The Power of Sleep
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockNew research shows a good night’s rest isn’t a luxury–it’s critical for your brain and for your health New research shows a good night’s rest isn’t a luxury–it’s critical for your brain and for your health When our heads hit the pillow every night, we tend to think we’re surrendering. Not just to exhaustion, though there is that. We’re also surrendering our mind, taking leave of our focus on sensory cues, like noise and smell and blinking lights. It’s as if we’re powering ourselves down like we do the electronics at our bedside–going idle for a …
Events: September 8-14, 2014 is Idiopathic Hypersomnia Awareness Week
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock An overnight sleep study is necessary to diagnosis the cause of your excessive daytime sleepines. It could be caused by obstructive sleep apnea, idiopathic hypersomnia or Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). 08 September 2014 Events: September 8-14, 2014 is Idiopathic Hypersomnia Awareness Week From the Hypersomnia Foundation website: “Hypersomnia is a debilitating neurological disorder where patients lose their cognitive ability, sleep excessively, yet still crave sleep above all else. …This means they often struggle to work, operate a vehicle or live independently. In fact, often just waking up is an ordeal in and of itself …
Can Sleep Loss Affect Your Brain Size?
Published on September 4, 2014 Sleep difficulties may be linked to faster rates of decline in brain volume, according to a study published in the September 3, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Sleep has been proposed to be “the brain’s housekeeper,” serving to repair and restore the brain. The study included 147 adults between 20 and 84 years old. Researchers examined the link between sleep difficulties, such as having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at night, and brain volume. All participants underwent two MRI brain scans, an average of 3.5 …
Too Much Sleep Can Cause Problems
Published on August 29, 2014 With sleep drunkenness in the news, ABC 7 reports on how getting too much sleep can contribute to the problem. For years medical professionals have warned of the hazards of not getting enough sleep. But getting too many Z’s may be responsible for you feeling dazed, disoriented and confused…and possibly perceived by others as a little drunk. “If you’re normally sleeping eight hours or so, then suddenly decide, ‘oh, I’m going to have a really nice weekend’ and you sleep eleven or twelve hours, you may wake up so groggy that you don’t really wake …
Sleep Apnea is a Risk Factor for Strokes
Published on August 29, 2014 Research at the University of Miami aims to learn what makes sleep apnea a risk factor for strokes, the Miami Herald reports. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted, depriving the brain of oxygen. A stroke may be caused by a narrowed or blocked artery supplying blood to the brain or by a burst blood vessel in the brain. The interruptions in breathing that characterize sleep apnea lead to low oxygen levels in the blood and brain. “Sleep apnea triggers a series of responses in the body as …
Putting your kids back on a sleep schedule for school
Home News Tribune 08/26/2014 / By Susanne Cervenka Dina Margulies is planning to enjoy every last bit of summer with her three children before they head back to school. What’s getting less thought, however, is getting back on a sleep schedule for school. They’ll probably go to bed a little bit earlier, Margulies said. Key word: probably. “We have routines, but life just kind of pops up where you have to bend it,” she said. It’s a common predicament families find themselves in this time of year. Summer brings with it more flexible schedules to take on more leisurely activities as …
Diabetes, sleep apnea, obesity and cardiovascular disease: Why not address them together?
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock Should sleep apnea be considered in the company of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease? Researcher Salim R. Surani makes the case in a recent article titled “Diabetes, sleep apnea, obesity and cardiovascular disease: Why not address them together?” recently published in the World Journal of Diabetes. To Read This Article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4058742/pdf/WJD-5-381.pdf …
In Kids, a Urine Test for Sleep Apnea May Be Viable Alternative to PSG
Notes from Dr. Norman BlumenstockEarly diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in children has benefits especially if can be done as simply as a urine test. Published on August 4, 2014A sleep apnea test being referred to as “less stressful” for children was presented at the 2014 American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo. The meeting was held July 27 to 31 in Chicago. Obstructive sleep apnea in children can lead to behavioral difficulties, learning disabilities, pulmonary/systemic hypertension, and decreased growth. However, the current gold standard for diagnosing sleep apnea—the overnight sleep study—is labor intensive, expensive, …
Sleep study shows dangers of driving drowsy
Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock In a sleep deprivation study, a hand full of participants stayed up for 24 hours straight and was then monitored in a sleep study room. Dr Chris Hammond from the Ogden Clinic monitored their brain waves to show how sleep deprivation affects how people function. http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/sleep-study-shows-dangers-of-driving-drowsy/20327/E9GIgqGZaU-4_GLJJUPhoA OGDEN, UTAH (GOOD 4 UTAH) – The Utah Department of Transportation, the Utah Highway Patrol and the Department of Public Safety wants the public to know the dangers of driving drowsy. They say it’s one of the top five behaviors killing people on Utah roads. It’s all part of …
The Scientific 7-Minute Workout
Exercise science is a fine and intellectually fascinating thing. But sometimes you just want someone to lay out guidelines for how to put the newest fitness research into practice. An article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal does just that. In 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science. “There’s very good evidence” that high-intensity …
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