Iowa Sleep Blog

What You Eat and When You Eat Can Affect Your Sleep Written by Barbara Zorn, RN, MSN Do you struggle to get enough sleep on a regular basis? If so, you’re in good company. More than a third of adults in the US are regularly getting less than 7 -8 hours of sleep that most people need in order to feel rested, function well, and protect their health. What about Diet? Can di ..

Written by Carol Smith, PA-C There are many different signs of sleep apnea. We have listed the 10 signs that see very frequently in our patients. Snoring. Loud snoring is common but not consistent across the board with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Lack of snoring does not negate risk of sleep apnea. Gasping or choking arousals from sleep. These symptoms accompanied ..

by Diedre (Dede) Benson, ARNP Many people will have a “night cap” to help them fall asleep at night. It can help you fall asleep faster, but your sleep is more fragmented. You get less of the deeper stages of sleep that can worsen untreated sleep apnea and affect memory consolidation. Often times people consume the alcohol for the sedating effect. The problem with drinking to help fall ..

Technology that can Help Your New Year’s Sleep Resolutions On average, 45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, and one of the most popular is to sleep more or set a better sleep schedule. Many start out motivated in January, but find themselves losing steam by February and March. Set yourself up for success by using an app to help track your progress and keep you ..

The holiday season brings family, friends, and food. Lots and lots of food, especially festive, holiday treats that only come around during this time of year. But, don’t over indulge in some of these special items as it can affect your sleep at night. Below we recap how the following popular holiday food items can affect your sleep at night: Alcohol Having an alcoholic bever ..

If you wear Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy, you were walked through the steps in cleaning your equipment. For many, that may have been a long time ago, in a place far, far away…so let us have a refresher! One of the most important factors in determining compliance with PAP wear (aside from mask fit) is taking proper care of your equipment. For therapy to be successful, y ..

In today’s busy world we all try to cut corners somewhere to fit in all that we want or need to do. Regretfully for many cutting back on sleep seems like a reasonable solution. Over time sleep loss of even just 1-2 hours per night can result in sleep deprivation. There’s a big difference between the amount of sleep your body and brain needs to the amount of sleep you can get by with. This ..

The end of Daylight Saving Time tends to be more exciting than the beginning, since we gain an extra hour of sleep. "Falling back" can be helpful in many ways, including our daily schedules. The slight shift of the clock means the sun will rise earlier in the mornings, which can make it easier to get up in the morning, but it can also throw off your routine for a couple days, too. Gaining back ..

In my Sleep Fellowship training at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, I was allowed the opportunity to work closely with both Adult and Child/Adolescent Psychiatrists.This experience afforded me an understanding that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Sleep disorders can often present together. Clinically, this can be challenging; particularly in children, where an a ..

Everyone has an internal clock called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (or SCN for short).Like all clocks it turns on and off-- resulting in periods of wake and sleep. Some clocks are delayed. This genetic condition is called Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS). It causes a problem. The individual can’t get to bed at a regular time and can’t get out of bed at a regular time. DSPS beco ..