward-looking camera-based systems. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Strategies for …
New Survey Explains the Importance of Sleep
Paula Davis-Laack | Posted: 12/02/2015 7:49 am EST Updated: 12/02/2015 8:59 am EST Are you a sleep worker? No, not a sleepwalker, but a person who goes to work and attempts to function on too little sleep? It turns out, one-third of American workers are sleep working — not getting enough sleep to function at peak levels, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School. On the home front, men and women experience interrupted sleep, but often for different reasons. Women are more than twice as likely to interrupt their sleep to care for others, and once they’re up, they are awake longer: …