Bed2U

Need better sleep? Try yoga BY KIM PIERCE McClatchy Tribune DALLAS — It’s not clear what keeps some folks from getting a good night’s sleep, but something does.

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We have talked about the effects of alcohol on sleep in a previous blog post. Alcohol can help some people get to sleep, but in higher doses it disrupts sleep, especially in the last half of the night. No one recommends using alcohol to improve sleep, and if you have sleep problems, you should probably stop all alcohol, although one drink near dinner is probably a minimal effect.

A new study has just been published in that links alcohol, short sleep, caffeine, and time spent on the internet to weight gain in women age 14 to 20. This major study conducted in Boston assessed over 5000 girls over the span of one year in the 2000-2001 time frame. Questionnaires were returned and these variables with cross-correlated with each other. The correlation of all the variables were statistically measured as to the influence on weight gain. There were attempts to factor out expected weight gain (growth) as well as the degree of activity or inactivity.

The results showed very strongly that all of these factors “went together” except for coffee and internet time. Otherwise, all of the factors were highly correlated with each other. Most importantly, more internet time, less sleep, and more alcohol were highly associated with weight gain over the course of the year. For those females over age 18, drinking alcohol more than 2 times per week, and sleeping 5 or less hours per night were highly associated with weight gain. The estimate was an extra four pounds per year.

This is yet another reason to not minimize alcohol, to try and sleep about 7 hours per night, and to limit internet time. I can conclude in no better way than to quote the authors of the study, “older girls may benefit by replacing recreational internet time with sleep and by avoiding alcohol.”

J. Steven Poceta MD is a licensed practitioner of neurology and sleep disorders who has been engaged by Revolution Health. No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The opinions expressed here are Dr. Poceta’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Revolution Health.

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Start online for back-to-dorm fashions San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 2 hours ago One of the significant items you may not think of is Bed, Bath & Beyond's new Allergy Luxe Bed Bug mattress protector, which protects you from any bed bugs …

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Helping residents sleep tight Daily News Tribune, MA - 10 hours ago They are bedbugs, and they are a growing problem. The Waltham Alliance to Create Housing held a session last night at Government Center so people could …

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US scientists studying sleep processes in rats found that aging tended to impair the brain’s ability to “replay” memories during sleep, a consolidation process that is important for converting recent memories into long term ones. However, impaired memory replay was not found in all the older rats tested in the study.

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How to fight bedbugs Pioneer Press Online, IL - Jul 31, 2008 For those unlucky people who share space with bed bugs, here are some suggestions for getting rid of them. If you notice bed bugs, take action as soon as … Bites in the night Wilmette Life all 11 news articles

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How to fight bedbugs Pioneer Press Online, IL - 15 hours ago For those unlucky people who share space with bed bugs, here are some suggestions for getting rid of them. If you notice bed bugs, take action as soon as …

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Bites in the night Wilmette Life, IL - 15 hours ago Bed bugs are reddish-brown, blood-sucking insects that act as parasites of humans, other mammals and birds. Most often, they lodge themselves in couches, …

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Aging impairs the consolidation of memories during sleep, a process important in converting new memories into long-term ones, according to new animal research in the July 30 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings shed light on normal memory mechanisms and how they are disrupted by aging. During sleep, the hippocampus, a brain region important in learning and memory, repeatedly “replays” brain activity from recent awake experiences.

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Main Category: Urology / Nephrology Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children’s Health Article Date: 24 Jul 2008 Serdar Tegkul, MD, Committee Chair PARIS, FRANCE – Dr.

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People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are five times more likely to have restless legs syndrome(RLS) than people without MS. The results of the study were published in the medical journal SLEEP, and the study is the largest and best ever conducted. Twenty sleep centers in Italy and 52 doctors conducted the study involving 861 patients with MS and 649 normal subjects (such as spouses of patients). Women were represented about twice that of men. Most of the patients had relapsing and remitting MS, and about 25 % had a form of progressive MS. Some were under treatment and some were not—all were included. All the MS patients had definite MS, and the criteria for RLS included the four diagnostic features and had to be present at least two days per week.

The results were fairly dramatic—19 % of MS patients had RLS compared to only about 4 % of the control subjects. Certain characteristics of the MS patients made it more likely that they would have RLS. These included older age, longer MS duration, the primary progressive form of MS, more MS-related disability, and the presence of leg jerks before sleep. RLS in the MS patients was also more severe than the RLS in the normal subjects. Finally, sleep complaints and the use of sleeping pills was much higher in the MS subjects. The investigators were not able to get a definite answer as to the MRI results in the MS patients who had RLS. I could not see in the paper any connection to MS fatigue, but the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness in MS patients with RLS was higher than in controls. There was no difference in blood iron measures.

The implications of this study could influence the approach to the sleep and fatigue symptoms in patients with RLS. Clearly, RLS is under-diagnosed in general.In patients with MS it might be even more under-diagnosed–sleep and fatigue complaints are often ascribed to the MS itself. This study makes it clear that patients with MS are at increased risk of RLS, and this diagnosis should be considered in any MS patient. Almost one in five patient with MS also had RLS. The proper diagnosis could change therapy and improve treatment outcomes, however this study did not address treatment. Trials on some of the RLS drugs such as Mirapex should now be conducted, and it is reasonable for MS patients to talk to their doctor about the possibility of having RLS, especially if they have sleep complaints. Maybe then, even severe MS patients will be better able to enjoy their sleep—a real luxury for someone with any chronic disease.

J. Steven Poceta MD is a licensed practitioner of neurology and sleep disorders who has been engaged by Revolution Health. No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The opinions expressed here are Dr. Poceta’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Revolution Health.

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Tampa Woman Claims Orlando Hotel's Bedbugs Left Scars Tampa Tribune, FL - 4 hours ago Kimberly Ann DeRoche is suing the Rodeway Inn International on International Drive, saying she was chewed up by bedbugs during a stay there two years ago. … Tampa woman sues Orlando area hotel, claiming bedbugs bit Orlando Sentinel Woman Sues Over Hotel Bedbug Bites Local6.com Tampa woman sues hotel over bedbug bites Tampa Bay’s 10 all 4 news articles

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Family, friends and neighbors remember Lisa Sandler Spaeth as an active mother of two in Potomac, Md., with a lot on the go, juggling her son’s baseball games and her daughter’s horseback-riding lessons with numerous committee obligations, organizing women’s activities at her local synagogue. Add to this Spaeth’s thriving home business turned wholesale supplier – making custom hair accessories for children – which she founded with her mother.

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Bladder problems may leave a mark on the brain, by changing patterns of brain activity, possibly contributing to disrupted sleep and problems with attention. For one in six Americans who have overactive bladder, the involuntary bladder contractions that often trigger more frequent urges to urinate, such mind-body connections may be of more than academic interest.

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While scientists and physicians know what happens if you don’t get six to eight hours of shut-eye a night, investigators have long been puzzled about what controls the actual need for sleep. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine might have an answer, at least in fruit flies. In a recent study of fruit flies, they identified a gene that controls sleep.

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