The Insomnia Blog - Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD

Kava continues to be a mystery

Among “herbal” remedies for sleep, perhaps none has raised more questions over recent years than kava. Concerns about its safety have prompted extensive scientific study—and according to a recent large-scale review, we still don’t have answers to some basic questions about the risks associated with kava use.

In the roughly two decades it has been in popular use in the West, kava—a plant native to the South Pacific—has had a contentious and confusing history. Kava first became popular in the 1990s as an herbal remedy for sleep and anxiety. Within a few years, several cases of liver damage—and in some cases, liver failure—in the United States, Canada and European countries had been linked to kava consumption. Both the CDC and the FDA released warnings to consumers about the possible toxic side effects of kava. The cases of liver toxicity in Western countries remain relatively rare, but no explanation has ever been found for why kava can have toxic effects on people in Western cultures, when no similar toxic reaction exists among the South Pacific peoples who have used it regularly for centuries.

In many of the cultures of the South Pacific region, kava plays an important role in society. Because of its soothing, soporific effects, it is used medicinally to treat sleeplessness and anxiety. Kava is also part of social, cultural, and religious life in many countries throughout the South Pacific. Kava has been used for hundreds of years by Pacific Island people without the toxic effects that have been seen among people in Europe and the United States. (Though kava does not seem to have the same toxicity in people of the South Pacific region that it has shown in Westerners, kava use among Pacific Islanders is not free of difficulty. Excessive use of kava has led to social problems, according to some research.)

A team of researchers from the United States and Denmark conducted a comprehensive review of the scientific research related to kava, analyzing more than 85 studies, in an attempt to find a definitive explanation for kava toxicity in the West. They found no clear answer to their question. Though they weren’t able to identify a definitive cause of kava toxicity, researchers did confirm several theories that have been put forward, including:

Preparation. In traditional preparation of kava, the root of the plant is the only part used. One theory suggests that a toxic reaction may result from using other parts of the kava plant in addition to the root.

Species. There are several varieties of kava found in the South Pacific region. It’s possible that a particular variety used can cause a toxic reaction.

Genes. Researchers acknowledge that genetic differences among populations may play a role in kava toxicity.

With so much uncertainty surrounding kava and its possible side effects, it is simply not worth the risk. What’s more, sleeping aids in general—whether in the form of a prescription sleep medication or an over-the-counter remedy—are almost never the best first course of action. Medication for sleep may ultimately be the right choice for someone, but I always encourage my patients to start by making changes to their sleep habits, and their approach to sleep. (Any choice to use sleep medication or supplements should always be made in consultation with your doctor). Before relying on any supplement or chemical sleep aid, how about incorporating these sleep-smart strategies into your daily routine to improve your sleep hygiene:

Give your bio-clock a boost. Sunlight and exercise early in the day can help re-set your internal circadian rhythm, helping you feel more alert and awake during the daytime—and more inclined to sleep at night.

Watch what you drink. Be mindful not to overdo on caffeine during the morning, and don’t consume caffeinated beverages after 2 p.m. Alcohol can have disruptive effects on sleep—keep your overall consumption moderate, and don’t drink alcohol within 3 hours of your bedtime.

Stick to the routine. Studies indicate that adhering to routines throughout the day helps us sleep better at night. This includes regular times for meals, and exercise, as well as regular bed times and wake times. Make sure your routine includes a quiet hour before your actual bedtime—this is time to “power down,” quiet your mind, and engage in some simple, relaxing rituals before bed.

Create a bedroom that promotes good sleep. Your sleep environment is critical to the quality of your sleep. Research suggests that a clean bedroom leads to a better night’s sleep. Keeping electronics out of the bedroom is also important. Maintaining a cool, dark, clean room can help you fall asleep and stay asleep with fewer interruptions.

Science will continue to explore the mystery of kava, and we may someday understand its risks as well as its therapeutic potential.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD 
The Sleep Doctor™ 
www.thesleepdoctor.com

The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan:  Lose Weight Through Better Sleep

Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™ 
twitter: @thesleepdoctor 
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Sleep more, weigh less over the long term

The link between sleep and weight loss recently received a big boost: a long-term, large-scale study has confirmed that both too little sleep and too much sleep leads to weight gain.

Researchers at Harvard University examined how various lifestyle habits affected weight over an extended period of time. The study included more than 120,000 participants, both men and women, all of whom began in basic good health: none were suffering from any chronic diseases, and none were obese. Researchers monitored their weight in 4-year intervals over a total period of 20 years. Their findings provide more evidence to support the weight-control benefits of a full 6-8 hours of nightly sleep: Adults who slept fewer than 6 hours per night or more than 8 hours per night gained more weight than those whose nightly sleep fell within the recommended 6-8 hour range.

In addition to sleep, researchers also evaluated the effects of diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, and television watching habits on weight. The most significant weight gain occurred for people whose diet was filled with high-fat, high-sugar foods (no surprise, there). In particular, potato chips and other potato products and well as sugary beverages such as soda were associated with the most weight gain. As you might expect, diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts helped people keep their weight under control. Physical activity also helped people to keep from gaining weight.

We already know that sleep has an effect on our eating habits—on what we consume, how much we consume, and how well we burn it off.  Studies have shown that when we’re sleep deprived, we’re more likely to:

• Feel hungry, and consume more calories throughout a day
• Eat higher fat and calorie foods
• Burn calories less effectively

When we’re sleep deprived, we’re also just more likely to give in to temptation. We’ve simply got more time to choose to eat, and our judgment and willpower will be weaker when we’re tired—meaning we’re more likely to reach for the cookie jar than the fruit bowl.

The good news is that a solid sleep routine can help you keep your weight in a healthy place, over the long term. Here are some basic strategies:

Set yourself up for sleep. Create a bedroom environment that supports and enhances good sleep habits. A quiet, dark, laptop, text -free space will help you sleep better, and longer.

Choose a bedtime. We schedule so many things in our daily lives—there’s no reason we can’t do the same with bedtime. Working backward from your necessary wake-up time, find the right bedtime to allow you 6-8 hours of sleep.

Prepare yourself. Kids aren’t the only ones who need to wind down before bed. To prepare yourself for sleep, follow these general “power-down” guidelines:

• Schedule exercise no closer than 4 hours before bedtime
• Forgo alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime
• Turn off electronics 1 hour before bedtime

Find time for a nap. There’s increasing evidence to support that napping is healthy for both body and mind.

Establishing good sleep habits can really help you reach and maintain a healthy weight over the long term -  giving you that waistline you want, and protecting your overall health.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD 
The Sleep Doctor™ 
www.thesleepdoctor.com

The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan:  Lose Weight Through Better Sleep

Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™ 
twitter: @thesleepdoctor 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor

Sleep and Weight Loss | Video - ABC News

Watch Dr. Michael Breus on Good Morning America Health!

July 21, 2011

Sleep and Weight Loss | Video - ABC News.

 

The Night Shift, Nurses and Sleep Deprivation

There’s been a lot in the news lately about people who work the late shift and have trouble staying awake, in particular about air traffic controllers.  One group of people who seem to have developed a system to avoid the same problems of falling asleep on the job, even in the face of extreme sleep deprivation: nurses.

Their system, however, may be seriously confusing their bodies.  According to a recent article, many nurses go without sleep for 24-hours in order to adjust to their late-night shifts.  Not only is this ineffective, it’s also potentially harmful:

• When you don’t sleep for that long, your sleep/wake patterns end up out of sync with your biological clock
• This leads to a misalignment of your circadian rhythms
• This kind of circadian misalignment has been associated with increased risk of developing cardiovascular, metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders

We have a set of internal rhythms that repeat roughly every 24 hours: the sleep-wake cycle, hunger, the ebb and flow of hormones, the rise and fall of body temperature, and other subtle rhythms that mesh with the 24-hour solar day.   In fact, a lot of people’s sleep problems can be attributed to an internal clock that has become out of sync or mismatched with the day-night cycle. Sometimes your body’s clock just doesn’t quite match up with society’s 24-hour clock.

Many nurses work 12-hour shifts, and if a nurse works three night shifts in a row and then has a few days off, that means he or she is returning to a normal sleep schedule on days off and repeating the 24-hours of no sleep preparation a few times a week.

Jet lag is the most familiar and mild example of people’s sleep and biological clocks not lining up; going multiple 24-hour stretches without sleeping is much, much more risky. 

Nurses aren’t alone in the struggle to work odd-hour shifts.  According to U.S. labor statistics, about 20 percent of the workforce, or about 19.7 million U.S. workers, are early risers who begin work between 2:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.  If you’re one of those people, I’m very impressed—and I hope that you aren’t resorting to methods like the ones some nurses are using.  While it may help in the short term, the long term benefit of messing with your circadian rhythms is anything but helpful.  Instead, try napping if you can (and if it is safe to do so) and try to stick to as regular a sleep routine as possible.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™
twitter: @thesleepdoctor
Facebook: 

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Does Being Sleep Deprived Make Us More Optimistic About Money?

We make hundreds, even thousands of decisions every day.  Some are easy— like what to have for breakfast, or what to wear to work —while some are much harder—like how to spend money or educate our children.  We know that without a good night’s sleep making those tough decisions is even more difficult, though everyone from business executives to politicians often makes important decisions on too little sleep.

The one place we really should try to make sure we have a good night’s sleep before we make any decisions is Las Vegas—or any casino, for that matter.  A new study suggests that beyond leading to poor decision making, sleep deprivation actually makes us more optimistic in our judgments, particularly those about money.  Researchers at Duke University studied healthy volunteers as they underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and found that the less we sleep, the more likely we are to focus on potential gains and ignore potential risks.

It isn’t that we’re just too tired to make the right choice; sleep deprivation actually changes the way that our brains process information.  Lack of sleep makes us:

• more sensitive to positive outcomes,
• more likely to pay attention to the upside, and
• less aware of possible negative outcomes, making it easy to ignore the possibility of losing. 

This could be why when people stay up all night playing cards and gambling they take crazy risks that they shouldn’t and maybe wouldn’t take if they were well rested!  This could also hold true for people staying up all night on online gaming sites: the later you stay up, the more focused you become on the possibility of winning big (and less focused on the possibility of losing big).  It also explains why casinos often have flashing lights, free alcohol, and late hours—they are all designed to make you stay longer and as you become more and more sleep deprived, make bigger and riskier gambles.

Trying to make important decisions without a good night’s sleep could lead to many problems:

• Bad mood, which can lead to poorer decisions and even worse mood
• An inability to think clearly and rationally
• Abuse of caffeine
• Preference for a decision that looks like it will lead to financial gains, no matter how risky it may be

This optimism in judgment is not limited to money—the researchers in the study write that doctors and medical residents who work long hours are more likely to make mistakes, and it’s easy to see how making decisions that look positive despite the risks could be problematic for lawyers, bankers, and those in the military.  The truth is that no good decision can be made by anyone with that much sleep deprivation.

Do you consider how much sleep you’ve gotten before you make important decisions?  Having a clear and well-rested head is important for any big budgeting decision you make—and for those trips to Vegas.  Want to avoid losing it all?  Try resting up before you place your bet – or make that big decision.  Get the rest you need and make sure your optimism is real.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™
twitter: @thesleepdoctor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor

National Sleep Awareness Week and Daylight Saving Time

It’s National Sleep Awareness Week – and while I talk about sleep all the time, it’s great to have a week focused on activity that just doesn’t get the respect it deserves.

The truth is that people aren’t nearly as aware of the importance of sleep as they should be.  In fact, the CDC recently released a report that says that more than a third of Americans get fewer than 7 hours of sleep a night.  This might not seem like such a frightening statistic, but the long-term effects of sleep deprivation include severs health risks like diabetes and heart disease.   The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 10 hours of sleep a night for adults, and this report suggests that those who get less sleep are more likely to doze off during the day, even while driving—now that’s scary.

It’s hard enough to make sure we get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, but it’s even more difficult to make sure those hours are good, quality sleep.  In honor of Sleep Awareness Week, take a look at some of the questions that the CDC asked:

• During the past 30 days, for about how many days have you felt you did not get enough rest or sleep?
• During the past 30 days, for about how many days did you find yourself unintentionally falling asleep during the day?
• During the past 30 days, have you ever nodded off or fallen asleep, even just for a brief moment, while driving?

Are you surprised by your answers?  You shouldn’t be.  In the CDC report, 35% of the adults studied reported getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night!

This sleep deprived situation isn’t going to be helped by the start of daylight savings time this Sunday, on March 13^th.  The time change in the spring is always more difficult than in the fall since we spring forward and end up losing an hour of our day—and since that time change officially happens at 2 AM on Sunday morning, the hour we lose is an hour of sleep.

Since the time change coincides with National Sleep Awareness Week, here are some tips to help you be more aware of the loss of that valuable hour of sleep and better adjust to it:

• Starting about 4-5 days before the change, stick to this schedule: On Tuesday and Wednesday, get in bed 15 minutes earlier than your normal bedtime.  On Thursday and Friday, 30 minutes earlier than normal, and on Saturday night, try to get into bed 45 minutes earlier than your normal bedtime.
• Beginning on the Tuesday before the time change, stop drinking caffeine at 1:30 in the afternoon to help with the earlier bedtime.
• Avoid alcohol during the weekend of the time change.
• Keep up your exercise during the week for better sleep quality.
• Make sure you get sunlight in the morning the day of the time change to help reset your body clock.

Be aware of your bedtime routine as the clock springs forward—otherwise you might fall back asleep at the wrong time.

Sweet Dreams, 

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™
www.thesleepdoctor.com 

twitter: @thesleepdoctor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor

Melatonin: Not a Magic Bullet for Sleep

Many of you have made a New Year’s Resolution to get more and better sleep. I hope you are having great success! But I want to address a topic I am asked about repeatedly, and it may be something many of you have tried or considered in your quest for a better night’s sleep:

Is Melatonin good to take to help with my sleep?

So exactly what is melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone. It is not an herb, a vitamin, or a mineral. Hormones are naturally produced by your body as you need them.  Which means it is very unlikely that someone has a melatonin deficiency. While melatonin could be considered natural, in most cases it doesn’t come from the earth. There are exceptions of foods that contain melatonin in them, but this is a different type of melatonin than what is produced in your brain. 

Your melatonin levels can be tested with a blood test, urine test or saliva test. If you are concerned that you may actually be melatonin deficient, ask your doctor about testing. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland and sends a signal to regulate the sleep-wake cycle in the sleep center of the brain. Interestingly, melatonin is also produced in the retina, the skin, and the GI tract, but this is not the melatonin what affects your biological sleep clock.

This is the really important thing you should understand about melatonin:  melatonin is a sleep and body clock regulator NOT a sleep initiator.  Melatonin works with your biological clock by telling your brain when it is time to sleep. Melatonin does not increase your sleep drive or need for sleep.

Melatonin is called the “Vampire Hormone” because it is produced primarily in darkness and inhibited by light. The levels of your melatonin increase in the middle of the night and gradually fall as the night turns to morning, so exposure to light before bed can push your biological clock in the wrong direction - making melatonin ineffective. 

Melatonin treats Circadian Rhythm Disorders (where you sleep the right amount of minutes but your body clock is at the wrong time), Shift Work Sleep Disorders and early morning awakenings – all things that deal with the timing of your need to sleep. Melatonin is not considered an effective treatment for insomnia.

Melatonin in pill form does not function like your body’s naturally produced melatonin: it affects the brain in bursts and rapidly leaves the system, instead of the slow build up and slow wash-out that your body’s naturally produced melatonin experiences. 

The correct dosage of melatonin can be a problem.  According to research conducted at MIT, the correct dosage of melatonin for it to be effective is 0.3-1.0 mg.  Many commercially available forms of melatonin are in 3 to 10 times the amount your body would need. In fact, there is some evidence that higher doses may be less effective. In Europe, melatonin at very high doses has been used as a contraceptive.  

Melatonin can have side effects.  Melatonin (2-3mg or higher) has reported side effects of:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Next-day grogginess
• Hormone fluctuations
• Vivid dreams and nightmares

Melatonin may also have some issues with safety. While melatonin is available over-the-counter (OTC) in the US and Canada, melatonin is available only by prescription or not at all in some countries. In the US, melatonin is sold as a dietary supplement, not a medication, so until recently melatonin has not been subject to the same purity rules and standards as prescription medications. There are new FDA rules that went into effect in June of 2010, that require all dietary supplements to comply with “good manufacturing practices (GMP)”, which includes compliance in manufacturing standards and labeling.

So what does all this mean if you want to try Melatonin as a supplement?  Melatonin has been shown to be safe in healthy people when used for up to 3 months at the correct dosage.

Over The Counter (OTC) Melatonin:

• When taken several hours before sleep, Melatonin can shift the biological clock earlier, making a better environment for falling asleep and waking up on time.
• When taken in the correct dose (0.3-1 mg), it can be effective for shift workers and people with circadian rhythm disorders.
• However, most Melatonin sold over the counter is packaged in doses ranging from 1 mg to 10 mg, with most doses containing double or triple the amount that is needed to be effective for the population that will benefit from its use.

Other Possible Uses for Melatonin

• As an anti-oxidant Melatonin acts upon free radicals. It may reduce damage caused by Parkinson’s disease, and can have an anti-aging effect.
• In the elderly, it has shown some promise in managing a type of insomnia called early morning awakenings ; but this area needs more study and does not take into account medications that may interact with melatonin. 

Caution should be taken when using Melatonin

• It should be used under the guidance of a doctor and sleep professional.
• It should be used at the correct dosage.
• It should be taken about 90 minutes before lights out.
• It should be used for a short time (less than 3 months).
• It should never be used in combination with other sleep inducing medications.
• It should never be used with alcohol.
• It should never be used with children (younger than 18 years).
• There are possible interaction effects and could change the effectiveness of your current medication regimen.

There are new and exciting experiments with patches for delivery of melatonin for use by shift workers and others who have work environments that put their regular circadian clocks to the test.  Tart cherries contain a natural melatonin and there is research to show that drinking tart cherry juice can help with insomnia.  There are vitamins and minerals , like Vitamin D, the B vitamins, folic acid and calcium that have been shown to help with both energy and relaxation.

At the end of the day (no pun intended), your first line of defense for sleep problems:  good health and good sleep hygiene.  Make it a habit to prepare your body and your mind at the end of every day to get the rest you need.  Try that first before you start looking for something else.  And when you do look, be careful. 

 

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

Everything you do, you do better with a good night’s sleep™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

twitter: @thesleepdoctor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor

The Sleep Doctor’s Sleep Suggestions from the Top Sleep stories of 2010 (Part II)

As you saw from my last blog, we learned so much in 2010 about our sleep and what we should and should not do. Here is Part II of my practical sleep suggestions -  based on the latest cutting edge research on sleep from the second half of 2010.

July

Sleep Suggestion: Problems Sleeping? Tart Cherry Juice may be helpful.

• In an article published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods, researchers from the University of Pensylvania had adults drink 8 ounces of tart cherry juice in the morning and evening for 2 weeks and results indicate that they had reduced insomnia severity, and a reduction in wake time after they fell asleep by 17 minutes.

Sleep Suggestion: During your child’s first 2 years get all the sleep you can!

• New parents have a huge sleep deficit. A survey in the UK showed that new parents (within the first 2 years of a child’s life) lose about 6 months of sleep! Over 60% of parents with babies aged less than 24 months get on average 3.25 hours of sleep per night.

August

Sleep Suggestion: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day-it’s good for your cholesterol

• Your Body Clock and Triglycerides. An animal study showed that disrupting the body clock or circadian rhythm can change the normal 24 hour cycle of your triglycerides and leave them high!

September

Sleep Suggestion: Falling asleep in the afternoon? Don’t eat lunch.

• Being hungry may help you stay awake and alert. Does eating a big meal make you feel sleepy? This research suggests that being hungry will not only keep you awake but alert as well. This animal research showed that the need for food was greater than the need for sleep.

October

Sleep Suggestion: Get more sleep and you will lose fat, not muscle on your diet.

• Sleep away your fat. This study showed that people who are on a low calorie diet will lose the same amount of weight if they are sleeping 5.5 or 8.5 hours, but those sleeping 8.5 hours will lose more fat, while those with 5.5 hours will lose more muscle.

Sleep Suggestion: Talk with your doctor if you have sleep problems, they may not ask.

• Menopause and sleep problems. In a survey of over 900 menopausal women, many of whom had sleep issues, it was revealed that most of their doctors did not ask them about their sleep.

 November

Sleep Suggestion: Take the phone out of your teen’s bedroom, even texting affects sleep

• Bedtime texting and internet use affect sleep. More than half of the teens that text or surf the internet at bedtime have problems falling asleep, and have mood, cognitive, and behavior problems the next day. And the average teen sends a total of 3400 electronic messages at bedtime every month.

Sleep Suggestion: Never drive drowsy

• Drowsy driving kills. In a study by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety it was determined that 1 in every 6 fatal crashes (16.5%) involves drowsy driving. 41% of drivers say that they have fallen asleep while driving at some time in their lives. And 10% of people admitted to falling asleep while driving in the past 12 months.

December

Sleep Suggestion: Get your beauty Sleep, it is for real.

• Want to look attractive and healthy, get your beauty sleep. There is scientific backing for the concept of beauty sleep. When people were photographed sleep deprived and non-sleep deprived they were rated less attractive and less healthy looking, with less sleep.

Sleep Suggestion: Make sure your child is not ingesting caffeine, you might be surprised!

• 75% of all children (age 5-12) consume caffeine daily. Caffeine consumption has been blamed for both bedwetting and sleep problems in kids, but this research showed that bedwetting was actually not due to caffeine consumption. More shockingly, kids between the ages of 8-12 were drinking the equivalent of 3 cans of soda per day.

So there you have it, 22 sleep suggestions, maybe even resolutions,  based on some of the most fascinating sleep research of 2010.   I know that I learned a lot last year about sleep and I hope you did as well. Looking forward to a healthy, happy and well-rested 2011.

 

Sweet Dreams,

 

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

Twitter: @thesleepdoctor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheSleepDoctor

Is your New Year’s Resolution to look better? Beauty Sleep: Need I say More?

I have talked about this before and now there is new research to keep the discussion going; both better quantity and quality sleep is an attractive feature, in everyone. A new study from researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the prestigious British Medical Journal showed that when given a choice, people thought individuals with more sleep looked attractive!

Researchers took pictures of 23 people on two separate occasions, the first time when they were sleep deprived (after being awake for 31 hours), and the second time after 8 hours of sleep. The pictures were taken under these conditions:

• The participants were non-smokers
• The participants had not had an alcoholic beverage in 3 days
• Taken at the same time of day
• With no make-up and similar hygiene measures
• With similar hair styles (lose or pulled back if long)
• At the same camera lens distance
• In the same well lit room
• And they were asked to have a neutral facial expression

Sixty-five “observers” were blinded to the condition (meaning that they did not know which occasion they were rating (sleep deprived vs. well rested) and asked to rate people on perceived health, attractiveness, and tiredness. And what do you think the results showed? People who were sleep deprived were rated as:

1. Less Healthy looking
2. More tired looking
3. Less Attractive

Not surprisingly a decreased rating of looking healthy appeared to be associated with ratings of tiredness and less attractiveness.

What can you do to make this New Year one of Sleep and Health?

• Make sure you are getting your needed rest-in most cases this is between 7-9 hours
• If you think that you may have a sleep disorder that could be causing poor quality sleep, make a point of speaking to your doctor about seeing a sleep specialist
• Try some sure-fire ways of increasing sleep quality:
  
  • Go decaf by 2:30pm
  • Exercise daily-with doctor’s permission
• Consider creating a tranquil sleep environment
  
  • Could it be time for a new pillow or mattress?
• When creating those holidays cards choose pictures of a well rested family
• If creating a new online profile (dating or otherwise) chose those pictures wisely

We all want to look and feel our best in 2011 and all the years to come, and remember healthy sleep is a great way to help make that happen.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesleepdoctor

Twitter: @thesleepdoctor

Innocent by Sleep-Deprived Insanity?

That’s what one man is saying in one of the strangest trials of the year (maybe even the decade). When I read about it, I dug a little deeper only to find that the details of the trial were even more complicated than the claim of innocence.  Here are the facts of the case (pretend you’re in the jury box):

• Woody Smith of Dayton, Kentucky strangled his wife to death in May of last year.
• Police records indicate that Smith learned about his wife’s extra-martial affair and confronted her just before attacking her.
• He was then hospitalized for an overdose of prescription pills.
• His defense attorneys claim the violence occurred due to insanity brought on by lack of sleep, as Smith was allegedly having trouble sleeping because he was worried that his wife would leave him.
• According to his lawyers, Smith was taking caffeine pills and drinking energy drinks to get him through the day.

 From my standpoint there are two questions to address here:

1. Can you really become psychotic or delusional from sleep deprivation?
2. How can caffeine or energy drinks play into one’s propensity to kill another human being?

First, sleep deprivation itself can indeed impair someone’s judgment and ability to think clearly but that doesn’t necessarily lead to committing a murder.

Second, it doesn’t surprise me to learn that perpetrators of crimes have laid blame on lots of things to justify claims of insanity. And when used in an over dosage situation caffeine can produce paranoid, delusional behavior. While I do not know all of the specifics of this case, I would find it hard to believe that the “Red Bull” made him do it.

And you might recall me blogging about the story of Kenneth Parks, who killed his mother-in-law while he was sleepwalking. He was found not guilty, but then again…it’s not the same as killing someone while wide awake.

Though for someone like Mr. Smith, he’s facing the possibility of a life sentence that no amount of restful sleep can take away. We’ll have to see what happens here.

Sweet Dreams,

 

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com