Monthly Archives: October 2014

Though sleep scientists have long ago disproved the notion that we can learn in our sleep, that by no means that the learning process comes to a stop. Though the idea of setting ourselves to listen to a book on audiotape as we sleep will not mean that we have consumed, understood and learned the content, a recent study has shown that simple learning or classification tasks can continue even once we are asleep.

The study was a project led by Sid Kouider of Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Cambridge. What they found is that simple, automated tasks such as classifying words into different categories can continue even after the subject has fallen asleep. What this means, according to the conclusions published in the journal Current Biology is that there are certain areas of the human brain that will continue to function and behave in the same way regardless of whether we are awake or asleep. This may lead to new understanding of the way that the brain works, as well as new possibilities for enhancing learning. Continue reading →

Though it will come as no surprise to the parents of college students, or anybody who has ever been a college student themselves, a new study has determined that college students are more sleep deprived than the general population. But the extent to which this group makes conscious decisions prioritizing their studies and social activities over sleep may be something of an eye opener.

The study, which was coauthored by Dr. Adam Knowlden, assistant professor of the University of Alabama department of health science and Dr. Manoj Sharma, a researcher formerly with the health promotion and education program at the University of Cincinnati, will be published in an upcoming issue of Family & Community Health.   The two followed nearly 200 employed undergraduate students from the University of Cincinnati. The students all operated motor vehicles and had no signs of sleep disorders. What they found was that students showed tremendous disregard for the health impacts of sleep deprivation.  Continue reading →

One of the little-known benefits of marriage is that it’s been scientifically proven that couples have healthier sleep and better quality sleep. Though the reason behind this isn’t clear, sleep experts believe that marriage stabilizes sleep routines and that couples tend to keep each other in line regarding the times that they go to sleep and the times that they wake up. But what about couples that sleep on different schedules? What happens when an early bird marries a night owl, or work schedules are in conflict? Continue reading →

If you’re trying to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep then you’re not alone. With more and more studies being published every day about how important it is to get high quality rest, people are turning in earlier and turning to high-tech devices to give them a leg up. But sometimes adding new behaviors isn’t as important as doing away with old ones, or getting your head straight on mistaken beliefs that you’ve been carrying around with you. In the interest of helping you get a better night’s sleep, here are several sleep myths that you need to be on the right side of. Continue reading →

Project Sleep is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the mission of raising awareness about the importance of sleep and the risks of sleep disorders. The group accomplishes their goal through a number of public campaigns aimed at education and empowerment, and hopes to earn sleep the recognition that it deserves as one of the integral pillars of human health alongside exercise and good nutrition.

Campaigns that the group sponsors run the gamut from events regarding narcolepsy to Sleep Walks that are held all over the country to bring people in the community together to celebrate the importance of sleep. The group also has created an informative website that is a valuable resource for understanding sleep health, getting information on a variety of sleep disorders, and informing people about where they can go for additional help regarding sleep.  Continue reading →