Sleep, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2005

Sleep Poorly? You're Not Alone

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Getting a good night's sleep is hard for many adults and that often means poorer health, lower productivity on the job, more danger on the roads and a less vibrant sex life. By 3 to 4 in the afternoon, I'm starting to feel brain-drained and I need...

Jun 30, 2006

Americans Sleep Less than They Think They Do

A new study finds people aren't sleeping as much as they report in other studies. Not wanting to rely just on diaries, researchers attached monitoring devices to 669 middle-age test subjects to record when they actually slept. Though they spent an average of 7.5 hours a night in bed, the...

Apr 30, 2006

Wham! Wham! Wham! Now Get Some Sleep, Ma'am

NEW YORK—The sound echoed throughout Montefiore Medical Center, like somebody pounding dozens of nails around the clock. Wham! Wham! Wham! The source was actually a pill banger, used to crush medications for geriatric patients who can't swallow whole pills. The process occurred repeatedly each shift, disrupting sleeping patients and annoying...

Sep 30, 2007

Computerized Pillow Reduces Snoring

A computerized pillow reduces snoring according to German scientist Daryoush Bazargani. The pillow is attached to a computer, which is the size of a book, rests on a bedside table, and analyzes snoring noises, said Bazargani. The computer then reduces or enlarges air compartments within the pillow to facilitate nasal...

Sep 30, 2009

Why 'Sleeping on It' Helps

We're often told, You should sleep on it before you make an important decision. Why is that? How does sleeping on it help your decision-making process? Conventional wisdom suggests that by sleeping on it, we clear our minds and relieve ourselves of the immediacy (and accompanying stress) of making a...

Jun 30, 2009

Can't Sleep? Log On

It is estimated that as many as one American in ten meet the criteria for an insomnia disorder; if effective treatment can be offered in an inexpensive automated form, many more people could be helped. SHUTi (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet) is an automated online treatment system to help people...

Jun 30, 2009

Nap Time! One-third of Americans Do It

A mid-day nap is more common than you might think in America. One-third of U.S. adults nap on a typical day, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. Naps are more common among men than women, and more common among the poor than the rich. Naps can...

May 31, 2009

Sleepless Flies Shed Light on Human Insomnia

Like humans, flies deprived of sleep one day will try to make up for it by sleeping more the next day, a phenomenon referred to as increased sleep drive or sleep debt. And they're hard to wake up. So found Paul Shaw and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine...

Aug 31, 2011

Night Owls More Likely to Experience Nightmares

Night owls might think staying up late is a real hoot, but a new study hints that delayed sleep might have a sinister side. People who hit the sack late might have a greater risk of experiencing nightmares, according to scientists, although they add that follow-up research is needed to...

May 31, 2011

Over-the-Counter Drug for Insomnia & Incontinence Can Kill

Common over-the counter and prescription medications known as anticholinergics can cause cognitive impairment and can lead to death, a new study says. The group includes over-the-counter products containing diphenhydramine, prescription sleep aids and incontinence treatments, many of which are frequently taken by older adults, the researchers said. Physicians should review...

Mar 31, 2012

Better Sleep May Help Improve Schizophrenia

Sleep problems and schizophrenia may have common roots, raising hopes that the devastating mental disorder could be improved by helping patients overcome insomnia. In a new study monitoring the sleep and circadian rhythms of people with schizophrenia, researchers found many more sleep problems in the schizophrenia patients versus mentally healthy...

Jul 31, 2014

Sleepless in Space: Getting Shut-Eye Is Tough Out There

Astronauts often suffer from sleep deprivation during space flight and in the months leading up to a mission, a new study finds. In addition, about three-quarters of astronauts in the study said they took sleeping pills while they were in space — with some taking the pills just a few...

Jul 31, 2014

Here's How a Nap Could Change Your Afternoon

WASHINGTON — Taking an afternoon nap can improve short-term memory in younger adults, but perhaps not in older adults, according to a new study. However, a little daytime shut-eye has other health benefits for the elderly. In the study, participants took afternoon naps in a lab. Researchers gave the subjects...

Apr 30, 2015

Insomnia Can Worsen Chronic Pain Conditions

People who have problems sleeping may also be more sensitive to pain, thus potentially worsening the effects of chronic pain conditions, new research from Norway shows. In the study, researchers measured pain sensitivity in more than 10,000 adults who were participants in the Tromsø Study, anongoing public health study in...

Jan 31, 2015

For Teens, Falling Asleep Gets Harder with More Screen Time

Teenagers who while away the hours on an electronic device — whether it's a computer, cell phone, tablet or TV — tend to have more problems with sleeping at night, a new study finds. The cumulative amount of screen time a teen gets throughout the day — not just before...