When you can't sleep, physicians recommend that you get out of bed and spend some time doing a quiet, relaxing activity until you are tired. Many of the things that you may do during the daytime or evening (watching tv, using your tablet or [...]
Sleep starts are also known as hypnic or hypnagogic jerks. They are sudden, brief, and strong contractions of the body or one or more body segments. They occur as you are falling asleep. Sleep starts usually consist of one strong jerk that affects much [...]
Sleeping pills can be an effective treatment for chronic insomnia. But like any other drug, sleep medications can have side effects. One potential side effect of sleeping pills is daytime drowsiness. Sleep medications are powerful hypnotics. They can be helpful because they cause a [...]
AASM President Safwan Badr, MD recently participated in a Twitter chat to educate the public about sleep disorders and clear up some misconceptions about sleep. The Wednesday discussion was organized by the Wall Street Journal and moderated by health reporter Shirley Wang. The following [...]
A new study found that telephone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of chronic insomnia (CBTI) helped improve sleep quality. "These results are important, because they provide preliminary support for the efficacy and sustainability of telephone-delivered CBTI," said Dr. J. Todd Arnedt, associate professor [...]
A new study found that people who suffer from insomnia appear to have an increased risk of developing heart failure. "We related heart failure risk to three major insomnia symptoms including trouble falling asleep, problems staying asleep, and not waking up feeling refreshed in [...]
A new study suggests that insomnia and poor sleep are common in patients with epilepsy and may adversely impact their quality of life. Interventions to improve sleep hygiene can be suggested to patients as part of more comprehensive epilepsy education programs. The study involved [...]
The most effective treatment for chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I). However, medications can be helpful for some people who have insomnia. Follow these tips to make sure that you use sleeping pills safely and properly to treat insomnia: Never take a sleeping pill without [...]
A new study by Douglas Mental Health University Institute researchers shows altered body rhythms of the hormone melatonin in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) women with insomnia. This finding may help explain some of the sleep disruptions experienced by women with PMDD, also known as [...]
In people that are well-rested, spontaneous fluctuations in skin blood flow occur in a coordinated way all over the body, resulting in simultaneous small changes in the same direction in the temperature of hands and feet. Sleep deprivation disrupts this coordination, according to a [...]
