In addition, researcher Maurice Ohayon, MD, PhD, DSc, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of the Stanford University Sleep Epidemiology Research Center reports that sleepwalking is on the rise.

In his poll of nearly 16,000 men and women, ages 18 to 102, almost 30% reported a history of sleepwalking frequently going all the way back to childhood and adolescence.  That number equates to about 8.5 million adults.

Ohayon says that studies on sleepwalking are few and far between.  Comparatively, one study completed 30 years ago found only 2.5% sleepwalked, which implies that contributing factors are on the rise, as well.

In this current study, most sleepwalkers were on medications had certain disorders, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and ADHD.  Some sleep studies also indicate that use of sleeping pills contribute to sleepwalking.

Sleepwalking is more common in childhood than later in life. Up to 30% of children sleepwalk at some time, Ohayon says.

They answered questions about sleepwalking history, medicine use, other sleep habits, and medical conditions.  More than one third of participants said other family members also sleepwalked.

Dr. Castriotta offers this advice in regard to managing the sleep issues that may be causing or exacerbating your sleepwalking.  First, go over and eliminate or substitute medications that might be the cause of sleepwalking.  Second, make every effort to get adequate sleep.  Third, consider any other contributing health concerns or other issues that may disrupt sleep even if it seems adequate.

Sources:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/rising-sleep-deficiencies-sleepwalking-16345532

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20120514/sleepwalking-may-be-more-common-than-you-think

The post Sleep deprivation and disturbances linked to sleepwalking appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

Too often people rely on caffeine to give them the boost they need, but it does not have the desired effect and cannot overcome the downward spiral of sleep deprivation.

The National Sleep Foundation says that if you can’t stop yawning, have trouble keeping your eyes focused and/or have lapses in memory while driving, you are too drowsy to drive safely.

When tested in driving simulations or in hand-eye coordination tasks, sleep-deprived people perform worse as badly than those who are intoxicated, regardless of caffeine stimulation.

The post Caffeine not the answer to driving when sleepy appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

Roughly 95% of participants reported that they generally watch television, use a computer, or access their smart phones within the hour before they attempt to sleep. Researchers concluded that these activities inhibit proper release of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the body’s natural sleep cycles.

“This study reveals that light-emitting screens are in heavy use within the pivotal hour before sleep,” said Charles Czeisler from Harvard Medical School. “Invasion of such alerting technologies into the bedroom may contribute to the high proportion of respondents who report that they routinely get less sleep than they need.”

Younger people are more at risk for compromised sleep due to their active use of technology via video games and smartphones. Keeping mobile phones and other radiation-emitting devices away from your bed at night will also help improve sleep quality. Long-term exposure to even low levels of electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) may cause serious health problems. Keep your exposure as limited as possible.

The post Using electronic devices before bed harms sleep appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

People who report getting too little sleep were 2 times more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack and over 1.5 more likely to have congestive heart failure than people who sleep 6-8 hours nightly, the researchers said.  The study addressed five separate heart ailments and their links to sleep patterns and duration.

The subjects for the study were 3000 United States residents over age 45 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Participants described their sleep habits and reported if they had congestive heart failure, heart attack, coronary artery disease, angina or stroke. People who reported sleeping in excess of 8 hours per night were 2 times more likely to have angina and 1.1 times more likely to have coronary artery disease.

“We now have an indication that sleep can impact heart health, and it should be a priority,” said principal investigator Rohit Arora, chairman of cardiology and professor of medicine, the Chicago Medical School.

The post Direct link between heart problems and sleep duration appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

“These results force us to re-think what we know about sleep in older people – men and women,” said Michael Grandner, PhD, lead author of the study that appeared in the March issue of the journal Sleep.

Almost 156,000 adults were randomly surveyed by phone and asked about sleep disturbances and daytime tiredness.  They were also asked questions in regard to general health, date of last medical checkup, income, education level, depression, and race.

While health problems and depression adversely affected sleep, and women reported more sleep problems and tiredness than men, overall sleep quality improved with age.  People in the middle-aged years did report a spike in problematic sleep.

Researchers say that these outcomes challenge the general clinical practice of ignoring sleep complaints from older adults as a normal part of aging.

The post Sleep study nets surprising results on aging appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

According to Dr. Samir Patel, medical director with Springfield Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center, there are four distinct red flags to look out for.

• You still feel sleepy after eight hours of sleep
• You feel sleepy during the work day
• You need a nap during the day
• Maintaining focus and energy during daily activities like driving is difficult.

“Any time there is a change in pattern, whether you recognize it or someone else — you should see your doctor,” he said. “Usually there is a cause and most of the time it is treatable.”

What it could mean

• Sleep apnea. This is a common sleep disorder that impairs breathing during sleep.  A side effect of it is grogginess throughout the day.
• Hormonal problems. Both hypothyroidism and menopause can cause fatigue and make daily activities more of a challenge.
• Depression. People suffering with depression frequently avoid daily activities, preferring to sleep.
• Chronic illnesses. Diabetes, emphysema, heart failure, cancer and other chronic conditions cause fatigue because the body is always working hard, trying to overcome the illness.
• Medication. Some prescription medications, or combinations thereof, have side effects that include grogginess.

“Any time there is a change in pattern, whether you recognize it or someone else — you should see your doctor,” Dr. Patel said. “Usually there is a cause and most of the time it is treatable.”

The post Needing too much sleep may be sign of bigger problem appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

The CDC also notes that “Insufficient sleep is associated with health-risk behaviors,” including drinking alcohol, smoking, sexual activity, fighting and physical inactivity.

Compounding the issue, the National Sleep Foundation reports that cell phones, computers, televisions and artificial light contribute to sleep problems such as interrupted and delayed sleep, insomnia, and even suicidal thoughts and actions.

Charles Grier, psychology teacher at Newark Memorial High School, sums up the issue:

“Dreams (REM sleep) are the most important aspect of sleep.  People solve complex problems that require creative solutions.  People who do not get enough sleep, particularly REM sleep, perform dramatically worse than those who do get enough sleep.  The quality of assignments, tests, social relationships, and work suffer when not receiving enough sleep.  Binge sleeping on the weekends to make up for lost sleep can be equally as damaging.”

The post Healthy Sleep Essential in Teen Years appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

Cardiovascular disease—In a 2010 study published in the journal Sleep, researchers at the West Virginia University School of Medicine reviewed information from over 30,000 people. They found a unique link to heart disease in those who slept fewer than 7 hours per night. Women are at greatest risk, especially females under 60 who sleep 5 hours or fewer a night.

Diabetes—According to a study in the journal Diabetes in 2011, researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who slept poorly had extremely elevated fasting glucose and insulin levels and up to 43% higher insulin resistance levels. Those levels were even higher in diabetics with insomnia. Their insulin resistance levels were 82% higher than diabetics who didn’t have insomnia.

Breast Cancer—Researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine studied data from nearly 24,000 women ages 40 to 79. They found that those who slept fewer than 6 hours a night had a 62% higher risk for breast cancer.  Women who slept more than 9 hours a night had a 28% lower risk.

Urinary problems—Researchers at the New England Research Institute reviewed data from over 4,000 middle-aged men and women and found that five years of sleeping fewer than 5 hours a night can increase a woman’s risk of needing to wake at night to urinate or of becoming incontinent by 80 to 90%. Researchers believe that urinary problems are caused by inflammation due to sleeping poorly.

Colon cancer—Case Western University researchers found that people who slept fewer than 6 hours a night were 47% more likely to have colorectal polyps, which can become cancerous, than those who sleep at least 7 hours nightly.

Mortality—A 10-year study of over 16,000 people by researchers at the University of Copenhagen established a link between lack of sleep and an increased mortality risk. Men who reported sleeping badly had 2x the risk for death than those who said they slept well. Suicide risk increased 5x in men who had three or more sleep interruptions a night. Though sleep disturbances didn’t affect women’s mortality, both women and men with sleep disturbances were more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes.

The post Lack of Sleep Linked to 6 Health Problems appeared first on Balanced By Earth.

In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Minnesota Obesity Center and the Mayo Clinic, researchers recently studied 17 normal, healthy young men and women for eight nights.  Half of the participants slept normally and half slept only two-thirds their normal time.

Throughout the study, participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted.  The sleep-deprived group consumed an average of almost 550 additional calories each day.  Notably, the amount of calories burned for any given activity didn’t significantly change between groups, suggesting that less sleep did not equate to burning more calories.

The sleep-deprived individuals also showed increased leptin and decreased ghrelin—hormones associated with appetite and energy expenditure.

“Sleep deprivation is a growing problem, with 28% of adults now reporting that they get six or fewer hours of sleep per night,” said Andrew D. Calvin, M.D., M.P.H., co-investigator, cardiology fellow and assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

Researchers presented their study at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions.  They plan to conduct further research to determine the depth of the link between sleep deprivation and weight gain and obesity.

The post Lack of Sleep May Mean Overeating and Weight Gain appeared first on Balanced By Earth.