Sleep Archive

Articles

Sleep problems may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke

If you toss and turn at night or rattle the windows with your snores, you may be headed for heart trouble.

Sleep, Shakespeare knew, is the chief nourisher in life's feast. Without restful sleep, your heart health deteriorates.

Better sleep-without pills

Before you reach for sleep aids, try these techniques to improve your slumber.

The world looks very different at 3 a.m. when you're lying in bed staring at the ceiling—or worse, the clock. All you do is worry, "How will I make it through tomorrow without any sleep?"

Boost energy with these everyday steps

Pacing yourself, power naps, and good nutrition help, but taking overhyped dietary supplements doesn't.

Some days, do you feel like the Energizer Bunny with a weak battery? You start strong, but by midafternoon you can't quite keep going and going.

Ask the doctor: Restless leg treatments

Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D.

Q. I have had restless leg syndrome for years. Is there anything I can take for it that won't cause side effects?

A. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for any condition that has zero risk of causing side effects. But there are plenty of medicines for which the risks are small and temporary, and nondrug treatments help some patients. As you know, restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes unpleasant sensations in, and sudden spontaneous movements of, the legs—typically during sleep or when at rest during the day. RLS is much more likely to occur in people with iron deficiency, diabetes, and certain other conditions. Diagnosing and treating these conditions can eliminate RLS. The problem also can be provoked or made worse by nicotine and high intake of caffeine or alcohol, and improved by quitting smoking and reducing caffeine and alcohol.

Learn how to sleep again

The crucial step is addressing physical ailments, behaviors,
and attitudes that disturb slumber.

Do you often wake up at night and can't get back to sleep, and then end up tossing and turning? Are you fatigued the next day? Worse, do you dread the thought of hitting the hay for fear of the nightly struggle to get a good night's sleep?

Take a nap to adjust to Daylight Saving Time

It always takes me a few days to get used to Daylight Saving Time. While I love the extra hour of light at the end of the day, I’m not so wild about the extra hour of darkness in the morning or waking up an hour earlier than I need to. And I sure miss the hour of sleep I lost yesterday. That lost hour seems to be a big deal. A report in this month’s American Journal of Cardiology details the jump in heart attacks seen in a large Michigan hospital the first week after the start of Daylight Saving Time, and the small decline after it ends in the fall. A few years back, researchers showed a similar pattern in Sweden. The number of traffic accidents are similarly affected. In a Canadian study, there were more accidents on the Monday after the start of Daylight Saving Time than there were on the Monday the week before the change. If ever there was a perfect day for a nap, today would be it. A single nap won’t fully reset your body clock or make up for a lost hour of sleep, but it can help. It’s also a good way to stay sharp, especially in the afternoon.

Weight loss for better sleep

If you're overweight, particularly around the middle, you may sleep better if you drop a few pounds. A recent study presented at an American Heart Association meeting found that losing weight, especially in your belly, improves the quality of sleep for overweight and obese people.

Weight-sleep connection

Researchers found that people who spent six months following either a combined diet and exercise program or a diet program alone lost an average of 15 pounds, with 15% of it in their bellies. Both groups also experienced improved sleep quality.

7 common causes of forgetfulness

Memory slips are aggravating, frustrating, and sometimes worrisome. When they happen more than they should, they can trigger fears of looming dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. But there are some treatable causes of forgetfulness.

Reduce your stroke risk

Protect your brain with a sleep apnea diagnosis.

Controlling heart disease, cholesterol, and hypertension are all good ways to help prevent a stroke. Now doctors are also urging you to get obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosed and under control. The idea has been gaining favor for the past few years, and the latest to join the chorus are the participants of the Canadian Stroke Congress, who recently added OSA diagnosis to their stroke care guidelines. Harvard sleep expert Dr. Lawrence Epstein agrees. "A person with untreated OSA has an increased risk of having a stroke, a fatal stroke, and a second stroke compared to those without sleep apnea," says Dr. Epstein, who's also an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The connection

A stroke occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the brain becomes blocked or bursts. Without blood, brain cells go without oxygen and begin to die.

Aortic aneurysm: a potential killer

Are you at increased risk for this often-symptomless disease?

The aorta is the body's largest artery—and its lifeline. The aorta carries freshly oxygenated blood from the heart down through the chest and abdomen, before dividing into the arteries that serve the legs. All organs and arteries in the body owe their survival to blood delivered through a healthy aorta.

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