A study published in the most recent edition of the journal Sleep asserts that when it comes to grades, sleep deprivation can be just as damaging as binging on alcohol or marijuana.

According to the results of a study conducted at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, you can predict how successful a student will be in a class and whether they end up dropping it based simply on how much sleep they are getting. The researchers analyzed data that had been collected during the 2009 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment, which involved over 43,000 participants. They found that even when they controlled for such factors as race, gender, health problems and work hours, sleep was the number one predictor for whether a student would drop a class.  Continue reading →

We all know that sleep is crucial to our quality of life, and even that lack of sleep can have serious health implications and lead to a higher risk of serious conditions, including obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and stroke. But can lack of sleep actually kill you?

To get to the heart of the question, let’s take a look at the most basic sleep disorder, insomnia. Insomnia is a condition that afflicts millions of Americans – somewhere between 10% and 30% of us will likely experience insomnia at some point in our lives. Though we may think of any period of sleeplessness as insomnia, the condition is actually strictly defined as when all three of the following conditions are present:  Continue reading →

These days, shopping for a mattress can be as complicated as shopping for a car – and if you’re not careful, it can be just as expensive too. One of the most luxurious options available comes with bells and whistles that you may have never heard of – and that you probably don’t really need – but that doesn’t mean that you can’t dream… or dream on it. Continue reading →

Researchers from Penn State University School of Nursing have recently completed a study that provides helpful information for physicians hoping to help patients with adherence to the use of continuous positive airway pressure therapy, or CPAP. Continue reading →

“To sleep perchance to dream,” is a noted part of Prince Hamlet’s famous soliloquy in William Shakespeare’s masterwork Hamlet, and for most of us dreaming is one of the perks of getting a good night’s sleep. But sleep can have several dark sides. Many people suffer from insomnia and are constantly frustrated at their inability to get the rest that they crave, while others suffer from sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea that has them gasping for breath throughout the night, taxing their bodies and causing a myriad of serious health conditions. Continue reading →