Sleep and Health Journal

By Louis Keith, MD, PhD, ScD (Hon)

Readers of this column already know that I travel, and that the subject of my article often relates to something I have seen on a recent trip. This column is no different, and the subject came to me on the morning of January 1, when I was having breakfast at the coffee shop of the Hilton Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan, Yes, there is a Hilton in Sudan and its capital city, Khartoum. For those who do not remember much of their geography, Sudan is located to the western side of the Red Sea, and directly to the east is Saudi Arabia. It is located in that part of Africa that is considered "Sub-Saharan", meaning that it is south of the famed Saharan Desert.

Statistics on Drowsy Driving Should Wake You Up

Sleeping in Tinsel Town…
How Working Actors Can Overcome Sleep Deprivation

By Nikos Linardakis, M.D., America’s Natural Sleep Doctor®

They can act, but can they sleep on cue? I spoke with a few actors on my recent trip to Hollywood, California, and was I impressed.

After a few minutes of speaking with Walter Tabayoyong, professional photographer to the Stars, I sense that Hollywood is an active world of sleep-deprived wonders.

“Life in Hollywood is always on the go. We are expected to respond quickly, and learn lines quickly. Our health is number one. Actors have to be in the best of shape. Sleep is very important to us, even though we don’t seem to get enough.” Says Walter Tab, as he is called in L.A.

Our society is overworked and sleep deprived. We all now crave a caffeine buzz these days, even more than alcoholic drinks. In the past three years alone, the number of 18-to-24-year-olds who drink coffee daily has doubled.

The Case of Judge Nodd and other Sleeping Judges--Grunstein et al

Everyone knows about insomnia, but not everyone knows the extent of damage excessive daytime sleepiness can cause. A recent article in the journal of SLEEP presented a summary of cases when judges are falling asleep in the middle of important trials. We are citing a few of them. How many other persons responsible for our lives are falling asleep?

Risk for Heart Attacks Rises in Winter. Do Not Worry, Just Be Ready

The Wall Street Journal (December 11, 2006) reported interesting data from a study by researchers from Massachusetts who reviewed 260,000 heart attacks over a two-year period from 15,000 hospitals all over the country. Their conclusion was that the maximum risk for heart attack was in the winter months. In fact, the rate of attacks was twice as high in January than in July. They also found that heart attacks in winter (December 21 –March 19) were much more fatal then during summer (June 21-September 22).

Personality Disorders Impair Social Functioning

Problems in social functioning appear to be an enduring component of personality disorders (PDs), suggests new research from New York. Based on the expectation that "personality disorders disrupt normal experiences, such as establishing a career or intimate relationships outside the family of origin," Andrew Skodol (Columbia University, New York) and colleagues explored which aspects of PD psychopathology are more important.

Slow down, Take Back Your Time Day Planners

By Ellen Wulfhorst

Workers of America, take a break!

Born out of concern over the long hours U.S. workers put in on the job, Take Back Your Time Day, set for October 24, is an effort to remind hurried, harried people of what they're missing. “Slow down,” say program organizers who range from academics to activists to volunteers. Turn off the cell phone, look at the falling leaves, sit down to a family dinner, take a nap or just take a deep breath. This will be the fourth annual Take Back Your Time Day, marked by events ranging from panel discussions to potluck suppers, organizers said.

Sleep-Deprivation Studies Fail to Wake up Teaching Hospitals

Exhausted people make more mistakes than those who've had a good night's sleep. "Duh!" as teenagers might say. Yet as obvious as that reasoning seems, hospitals aren't buying it. Despite horror stories about errors committed by bleary-eyed residents, thousands of doctors in training regularly work shifts of 30 consecutive hours a few times a month.

Family recognizes man with amnesia on TV

DENVER - A man with amnesia who had been searching for his identity for more than a month was finally recognized by family and friends in Washington state when he appeared on a television news report asking for help. He left his home Sept. 6 to visit his mother in Slave Lake, Alberta, but never made a scheduled stop that evening at his fiancee's mother's house in Bellingham, Wash., according to the Thurston County, Wash., sheriff's office.