Not everyone has the luxury of working regular, traditional hours. An estimated 15 million Americans, from nurses to skilled tradespeople, are required to take unusual shifts; these may include graveyard shifts, early morning shifts, or shifts that rotate throughout the week. Working such irregular hours can have a significant impact on the body’s ability to
A study conducted by researchers from Michigan State University’s Sleep and Learning Lab reveals that sleep deprivation may negatively impact our cognitive abilities on a larger scale than originally theorized. The study is one of the first to look at how a lack of sleep affects placekeeping, a term defined as “the ability to complete
New couples are often advised not to go to bed angry, but for those struggling to solve a problem, researchers from Northwestern University say going to bed – angry or otherwise – may actually help to solve the problem at hand. While the concept of “sleeping on” an unsolved problem may have shown itself to
During a heat wave, our bodies undergo certain processes to help us cope with rising temps. While this makes it easier to tolerate hot days, it can seriously interfere with our ability to obtain high-quality sleep. “In order to deal with heat, your body increases heart rate and blood flow to your periphery — the exact
U.S.-born teenage children of Mexican and Central American immigrants have been losing sleep since the 2016 election, thanks to worries about the impact of U.S. immigration policies on their families. In a new study from the University of California – Berkeley, nearly half of the teenage participants reported they worry “at least sometimes” about how
Sleep researchers have long classified people as one of three types of sleepers: morning larks, night owls, or neither. Now, new research suggests these aren’t the only categories, adding “afternoon people” and “nappers” to the list of possible sleep chronotypes. “Variation in the diurnal curve of alertness-sleepiness cannot be fully accounted for [with] just three
For years, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been a common treatment for insomnia. Now, a new study says the therapy could be just as effective when the therapist and patient aren’t in the same room. Researchers at the University of Ann Arbor found that telemedicine sessions were as effective in treating insomnia as in-person therapy
Firefighters with sleep disorders and mental health conditions are more likely to burn out, a new study finds. What’s more, firefighters who reported a lack of sleep also showed signs of depersonalization (feeling disconnected from one’s body and thoughts) and a lack of initiative. We spoke with Alexander Wolkow, Ph.D., lead author of the study
Sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea, may lead to an acceleration in aging, a new study says. The researchers found that subjects who struggled with disordered breathing increased their biological age by as much as 321 days. In addition, the effects of sleep disorders were greater in female subjects when compared with male subjects.
Both sleep deprivation and nutrient deficiencies are common among American adults. New research suggests these two phenomena might be related. The study, which was recently presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s Annual Meeting, Nutrition 2019, found that people who obtained fewer than seven hours of sleep per night, on average, consumed lower amounts of
Using questionnaire data from nearly 44,000 American women, scientists at the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that women who use artificial light at night (ALAN) might be at an increased risk for obesity. According to the NIH, this is the first prospective study to link this type of light exposure to weight gain in
Sleep apnea may be associated with a small increase in the risk of developing cancer, and that risk may be slightly higher for women with sleep apnea compared to men with the same condition, a new study suggests. “From the analysis of a large population involving almost 20,000 patients, we concluded that the severity of