Sleep science has been making new discoveries every day, with most pointing to the importance of getting adequate sleep, the benefits of getting better-than-adequate sleep, and the risks of not getting enough sleep.  Sleep disorders and insomnia have gotten special attention as cures are sought for both chronic conditions, and now researchers have found another reason why a cure is needed. A Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital research project has shown that men who self-reported insomnia ran a somewhat higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Continue reading →

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s sleep laboratory, run out of their Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, has confirmed what a lot of us knew in our heart of hearts - that the later we’re staying up and the less sleep we’re getting, the more we are eating. And we’re not eating healthy foods either; we’re making unhealthy choices that are loaded in fat. Continue reading →

Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep is a problem that afflicts approximately half of the adult population in the United States, and to combat this problem many people have turned to sleeping aids and medications, in addition to a variety of technological innovations like apps and white noise machines. One area that may be worth exploring if you are among those who can’t see to get a good night’s sleep is the possibility that your diet is lacking in some of the essential nutritional elements that contribute to our ability to relax and sleep deeply. There have been several studies conducted recently that support this idea, and there are three top nutrients that all recommend as a possible solution for common sleep problems. Continue reading →

Getting your mind to stop racing so that you can settle down and fall asleep is a problem that has probably existed for as long as man has walked on two feet – in fact, it has probably been around since the very first parent found themselves worrying about their child’s errant behavior or their relationship with their spouse.

Whatever it is that is keeping you awake, you are not alone. According to a study done by IMS Health, a company based in Parsippany, New Jersey, your fellow Americans spent over $32 billion dollars during the year 2012 exclusively on sleep aids, and that’s just items like white noise machines to bedding that claims to help you get to sleep. That doesn’t even touch the amount spent by nearly 9 million people who took sleeping medicine (both prescription and over the counter). Continue reading →

British researchers have just published the results of a study that they conducted on over 4,300 adults over the age of fifty, and their findings point to another risk that comes with not getting adequate sleep as we get older. According to their study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, the scientists were able to determine that when patients reported that the sleep that they got was nonrestorative, they were more likely to experience widespread body pain. Nonrestorative sleep is defined as sleep that does not give any kind of relief for tiredness and which leaves people still feeling worn out afterwards. Widespread body pain is the type that is felt over multiple body parts, such as is experienced from fibromyalgia or the flu.  Continue reading →