Category: Sleep Disorders

A Problem with Your Bedroom Could Be Making You Fat

sleeping-obesity

What is the problem? Too much light!

A new study, The Relationship Between Obesity and Exposure to Light at Night: Cross-Sectional Analyses of Over 100,000 Women in the Breakthrough Generations Study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology on May 29, 2014 suggests that there may a link between your exposure to light at night (LAN) and your body mass index (BMI).

The authors of the study were not able to prove a definitive link, but the results are still surprising:

We found a significant association between LAN exposure and obesity which was not explained by potential confounders we could measure.

A BBC article about the same study further explains that:

A team at the Institute of Cancer Research in London found women had larger waistlines if their bedroom was “light enough to see across” at night.

Their answers were compared to several measures of obesity. Body Mass Index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference were all higher in women with lighter rooms.

One possible explanation is that the light is disrupting the body clock, which stems from our evolutionary past when we were active when it was light in the day and resting when it was dark at night.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

One Weird Health Problem Keeping People Awake at Night

Crying babies, noisy neighbors, work-related stress, uncomfortable beds, and too much caffeine. These are some of the more common reasons people can’t sleep at night, but did you know that some people are kept awake by…

Exploding Head Syndrome


What is Exploding Head Syndrome?

The Huffington Post describes the condition as follows:

People who experience exploding head syndrome typically hear a loud bang sound like cymbals crashing, a bomb exploding or a gunshot when no such noise has actually occurred.


Naturally, these loud noises can make it difficult to sleep, but is Exploding Head Syndrome dangerous?

According to the American Sleep Association:

As exploding head syndrome is not dangerous, and does not have a drastic effect on sleep, many individuals do seek help for their symptoms. It will first be necessary to consult with a doctor regarding your sleep and medical history to ensure that what the individual is experiencing is actually exploding head syndrome and not something else. Similar experiences have been known to be brought on by certain medications or drugs.

Who has Exploding Head Syndrome?

According to the American Sleep Association:

People over the age of 50 are most likely to experience exploding head syndrome. Women are at a higher rate of experiencing it than men. It has been reported in people as young as 10 years old.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

How Often Do You Sleep on the Job? New Study Reveals Shocking Statistics About Work and Sleep

The Virgin Pulse Institute announced the results today of a sleep study conducted in November 2013 with approximately 1,140 Virgin Pulse members, from three U.S.-based companies. Researchers found that:

  • 76 percent of employees felt tired most days of the week
  • 40 percent of employees doze off during the day once per month
  • 30 percent of employees were unhappy or very unhappy with the quality or quantity of their sleep
  • 15 percent doze off during the day at least once per week to once per day

Participants noted that lack of sleep impacted their energy and motivation to participate in physical activities and eat healthy foods. They experienced difficulty concentrating at work or remembering tasks, and felt more irritable at work and home. Sleeplessness also made it harder to manage stress, further impacting their difficulties sleeping.

For the complete study visit: http://connect.virginpulse.com/asleep-on-the-job-report-from-virgin-pulse.pdf

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.