Snoring Can Be as Harmful to a Child's IQ as Lead Poisoning

Yes, that's right -- studies show lack of sleep can change a child's IQ as much as lead exposure. The story was recently published by Ascribe (The Public Interest Newswire):

University of Virginia researchers have been studying sleep disturbances in children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids for the past seven years. They discovered that youngsters who snore nightly scored significantly lower on vocabulary tests than those who snore less often. According to Dr. Suratt, the vocabulary differences associated with nightly snoring are equivalent to the IQ dissimilarities attributed to lead exposure.

"Studies show that, even at nontoxic levels, lead exposure can reduce a child's IQ by more than seven points," he notes.

In addition:

"One of our most recent studies found that kids who snore nightly and spend less time in bed score significantly lower on cognitive tests than children who snore less frequently and spend longer times bed," Dr. Suratt explains. "We've also found that obstructive sleep disordered breathing (OSBD) occurs more often in African American children and, therefore, places them at greater risk of cognitive impairment."

While the comparison of snoring to lead poisoning is interesting, this study does not mean that they took kids with lead poisoning and tested them vs. kids with sleep disorders. These results are simply comparable.

However, they must be thought of as serious and important. The article seemed to focus on sleep disordered breathing from snoring to apnea, but my guess would be that children who were sleep-deprived for any reason were at these risks as well.

This is just another wake up call that sleep is critical to our kids.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Kids and Sleep Apnea
• WebMD Video: Diagnosing Sleep Apnea

Technorati Tags: sleep apnea, IQ, parenting, sleep disorders, Sleep Doctor

Expensive Beds -- Are They Worth the Money?

Let's talk about bed prices!

A recent article in The MercuryNews.com showed that there are now some beds that are north of $50,000 in price (the Vividus bed launched last year by the Swedish manufacturer Hastens).

"What could you possibly get for that?", you may ask. Personally, I cannot imagine -- unless you get a sleep specialist who comes and tucks you in every night!!!

This is just another attempt at creating the Ferrari of beds with little to no research. We are starting to see more high end beds popping up, and they can be made of everything from latex, flax, memory foam, silk, cashmere, lambswool or hand-tufted horse hair. (All of which are included in the Vividus.)

Don't get me wrong, I am all for spending a good bit on a bed. If you figure that it should last between 7-10 years at 365 days, a $3650.00 bed over 10 years will only cost you a buck a day! But what I want people to think about is what are they really getting for their money.

If you are getting a "spring", a.k.a. intercoil mattress, you may in fact be sleeping on dated technology. There are now many alternative surfaces for sleep, but there is no data to help us determine what's "best" either way. The bed that's right for you is the one that helps you sleep well, and that could be a traditional coil mattress or maybe even a stone bed. (Ouch!)

Personally, I like several of the newer surfaces such as the Tempur-Pedic, Select Comfort (a.k.a. The Sleep Number Bed), Kingsdown, and some of the Latex brands. These all have interesting features from a hypoallergenic situation (The HealthSmart by Simmons) to beds you have complete control over (Select Comfort) to those that will mold themselves to you (a la Tempur-Pedic and Latex versions) .

Frustratingly, the correct choice for you is all in the sleep -- so you may have to wait until you get home and "sleep on it" for several days, if not weeks, before you know if you made the correct investment.

For more guidance on how to test out and choose a mattress in the store, take a look at my book, Good Night -- I devote several pages to a step-by-step mattress buying guide.

Related Topics:

• 10 Tips to Get Better Sleep
• Sleep 101

Technorati Tags: Vividus bed, better sleep, shopping, mattresses, sleep doctor

Daylight Savings Time

I just finished a 15-city radio media tour talking about Daylight Savings Time and what we all need to watch out for in terms of how it affects our sleep.

As you all know, we have all "sprung" forward, or lost 1 hour of sleep (Unless you live in one of those states that does not participate in daylight savings, which I do :-)). There can be several consequences of this sleep loss:

1. Slower thinking and slower reaction time. There are more car accidents in the 2-3 days following Daylight Savings than on any other day of the year.


2. Moodiness and exhaustion. One hour of sleep loss can cause increased fatigue and irritability.


3. Tired children. If you are a parent, you should realize that not only are you losing an hour, but so are your children -- and this can have a big effect on their little circadian systems. When my wife and I took our 6 month old to Alaska, it took him about 4 days to get on the right time schedule -- and since he usually woke at 7 a.m., he was waking up at 3-4 a.m., and we were both asleep in our tiny cruise ship cabin -- what a mess!)

So what can you do about this lost hour of sleep?

1. Go to bed 1/2 hour earlier and sleep 1/2 an hour later. This will help your body begin to adjust.


2. Go in late to work for a few days. Tell the office your sleep doctor told you to do so.


3. Watch out for late evening caffeine consumption. Try to move to decaf by 2 pm.


4. Make your bedroom more sound for sleep. Use aromatherapy to help set the mood for sleep. I like lavender and vanilla -- check out the cool stuff at Bath and Body Works.


5. Relax. Consider my yoga and meditation recommendations in my book.


6. Dim the lights. Make sure to have a dimly lit room. Change the bulbs to 45 watts and use a book light when reading -- I like the LightWedge.


7. Keep out the sun and street lamps. Consider eye shades or blackout curtains that really block out the light.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Daylight Savings Time and Sleep
• WebMD Video: Tips Body Clock and Health

Technorati Tags: sleep, fatigue, daylight savings time, heal;th-and-wellness

Buying Prescription Medication on the Internet

In my most recent issue of the Sleep Review Newsletter I learned that what I had suspected could happen, has indeed occurred:

"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become aware that a number of Americans who placed orders for specific drug products over the Internet, including Ambien, Xanax, Lexapro, and Ativan, instead received a product that, according to preliminary analysis, contains haloperidol, a powerful anti-psychotic drug.

Several people ended up in the ER with several problems including:

• difficulty in breathing


• muscle spasms


• muscle stiffness

Obviously this is a tremendous problem. The packages were postmarked in Greece and the FDA has posted photographs of the tablets and shipping packages in question.

This is not to say that errors like this occur in all instances. But when buying prescription medications over the internet, it is best to know what they look like, if possible, and to buy them through a site that your health insurance carrier recommends.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Sleeping Pills
• Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online

Technorati Tags: sleep, sleeping pills, internet drug sales, FDA, health-and -wellness

How to Nap

In a recent article for The Indiana Statesman, the online version of the Indiana State University newspaper, there was a great article about a college club dedicated to napping.

I think this is a wonderful idea, and is something that should be promoted on college campuses everywhere. I also really like the spirit of the two guys who started the club. It seems as though they have recognized that napping helps with both their attitude and their intellectual performance. This is a positive aspect of sleep that I tackle in my book and one that everyone should consider.

Here is my own quick How to Nap program:

• Find a quiet place that is devoid of phones, loud noises, or disruptive people.


• Avoid direct sunlight.


• Take off your shoes and loosen your belt if you have one.


• Try to nap in a reclined position.


• Make sure your napping space is safe. (Both for you and your possessions.)


• Make sure the room temperature is 68-72 degrees. Consider a blanket, as your body temperature will drop when sleeping.


• Avoid napping past 3:00 pm. If you nap after 3:00, you have the chance of entering slow wave sleep and waking up groggy.


• Try not to eat right before a nap. Our bodies were meant to digest food sitting or standing, so if possible, eat 2-3 hours before napping.


• Use an alarm. You don't want to oversleep (To avoid waking up groggy, your nap should be either 20-30 minutes or 90-120 minutes.)


• Once your nap is over, get up and walk outside to get some sunlight and re-set your biological clock.


• Consider a napping kit (eye shades, ear plugs and a blanket) for optimal napping.
  

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Napping on the Job
• WebMD Video: Sleep Cycle Struggles

Technorati Tags: sleep, naps, health-and-wellness