Monthly Archives December 2013

Exercise and Sleep Do you spend time at the CrossFit gym? Take Zumba® or BodyPump classes? Or perhaps run 3 miles per day? You exercise to stay healthy but whatever you do to break a sweat also seems to help you sleep better. In the National Sleep Foundation annual survey, 1,000 people were polled to […]

Counting sheep is not doing the trick. Soothing and meditative sounds could easily be heavy metal music for all the good they’re doing in trying to help you sleep. You are at your wit’s end and finally decide to make an appointment with your primary care physician to get something—anything—to help you sleep. After filling […]

It is slated to be the trip of a lifetime! Years of saving and planning for a whirlwind two weeks spent in Berlin and the surrounding countryside of Germany. You want nothing to stand in your way of enjoying each and every moment. For sure, you don’t want to put your head down on a […]

I scream, you scream, we all scream, for ice cream. Well at least it is a welcome aspect of the recovery process when one of the most prevalent surgeries is performed. Current statistics clock approximately 500,000 people undergoing this procedure every year. Inevitably, we all know someone who has or will have a tonsillectomy. For […]

Ah, Sleep apnea. Several years ago, your primary care physician ordered a sleep study after you reached the brick wall. You were sick of dealing with chronic fatigue, irritability, poor concentration and snoring that was deafening. The result that came back: a diagnosis of moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which you learned caused frequent episodes […]

The Big C. The word that you never want to hear as a diagnosis for you or a loved one. CANCER! Scarier still is the mounting evidence linking sleeping disorders and cancer, specifically obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is already known to increase the risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Sleep apnea is […]

It is a human trait. People come up with all kinds of excuses when it comes to why they don’t do the things that are good for them, such as exercising, eating healthy, and throwing out their cigarettes. Yes, despite the fact that the above practices will make you feel better and improve your overall […]

Jiggling your leg constantly throughout the day? Can’t sit still? While you were growing up, did your teachers and parents strongly encourage you to stop lest you develop St. Vitus Dance? All kidding aside, if you actually experienced an uncontrollable urge to move your legs when you put your head down on the pillow or […]

You recently learned that you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which basically means that you stop breathing a number of times during the night. The disease is caused by an obstruction in your airway and your doctor recommended continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. This treatment is touted to get you much-needed rest and oxygen […]

Question: What do fetuses, Koko (the gorilla), non-autistic children and your bestie all have in common? Answer: The overwhelming ability to involuntarily yawn. Growing up, we were all told that it was impolite to yawn without covering one’s mouth with our hands (unless we were in utero at 11 weeks when we started, as evidence […]

A good night of sleep has evaded you for the very last time. Finally, you took the first step in trying to get an answer and diagnosis for your sleep condition. You made an appointment with a physician who ordered the next stop on your journey toward discovery: a sleep study (or polysomnogram). But for […]

Tossing and turning? Up and watching the clock as the minutes click away from getting a good night of sleep? Lack of quality sleep can turn a normally happy-go-lucky, upbeat person into a crotchety grouch who everyone steers clear of throughout the day. Of course, on occasion, we have all been there before: stress, family […]