Each person has an internal biological clock that determines his own personal sleep/wake cycle. Called circadian rhythm, your individual 24-hour clock determines whether you’re an early riser or a night owl (see our April 24 post). Interestingly, new research conducted by researchers in Brussels, Belgium indicates that people who wake later in the morning, 9 a.m. […]
Night Owls vs. Early Birds: Who Sleeps Best?
Some people are night owls, others rise with the birds. Each person moves to his own circadian rhythm; his internal biological clock determining when he’s most alert and when he can’t keep his eyes open. While nurses, night watchmen, third shift workers and others who work at night can learn to retune their body clocks, […]
Is Lack of Sleep Making Us Crazy?
“Economic insomnia” is one more complication of America’s financial meltdown, and psychiatric experts warn that it could be making us crazy. People are losing sleep worrying about job loss, foreclosure and bankruptcy. The longer the recession continues, the greater the chance that the financial boogeyman will creep out of the closet and steal away our […]
Sleep Habits that Promote Good Health
A good night’s sleep is just as important to good health as healthy eating and regular exercise. Doctors recommend 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep for adults and up to 10 to 12 hours for children and teens. While most people experience trouble sleeping from time to time, chronic sleep loss can have a […]
Is the Economy Keeping You Up at Night?
You are not alone if economic doom and gloom are keeping you up at night. One-third of Americans reported losing sleep over the state of the nation’s economy in a new poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Job layoffs, forced furloughs, mortgage foreclosures, tight credit, and rising grocery prices have more Americans spending their […]
What is Shift Work Sleep Disorder?
Shift work can have a dramatically negative impact on the quality of your sleep and ability to sleep. There is a diagnostic entity called Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder, formally called Sleep-Wake Schedule Disorder of which shift work type is a specific subtype. Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder occurs when a person has recurrent or persistent disrupted […]