Tips for Sleepless Mariah Carey

I'm not usually the sort to wade through celebrity gossip pages, but this one came across my desk because it is, well, directly related to my area of expertise... and I am compelled to reach out and offer some advice.

Word travels fast: no sooner did Mariah Carey Twitter about her sleep problems did her issues show up on various websites. Here's what she apparently wrote on her Twitter page:

"I just finished working out. Whooo! Quite naturally, 'its 5am and I still can't sleep' Who's up? Nick is too cute when he's sleep! I wish he didn't have to work tomorrow so he could help me sleep all day and I could sing all nite [sic]!"

How many red flags can you find in that tweet? Did she work out just before 5 AM and is only now trying to go to bed while the rest of the world (and the sun, let's not forget) is about to get up? And does she normally live like a vampire - going to bed in the morning and getting up in the evening to sing all night long?

There's nothing "quite naturally" about any of that. Her body is rebelling, thrown totally off key (pun intended) by the crazy break in its natural rhythm that wants to sleep at night and sing during the day. I help lots of jet setters and shift workers who struggle with weird working hours and blocks of time when they do, in fact, live during the night and sleep during the day due to their job.

Being a rock star (or singing sensation or pop queen or however you categorize Ms. Mariah is your choice) has its downsides. The music industry has to be one of the worst fields to work in if you love your sleep. I honestly don't know how some musicians do it when they travel constantly across continents and time zones-going from one late-night show to the next. And I have no idea how someone living on such a schedule can find time to exercise. It's hard enough for the rest of us.

The three simple things Mariah should heed:

• Exercise can be stimulating for some people, making it hard to fall asleep soon thereafter. She might want to try scheduling in her exercise earlier in the day (er, I mean night - maybe before her show?). Or exercise first thing after waking.


• Jumping right into bed and expecting to fall asleep quickly is unrealistic. It can take time for the body to unwind and prepare for sleep. This is when having good sleep hygiene is key.


• Consider re-calibrating the body clock for the short-term when there will be days when she expects her body to keep up with an unusual sleep-wake cycle

I wonder how her hubby fares once Mariah gets into bed. Does his sleep get disturbed? And when he rises, does it disturb Mariah? Ah, the joys of marriage. Hopefully they can sync up their schedules once in a while to enjoy one another.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD, FAASM
The Sleep Doctor

This article on sleep is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Insomnia - What to Do About It
• Sleep Disorders: Member Discussion
• Get the Sleep Well newsletter in your inbox weekly

Get Moving, Get Sleeping

I love hearing news that confirms lessons I've already given in my presentations, conversations with patients, and published works. Just recently, another study came out that points to the value exercise has in upping the quality of sleep.

I'm not the first person to tell you that exercise is good for you. But if there's one magic bullet for enhancing the quality of your life - from increasing your overall health to fighting the onset of age-related disease and elevating your mood and sense of well-being - it's exercise. And it can also have a positive impact on your sleep.

When you think about it, most people who complain of sleep problems lead sedentary lives and don't practice a regular exercise routine. Aerobic exercise has shown to aid in sleep primarily by doing two things:

1. helping you fall asleep quicker; and


2. plunging you into deep (or delta) sleep for a longer period of time, which is where you need to be to feel refreshed and restored the next day.

Studies on people who participate in aerobic activities show that they have a tendency to secrete more growth hormone at night, which aids in repairing and rejuvenating the body.

The recent study out of Stanford lends more credence to the exercise-sleep connection. Participants in a 12-month study who engaged in a "moderate-intensity exercise program" reported improvements in their sleep. They were able to fall into Stage 2 sleep more quickly and stay there longer, experience fewer awakenings in the night, and feel more rested the next day.

The control group, which didn't have to exercise but instead just got a dose of (likely bland) "health education," didn't report such benefits.

I know personally and from anecdotal evidence from thousands of patients I've treated that exercise boosts sleep. And don't even ask me when the ideal time of day to schedule exercise for a good night's sleep is, because the best answer to that is whenever you can. We have enough to do in a day and too often exercise gets thrown out the window. Following are some tips from my recent book, How the Get the Most Out of Exercise's Benefits:

• Get a physical and discuss your goals to get fit with your doctor, ruling out any medical issues you need to address in pursuit of establishing an exercise program.


• Experiment with exercise at different times of the day: first find a convenient time and then worry about whether it disrupts your sleep or not.


• Include cardio training, strength training, and stretching for flexibility.


• Be sure to get your heart rate up for at least 20 to 30 minutes most days of the week.


• Build your fitness level slowly; don't jump into a strenuous fitness routine too quickly.


• Exercise in bright outdoor light if possible.

If you haven't thought about New Year's Resolutions yet, consider this: if you vow to get more exercise into your life, you'll probably simultaneously sleep better, too. Now that's killing two Resolution birds with one stone.

This article on sleep is also available at Dr. Breus' official blog, The Insomnia Blog.

Related Topics:

• Preventing Sleep Problems
• Benefits of Morning Exercise

Gobble Up Your Zs this Holiday Season

The food comas that will descend on many of us over the holidays may not actually come from the turkey, ham or other holiday meal. You'd have to eat about 40 pounds of the big bird on an empty stomach to get enough of that tryptophan enzyme to make you drowsy, and it does not work well in the presence of protein, so even if you did, that is not what is making you tired.

What will make you want to nod off, though, is the over-filling of fat-laden and sugary foods, the lackadaisical nature of endless TV watching - football, parades, movie marathons, you name it - and staying up late to hang with friends and family. Really late. Maybe with booze and board games. Or maybe just over coffee and another slice of pie a la mode with a sibling at the kitchen counter.

Least on everyone's list is exercise, which of course will help counter all those calories and the stress that holidays can sometimes bring.

I give you all permission to sleep as much as you like. If you've been working like a mad dog and feel like you haven't had a good night's sleep in a long while, then I hope you do put time on a bed or cozy couch at the top of your list. Just be careful not to let all the brouhahas of the holidays (like family dramas and late-nights) steal your Zs.

And here's something else to keep in mind that intrigued me this morning: I just read about a new study pointing to the duality of exercise and sleep on reducing our risk for cancer. Even though the study looked only at women and the risk for colon and breast cancer specifically, I think it's good advice for anyone to consider.

With more studies, we may find out that exercise alone isn't enough to lower cancer risks. Much of the cancer-preventive benefit that may follow doing more physical activity could be undermined by lack of sufficient sleep. So we need to sleep well, too. Repeatedly (not just on holidays and vacations).

Cheers to good nights and active days long before those New Year's resolutions roll around.

This sleep article is also available at Dr. Breus' official blog, The Insomnia Blog.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: The Benefits of Napping
• The Twelve Health Hazards of The Holidays