Iowa Sleep Blog

Tips for Waking Up Refreshed in the Morning

Monday, May 14, 2018
We’ve all woken up feeling like our heads had just hit the pillow every once in a while. It’s hard to look forward to waking up when you’re always tired in the mornings. While lack of enough sleep and quality sleep are typical culprits of waking up feeling tired, there are a number of tricks you can try to help jumpstart your day and make it easier to feel refreshed and…

Healthy Sleep Habits in Children

Monday, March 19, 2018
Developing healthy sleep habits in children From birth, sleep is established as a critical element to overall health and general wellbeing. Getting adequate amounts of sleep helps the body to function at its highest level. When children are young, sleep is something they need, but might not be too interested in, instead favoring a couple extra minutes of playing outside or…

Traveling with CPAP

Monday, March 12, 2018
If you are flying, here are some tips you may have not been aware of. Your PAP device is considered a piece of medical equipment and therefore should not be counted against you as one of your carry-on (You can check with your airline to make sure of the policy). DO NOT put it your checked luggage. Checked luggage are at times subject to rough handling and your PAP may not arrive in the…

Antidepressants and Sleepiness

Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Written by Steve Zorn, MD, Board Certified Sleep Physician and Medical Director of Iowa Sleep The use of agents to treat disease and relieve pain have been suggested to date back at least to 5,000 BC with the Sumerians use of opium. Like other medications, antidepressants are very useful. They are used to treat a myriad of health problems such as depression, anxiety,…

Diet and Sleep

Monday, February 06, 2017
What You Eat and When You Eat Can Affect Your Sleep   Written by Barbara Zorn, RN, MSN Do you struggle to get enough sleep on a regular basis? If so, you’re in good company. More than a third of adults in the US are regularly getting less than 7 -8 hours of sleep that most people need in order to feel rested, function well, and protect their health. What about Diet? Can dietary…

Technology and New Year Resolutions

Monday, January 02, 2017
Technology that can Help Your New Year’s Sleep Resolutions On average, 45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, and one of the most popular is to sleep more or set a better sleep schedule. Many start out motivated in January, but find themselves losing steam by February and March. Set yourself up for success by using an app to help track your…

How Holiday Treats Can Affect Sleep

Monday, November 21, 2016
The holiday season brings family, friends, and food. Lots and lots of food, especially festive, holiday treats that only come around during this time of year. But, don’t over indulge in some of these special items as it can affect your sleep at night. Below we recap how the following popular holiday food items can affect your sleep at night: Alcohol Having an alcoholic…

The Cost of Untreated Sleep Problems

Monday, May 16, 2016
While it might seem easier to push through a hard week or month at work or school by staying late working or studying extra hours, you are actually doing more harm than good. Last month, NPR did a report on how sleeplessness impacts workers and the workplace. They found that, when sleep deprived, you’re grouchier and more error-prone, which isn’t great for you or your employer. Sleep…

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep?

Monday, May 09, 2016
Sleep. It’s one of those things we dreaded as children, look forward to as adults, and is absolutely essential to allow our bodies to function at their highest level. But, it’s not always easy to convince young children to go down for a nap or get ready for bed each night. By the time a child turns two, most have spent more time sleeping than awake. According the National…

Better Sleep Month 2016

Monday, May 02, 2016
May is the Better Sleep Council’s Better Sleep Month, which helps bring focus and attention to the important role sleeping well plays into leading healthy, productive lives. To celebrate sleeping well every night, we put together some of our favorite tips to sleeping well to kick off the month. The whole list is below, but follow along with us on Facebook and Twitter…