Better Sleep Better Health

Cell phones have become ubiquitous in modern life. Once a rare luxury only available to the rich, now they are so commonplace that even children have them in elementary school. They’re found in our pockets, purses, cars, and workplaces. Unfortunately they’re also found one place they shouldn’t be: the bedroom.

A Pew Research survey recently reported that over two-thirds of Americans now sleep with their cell phones within reach. This may not be a serious problem if people only used them for emergency calls or as alarm clocks, but with the advent of smartphones the usage of cell phones has changed. They are now more commonly used to check email, watch videos, text, and surf the web. These practices, while useful during the daytime, disrupt and delay sleep for many people. In addition to the bad habits cell phones encourage in the bedroom, their screens can actually alter your brain chemistry to disrupt your sleep cycle and cause insomnia. Many phones have bright screens that emit blue and green light. These wavelengths can alter the natural human light reactive circadian process by preventing the body from secreting melatonin, a sleep inducing neurotransmitter. Many sleep specialists who have encouraged people not to watch TV before bedtime for the same reason now extend the warning to avoid cell phones and computer screens around bedtime. If you’re an avid texter, internet surfer, or compulsive email checker try turning of your phone an hour before bed. Don’t worry, it will still be there the next morning and you may just get a better night’s sleep.

Carol Bell has cataplexy, a loss of muscle control brought on by emotional stimuli.

A recent article from MSN’s The Body Odd relates one woman’s struggles with cataplexy, a symptom of the sleep disorder Narcolepsy. Cataplexy is the sudden loss of muscle control usually brought on by an emotional stimulus. When people such as Carol Bell are exposed to certain intsense emotions, in her case laughter from a joke, they can become imobilized for a number of minutes before regaining muscle control.

“People always ask me what it feels like,” says Bell, who lives in Edina, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis. “I finally came up with an analogy: It’s like I’m a marionette. When the strings are cut, the marionette falls to the stage. And that’s exactly what it feels like. You no longer have control over your voluntary muscles.”

The symptom can also be brought about by fear or excitement and is part of the tetrad of symptoms associated with Narcolepsy. Exessive Daytime Sleepiness, Hypnogogic Hallucinations, and Sleep Paralysis are also symptoms. Researchers believe cataplexy occurs because of an activation of the mechanism occurs during sleep.

During the REM stage of sleep, our muscles are essentially paralyzed. “That’s a good thing — we probably don’t really want to act out our dreams,” explains Dr. Michel Cramer Bornemann, a medical director at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

The article goes on to detail Carol’s struggles with social interactions because of her problem and other people’s similar cataplexy problems. The full article is found here.

The AASM’s Sleep Education Blog recently reported on NFL player Percy Harvin’s diagnosis of Sleep Apnea:

“After a 0-2 start to the season, things are looking bleaker by the day for the Minnesota Vikings. 40-year-old Quarterback Brett Favre is showing his age, and his primary target Sidney Rice won’t catch a pass until at least November.

The latest let-down involves the feel-good story of the NFL’s season opener. NBC’s Andrea Kremer reported mid-game that Percy Harvin found the cure for debilitating migraines. The athletic wide-receiver had sleep apnea and didn’t know it.

Harvin was diagnosed after collapsing on the field during practice last month. Numerous reports claimed CPAP treatment would solve the chronic migraines that plagued him since childhood. Harvin would be a whole new player capable of living up to his sky-high potential.

Then the news broke Wednesday that the 2008 first-round pick and future franchise wide receiver did not participate in team practice because of migraines.

Harvin’s health issues are huge blow for the Vikings, who have scored only 19 points over the first two regular season games.

Currently, it’s not entirely clear why the migraines have returned. There are two likely possibilities:

a) Harvin didn’t sleep with CPAP previous to practice

b) Something other than sleep apnea is causing the migraines

It’s disappointing that Harvin is having migraines again, but the sleep apnea diagnosis is a huge step forward for his health. After all, treatment can save his life.”