Better Sleep Better Health

Look on the side of a Rockstar, Red Bull, or 5 Hour Energy and you’ll usually find a warning for these products to be avoided by pregnant women or those sensitive to caffeine. These drinks, as well as the ubiquitous Starbucks coffee, can be consumed responsibly by adults. But should children be consuming caffeine?

A recent study published in the Journal Of Pediatrics reported that 75% of children ages 5 to 12 consume caffeine daily. Most of that consumption came in the form of soda, although the substance is also found in other sources such as chocolate. The study found that children aged 5 to 7 years were on average consuming 52mg of caffeine per day and those aged 8 to 12 years were consuming 109mg. To put that in perspective, the average Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine and a normal cup of coffee has around 120mg.

It is important to remember that caffeine is a drug and can have serious side effects. The lead researcher on the study, Dr William Warzak, advises, “Parents should be aware of the potentially negative influence of caffeine on a child’s sleep quality and daily functioning.” Caffeine is a stimulant and leads to hyperactivity, making it harder for children to focus in school and at home. It also is a diuretic, which can increase the likelihood of bed-wetting when consumed close to bedtime. The effects of caffeine can greatly disrupt children’s sleep cycles and increase nocturnal arousals. Disrupted and shortened sleep have been proven to be detrimental to childhood development, leading to increased obesity, hyperactivity, and decreased school performance.

Experts consider it unnecessary for children to consume caffeine and instead recommend milk, juices, or water to quench thirst. The next time your child wants something to drink, encourage lifetime of healthy habits by avoiding soda.

Drowsy driving is a very dangerous and under addressed problem facing our population. Each year thousands of accidents are caused by momentary fatigue-related lapses in attention and drivers simply falling asleep behind the wheel. Now companies are taking a proactive approach to keeping drivers awake.

Long hours on the road increase the risk for falling asleep whether you’re a trucker or just an average driver. A vehicle moving at 60 miles an hour can travel hundreds of feet in just seconds so nodding off momentarily can be fatal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration more than 100,000 police-reported crashes, resulting in 1,550 deaths and another 71,000 injuries each year are caused by drowsy driving.

Mercedes Benz recently developed a system to be integrated into their cars which can sense steering angle trends and corrections made by the driver. By analyzing these trends, the system can recognize variations that may indicate drowsiness and alert the driver. Other companies such as Saab are developing similar systems.

For those of us without Mercedes, there are aftermarket solutions available. Devices like the NoNap or DozeAlert can be worn over a person’s ear. These device monitors the angle of the driver’s head and sounds a buzzer when the person nods off.

The Anti Sleep Pilot requires more interaction with the driver. The hockey puck sized device is programed and placed on the dashboard. The driver must respond to cues by touching the device when prompted. It determines reaction time and cross-references this information with risk factors for falling asleep. Then a recommendation to take a break is given.

These are all novel ways to address the problem of drowsy driving, however the root cause is not being fixed. People are too fatigued and distracted in the car. Often there can be an underlying sleep disorder causing excessive fatigue. People with Sleep Apnea have double the risk of being involved in a car crash than those who don’t suffer from the condition. Before you get behind the wheel, make sure you get tested for sleep disorders. You might save a life.

For more information check out the National Sleep Foundation’s drowsy driving website.

Anyone who has worked an overnight shift knows how difficult it is to adjust back to a normal schedule. You feel like a sleep deprived zombie, never able to fully fit in during the waking hours. New evidence suggests that the toll taken may also be passed along to businesses in the form of lost productivity.

The research, as reported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, found that the key for maximum productivity is to schedule shift start times that allow the worker to sleep right before reporting for duty.  The study used a mathematical formula to see the effects of 24 start times, each varying by one-hour increments. The hypothetical work schedule lasted six days. Each shift was nine hours and started at the same time each day. The findings suggest that the best shift start times begin in the late morning or early afternoon, whereas shifts that begin between 8 PM and 12 AM were found to be the most limiting to both sleep and work performance.

The lead investigator on the study, Angela Bowen, suggests that government labor regulations may need be changed to take into account different shift start times. “Shifts of equal duration differ in how fatiguing they are depending on the time of day when they are scheduled,” said Bowen. “The same limitation on the number of duty hours may be either overly restrictive if during the day or too liberal if during the night.”

If you currently are an overnight shift worker, the AASM suggests taking steps to maximize your sleep time. Wear sunglasses on the way home and minimize light and sound exposure in your bedroom. Try to sleep immediately after your shift in the late morning until the early evening. On days off, do not switch back completely to a normal schedule. Instead, try a compromise by going to sleep about 3 AM.

If you would like more information on sleep and shift work, check out sleepeducation.com or contact the sleep specialists at  Oregon Sleep Associates.

The dentist has been telling you for years. Maybe you even use a night guard to protect your pearly whites. But new research indicates that teeth grinding, or Bruxism, may be a sign of something more dangerous to your health.

Bruxism occurs in approximately 8% of the US population and is not considered a life threatening condition. It can cause excessive wear on the enamel surfaces of the teeth and is usually diagnosed by dentists. Many times a simple nighttime retainer or oral appliance is all that is needed to correct the problem. But researchers recently uncovered a connection between Bruxism and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. They found that nearly 25% of people with Sleep Apnea also grind their teeth at night. The connection may come from the frequent nocturnal arousals associated with Sleep Apnea. “The ending of an apneic event may be accompanied by a number of mouth phenomena, such as snoring, gasps, mumbles, and teeth grinding,” said Dr. Shyam Subramanian of Baylor College of Medicine.  The researchers found that teeth grinding is most prevalent in Caucasian males and may also be related to anxiety and heavy caffeine use.

While having Bruxism doesn’t guarantee you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it may be prudent to watch for signs of the condition. Overly sensitive teeth, painful jaws, and inflammation in the mouth are all symptoms of Bruxism. At your next dental visit, ask your dentist to check for signs of teeth grinding. They can tell you if there is damage to the enamel of your teeth and the best method to prevent it. Then, visit a sleep specialist to make sure you don’t have an underlying sleep disorder such as Sleep Apnea.

Since Starbucks Coffee® opened its first location in 1971, the company has ballooned to have more than 15,000 stores in 44 countries.  In recent years sales of energy drinks such as Rockstar® and Redbull® have reached well over 3.5 billion dollars annually. While slick advertising and aggressive business tactics can help explain the successes of these products, there is one underlying reason for it all:  Caffeine addiction.

Caffeine has been called the most popular drug in the world and is used by over 80% of the population. It is found naturally in over 60 plants including the coffee bean, tea leaf, and cacao pod. All over the world people consume caffeine on a daily basis in coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks, and some drugs. Because caffeine is a stimulant, most people use it after waking up in the morning or to remain alert during the day. While it is important to note that caffeine cannot replace sleep, it can temporarily make us feel more alert by blocking sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increasing adrenaline production. Once in the body, caffeine will persist for several hours: it takes about 6 hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated.

Though there are numerous studies to support the idea that caffeine causes physical dependence, traditionally it has been thought of as having fairly benign health effects. However, in recent years more evidence has surfaced on the damaging prospects of caffeine use. In one 2007 study by Kaiser Permanente, researchers reported that the risk of miscarriage by pregnant women doubles with just moderate caffeine use. They advised that pregnant women reduce or eliminate their caffeine intake. Also, the substance has been found to increase blood sugar levels in people with Type II Diabetes, making it harder to control that disease.

Doctors recommend limiting caffeine use to less than 200 mg per day, or about the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee. Try not to consume any caffeinated items within 8 hours of your bedtime.