Lighting Up Your Life Light is a potent drug. It resets internal biological clocks. It increases alertness and productivity. It changes natural killer cell activity and immunity. It can keep us awake or help us rest. But first we have to recognize that not all light is not created equal. Which is why some people […]
Zee Drugs (8/18/14)
Zee Story The back of the alphabet is pushing for primacy. The masked avenger Zorro appeared in 1919; the remarkably popular Z cars television crime series transfixed Britain in the 1960s. Now is era of Z drugs. Zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone – respectively named for the commercially minded ambien, sonata and lunesta – are today’s […]
What Will Happen to Sleep Medicine? (8/4/14)
Sleep medicine is about to change. With luck it will change how people treat and view sleep. What will disappear? The present treatment model – what I’ll call the “Sleep Apnea Testing Service Model”- after the suggestion of Dr. Michael Grandner. What will replace it? Hopefully a treatment format that addresses and improves both individual […]
Is Sleep Apnea Boring? (2/3/14)
Clinical Fascination Boredom can prove very personal. A few weeks ago I sat down in the hospital cafeteria. At my table was a polite, bright pulmonologist. He expressed sympathy for my work: “I find sleep apnea so boring.” For a doctor like him there’s isn’t much to do with sleep apnea. Somebody comes in. They […]
Treating Depression Effectively – Getting People To Sleep (11/25/13)
Treatment of Depression Is Often Ineffective The key to successful treatment of depression may be treating the insomnia that accompanies it. What New Research is Changing Attitudes? Rachel Manber at Stanford studied cognitive behavioral treatments for insomniac, depressed people. When their insomnia was fixed following CBT, depression treatment success doubled. Get them to sleep and they stopped being depressed. […]