Clipmarks | dmegivern's 'sleep' clips

Hmm, Pothead Ph.D.

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:49:53 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Pothead Ph.D.

I never would have made it this far in graduate school without the aid of marijuana.

I think my pot smoking has helped smooth out the roughness of a Ph.D. program. And frankly, I think the disturbing issue with a younger generation of graduate students is that they don't toke up enough. Instead many indulge in things far worse, both for them physically and for the humanities.

I'm an insomniac who averages four to five hours of sleep a night. The best way to deal with a sleeping problem is with regular exercise. But it's nice to have a secret weapon to knock me out on days when I can't make it to the gym. I'm certainly better off than peers who have flirted with Xanax addictions, or who waste their stipends on genuinely worthless stuff like Ambien or Lunesta.

Of course I've often felt troubled, politically, by my marijuana use: Here I am in the comfort of my apartment while unfortunate people are incarcerated for selling it to me.

Tags: academia, marijuana

Sleep Apnea can Lead to Memory Loss

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:30:49 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

Sleep Problem Can Lead to Memory Loss

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

New research suggests a common sleep disorder can lead to memory loss. In the study, UCLA scientists discovered people with sleep apnea show tissue loss in brain regions that help store memory.

Reported in the June 27 edition of the journal Neuroscience Letters, the findings emphasize the importance of early detection of the disorder, which afflicts an estimated 20 million Americans.

“Our findings demonstrate that impaired breathing during sleep can lead to a serious brain injury that disrupts memory and thinking,” said principal investigator Ronald Harper, a distinguished professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Harper hypothesizes that repeated drops in oxygen lead to the brain injury. During an apnea episode, the brain’s blood vessels constrict, starving its tissue of oxygen and causing cellular death. The process also incites inflammation, which further damages the tissue.

Troubles At Work Disrupt Sleep

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:17:57 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.ns.umich.edu

U-M study: Work hassles hamper sleep

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Common hassles at work are more likely than long hours, night shifts or job insecurity to follow workers home and interfere with their sleep.

But this is the first U.S. study to clarify the link between work and sleep quality for all workers, not just rotating shift workers or medical students, who have unusual work and sleep arrangements.

Because the surveys were prospective—following the same people over time—the researchers were able to show that work conditions affected sleep patterns, not the other way around. Their analysis controlled for initial sleep quality, health, pessimism and other confounding factors.

Respondents who felt upset or bothered at work on a frequent basis, or had on-going personal conflicts with bosses or co-workers, were about 1.7 times more likely than others to develop sleep problems.

How to Avoid Enamel Erosion on Teeth

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:14:23 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

Beware Effects Of Acid On Teeth

Food, Drinks Containing Lots Of It Can Harm Them By Wearing Away Enamel

Dr. Nancy Rosen, a dentist practicing in Manhattan, explained to The Early Show's Russ Mitchell Wednesday that acid in foods or liquids can cause irreversible erosion of tooth enamel.

But The Mayo Clinic suggests several ways to minimize such damage:

Limiting consumption of high-acid foods

Timing consumption: Eating acidic foods as part of a meal helps neutralize and eliminate acids. The worst time to consume acidic foods is just before bedtime, because saliva production decreases during sleep. Saliva helps neutralize and dilute acids.

Drinking right: Using a straw for soda or juice helps minimize contact with the teeth. Drinking quickly -- not sipping over long periods -- also helps reduce the effects of acid on tooth enamel.

Neutralizing: After consuming acidic food or drink, eating cheese or swishing with water or a fluoride rinse could help neutralize the acid.

Timing your brushing:

Depression in Young Adults and Substance Abuse

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:50:15 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

Depressed Young Adults More Likely To Start Cigarette Smoking And Other Substance Use

A new report indicates that young adults who have suffered from depression within the past year are at a higher risk of initiating substance use including cigarette smoking and use of alcohol or illicit drugs. The findings, based on the largest national survey on substance use and health, were reported today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the source for this report, defines a major depressive episode as a period of two weeks or longer during which there is depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure and the presence of at least four other symptoms that reflect a change in functioning. These include problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image. This definition is consistent with the one used by the American Psychiatric Association.

Tags: mental.health, drugs, alcohol, young, depression

Sleep, Food, Exercise, and Weight

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:23:06 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern
clipper's remarks: There are more and more articles linking poor quality sleep with weight gain and vice versa.

Clip Source: www.healthday.com

High-Fat Diet Can Disrupt Body's Clock

Like a midnight raid on the fridge for junk food -- sleep often suffers, study says

TUESDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- There's more bad news about a high-fat diet -- it disrupts the body's 24-hour internal (circadian) clock, which regulates sleeping, waking, eating, as well as the daily rhythms of many metabolic functions, U.S. researchers say.

The team also found that a high-fat diet caused changes in genes that encode the circadian clock in the brain and in peripheral tissues (such as fat), resulting in reduced expression of these genes.

"The answer is, yes; alterations in feeding affect timing. We found that as an animal on a high-fat diet gains weight, it eats at the inappropriate time for its sleep/wake cycle -- all of the excess calories are consumed when the animal should be resting. For a human, that would be like raiding the refrigerator in the middle of the night and binging on junk food," Bass said.

Tags: sleep, weight, food, diet, exercise, health

More Connections Between Sleep and Mental Health

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:41:23 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern
clipper's remarks: Get enough sleep or your brain might become depressed.

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

Sleep Loss Challenges Emotional Control

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

In the first neural investigation into what happens to the emotional brain without sleep, results from a brain imaging study suggest that while a good night’s rest can regulate your mood and help you cope with the next day’s emotional challenges, sleep deprivation does the opposite by excessively boosting the part of the brain most closely connected to depression, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders.

Clinical evidence has shown that some form of sleep disruption is present in almost all psychiatric disorders.

Walker and his team found that the amygdala, which is also a key to processing emotions, became hyperactive in response to negative visual stimuli - mutilated bodies, children with tumors and other gory images - in study participants who stayed awake for 35 hours straight. Conversely, brain scans of those who got a full night’s sleep in their own beds showed normal activity in the amygdala.

Tags: sleep, mental.illness, deprivation, depression, brain, research

Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Syndrome

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:10:10 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

the beneficial effect of a cytokine antagonist on EDS in obese, male apneics and that of exercise on SDB in a general random sample, supports the hypothesis that cytokines and insulin resistance are mediators of EDS and sleep apnea in humans. In conclusion, accumulating evidence provides support to our model of the bi-directional, feed forward, pernicious association between sleep apnea, sleepiness, inflammation, and insulin resistance, all promoting atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.

the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) were elevated in patients with disorders of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)

a positive correlation between IL-6 or TNFalpha plasma levels and the body-mass-index (BMI). In subsequent studies, we showed that IL-6, TNFalpha, and insulin levels were elevated in sleep apnea independently of obesity and that visceral fat, was the primary parameter linked with sleep apnea.

Tags: sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome, pcos

Sleep Apnea and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:46:40 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern
clipper's remarks: I am kicking myself for not keeping up to date with the research on PCOS. Since I have it, I would have known to look sooner for sleep apnea. Since getting the CPAP machine, I have so much more energy.

Clip Source: www.umm.edu

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). In a 2000 study, women with PCOS were 30 times more likely than other premenopausal women to have obstructive sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness. Women with PCOS produce high amounts of male hormones, particularly testosterone, which can cause obesity, facial hair, and acne. About half of PCOS patients also have diabetes. Obesity and diabetes are both associated with sleep apnea and may be the common factors.

Some evidence suggests that treating sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may reduce GERD symptoms by nearly 50%.

Diabetes. Diabetes is associated with sleep apnea and snoring. It is not clear if there is an independent relationship between the two conditions or whether obesity is the only common factor.

Tags: sleep apnea, pcos, polycystic, ovarian, syndrome

Sleep Apnea and Intermittent Low Oxygen

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:30:04 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern
clipper's remarks: Having recently learned that I have an atypical but severe case of sleep apnea, I am doing a little research. Basically, I learned that I was waking up 72 times an hour during sleep, in order to catch my breath. It is likely this has been happening for a long time, but it was difficult to diagnose because:
1) My snoring was mild enough that it was rarely mentioned by others. For example, my husband also has apnea, but he was a very loud snorer and he constantly gasped in his sleep. I, on the other hand, was not observed gasping and he barely noticed me snoring.
2) I had virtually no memory of being awakened throughout the night, and I rarely need to get up to go to the bathroom during sleep (1-2x a week).
3) The obvious symptoms like chronic fatigue/sleepiness, low mood, memory and concentration problems--well--they could be explained by major depression, a diagnosis I have carried for years.

Clip Source: www.case.edu

Today, researchers know that snoring, while often joked about, also has a much more serious side, especially if the snoring is related to sleep apnea. Sufferers of this disorder literally stop breathing in their sleep many times a night, depriving their bodies and brains of oxygen for about 15 seconds every few minutes.

an important aspect of sleep apnea at the molecular, genetic, cellular, and organ system levels: low oxygen episodes called chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), which also plays a role in sudden infant death syndrome in premature infants.

Could the trigger that causes the body to startle awake for that breath be more critical than the hypoxia itself? Prabhakar speculates that the sudden release for a breath may cause oxidative stress, which is an overabundance of oxygen free radicals in the body

Tags: sleep, apnea, low oxygen, oxygen deprivation, long-term, consequences

Chicago Homeless Shelter Has to Turn Away Women

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:03:18 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.suntimes.com

Women face fight for spots in city's shelters

On this night, 35 win and 6 lose in bid for night off the streets

BY MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist

"Totally full. No more open beds," he announces from beneath the sign for Franciscan House for Mary and Joseph, one of the city's largest homeless shelters. "I'm sorry, ladies. We don't have any more open beds tonight."

Byzantine procedures

As the announcement is made, I look up into the faces of six women left standing on the sidewalk. Their last, best hope for finding a place to sleep has slipped away.

What I see in their faces is fear and anger, resignation and annoyance, desperation and bemusement. And shock.

Tags: poverty, homelessnes, neglect

Dogs' Views on Changing Light Bulbs

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 16:15:54 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: www.c4vct.com

Dogs' Views on Changing Light Bulbs

How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb? Depends on the dog's point of view....

GOLDEN RETRIEVER: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?

BORDER COLLIE: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

DACHSHUND: You know I can't reach that stupid bulb!

ROTTWEILER: Make me.

LAB: Oh, me, me!!!! Pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I?

MALAMUTE: Let the Border Collie do it. You can feed me while he's busy.

JACK RUSSELL TERRIER: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.

POODLE: I'll blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

COCKER SPANIEL: Why change it? I can pee on the carpet in the dark.

DOBERMAN PINSCHER: While it's dark, I'm going to sleep on the sofa.

BOXER: Who cares? I can play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

MASTIFF: Mastiffs are NOT afraid of the dark.

CHIHUAHUA: Yo quiero Taco Bulb.

IRISH WOLFHOUND: Can somebody else do it? I've got this hangover and..........

POINTER: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there!

GREYHOUND: It isn't moving. Who cares?

AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle....

OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOG: Light bulb? That thing I just ate was a light bulb?

HOUND DOG: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

And the CAT: Dogs do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs and I am not one of them. So, the question is, how long will it be before I get some light in here?

Back to the Animal Acts section, the Humor Index, or The Negapage.

Tags: dogs' views, funny

Clipmarks | dmegivern's 'sleep' clips

Hmm, Pothead Ph.D.

Pothead Ph.D.

Sleep Apnea can Lead to Memory Loss

Sleep Problem Can Lead to Memory Loss

Troubles At Work Disrupt Sleep

U-M study: Work hassles hamper sleep

How to Avoid Enamel Erosion on Teeth

Beware Effects Of Acid On Teeth

Food, Drinks Containing Lots Of It Can Harm Them By Wearing Away Enamel

Depression in Young Adults and Substance Abuse

Sleep, Food, Exercise, and Weight

More Evidence for Links between Diabetes and Sleep Disorders

More Connections Between Sleep and Mental Health

Sleep Loss Challenges Emotional Control

Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Syndrome

Sleep Apnea and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Sleep Apnea and Intermittent Low Oxygen

Chicago Homeless Shelter Has to Turn Away Women

Women face fight for spots in city's shelters

On this night, 35 win and 6 lose in bid for night off the streets

Dogs' Views on Changing Light Bulbs

Dogs' Views on Changing Light Bulbs