We’ve all heard about maintaining good hygiene — like adhering to sanitary practices such as brushing your teeth after every meal or using disposable tissues instead of your sleeve. But what is sleep hygiene? According to Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, “Sleep hygiene is a variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness.” Examples include maintaining a regular sleep and wake pattern seven days a week and spending an appropriate amount of time in bed — not too little or too excessive. Much like your other hygiene practices, sleep hygiene promotes health and prevents various problems and disorders. Are you maintaining good sleep hygiene?

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4009115&ct=6779145&msource=nae22409&tr=y&auid=4547931

In honor of the latest Internet sensation, the National Sleep Foundation has created a list of 25 random facts about sleep. But we’re not restricting this information to our 25 closest friends. Share it with everyone you know!

1. Man is the only mammal that willingly delays sleep.
2. The higher the altitude, the greater the sleep disruption. Generally, sleep disturbance becomes greater at altitudes of 13,200 feet or more. The disturbance is thought to be caused by diminished oxygen levels and accompanying changes in respiration. Most people adjust to new altitudes in approximately two to three weeks — from Jet Lag and Sleep.
3. In general, exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, exercising sporadically or right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult — from Sleep Tips.
4. Divorced, widowed and separated people report more insomnia — from Sleep Aids and Insomnia.
5. Six in ten healthcare professionals do not feel that they have enough time to have a discussion with their patients about insomnia during regular office visits — from the Sleeping Smart Sleep Report Card.
6. More than eight in ten survey respondents think that people often or sometimes misuse prescription sleep aids — from the Sleeping Smart Sleep Report Card.
7. Caffeine has been called the most popular drug in the world. All over the world people consume caffeine on a daily basis in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, some soft drinks, and some drugs — from Caffeine and Sleep.
8. In general, most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they’ve slept ten hours — from ABC’s of ZZZZs — When You Can’t Sleep.
9. We naturally feel tired at two different times of the day: about 2:00 AM and 2:00 PM. It is this natural dip in alertness that is primarily responsible for the post-lunch dip — from Ingredients for Slumber: How Food and Beverages May Affect Your Sleep.
10. Sleep is just as important as diet and exercise.
11. According to the International Classifications of Sleep Disorders, shift workers are at increased risk for a variety of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.
12. Newborns sleep a total of 10.5 to 18 hours a day on an irregular schedule with periods of one to three hours spent awake — from Children and Sleep.
13. When infants are put to bed drowsy but not asleep, they are more likely to become “self- soothers,” which enables them to fall asleep independently at bedtime and put themselves back to sleep during the night — from Children and Sleep.
14. Eighty-two percent of healthcare professionals believe that it is the responsibility of both the patient and the healthcare professional to bring up symptoms of insomnia during an appointment — from the Sleeping Smart Sleep Report Card.
15. The body never adjusts to shift work!
16. There are individual differences in the need to nap. Some adults and children need to nap. However, the majority of teenagers probably nap in the afternoon because they are not sleeping enough at night — Daniel Lewin, PhD, Ask the Sleep Expert: Sleep and Teens.
17. Snoring is the primary cause of sleep disruption for approximately 90 million American adults; 37 million on a regular basis — from Aging and Sleep.
18. Scientists still don’t know — and probably never will — if animals dream during REM sleep, as humans do — from Dreams and Sleep.
19. Some studies show promise for the use of melatonin in shortening the time it takes to fall asleep and reducing the number of awakenings, but not necessarily total sleep time. Other studies show no benefit at all with melatonin — from Melatonin and Sleep.
20. One of the primary causes of excessive sleepiness among Americans is self-imposed sleep deprivation — from Excessive Sleepiness and Sleep.
21. According to the results of NSF’s 2008 Sleep in America poll, 36 percent of American drive drowsy or fall asleep while driving.
22. According to the results of NSF’s 2008 Sleep in America poll, a surprising 34 percent of respondents reported their employer allows them to nap during breaks and 16 percent provide a place to do so.
23. People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have bigger appetites due to the fact that their leptin levels (leptin is an appetite-regulating hormone) fall, promoting appetite increase — from Diet, Exercise and Sleep.
24. Rates of insomnia increase as a function of age, but most often the sleep disturbance is attributable to some other medical condition — from the Sleeping Smart Study Hall.
25. And in case you missed our post on Tips for Beating the Winter Blues, did you know seasonal affective disorder is believed to be influenced by the changing patterns of light and darkness that occur with the approach of winter?

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4009115&ct=6752619&msource=nae021709&tr=y&auid=4520674

Two University of Wisconsin-Madison students have won the $10,000 top prize in the university’s Schoofs Prize for Creativity contest for developing an iPhone application that wakes users up during the light phase of their sleep cycle, according to the university. The software, called Proactive Sleep, tests a user’s alertness in the morning and then automatically configures an alarm clock as it learns the user’s unique sleep cycle. By waking up during the light sleep phase of the cycle, users are more likely to be less groggy and more alert during the day. The application was developed by electrical and computer engineering senior Justin Beck and psychology and neurobiology senior Daniel Gartenberg. It is expected to go on sale in the Apple application store for the iPhone and the iPod touch over the next couple of months.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4009115&ct=6768515&msource=nae021709&tr=y&auid=4520671

A survey of 1,000 adults conducted by Consumer Reports found that the top reason for avoiding sex last year was “too tired or need sleep,” according to ConsumerReportsHealth.org. Eighty percent of participants told Consumer Reports that they avoided sex last year, and 53 percent said they used “too tired or need sleep” as an excuse. ConsumerReportsHealth.org notes that adopting good sleep habits can help couples battling fatigue. Jean Koehler, past president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists, told the site that sex can actually help. Many people report that sex actually improves sleep. Koehler also notes, however, that some participants may have used tiredness as an excuse because they simply weren’t interested. The second reason for avoiding sex last year was “not feeling well or health problems.”

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4009115&ct=6763719&msource=nae021709&tr=y&auid=4520670

Marketdata Study Looks at U.S. Sleep Market

According to a new study by Marketdata, sleep is a $23.7 billion-a-year industry in the United States. The report, titled the U.S. Sleep Market, examines the industry and its components — covering markets for medications, sleep labs/sleep centers, mattresses and pillows, continuous positive airway pressure machines and retail sleep aids. The report also contains results from its research survey of sleep labs in March-May 2008, deriving key operating ratios, average revenues and much more.

The study includes market size estimates for 1987-2007, with 2008 and 2012 forecasts, client demographics, in-depth competitor profiles and rankings in each market segment, discussions of market nature and structure, history and evolution, in view of recent Medicare rulings regarding home testing. Advertising strategies, research and development, sleep disorder publicity and other demand factors are analyzed.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=huIXKjM0IxF&b=4009115&ct=6062185&msource=nae12709&tr=y&auid=4446861