The Insomnia Blog - Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD

Good News for Coffee Drinkers

I frequently get asked if I think drinking coffee is like sleeping with the devil. People are surprised when I tell them no, and that coffee can be a healthy part of life—it doesn’t have to mess with your sleep. There are a multitude of benefits that accompany coffee drinking, and now we have one more reason to add to the list: it can cut the risk of stroke in women.

The new study just published shows that four or more cups of coffee a day reduced the risk of stroke by 20 percent in women. (Sorry, but men were not analyzed; this study came from a 24-year examination of nurses with no history of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, starting in 1980. My guess is they’d find similar results in men. The risk of stroke is higher in women, however.)

The best news came for those who don’t smoke. Among those who either quit or never smoked at all, the risk was reduced by 43 percent. That’s incredibly telling. Another blow to smoking. Another reason to kick that habit. But keep drinking your coffee.

Getting Paid to Sleep…in Public

Now this is downright bizarre. Imagine being on display in a museum. Correction: Imagine getting paid to sleep for an exhibit…and be on display.

That’s what the New Museum of Contemporary Art (hey, you knew it’d have to be contemporary) in Manhattan is offering. This past week the museum sought women ages 18 to 40 to participate in a new exhibit that would have them taking sleeping pills so they can be in bed between noon and 6 pm daily for the artist Chu Yun. (Yes, the sleeping pills are doctor-prescribed.)

I wouldn’t bother trying to be one of these women at this point. I hear the museum has been inundated with volunteers. Talk about the perfect job for someone who recently got laid off or is so depressed about the state of affairs in the world that she only enjoys the blissfulness of sleep.

Sleep Disorder Saves a Life

I love an unusual story about sleep that has as good ending. Check out this headline: Sleep Disorder Helps Woman Escape Fire.

This past week a woman in Texas can thank her CPAP machine for saving her life when a fire gutted her home. For those unfamiliar with the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine), it’s a device used by people with obstructive sleep apnea who have a problem that causes their airways to collapse during sleep. Their breathing essentially gets cut off multiple times during the night. With a CPAP, the airway stays open so breathing is possible. Sleep becomes much more restful and solid.

For Geraldine McNeil, here CPAP became her lifeline.

The fire broke out in the early morning hours, and, according to the report, her entire face was covered in soot and ash (and probably chemicals from the combustion, too) except for the area where the CPAP had been. Had she not had the machine on her face, she likely would have been overcome by the smoke.

I can’t think of a more terrifying event than waking to a fire in your home in the middle of your sleep. We’ve heard plenty of stories in the news of people who don’t survive such tragedies. I’ve never heard of a CPAP saving a life in an occurrence such as this.

Not that one would wish to have sleep apnea. But if it were me, I think I’d choose the sleep apnea and CPAP over trying to wake up in a burning house smothered by smoke and find a way out. The number one cause of death related to fires is smoke inhalation—not burns.

Hey, I know the CPAP doesn’t win points for being the most attractive device, but now it’s got an added benefit: Might save you during fire. Imagine that.

Click here to see Dr. Breus's list of recommended sleep products.