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Sleep Archive
Articles
When You Visit Your Doctor - Insomnia
Insomnia
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Are you particularly stressed at work or at home?
- Are you depressed or anxious?
- Do you have any underlying medical problems such as hyperthyroidism or sleep apnea?
- Do you snore?
- Do you have chronic pain or difficulty breathing at night?
- Do you have restlessness or twitching of your legs at night?
- Do you drink caffeine-containing beverages after noon (such as coffee or sodas)?
- Do you use stimulants? Drink alcohol? Take sedatives? Smoke cigarettes?
- Do you take any medications?
- What time do you usually go to bed?
- What time do you get up in the morning?
- Do you eat or work before going to bed?
- Have you noticed changes in your sleep patterns?
- Do you wake frequently at night?
- Do you feel tired during the day?
- How long do you stay in bed before you fall asleep?
- Do you have worries about not sleeping?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Blood pressure, heart rate, weight
- General physical exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Complete blood cell count
- Thyroid function
- Sleep study with monitoring of heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen level, eye movements, and brain waves
Going Safety of over-the-counter sleeping pills
Safety of over-the-counter sleeping pills
Many people wonder about over-the-counter (OTC) medications like Tylenol PM that combine a pain reliever and a sleep aid. These pills help many get to sleep, but is it a good idea to keep on taking them?
The sleep-inducing ingredient in Tylenol PM is diphenhydramine, an antihistamine. People take antihistamines for hay fever or cold symptoms, but doctors have known for a long time that they also make people drowsy. Other nighttime pain relievers (Alka-Seltzer PM, Excedrin PM) contain diphenhydramine, and it's the only active ingredient in OTC sleeping pills like Sominex and Simply Sleep. Sominex and the allergy-relief version of Benadryl have exactly the same active ingredient: 25 milligrams of diphenhydramine.
Ask the Doctor: The right amount of sleep
Image: Monkey Business Images/Thinkstock
Q. Is the standard recommendation for eight hours of sleep a night still relevant? How much do I need?
A. Eight hours of sleep is often described as a "full night's sleep," but the actual amount needed varies from person to person. The amount of time most people sleep ranges from seven to nine hours. However, as you get older, the average amount of sleep decreases to seven to eight hours, with some people getting by with even less.
Updated exercise guidelines showcase the benefits to your heart and beyond
Every little bit of activity counts — and the first steps toward fitness have the most impact.
Image source: hhs.gov
Without question, being physically active is the best thing you can do for your heart health. Here's the good news: according to new federal exercise guidelines, even just a few minutes of moving can count toward the recommended aerobic exercise goal of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
"Studies show that the total amount of energy expended is what's important for health, not whether it comes in short or long bouts," says Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who studies the role of physical activity in disease prevention. "This certainly is an encouraging message for people who are inactive," she adds, noting that the previous guidelines recommended exercising in sessions lasting at least 10 minutes.
Recent Blog Articles
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease
What? Another medical form to fill out?
How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?
A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do
Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline
Concussion in children: What to know and do
What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?
Your amazing parathyroid glands
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