You’ve Got Rhythm There are many effective strategies to help you sleep. That’s a simple conclusion from two preliminary studies in the last two weeks demonstrating that brain cooling caps and gently rocking beds can both improve “objective” sleep measures. Both involve changing internal body rhythms. The better news is that there are dozens of […]
Fantastic future sleep (6/22/11)
Can You Can Afford This Hotel Room? George W. Bush famously said, “The future will be better tomorrow.” The hospitality industry can’t wait. They’ve seen the future of sleep – and it’s great. We owe this bountiful projection of the future to the British corporation Travelodge. Known for innovative surveys of all manner of rest, […]
Cool yourself to sleep (6/20/11)
Cooling Off Insomnia Can cooling your head treat insomnia? That’s the promise of a new device coming out of Daniel Buysse’s research group at the University of Pittsburgh. What Did They Do? Put a cooling cap at night on the front of insomniac’s heads, which lowered the temperature near the top of their head – […]
Caffeine, sleep, and memory (6/1/11)
Blame It On Adenosine What is the main action of caffeine? To block adenosine receptors – in the brain and the rest of the body. And what does adenosine do? Tell us that we’re getting sleepy. And foul up our memories. So does blocking adenosine through caffeine improve memory? If only life were so simple. […]
Getting the perfect nap Part I (5/13/11)
The Purpose of Your Nap Naps are back in the news. Air traffic controllers, pilots, truck drivers, and your average citizen are falling asleep in droves – with sometimes fatal results. For a chronically sleep deprived population, can naps restore and rebuild? Yes. Naps can return function to many sleepy people. But rest’s capacity to […]