Wednesday, April 01, 2015
While we are relaxing and preparing ourselves for a peaceful night of sleep, our brains are getting ready to go to work. Even though we don’t know it’s
happening, our brains are very active when our eyes are closed. The brain uses this “quiet” time to perform necessary tasks that help keep our brain
functioning smoothly. Without this time to allow our brain to work, we can start to feel…
Monday, March 30, 2015
Spring and summer vacations are right around the corner, but don’t let packing your CPAP machine slow you down. CPAP, which stands for continuous positive
airway pressure, is a popular way to treat obstructive sleep apneas-
and over 28 million people suffer from OSA each night. These machines are usually compact in size and feature a hose that runs to a mask that the sleeper
wears to…
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Two weeks ago, the National Sleep Foundation released the results from their annual poll, Sleep in America, which
surveys the sleep health and behaviors of Americans. The 2015 poll found that pain is a key factor in sleep loss for a whopping 57 percent of Americans suffering from chronic or acute pain. After pain, stress and poor
health were the next related concerns.
The survey…
Wednesday, March 04, 2015
With the month of March just beginning, many of us have begun dreaming of spring and with that comes the beginning of Daylight Saving Time, when clocks
are adjusted one hour ahead. Daylight Saving Time was officially instituted in the U.S. in 1942, starting the second Sunday in March and ending the
first Sunday in November, to better utilize the natural daylight by moving one hour from…
Monday, March 02, 2015
Obesity's effects on sleep
Today, over 65% of Americans are overweight or considered obese, with those numbers growing among both children and adults. This increase can be linked
to our more sedative lifestyles, change in diets and heredity traits over time. Adults are not the only ones affected by obesity, as the number of
children who are considered obese has also risen. According the…
Monday, February 23, 2015
Although researchers aren’t exactly sure why different species have different sleep needs, we have learned there are many important things that happen
in the body during rest. Each of the unique body systems perform tasks while we sleep that are essential to proper functioning. When you don’t get
enough sleep, these jobs are not completed, making your body unable to operate at its highest…
Monday, February 16, 2015
Sleep Habits of Past Presidents
Being the President of the United States is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. With the long hours, constant travel and tense situations,
paired with busy schedules, many presidents choose to forgo sleep or sleep very little each night in order to get everything done.
This President’s Day, learn about the poor sleep habits of these past…
Monday, February 09, 2015
The Valentine’s Day gift of good sleep
February is arguably the busiest month of the year, as many industries are starting their sales pushes and tax season approaches. This busy time can mean
long hours at the offices, high stress levels and hours of lost sleep. When you aren’t sleeping well, it can affect almost every aspect of your body,
such as your mood, diet, energy levels,…
Monday, February 02, 2015
Many people don’t realize the side effects of poor sleep and that sleep plays a big part in the health of your heart. Recent studies have shown that getting
less than six hours of sleep each night increases your chance of developing risk factors for heart disease, which is no joking matter.
In the United States, heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women, but…
Monday, January 26, 2015
Des Moines Register: Find solutions for seasonal affective disorder
Experiencing some “winter blues” is nothing new for natives of the Midwest. Maybe it comes about on a cold January morning, when it takes a little extra
motivation to get out of a warm bed. These blues and their more serious form, called seasonal affective disorder, are a type of depression that is
directly affected by…