Two separate studies that were recently released are providing new evidence to the harm that working on night shift can do to women’s overall health. One study conducted in Europe has shown that night and alternating shifts increase the risk of miscarriage, menstrual disruption and infertility issues, while a study out of Canada has revealed that women who have worked night shifts for thirty years or more have twice the risk of developing breast cancer. Continue reading →

With millions of dollars being spent in the United States every year on devices and medications designed to aid sleep, it is remarkable that so many people are ignoring one of the most highly effective and inexpensive sleep aids available. It is completely portable, can be done at any time of day or night, comes in a variety of styles to fit any lifestyle or person, yet when physicians, sleep experts and friends and family members recommend it, many turn it down? What is this miracle sleep aid? It’s exercise. Continue reading →

If you ask the average American what’s on their wish list for improving the quality of their lives and the way that they feel, most people will have either losing weight or getting more sleep at the top of their list. The funny thing is that there’s a good chance that if they accomplish one, the other will follow. There’s a growing body of evidence indicating that sleep and obesity are closely tied to one another. Not only do sleep-deprived people have a higher risk for obesity, but people who are obese have a higher risk of experiencing trouble falling asleep, and also have a high potential for being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, a serious health condition.  Continue reading →

With the news full of concerns about sleep deprivations and its dangers, the latest report out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds on to the already-existing concerns: the most recent survey has revealed that one out of every twenty-five drivers in the United States confesses to having fallen asleep while driving in the thirty days prior to the survey.  Continue reading →

As more and more physicians and patients are becoming aware of the existence and dangers of obstructive sleep apnea, the number of sleep studies being ordered is on the rise. Though these studies have traditionally been conducted in stand alone sleep laboratories or specialized labs within hospital settings, many patients have objected to being required to sleep away from home in an unfamiliar setting with strangers observing them, and insurance companies have objected to the expense that these studies represent. Portable sleep monitors have been available but many have questioned their usefulness and accuracy.  But the American College of Physicians has issued new guidelines indicating that the portable sleep monitors are an adequate substitute for the more elaborate laboratory testing, and are acceptable for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea. Continue reading →