THIS WEEK'S SLEEP NEWS, Oct 2 - 8

 SPECIAL  || Recalls, special announcements, breaking news, events

• For people who suffer from Non-24 Sleep-Wake Disorder with a consistent delay, check out this handy new calculator which can help you determine your ideal bedtimes and rise times, courtesy the Circadian Sleep Disorders Network.
• Note: When you see this badge, , it indicates that the curator at SHC finds the link especially interesting and has added editorial comments below the link as food for thought in purple. 

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 TOP TEN  || Sleep news picks this week -- newest to oldest

1. OCT 8 || THE GUARDIAN
Sleep study finds ‘hotspot’ regions where Americans don't get enough rest
National

2.  OCT 8  || STANFORD MEDICINE NEWS CENTER
Among teens, sleep deprivation an epidemic: Sleep deprivation increases the likelihood teens will suffer myriad negative consequences, including an inability to concentrate, poor grades, drowsy-driving incidents, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide and even suicide attempts
Kids


3. OCT 7 || LEX18.com
Photo [of Macklemore] Sparks Conversation About Co-Sleeping Safety, SIDS
Curator's remarks: This is where America's focus lives... inside the lives of celebrities. Whether this is a good thing or not is besides the point; the point is, any time a celebrity's image, experience or comment sparks a conversation about sleep health, it's an opportunity for widespread public health education. Why we didn't hop on the drowsy driving bandwagon with Tracy Morgan's crippling accident (and Jimmy Mack's death) still defies explanation. Lost opportunity, that. 
Culture


4.  OCT 7 || TALK RADIO AM 640
STAFFORD – Should He Have Been Driving a Bus in The First Place?!?
Curator's remarks: Controversial. How do we decide who is competent to drive when sleep health questions linger? 
Public Health & Safety

5. OCT 6 || BRAIN DECODER
Scientists Get to the Root of Cataplexy, a Condition That Makes People Collapse When They Laugh
The Science of Sleep

6. OCT 6 || HUFFPOST POLITICS
The Surgeon General Wants You, America, To Sleep More
Public Health & Safety


7. OCT 6 || INFECTION CONTROL TODAY
Experts Say Malnutrition, Sleep Deprivation Should be Part of the Standard Safety Checklist
Curator's remarks: Not only in the ER but with every single visit at urgent care or with one's primary. Asking about sleep health should be part of the vitals collection at the beginning of every patient-physician encounter.
Public Health & Safety

8. OCT 5 || US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Eating After Dark: A Bad Habit or Medical Condition? When sleep disorders meet eating disorders, the combination can be a nightmare
The Science of Sleep


9. OCT 2 || SCIENCE ALERT
Here's what happens to your body when you stay up all night
Curator's remarks: SHC cannot express this enough times: sleep is NOT optional.
Lifestyle & Hygiene

10. OCT 2 || SLEEP REVIEW
Albert Einstein College of Medicine to Use NIH Grant to Promote Healthy Sleep in Kids
Kids

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 WORLD  || International sleep news

OCT 3 || TIMES OF INDIA [INDIA]
9% of Indians above 50 years suffer from sleep disorders

OCT 5 || THE KOREA HERALD [SOUTH KOREA]
More Korean women in 30s suffer sleep disorders

OCT 5 || THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS [INDIA]
Chronic drowsiness can be treated

OCT 8 || NZHERALD [NZ]
Insomnia's new cure: Talking about it

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 NATIONAL  || Sleep news across the U.S.

OCT 3 || KTUL [OK]
Safe Sleep Group uses Green Straws to Educate Parents About Sleep Dangers

OCT 3 || PHILLY VOICE [PA]
'Nap pods' to pop up in Midtown Village

OCT 3 || WBKB [MI]

ARMC and MDHHS Announce Safe Sleep Collaboration

OCT 5 || MADISON JOURNAL [GA]
Distracted driving leading to increased road deaths

OCT 5 || MY SAN ANTONIO [TX]
Secrets For A Successful Sleep Cycle

OCT 5 || UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY STATESMAN [UT]
#USU hacks napping; ... there are tons of hidden nooks and crannies all over campus that are prime for catching some Zs between classes...
Curator's remarks: Oh those crazy kids and their brilliant, simple problem-solving efforts. I like the idea that there are hidden nap locations in all sorts of safe places.

OCT 5 || WICHITA EAGLE [KS]
Kansas ranks high among infant mortality rate in some demographics

OCT 6 || TUSCON NEWS NOW [AZ]
UA and CFSD teaming up for sleep study: The University of Arizona is working with the Catalina Foothills School District in the largest-ever sleep study on elementary school students' sleep habits and STEM learning
Curator's remarks: I hope more studies like this pop up all over the country. Maybe as adults we are too far gone with our poor sleep habits and hygiene but maybe we can change this reality for our young people.

OCT 6 || WFAA [TX]
#SafeSleep promotes awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

OCT 6 || WISC NEWS [WI]
Sleep walker scares woman

OCT 7 || THE DAILY COUGAR [TX]
Sleep deprivation takes its toll on student life

OCT 8 || THE DAILY IOWAN [IA]
UI releases drowsy driving study: One new University of Iowa study shows that drowsy driving could be more dangerous than it seems

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 PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY  || Community health: epidemiology, transportation, industry, education

OCT 5 || CDC.org
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)--October is SIDS Awareness Month. Learn more about infant deaths from SIDS and other causes, and take action to reduce the risk. Start by always placing babies on their backs to sleep

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 BUSINESS & WORKPLACE  || Workplace safety, corporate news, the business of sleep

OCT 2 || FLEET OWNER
Deadly duo: Fighting fatigue and distracted driving

Curator's remarks: Very happy to see continued importance placed on sleep habits and health in publications that cater to our truck drivers. 


OCT 2 || MOTHERBOARD
I Took a Nap at Doze, a Very Real Startup for Overworked Adults
Curator's remarks: A perfect world = mandated naps at work + the elimination of smoking breaks (because everyone has quit smoking).

OCT 5 || THE WASHINGTON POST
Mercedes-Benz & Daimler Test Autonomous 18-Wheeler In Real Highway Traffic [technology designed to reduce drowsy driving]

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 THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP  || Scientific research, diagnostics, sleep disorders

OCT 3 || THE MIRROR
Why do we sometimes jolt as we're drifting off to sleep? Expert explains what's going on with our bodies

OCT 5 || AZ CENTRAL
Most everyone experiences some insomnia at times: Women and older people are more likely to suffer from insomnia

OCT 5 || QUARTZ
Sleep paralysis: what we know about a terrifying state of consciousness

OCT 6 || SLEEP REVIEW
Can Two Simple Questions Predict Which Patients Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

OCT 6 || SLEEP REVIEW
CPAP Reverses Brain Function Changes Associated with Heart Disease

OCT 7 || DIABETES IN CONTROL
Sleep Disturbances Worsen Glucose Metabolism in Older Adults

OCT 7 || PSYCHIATRIC ADVISOR
Night Eating Syndrome: Diagnostic and Treatment Considerations

OCT 7 || US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
How Sleep Disorders Affect Us – and How to Lay Them to Rest

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 TECHNOLOGY  || Devices and tools for diagnosing and treating sleep health issues

OCT 6 || DAILY MAIL
Red screen at night, sleeper's delight: Apps claim to improve rest by placing a crimson filter over your phone's blue light

Curator's remarks: This stuff is for real, people.

OCT 6 || HUFFPOST IMPACT
Here Are Tech's Big Ideas For Ending Drowsy Driving: Tech is only part of the solution, even as innovations plow ahead

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 DRUGS & THERAPIES  || Pharmacology, therapeutics, alternative medicine

OCT 3 || CLINICAL ADVISOR
Surgery benefits patients with chronic sinus infection, sleep dysfunction
Surgery

OCT 5 || BRAIN DECODER
Scientists Asked the Stoners: What Type of Pot Helps You Sleep Better?
Curator's remarks: When people ask me what I think about using marijuana as a sleep aid, I can only shrug my shoulders. It's a serious question with very limited science to answer it. We need more studies, not only of heavy smokers of marijuana, but of casual users and those who rely on it for medical therapy.Drugs

OCT 6 || COCHRANE.org
Non-drug treatments for promoting sleep in adults in the intensive care unit
Alternative therapies

OCT 6 || THE VANCOUVER SUN
Tongue exercises can dial down snoring: Technique works, says doctor, but it takes daily effort
Alternative therapies

OCT 7 || THE ISLAND
Beating insomnia with yoga
Alternative therapies

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 CULTURE  || Cultural and social expressions and discussions about sleep

OCT 2 || DNA
Shaandaar: A tale of two insomniacs
Film

OCT 7 || INVERSE
eSports Teams Demand More Sleep Because They Need It--Labor organization efforts in competitive gaming are really about letting players rest
Gaming

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 LIFESTYLE & HYGIENE  || Helps for patients and clues for sleep self-improvement

OCT 6 || GOOD TIMES
Snooze blues: Night owls may be genetically predisposed, but changing our body clock is not impossible

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 FAMILY  || Sleep health through the lifespan: kids, womens health, family health, seniors

OCT 2 || NPR
When Baby Sleeps Near Mom, Guess Who Doesn't Sleep Well?
Womens Health

OCT 4 || STARTS AT SIXTY

You’re lying awake at 2am. Here’s what NOT to do…
Seniors

OCT 5 || VAN WINKLE'S
25 Most Popular Bedtime Stories of All Time
Kids

OCT 6 || US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
More parents are giving kids melatonin to sleep. Is it safe?
Curator's remarks: Just because it's over the counter doesn't mean it's safe or even useful for the developing brains of kids.
Kids

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 MULTIMEDIA || Sleep health education and issues captured in graphics, photos, audio, film

OCT 6 || PUB 
Sleep Deprivation amongst college students
Video

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 FIRST PERSON  || Individual accounts of living with sleep disorders

OCT 3 || WHARF 
Why you should ignore Benjamin Franklin and take a nap
Culture

OCT 7 || MASS LIVE 
Carrie Writes: Treating sleep apnea gives real energy boost
Drugs & Therapies

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 DREAM LIFE  || The art and science of dreaming

OCT 2 || CNET 
Real-time sleep data powers new website about dreamers

OCT 8 || MEDICAL DAILY
From pregnancy to alcohol, 6 things you didn't know caused nightmares and other vivid dreams

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Have a sleep-related news tip? Share it here!

Today's #Sleeptember FUN --- Comics on sleep disorders

Sleep health is serious business, and so is being a human being. Sometimes, however, being a human being means being able to joke about our infirmities, our foibles, our fears, our strange experiences. By doing this, comedians actually bring awareness to sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, REM Behavior Disorder, snoring, sleepwalking and other problems and can even inspire the kind of dialog it takes for an individual to admit they might have a problem so that they can take the first step to fix it.

Listed below are some funny videos (of stand up routines, sketches) which poke fun at sleep disorders. Just to be on the safe side, please use judgment when playing these videos at work or around family, as language and content can be risque. 

• Mike Birbiglia || "Mike Birbiglia has REM Behavior Disorder"



#SLEEPTEMBER





• Jessi Campbell || "Sleep Apnea"
• Chris D'Elia || "Sleeping Asian"
• Maggie Farris || "Sleep Number Bed"
• Craig Ferguson || "Babies And Sleep Deprivation"
• Kyle Kinane || "Insomnia"
• Adam Kuzia || "CPAP Horror"
• Jo Koy || "Lights Out: Just Snoring"
• Russell L'HommeDieu || "I was a 400-pound sleep eater"
• Kevin Nealon || "Good Sleeping Weather"
• Patton Oswalt || "Sleep"
• Kira Soltanovich || "Snoring Husband"
• Stag Comedy || "Sleep Boxing"
• Kelly Taylor || "Comedy about Sleeping"
• Mike E. Winfield || "Don't Sleep at the Comedy Show!"

WOMEN AND SLEEP: Parting shots... Who has more sleep problems, men or women?

It may appear that, because the majority of patients that have overnight sleep studies are male, that the majority of all people who have sleep disorders are male.

For certain sleep disorders, like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), men are still more likely to suffer than women (until women reach past the age of menopause, and then men and women share an equal likelihood of having OSA). REM Behavior Disorder (RBD) is still considered mostly a men's sleep disorder, though women can also suffer from it, as well.

It might make sense to assume than women in general don't have as many sleep disorders as men; women are clinically shown to sleep better than men when they actually achieve sleep. "In general, women sleep better than men... They have more deep sleep, a slower age-related decline in delta activity (the marker of deep sleep), and twice as many sleep spindles "(Culebras/MedMerits).

But the statistics bear out a different reality. The National Sleep Foundation reported in 2007 that only 40% of all women sleep well most every night, with 46% of them complaining of sleep trouble almost nightly. Due to the changing nature of their hormones from adolescence to menopause, many may suffer other sleep disorders at a higher rate than men as a result. For instance:

INSOMNIA
National Sleep Foundation: "Women are more likely than men to report insomnia. In fact, according to the 2002 NSF Sleep in America poll, more women than men experience symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights a week (63% vs. 54%) and they are more likely to have daytime sleepiness."

PsychCentral: "Unknown to many is the fact that sleep disorders are more widely reported in women than men with women 1.4 times more likely to experience insomnia than men."

WebMD: "According to  Michael Twery, PhD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, a division of the National Institutes of Health., women suffer from insomnia at two to three times the rate that men do."

SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING
MedMerits: "Women are more resistant to high-altitude periodic breathing than men."

PARASOMNIA
National Sleep Foundation on the subject of Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder (NS-RED): "One study indicates that over 66 percent of sufferers are women."

OTHER SLEEP PROBLEMS
MedMerits of the subject of Restless legs syndrome: "Restless legs syndrome affects 5% to 10% of the general population, increases with age, and is more prevalent in women (Berger et al 2004; Allen et al 2005). ... Restless legs syndrome is more common in older women than in older men and appears with relative frequency during pregnancy. Restless legs syndrome affects one third of pregnant women during their third trimester and usually improves after delivery (Neau et al 2010)."

National Sleep Foundation on the subject of pain and sleep: "More women (58%) suffer from nighttime pain than men (48%), according to a 1996 NSF Gallup Poll. In a more recent 2000 NSF Sleep in America poll, one in four women reported that pain or physical discomfort interrupted their sleep three nights a week or more."

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Still unconvinced? For further reading, you can check out the following articles online:

"He Slept, She Slept: Sex Differences in Sleep: How sleep differs between men and women," an interesting discussion about the ways in which sleep health varies between genders at WebMD

"Sleep disorders in women." Antonio Culebras MD, located here at the MedMerits site

In case you missed it: December's most popular posts and pages

As determined by Blogger, Twitter and Google Analytics

THANK YOU FOR VISITING! TELL YOUR FRIENDS! --The Curator

Posts

• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week: How overeating at bedtime affects sleep
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Why insomnia and sleep deprivation cause cravings
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week: 10 foods to avoid eating right before bed
• ABCs of Sleep || C is for CPAP
• Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week || Resolve to achieve better sleep in 2015
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Drugs and Sleep: Alcohol is NOT the sweet dream fairy
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Disorders 101: NS-RED and NES, Sleep Eating Disorders
• Sleep in the Media || Shawn Stevenson: Hack Your Sleep (Podcast #286)

Pages

• SLEEPYHEAD CENTRAL || Why Sleep Matters
• SLEEPYHEAD CENTRAL || Sleep Hygiene
• SLEEPYHEAD CENTRAL || Sleep Disorders

In Case You Missed It: December's most popular posts at SHC

As determined by Blogger, Twitter and Google Analytics

THANK YOU FOR VISITING! TELL YOUR FRIENDS! --The Curator

Posts

• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week: How overeating at bedtime affects sleep
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Why insomnia and sleep deprivation cause cravings
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week: 10 foods to avoid eating right before bed
• ABCs of Sleep || C is for CPAP
• Sleep Hygiene Tip of the Week || Resolve to achieve better sleep in 2015
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Drugs and Sleep: Alcohol is NOT the sweet dream fairy
• VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Disorders 101: NS-RED and NES, Sleep Eating Disorders
• Sleep in the Media || Shawn Stevenson: Hack Your Sleep (Podcast #286)

Pages

• SLEEPYHEAD CENTRAL || Why Sleep Matters
• SLEEPYHEAD CENTRAL || Sleep Hygiene
• SLEEPYHEAD CENTRAL || Sleep Disorders

VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS || Sleep Disorders 101: NS-RED and NES, Sleep Eating Disorders

"Sleep eating" image courtesy Dr Austin Ejaife.

Believe it or not, some people eat while they are asleep. They literally get up to prepare and consume food in the middle of measurable sleep stages during the night.

There are also people who wake up and have to eat something or else they will not be able to fall asleep again.

Our media tends to address these legitimate health problems either as amusing or freakish, but the fact is that they are serious, life-altering, even threatening, conditions that require diagnosis and treatment. They are not the result of "poor willpower" or some other judgmental explanation. Sleep eating disorders are uncommon, but they do exist. These abnormal eating patterns during the night can definitely make life hard for those suffering. Uncontrolled weight gain in either case can lead to anxiety and depression from the feelings of shame and powerlessness brought on by these unusual disorders.

There is some difference of opinion regarding whether either or both of these are categorized as parasomnias and/or eating disorders. However, both can wreak havoc not only on a person's metabolic function but also on their sleep habits.

Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder, also known as NS-RED or somnambulistic sleep eating, may take place during a spell of sleepwalking, which generally occurs as a kind of arousal between sleep stages. Those who eat while asleep are not generally conscious of their behavior. Regular episodes of NS-RED can heighten the risk for developing diabetes, as the body is not designed to manage caloric intake during sleep. The rise and fall of blood sugar during sleep can lead to problems with insulin resistance and other disorders of metabolism.

The other form of sleep-eating disorder is NES, or night eating syndrome. People who suffer from this have symptoms that can persistent for eight weeks or longer. They wake up lacking an appetite and tend to eat more of their total daily intake of calories AFTER dinner. While some of those who suffer from NES may be practicing unhealthy dieting patterns during the day (low-calorie daytime dieting which leads to binge eating at night), some of their issues may also be related to addiction issues, in which the brain lacks the necessary controls to stop unhealthy behavior.

Treatment of these disorders combines therapy for weight loss and addiction management with some environmental adjustments, such as placing locks on cabinets and refrigerators for those who are unaware of their nocturnal sleep eating challenges. Current pharmaceutical treatment with topimarole shows some promise for some nighttime sleep eaters. It's also critical that doctors review a patient's medications if they suffer from either of these problems so as to rule out drug-induced behaviors.

Note also that binge eating may also be associated with a separate sleep disorder, a form of hypersomnia called Kleine-Levin Syndrome, more popularly known as "Sleeping Beauty" disorder, in which sufferers extended periods of irresistible sleepiness and participate in overeating and hypersexual behaviors.


Resources

"Classification of Sleep Disorders." Michael J. Thorpy. Neurotherapeutics. 2012 October; 9(4): 687–701. Published online 2012 September 14. doi: 10.1007/s13311-012-0145-6

"Sleep and Parasomnias." Dr. Carlos Schenck. National Sleep Foundation. 2014.

"Sleep-related Eating Disorder." Mayo Clinic. 2014

"Sleep-Related Eating Disorders." Cleveland Clinic. 2013