REAL News about sleep

CircadiAbsurdium
2 Recommendations

Is anyone else tired of seeing "news" stories about sleep that turn out to be nothing but the same regurgitated sleep hygiene tips doctors have been spewing for the past 50 years? That advice works great for normal people, but doesn't help much for people with real sleep disorders. You'd THINK the authors would at least have a disclaimer about that so people would know not to blame themselves if following a regular schedule and not taking naps and meditating every night for 3 hours while bloated from valerian and sleepy-time tea and blah blah blah does not help them get to sleep! But no, most journalists don't seem to have a clue about the existence of diagnosable sleep disorders. Occasionally, I do see one where the journalist is well-informed and tries to REALLY inform the public about a sleep issue.

Here's one that talks about DSPS:

Night Owls Defend Their Body Clocks

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-0416nightowls_fillap r16,1,4459149.story

If anyone else finds any REAL news about sleep disorders, why not post it here and help spread the word?

2 replies

CircadiAbsurdium

Here's one from the 06/13/08 Washington Post, "Delayed Sleep Pattern Tied to Irregular Menstrual Cycles"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/13/AR200806130 3077.html

I have been keeping a sleep diary since about March, but have not thought to track menstruation as related to sleep. Will definitely start now. (I don't think I have greater than normal PMS, but then again . . . lol)

CircadiAbsurdium

I know that the UC San Diego is doing a study of DSPS sufferers (i.e. night-owls) where you fill out some questionnaires and then wear an actigraph (like a watch that measures your activity and light exposure) for two weeks, and send them a DNA sample (blood or saliva, your choice - they're looking for genetic causes). You have to be a lifelong sufferer of DSPS symptoms (but you don't need a formal diagnosis), living in the US, over 25, and can't have any "acute medical or emotional illnesses." (I know hypothyroidism isn't acute enough to disqualify you.) If you finish the study, you get $100 and get a free consultation with Dr. Kripke (if you read any original sleep research, you'll see that he's not quite Czeizler, but his is still a BIG name). AND you get the satisfaction of participating in original sleep research -- research that isn't tied to testing the latest pet wonderdrug (non-pharma sleep research is exceedingly rare and pathetically underfunded).

I qualified for the study and get my actigraph tomorrow!!!! If you have DSPS, you can probably still participate!

I think the forum rules prevent me from posting a direct link to the study, but anyone who wants to participate can just google it or I think they can send me a personal message and I can tell them that way. I'm also posting links on two of the more active DSPS groups on facebook.

Pleasant dreams, all!

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