Sleep Gadgets and Gizmos

Are they worth it?

I was reading an article today that was published in the LA times that talked about all of the gadgets and gizmos that are now available for purchase to help someone get a better night's sleep. Here are some of the things that I found:

1. The Sleep Tracker- a watch that wakes you up during lighter sleep, near your wake up time so you are not in such a fog when you arise. (As seen on Dr. Phil)
2. Double sided sheets- 1/2 are cotton and ½ are flannel
3. About 20 or so pillows-these can be anything from memory foam to buckwheat. Some of which give directions on how to purchase the right type of pillow for each type of person, while others claim to have scientific evidence to prove their pillow is right for you.
4. Magnetic pulse devices-found in your mattress, in mattress pads, or on wristwatches ( As seen on Oprah). (www.phillipstein.com)
5. Sound Machines
6. Pillow Speakers
7. TV timers or headphones
8. Eyeshades
9. Earplugs
10. Special nightlights-only a certain frequency
11. Special Computer Monitor screens
12. Slippers with lights built into the toes!


The list seems to go on and on. I kinda feel like I am walking in to a virtual golf store where there are a million gadgets available to "fix my swing" but unfortunately there is no seasoned sleep pro who can hook me up to a sleep device which can measure my "swing" and then tell me the type of "club" I need.

So just to get the record straight, most of these devices were made for a specific problem in mind and most have been tested, at least for safety, on humans. I have begun to look at them and if you have any you specifically want me to try let me know and I will attempt to get them. But if they work for you and do not appear to cause any harm then it is unlikely that they will.

Related Topics: WebMD Video: Sleepless Story, Better Sleep

Technorati Tags: sleep, gadgets, insomnia

Sleep Apnea and Musical Instruments

There was a recent study that came out about a didgeridoo, that when played can cause a strengthening of the throat muscles and a reduction of apnea.

Although the study was small it appears valid. However with all research I must caution everyone that one study does not prove anything. This study would need to be repeated in several different environments and better controlled to be worthwhile.

As an example there was a study in the New England Journal of Medicine on Atrial Overdrive Pacing. This is where they crank up the pacemaker of people and what they found was a reduction in apnea. This was a HUGE study in the medical community and many people thought it was the end of CPAP forever. However in the past few weeks another study came out which refuted these results showing that AOP was not an effective treatment for OSA. Can you imagine if you went and had a pacemaker put inside your heart to control your apnea and it did not work!!! That could have happened with many people based on this study.

The Good news here is that you may only waste a bit of cash on an instrument and some lessons, so the only thing it is likely to hurt is your neighbors ears.

Related Topics: GERD and Sleep Apnea, Commercial Snoring Aids

Technorati Tags: sleepapnea, snoring, didgeridoo

Power Naps

Naps. OK, lets talk a bit about naps. I am working on a chapter on naps for my upcoming book and here is what I have learned. There are several schools of thought on napping. First and foremost, if you have problems sleeping at night then do not nap past about 1pm in the day. You need to remember to continue to create a sleep pressure (which is your circadian rhythm and your circadian oscillator) so that when you do lay your head down you will have a good likelihood of falling asleep. However if you are getting 4 hours a night and you are so tired that you are falling asleep at work then you may need to take a 20 minute power nap to just get in enough sleep to make it through the day.

Recent research by Sarah Mednick shows that the true value of naps comes with longer naps - 90-180 minutes. As a society we are all sleep-deprived. There have been numerous studies showing that if allowed even the person who claims to have the best sleep can actually (when out of the sight of time cues) sleep about 1-2 hours longer, but lets get real no one can sleep 10-12 hours a day. We are all just too busy. But we have to respect our sleep and know that there will be times where we need to get more rest and this can be accomplished with napping. Mednick is on the board of a company called MetroNaps. This company furnishes pods where people can come and take a quick nap during work.

So to re-confirm there are a few types of naps out there. There is the 20 min power nap. This one is not too long that you would get into the deep refreshing sleep, but just long enough to get some needed zzzzs. There is the 90-180 min Restorative nap, this is a weekend situation whenever possible. I recommend that people experiment with these types of naps to see when and where they can apply them for a more alert day.

Related Topics: The Power of Napping, Sleep Is More Important Than You Think

Technorati Tags: sleep,naps,powernap,webmd

Night Owls, Teens, and Sleep

I was recently referred to nbm's blog -- another sleep blog by an admitted non-professional. It does show some excellent insight into the sleep disorder Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome aka night owlism or those who are up at night and sleep during the day.

I was affected by this very condition as many of us are when I was a teenager. I would stay up playing the latest video game ( at the time it was Atari, watching my favorite movie ("Caddyshack" - who doesn't love Bill Murray?) or on the phone with friends. I would usually stay up until about 3-4 am and finally doze off to sleep. After about 3 hours if it was a school day my father would enter into the room, and tell me that my alarm had been going off for the past 1/2 hour and that I needed to get up. I was often late for school and often slept in my first class. I of course was not alone. If it was the weekend I could actually sleep until about 3 in the afternoon - man those were the days!!

It was only later in my career that I was able to identify this as a time when I was having a delayed sleep phase, but I was fortunate enough to grow out of it. Interestingly this situation can be a disorder which is long standing in many people. They are often called lazy, unproductive and weak. Since a large part of this situation can be transient I never worried about it much and eventually as I said I grew out of it, grades not withstanding.

On a quick side note, if you check out the National Sleep Foundation's website on Teens and Sleep you will see that:

"On April 2, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), introduced a congressional resolution to encourage schools and school districts to reconsider early morning start times to be more in sync with teens' biological makeup. House Congressional Resolution 135 or the "ZZZ's to A's" Act would encourage individual schools and school districts all over the country to move school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m."

Back to my own ranting, one needs to understand that these people are often struggling with this problem more than anyone could know.

I have also had the pleasure of treating several of these patients and it has been quite a challenge. Some of them have responded to medications, some have failed miserably, some respond to sleep hygiene and light therapy, and others have not. I have suggested Melatonin in only a few rare cases, but is has shown good results.

The only thing I really did not think was accurate was this blogger's rant and rave about how dumb her sleep specialists were. Now I will give her credit she did explain some rather strange situations (like asking someone who stays up all night to come in for an early appointment with a long drive) but what she needs to realize is that we are all frustraited with this disorder since science has not yet found a great way to treat it.

I think we need to give our sleep specialists credit for making an attempt and working with those who have these issues and struggling with trying to help them find the answers.

Related Topics: Sleep Solutions, Teen Sleep Deprivation: A Serious Problem

Tags: nightowl,delayedsleepphasedisorder,teens,sleepdisorders,webmd

Snoring Can Wreck Sex

In a recent article in the NY Post "Sexual Snore Losers" (18 December 2005) by Cathy Burke the author reports that "snoring spoils sex for 81 percent of couples who are just too tired to get in the mood - or stay there" and "70 percent of the 1,000 men and women he surveyed resort to sleeping in separate bedrooms."

I have heard these stats before and they continue to NOT surprise me in the least. Snoring just isn’t sexy. More importantly, snoring can be a hallmark sign of sleep apnea and that can make you tired. Sleepiness can go a long way in decreasing sexual arousal. There is also some good clinical data to suggest that erectile dysfunction (ED) can be caused by sleepiness and sleep apnea. So even if you happen to be in the mood or can be convinced to be in the mood, or use a pharmaceutical to help get you in the mood (Viagra) one may find there is difficulty in performance and satisfaction for your partner, based on sleepiness. What I mean by this is that sleepiness can reduce reaction time, create clumsiness, and increase the likelihood of depression and moodiness.

I can think of nothing less appealing that someone who is in a bad mood, fumbling around in bed, and ends up snoring before the end. Sleeping in separate bedrooms can have a direct effect on marital satisfaction. What appears to happen is that a closeness or intimacy with your partner comes from sharing a bed. Studies have shown that we see couples who report more affection are those who sleep in the same bed.

A few quick tips on this very issue can be found in my article about couples and sleep here on WebMD.

Related Topics: The Secret to Relationship Success, Sexual Fitness for Men

Tags: apnea,snoring,sex,webmd

Football and Food: A Supersized Sleep Problem?

I read an interesting article today from the the Florida Times-Union talking about how one lineman for the Jacksonville Jaguars was undersized at a weight of 275! The article goes on to talk about how many of these linemen would ingest up to 5,000 calories a day, and if they missed one of their 6 regularly scheduled meals they were afraid they might lose a few pounds. The Jags strength coach says that up to 8 of the Jags are thought of as too heavy and are now being required to slim down.

Considering that the Jags are now 11 and 4, and with the Titans ( their current match up at 4 and 11) QB out with a muscle strain, the hefty Jags should see a victory -- check out the articles on ESPN. Watch them in the post-season--it should be interesting.

What is also interesting is that most of these athletes don't want to be this heavy. In interviews with the current linemen many say they will dramatically drop their weight once out of the NFL.

Why this is important to me is that in 2003, researchers reported that 1 in 7 professional football players suffered from sleep-disordered breathing (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) and that most of the sufferers were linemen. In addition to OSA their obesity puts them at risk for stroke, heart failure and down the line diabetes, hypertension and joint problems.

Finally we also know that sleepy people do not perform well. Reaction time slows, decision making skills reduce, and fatigue worsens. This does not sound like a recipe (pardon the pun) for a super-sized Superbowl victory. Look at what happened to Reggie White. While it's true that he suffered from a lung disorder on top of a sleep disorder, the truth is that yes, people can die and we need to realize that if we push these guys too far, it can really hurt.

Related Topics: Many NFL Players Fatter Than Couch Potatoes, Men's Sleep Apnea Increases Heart Problems

Tags: NFL,obesity,sleepapnea,,webmd