People who have spent a bad night without sleep sometimes refer to themselves as feeling “like death warmed over,” and the metaphor is meant to be somewhat amusing. But the joke has become a little less funny with news of the conclusions of a 40-year study that was recently wrapped up by researchers at the University of Arizona. The group found that if you consistently experience disrupted sleep at a rate of at least three nights per week over a period of six years, it creates a 58 percent increased risk of an early death. The findings showed that heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer and depression were the chronic illnesses most frequently associated with prolonged insomnia. Many of these illnesses have been linked to increased levels of inflammation. Continue reading →

A recent survey indicated that the American workplace loses billions of dollars in productivity to sleep deprivation and worker fatigue. Though the idea of encouraging employees to work less and sleep more may be anathema to CEOs and management everywhere, it may be time to wake up and smell the coffee about the losses being incurred as a result of exhaustion and burnout.

Napping and working to invigorate employees is not actually all that new. Albert Einstein is famous for his naps, and so was Ronald Reagan. Though some may choose to point to Thomas Edison or Margaret Thatcher and their famous twenty-hour days as the pinnacle of efficiency, but sleep experts say that there are few people who fall into the category of short sleepers who can thrive on limited sleep. The rest of the population needs between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, but in our demanding work environment challenged by family and social obligations, few are able to get what they need. Continue reading →

Seems as if every day there is another product appearing on the market that is specifically targeting people who are having a tough time getting to sleep. The latest entry is a product still in production that just blew threw its Kickstarter funding goal. It’s a pair of smart earphones slated to be sold under the moniker Hush, and they are unlike anything else that’s on the market today. Continue reading →

As sleep and its importance have become more and more widely acknowledged, so have the various benefits of taking a restorative nap during the day. Though naps were once thought of as only for toddlers or the lazy, science has shown that it can be extremely helpful to take a short break and restore ourselves, especially since so many of us do not get the sleep that we need at night. Continue reading →

Maybe you’re a recent college grad adjusting to the real-life schedule that Mom and Dad have been warning about for years. Maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom ready to reenter the workforce, or a person changing from a late-shift career to the 9 to 5 world. Whatever your circumstance, if you’re finding it difficult to get your eyes wide open first thing in the morning, you’re not alone. There is scientific evidence to support the notion that some of us are night owls who don’t function as well in the morning, but you’re unlikely to find that your boss or your clients are particularly sympathetic. They expect you to be there, bright eyed and bush-tailed first thing each morning, ready to face the world. Continue reading →