Sleep Improves Children’s Ability to Absorb Information and Learn

By Matthew D. Mingrone, M.D. of eOs Sleep

It has been common scientific knowledge for some time that when people sleep, our brains consolidate the information we subconsciously absorb during the day, and process it into explicit, conscious knowledge.

Both children and adults do this, but an interesting new study out of Germany shows that during sleep, children's brains convert subconsciously absorbed information—known as implicit learning—into active, useful knowledge even more effectively than adult brains do.
Implicit learning is typically considered subconscious learning; the acquisition of knowledge independent of conscious attempts to learn. For example, a child can say a sentence without understanding the rules of English grammar.

Explicit learning, on the other hand, is deliberate, conscious learning; the active and aware acquisition of skills and/or knowledge. Typically, explicit learning is accompanied by “meta-awareness,” a person can explain how they acquired the skill and/or knowledge.
When we sleep, implicit knowledge becomes explicit memory, making it easier for us to recall and use the information we have previously absorbed.

In a new study conducted by Dr. Ines Wilhelm of the University of Tübingen's Institute for Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology in Germany, and colleagues, the researchers studied 35 children between the ages of 8 and 11 years old, as well as 37 adults between 18 and 35.

For the test, the subjects were asked to press a sequence of buttons after they lit up. Half of the subjects did the test before sleep, the other half after sleep. They were then asked to recall the sequence of buttons/lights 10 to 12 hours later. Following a night of sleep or a day awake, the subjects’ memories were tested.

An article explaining the results of the study, entitled, “The sleeping child outplays the adult's capacity to convert implicit into explicit knowledge,” is published in the February 24, 2013 online edition of Nature Neuroscience.

The authors observed that after a night’s sleep, both age groups—8 to 11 and 18 to 35—remembered a larger sequence of buttons/lights than those who did not sleep. It also showed the children were better at it than the adults—almost all of the children could remember the sequence they had pressed perfectly, while adults experienced smaller gains.

Lead author Dr. Ines Wilhelm wrote, “In children, much more efficient explicit knowledge is generated during sleep from a previously learned implicit task. And the children’s extraordinary ability is linked with the large amount of deep sleep they get at night. The formation of explicit knowledge appears to be a very specific ability of childhood sleep, since children typically benefit as much or less than adults from sleep when it comes to other types of memory tasks.”

Children absorb massive amounts of information every day. They also generally sleep longer and deeper, and experience three times more slow-wave sleep and higher electrical activity in the brain during sleep than adults. This may help them “convert” the information they take in every day into knowledge they can recall and use. This is yet another important reason why parents should ensure their children are getting enough uninterrupted sleep every night.

A Good Night’s Sleep Can Be a Matter of Life and Death

Over the past three years, I have been writing the Wake Up! You’re Snoring blog with two main objectives: first, to educate you, the public, about sleep disorders, and second, to provide compelling reasons—preferably scientific evidence—why a person who may have a sleep disorder should get diagnosed and, if necessary, properly treated.

There is no shortage of scientific studies being released on a regular basis showing links between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia, and other sleep disorders, and myriad negative health conditions, from daytime sleepiness to increased depression.

I wasn’t surprised to see a new study showing a link between insomnia, the loss of hope, and an increased risk of suicide. In a study led by Dr. W. Vaughn McCall, chair of the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University, researchers studied the mental state of 50 depressed patients between the ages of 20 and 80. More than half of the patients had attempted suicide, and most were taking an antidepressant.

It is established that insomnia and nightmares often go hand-in-hand, and are both known risk factors for suicide. The new study reaffirms that link, but researchers also wanted to find out what effect feelings of hopelessness about sleep had on suicide risk.

In the study, the researchers specifically focused on the relationship between insomnia and suicide risk by asking questions about dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, such as, “Do you think you will ever sleep again?” The scientists used psychometric testing to objectively measure the mental states and personalities of the 50 depressed patients.

Dr. McCall published the results of the study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. In the report, Dr. McCall stated, “It turns out insomnia can lead to a very specific type of hopelessness, and hopelessness by itself is a powerful predictor of suicide.” Dr. McCall also said, “The likelihood of being suicidal at least doubles when insomnia is a symptom.”

McCall and his colleagues have, in effect, discovered a new predictor for suicidal thinking. But why the link between lack of sleep and suicidal thoughts? Dr. McCall explained that, “It turns out insomnia can lead to a very specific type of hopelessness, and hopelessness by itself is a powerful predictor of suicide.” He continued, “If you talk with depressed people, they really feel like they have failed at so many things. It goes something like, ‘My marriage is a mess, I hate my job, I can’t communicate with my kids, I can’t even sleep.’ There is a sense of failure and hopelessness that now runs from top to bottom, and (insomnia) is one more thing. It was this dysfunctional thinking — all these negative thoughts about sleep — that was the mediating factor that explained why insomnia was linked to suicide,” said McCall.

The significance of this study, like many others, is that it not only educates people about the risks associated with insomnia and other sleep disorders, but it challenges the medical community to look at things a little differently when diagnosing and treating.

In this case, examine lack of sleep and insomnia when treating depression and suicidal thinking.  The finding also is a reminder to physicians that depressed patients who report increased sleep problems should be asked if they are having suicidal thoughts, McCall said.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, here are some tips to increase your chances of getting a good night’s sleep.

• Use the bedroom for sleep. With so many electronic distractions in our lives, it’s important to re-claim your bedroom for its intended purpose: rest and sleep. Move the TV and computer out of the bedroom, or at the very least, do not watch TV, work on the computer or check your blackberry close to bedtime.
• Stick to a bedtime routine. Try to go to sleep before 10:00 pm at night, and wake up around the same time every day, even on weekends. Try to keep to within 20 minutes of the same time each morning and night.
• Do activities that will get you ready for bed. Before bed, do activities that will promote sleepiness, such as a taking a warm bath, or reading a book or magazine.
• Maintain a cool temperature in your bedroom. A cool but comfortable temperature is ideal for sleep. Too warm and you will be fitful, too cold however can be uncomfortable and disturb your sleep.
• Exercise regularly but not after the late afternoon. Even though exercise helps regulate sleep, rigorous exercise causes endorphins in the body to circulate which can have a stimulant effect, and keep you awake longer at night.
• Stay away from caffeine at night. The effects of caffeine are different from person to person, and may last hours after your last cup of coffee, so make your last cup of coffee, regular tea or soda earlier in the day.
• Avoid alcohol and medicines that make you drowsy. Even if you think it is helping you fall asleep initially, alcohol and medicines that makes you drowsy may affect your sleep throughout the night.

Remember, people need an average of 7-8 hours of restful sleep to fully take advantage of its restorative power and avoid daytime symptoms of fatigue. If a regular, peaceful routine incorporating the tips above doesn’t help you start sleeping peacefully throughout the night, contact your doctor. You may have a more serious cause of sleeplessness such as snoring, sleep apnea or chronic insomnia. Getting treated could prevent heart disease, hypertension and stroke.

Is the quality of your sleep making you gain weight?

How many of us would like to lose a few pounds, but look for external ways—outside of our bodies—to lose weight?  Perhaps we should be looking more inward, not only at our personal diet and exercise levels, but the length and level, or phase, of our sleep.

Recently, I read an article in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. In it, researchers from St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University in New York shed some light on the link between our length and phase of sleep, and hunger and weight gain.

The researchers investigated the effects of “sleep architecture” on hunger to determine whether specific stages of sleep—not just the duration of sleep—affect the appetite and food cravings in healthy adults.

What they found is compelling, and cause for further attention: the length of time of sleep, as well as the percentage of overall sleep in different sleep stages, are associated with decreased metabolic rate, increased hunger, and increased intake of calories, specifically from fat and carbohydrates.

For the study, head researcher Ari Shechter and his colleagues studied a random sample of 27 healthy adults between the ages of 30 and 45. The participants underwent two six-day periods of laboratory observation, during which they were slept different lengths of time.

During a "habitual sleep" phase, they were allowed to sleep for nine hours; in the "short sleep" phase, they were allowed just four hours of sleep. Each of the two sleep phase studies were separated by four weeks to make sure the participants fully recuperated, and the women were observed at the same phase of their menstrual cycle. The amount of time spent in each sleep phase—stage 1, stage 2, slow wave sleep (SWS), and REM sleep—was recorded.

For the first four days in both sleep phases, the participants ate meals to meet their energy requirements for weight maintenance. On day four, they rated their hunger and level of desire for different foods. On day five, their resting metabolic rate (RMR) was measured, and for the final two days of the sleep phase studies, the participants were allowed to select their own foods.

The researchers then compared the participants' sleep architectures in both the short sleep and habitual sleep conditions. They also analyzed the relationships between sleep architecture, resting metabolic rate, food intake and food desire ratings.

Shechter and his colleagues found that sleep duration is important, but sleep composition—the time and percentage of overall sleep spent in each stage—also plays an important role in the link between sleep and obesity.

Head researcher Shechter explained, “Any number of various factors like obstructive sleep apnea, certain drugs/medications, chronic exposure to short sleep duration, shift work, jet lag, and changes in the scheduling of the sleep episode, can affect sleep stage quantity and distribution. Our data may provide an explanation for the greater obesity prevalence observed within some of these conditions."

Read the full article, “Changes in Sleep Architecture Increase Hunger, Eating.”
The results of this study remind me of another study I blogged about not long ago on “social jetlag,” another reason for all of us to get more sleep.

Social jetlag is a modern syndrome caused by the discrepancy between our internal body clock and our social clock. And according to Professor Till Roenneberg, Ph.D. at the University of Munich’s Institute of Medical Psychology in Germany, that gap between how much sleep we need and how much we’re actually getting is contributing to our global weight gain and the growing worldwide obesity epidemic.

Each of us has a physiological clock, and that internal clock — also known as our circadian rhythm — is regulated by daylight and darkness to prompt us to go to sleep or wake up. We also have a social clock of things that make up our daily lives, such as our work schedules and social calendars.

The problem is, in our modern society of too-late work hours and too much time in front of computer screens, we are listening to our social clocks more than our physiological clocks, causing a greater sleep gap known as social jetlag. As a person’s circadian rhythm gets more out of whack, their physiological clock gets set later and later, keeping them awake into the night, and feeling chronically tired during the day.

In their study, Professor Roenneberg and his fellow researchers in Munich discovered that people with different weekday and weekend sleep schedules—i.e., those with more social jetlag — were three times more likely to be overweight. That is a significant increase worth repeating: Three times more likely to be overweight!

Furthermore, the body mass index (BMI) of the overweight participants tended to increase as the gap between their weekday and weekend sleep clocks widened.
I applaud the efforts of Roenneberg and his team for their work in particular, because they are bringing a public awareness of a growing syndrome that is affecting many people worldwide — not just shift workers or those with irregular work schedules.

So, why does social jetlag cause weight gain? One of the theories is that late hours encourage irregular meal times and late-night eating, when the body has more difficulty digesting and metabolizing food. That translates into body fat. Another is that chronically tired people are less likely to exercise and more likely to smoke and drink, further contributing to weight gain.

Whatever the causes, it is in all our personal best interests to become more aware of our own physiological clocks and get more restful sleep. Doing so can help us all maintain a healthy body weight, avoid many health problems, feel better and live happier, more productive lives.

So, now that you have this new knowledge about sleep, weight gain, I suggest you give yourself a wonderful personal gift: get more sleep, especially during the holiday season, when many people are overeating and busier than usual. Also spend more time outdoors and exercise. More and better sleep is one of the best gifts you can give yourself for the holidays.

Read Professor Roenneberg and his team’s full report entitled, “Social Jetlag and Obesity,” published in the May 10 issue of Current Biology.

Light from Tablet Computers May Delay Sleep, Especially in Teens

I admit I love my gadgets – especially my laptop and e-reader, I’m also, as a doctor, aware of the effects that the artificial light from these devices can have on our sleep, especially following prolonged and late-night use.

The artificial, short-wave light from TV and computer screens can suppress melatonin production and throw off circadian rhythm, preventing deep, restorative sleep. Prolonged sleep disruption may also lead to increased risk for diabetes and obesity.  A new study  released in late August reinforces my opinion with some data.

Researchers at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY tested the effects of self-luminous tablets on melatonin suppression. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland at night and is involved in regulating our sleeping and waking cycles.

The study was funded by Sharp Laboratories of America and led by Mariana Figueiro, associate professor at Rensselaer and director of the LRC’s Light and Health Program. Co-authors of the study are LRC director and professor Mark S. Rea, LRC research specialist Brittany Wood, and LRC research nurse Barbara Plitnick.

For the study, 13 participants used self-luminous tablets to read, play games and watch movies. The participants were divided into three groups. The first group viewed their tablets through a pair of clear goggles fitted with blue light. This was the “true positive” group because blue lights are known to be a strong stimulus for suppressing melatonin.

The second “control” group viewed their tablets through orange-tinted glasses, which filtered out the short-wavelength radiation that can suppress melatonin. The third group did not wear any glasses or goggles. Each tablet was set to full brightness.

The results of the study were clear: After only two hours of exposure to electronic devices with self-luminous “backlit” displays, the participants’ melatonin levels were suppressed by about 22 percent. According to lead researcher Mariana Figueiro, stimulation of the circadian system to this level may delay sleep in those using the devices prior to bedtime, especially in teens.

The researchers also determined that the type of task being performed on the tablets also determines how much light is delivered to the cornea, and therefore the impact the self-luminous light has on nighttime melatonin levels. In other words, the researchers pointed out that it is important to measure how much light a person receives from the self-luminous device.

So, what can be done with this new information? How can we use it to improve our sleep and general health? One, we can all become more aware of how much time we—and our children—spend staring at our tablets, computer and TV screens late at night. As adults, it is up to us to monitor ourselves and our children, and have the discipline to turn these machines off at least an hour before bedtime.

LRC research specialist Brittany Wood said, “Technology developments have led to bigger and brighter televisions, computer screens, and cell phones. To produce white light, these electronic devices must emit light at short wavelengths, which makes them potential sources for suppressing or delaying the onset of melatonin in the evening, reducing sleep duration and disrupting sleep. This is particularly worrisome in populations such as young adults and adolescents, who already tend to be night owls.”

Although pre-teens and teens love their late-night electronics, as parents, it is our responsibility to monitor our children’s computer use, or at the very least in older teens, educate them and make them aware of the potential; side effects of prolonged use.

Researcher Figueiro also feels that tablet display manufacturers can use this information to determine how their products affect circadian system regulation, and as a result, design more “circadian-friendly” electronic devices that could either increase or decrease circadian stimulation depending on the time of day. For example, screens that reduce circadian stimulation in the evening for a better night’s sleep, and increasing in the morning to encourage alertness.

Figueiro had another interesting idea about tablet light therapy: In the future, manufacturers might be able to use related data to design tablets that minimize symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, and sleep disorders in seniors. People might even be able to receive light treatments while playing games or watching movies, making light therapy much more enjoyable than just sitting in front of a light box.

Until manufacturers develop more “circadian-friendly” electronic devices that increase or decrease light exposure based on time of day, Figueiro offered several recommendations to reduce the effects of self-luminous tablet light on sleep, including dimming these devices at night as much as possible in order to minimize melatonin suppression, and, as I mentioned before, limiting the amount of time spent using these devices prior to bedtime.

Here’s another idea: Why not turn off the devices before bed, and pick up a good old fashioned paper book. You’ll be out like a light before you know it.

Read the full study entitled, “Light From Self-Luminous Tablet Computers Can Affect Evening Melatonin, Delaying Sleep.”

“Social Jetlag” Contributing to Global Weight Gain

Here’s another reason to get more sleep — and another new term to describe one of our modern maladies: “social jetlag.” What exactly is social jetlag? It is a syndrome caused by the discrepancy between our internal body clock and our social clock. And according to Professor Till Roenneberg, Ph.D. at the University of Munich's Institute of Medical Psychology in Germany, that gap between how much sleep we need and how much we’re actually getting is contributing to our global weight gain and the growing worldwide obesity epidemic.

Each of us has a physiological clock, and that internal clock — also known as our circadian rhythm — is regulated by daylight and darkness to prompt us to go to sleep or wake up. We also have a social clock of things that make up our daily lives, such as our work schedules and social calendars. The problem is, in our modern society of too-late work hours and too much time in front of computer screens, we are listening to our social clocks more than our physiological clocks, causing a greater sleep gap known as social jetlag. As a person’s circadian rhythm gets more out of whack, their physiological clock gets set later and later, keeping them awake into the night, and feeling chronically tired during the day.

Professor Roenneberg and his fellow researchers in Munich discovered the negative effects of social jetlag after compiling and studying the sleep habits of more than 65,000 adults over the past 10 years. Roenneberg and his team recorded sleep times and other data of the participants, such as height and weight, and started to draw conclusions.

The results of the study — which you can read in the May 10 issue of Current Biology — showed that people with different weekday and weekend sleep schedules—i.e., those with more social jetlag — were three times more likely to be overweight. That is a significant increase worth repeating: Three times more likely to be overweight!  Furthermore, the body mass index (BMI) of the overweight participants tended to increase as the gap between their weekday and weekend sleep clocks widened.

Two-thirds of participants reported at least one hour's difference in their average weekday and weekend sleep schedules, and more than 10 percent reported three-plus hours difference between their weekday and weekend sleep schedules. Roenneberg and his colleagues also found that people who are chronically sleep-deprived are also more likely to smoke and drink more alcohol and caffeine.

The results of the study are similar to those of previous studies linking a higher body mass index and even diabetes to the irregular sleep schedules and sleep deprivation of shift workers. But I applaud the efforts of Roenneberg and his team for their work in particular, because they are bringing a public awareness of a growing syndrome that is affecting many people worldwide — not just shift workers or those with irregular work schedules.

So, why does social jetlag cause weight gain? One of the theories is that late hours encourage irregular meal times and late-night eating, when the body has more difficulty digesting and metabolizing food. That translates into body fat. Another is that chronically tired people are less likely to exercise and more likely to smoke and drink, further contributing to weight gain.

Whatever the causes, it is in all our personal best interests to become more aware of our own physiological clocks and get more restful sleep. Doing so can help us all maintain a healthy body weight, avoid many health problems, feel better and live happier, more productive lives. In the words of Professor Roenneberg, “Good sleep and enough sleep is not a waste of time but a guarantee for better work performance and more fun with friends and family during off-work times.” Knowledge of the study and an increased awareness of the effects of social jetlag can also have positive effects on the economy and education: Companies can make more informed decisions about employees’ work schedules and schools can make more educated decisions about school hours.

So, now that you have this new knowledge about social jetlag, your physiological and social clocks and how a gap between your weekday and weekend sleep schedules can contribute to your weight gain, what are you going to do about it? I present you with a personal challenge that will only help you feel better. I challenge you to get more sleep. Turn off the TV and computer and go to bed earlier. Forego that invitation for a late-night dinner. Spend more time outdoors, and if you’re stuck in an office all day, try to sit near a window. I promise you, you’ll feel less social jetlag.

To read Professor Roenneberg and his team’s full report entitled, “Social Jetlag and Obesity,” published in the May 10 issue of Current Biology.

Is Excessive Daytime Sleepiness the Cause of Learning and Behavior Problems in Children?

For months now, I have been writing about the studies that are being published—seemingly by the month—linking obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to more and more medical conditions, including hypertension,heart disease, mood and memory problems.

The latest research didn’t surprise me, but it did upset me more than usual — because it concerns our children, and the negative effects that poor sleep can have on their ability to pay attention, learn and control their behavior.

On May 1, the results of a study by Penn State researchers was published showing that children who have learning, attention and/or behavior problems may be suffering from a condition known as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)—even if tests indicate that they are getting enough sleep at night. 

For the study, the researchers conducted sleep testing on 508 children, and asked their parents to report if their child seemed excessively sleeping during the day. Then, the children were divided into two groups: children with excessive daytime sleepiness, and those without EDS. The results, published in the May 2012 issue of SLEEP,  showed that the children in the parent-reported EDS group were more likely to have "neurobehavioral” problems, including behavior/conduct problems, attention/hyperactivity and poorer performance in learning speed and working memory than children without indications of EDS.

What surprised the researchers was that, even if a child was in the EDS group, few also showed signs of short (not enough) sleep when tested. As a result, the researchers did not associate short sleep with any of the learning, attention and behavior problems.

So, what is causing these children’s extensive daytime sleepiness if they are getting enough sleep (at least on paper)? Like in adults, perhaps it is not just the length of sleep time, but the quality of sleep that determines restorative rest, or not.

A New York Times article from April 16, 2012 entitled “Attention Problems May Be SleepRelated”  also examined the relationship between children’s sleep quality and the ability to pay attention at school. The article was on another recent study called “Sleep-Disordered Breathing in a Population-Based Cohort: Behavioral Outcomes at 4 and 7 Years,” published in the Official Journal ofthe American Academy of Pediatrics. 

What I found disturbing about this article was that it pointed out that many cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (A.D.H.D.) in children may have been misdiagnosed—that the cause of behavior such as moodiness and hyperactivity might in fact be due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or other sleep disorder, which is causing sleep deprivation in the child. Worse, the drugs diagnosed for the A.D.H.D. are probably making the child’s symptoms worse!

This should be a call to arms for parents, caretakers, teachers and the medical community. If you know of a child suffering from sleep deprivation and/or extensive daytime sleepiness, and the symptoms that result, such as behavioral and learning problems … speak up and suggest they get tested for a sleep disorder first.

 Impairment due to EDS in daytime cognitive and behavioral functioning can have a significant impact on children's development. This is not to say that A.D.H.D. cannot be a true cause, but misdiagnosis of anyone—especially a child prescribed drugs—should not be tolerated.

Stay aware of the child’s behavior; look for clues, such as inattentive behavior and obesity, take a child’s “sleepy” complaints seriously … and then say something. You could be the reason a child’s neurobehavioral challenges are properly diagnosed and treated, leading to better behavior, greater ability to learn and a happier child.

Read the abstract of the report, “Learning, Attention/Hyperactivity, and Conduct Problems as Sequelae of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in a General Population Study of Young Children.”

How Do You Know if You Have a Sleep Disorder

Many people experience some occasional difficulty sleeping and/or daytime fatigue. But how do you know if your sleep problem is temporary and can be fixed with some simple behavioral changes, or if it is a legitimate disorder such as snoring, sleep apnea, sinusitis or nasal obstruction that should be diagnosed and treated properly?

That is one of the most common questions we get here at Eos Sleep.

The first thing you can do is take an honest look at your lifestyle habits. Are you watching TV or on the computer too close to bedtime? Consuming too much caffeine during the day? Taking a medication with sleep-related side effects? Is there something particularly stressful going on in your life that needs to be addressed?  Are you exercising enough to help relieve tension and anxiety? The good news is that many sleep “issues” can be remedied by making some common sense behavioral changes.

However—and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it at this point—persistent sleep problems left untreated can lead to myriad health problem, including memory and concentration problems, increased risk of high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke and heart attacks, depression, diabetes and sexual dysfunction. Severe cases of sleep apnea can even be fatal.

Besides these sobering health risks, an untreated sleep disorder can also be the root cause of poor performance at work or school, car accidents and other activities that require focus and concentration.

New research is exposing the societal risk that can result from untreated sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2012 “Sleep in America” poll, which focused in on the sleep habits and performance of transportation workers, states that about one in 10 Americans are likely to fall asleep at an inappropriate time and place, such as during a meeting or while driving.

Other results of the study: About one-fourth of polled train operators (26%) and pilots (23%) admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, compared to about one in six non-transportation workers (17%).

Even more concerning: One in five pilots (20%) admit that they have made a serious error and one in six train operators (18%) and truck drivers (14%) say that they have had a “near miss” due to sleepiness.

The numbers are in: Sleep problems are prevalent in our society, and people need to wake up (no pun intended) to the symptoms and risks associated with them. Some common symptoms of sleep disorders include:

•    Trouble falling asleep at night
•    Waking throughout the night
•    Chronic snoring
•    Morning headaches
•    Poor memory
•    Daytime sleepiness/falling asleep during the day/low energy
•    Bad moods/irritability
•    Increased depression
•    Trouble concentrating/driving/making decisions

Keep in mind that symptoms vary between disorders, whether it’s snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, nasal obstruction, narcolepsy or some other sleep disorder,  so it pays to do some research based on what you are personally experiencing. If you experiencing one or more of the above symptoms on a regular basis—meaning, more than once in a blue moon—it is imperative that you see a qualified sleep doctor, and get diagnosed and treated properly. The good news is there are multiple options and minimally invasive techniques available today to treat your sleep disorder.

New Study Uncovers the Beliefs Behind Behavior of Poor Sleepers

Difficulty Sleeping

I do my best to stay up (no pun intended) on the latest research and findings regarding sleep-related disorders and their treatments. New results out of Ryerson University in Toronto don’t surprise me — that taking sleeping pills or drinking alcohol is not a long-term solution for dealing with insomnia.

The study was conducted by Heather Hood, a PhD student in clinical psychology and lead author of the study, along with Dr. Colleen Carney, director of Ryerson's Sleep and Depression Laboratory, and graduate psychology student, Andrea Harris.

Hood is an insomnia therapy specialist and had previously researched the link between anxiety disorders and “safety behaviors” — things people do to self-treat a disorder. With the new research, Hood and her associates wanted to examine the relationship between insomnia and safety behaviors, such as taking sleep medication or drinking alcohol before bed. Specifically, they wanted to uncover the belief systems of poor sleepers: how much a person with insomnia believes that their behaviors are helping them sleep, even if those behaviors are not helping them sleep at all.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 48 percent of Americans report occasional insomnia. And a recent Harvard Medical School study determined that insomnia costs U.S. companies about $63 billion a year due to missed days and poor work performance. Clearly, lack of sleep and insomnia are an American pandemic, and the efforts of Hood, Carney and Harris to help uncover the beliefs behind the behavior of poor sleepers was resulted in some very important information.

For the insomnia/safety behavior study, the researchers asked 397 Ryerson University undergraduate students to complete an online survey that asked about their safety behaviors. The questionnaire also asked how often they performed their nightly rituals, and how much they felt they needed to fall sleep. They were also asked how they defined insufficient sleep, and to what extent they went to in order to avoid feeling tired.

The results of the study, published in the December 2011 issue of Behavior Therapy, found that 40 percent of the students polled were poor sleepers who were likely to use safety behaviors, such as taking sleep medication or drinking alcohol, which in fact, not helping them fall sleep. They also observed that the poor sleepers felt dependent on these behaviors and believed they helped them sleep, even though the behaviors were actually compounding their sleeping problems. The students who did not experience sleep problems often didn't think of anything — they simply fell asleep.

Based on the research, Dr. Colleen Carney, director of Ryerson's Sleep and Depression Laboratory, believes that poor sleepers who engage in safety behaviors are actually disrupting their sleep in the long term. These safety behaviors are driven by unhelpful beliefs about sleep, but people suffering from insomnia or poor sleep feel they need to do these things to help them fall asleep.

Dr. Carney’s conclusion: That cognitive behavior therapy — not taking a pill or a drink of alcohol—is the best long-term treatment for insomnia and other sleep disorders.With cognitive behavior therapy, patients are taught to work with their physiology to help develop good sleeping habits and learn how to fall asleep naturally, rather than relying on chemicals. In our pharmaceutical society, that seems like a rogue idea … but I believe it’s the right one.

The Relationship between Seasonal Affective Disorder and Sleep Problems

One of the most common questions I get in the office during the winter months has to do with seasonal affective disorder: What is it? Do I have it? And what can I do about it? Seasonal affective disorder is a very real form of depression that may affect six out of every 100 people in the United States, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Symptoms of SAD generally manifest in late fall, when the days become shorter and colder, and people enjoy less natural sunlight. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, feelings of sadness, hopelessness and helplessness, lack of energy, loss of sexual interest and usual pleasurable activities, irritability and restlessness, cravings for carbohydrates and overeating (which can lead to weight gain and compound negative and depressive feelings), trouble concentrating, difficulty sleeping and/or insomnia and at the extreme end—thoughts of death or suicide. Symptoms of SAD are usually most intense during the darkest months of the year, so it stands to reason that the farther a person lives from the equator, the higher the incidence of SAD occurs.

These sleep-related symptoms are of particular interest to me, and are usually the catalyst for a person with SAD to come see me for a consultation and treatment. A person with SAD who suffers from sleep problems may go to sleep early and stay in bed for nine or ten hours, but not experience refreshing sleep.  Because of a lack of restful sleep, people with SAD are often drowsy and have trouble concentrating and working during the day.

The relationship between sleep and depression is a bit of a “chicken or the egg” relationship. Which came first? SAD-related depression, or the sleeping problems? It depends. For some, symptoms of SAD occur first—for others, sleep problems appear first. Depression may cause the sleep problems, and sleep problems may cause or worsen the other SAD symptoms.

There is a common link between people with depression and insomnia. Studies have shown that people with insomnia have a ten-fold risk of developing depression compared with people who sleep well. Further, developing depression is highest among those with both sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia.

People with depression may also experience insomnia symptoms, including difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, experiencing restful sleep and daytime sleepiness. People who suffer from depression are also five times more likely to have a breathing-related sleep disorder than non-depressed people, according to a study at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The 2003 study by Stanford researcher Maurice Ohayon, MD, PhD, found that people with depression were found to be five times more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form of sleep disordered breathing. This was one of the first studies to make the connection between depression and sleep disorders.  More current research has confirmed the connection.

So, if you believe you are experiencing SAD-related depression and/or sleep disorders, please see a psychiatrist or sleep specialist about it. There are treatments such as morning light therapy that can offer some relief, so you don’t have to suffer unnecessarily through the winter blues. Call me—I’m happy to help.

Who’s Suffering More from Lack of Sleep—Men or Women?

This week, I was interviewed by WCBS-TV New York for a news segment called, “Sleep: the Battle of the Sexes.” The topic was one I am very familiar with: People suffering from lack of sleep, and how it can affect daytime mood, mental acuity, job performance and relationship intimacy.

The show drilled down a bit farther and asked: who is more likely to suffer from a sleep disorder, men or women? And of the two genders, which performs better despite a lack of sleep?

What we know is that men and women have different circadian rhythms. According to an article by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  “The circadian rhythms of melatonin and body temperature are set to an earlier hour in women than in men, even when the women and men maintain nearly identical and consistent bedtimes and wake times. Moreover, women tend to wake up earlier than men and exhibit a greater preference for morning activities than men.”

In other words, women tend to go to sleep and wake up earlier than men. We also know thanks to a Penn State study that women need 6.8 hours of sleep per night, while men require just 6.2 hours. While scientific studies are interesting, there is a discrepancy between these numbers and what I am seeing in my office at the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center.

Based on the facts, one would think women are getting to sleep earlier and sleeping longer than their male counterparts. But are women getting the sleep they need? In my anecdotal opinion, they are not, and they are suffering quietly for it. In our society, men are stressed out, but women are really stressed out. The physical demands of balancing career and family, along with the mental strain of worrying about finances and future is taking its toll on the women in our society. 

Don’t get me wrong, men worry and suffer from sleep disorders too. But they seem more willing to speak up and seek treatment. Women, on the other hand, being the selfless caregivers they are, stay focused on others and what needs to be done and power through their day. Which explains another Penn State study that found sleep deprived women made fewer mistakes compared to men in a series of computer tasks. It seems that, although women need more sleep, they do better without it because, for better or worse, they’re just more used to it.

Whether a man or woman is suffering from a lack of sleep, the fact is that a sleep disorder can lead to negative health issues, including an increased chance of hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis and inflammatory disease.

In addition to personal health issues, a sleep disorder can wreak havoc on a relationship. The partner of a patient once shared with me how his snoring and sleep apnea had impacted their relationship. It led to weeks without quality REM sleep, and she said it left her feeling groggy with low energy, cranky, unable to concentrate for long and she was more prone to getting sick. His constant snoring caused her to start sleeping on the couch, which led to resentment, lack of intimacy and loss of connection.

I have made it clear in previous blogs that I am not a marriage counselor or relationship expert. But I can tell you unequivocally that, if you or your partner snores or suffers from a lack of sleep on a consistent basis, it will negatively affect your relationship.

In the end, circadian rhythms and who performs better and the sex of the person with the sleep disorder doesn’t matter. What matters is getting it treated and keeping the relationship healthy.

This also bears repeating: Turn off the TV when you go to sleep. Falling asleep with the TV or computer on interrupts deep REM sleep because the light from the screens interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that tells our bodies when it’s time to go to sleep. Do yourself a favor and turn off the TV, computer and lights at night. Your brain and body will thank you for it the next day.

To watch “Sleep: The Battle of the Sexes” on CBS2 New York, click here.

Stop Snoring — It Can Be the Secret to Happy Marriage

I am by no means a marriage therapist. However, I hear couples complain all the time in my practice. They come in for a snoring test appointment, and within seconds the husband makes a comment such as “my wife made me come.” Snoring is more common in men than women, but the reverse is also common.

The snoring spouse who feels “dragged” to the doctor’s office is resentful that his or her snoring problem can’t be left alone. The spouse that does the dragging-in is frustrated and tired. Ordinarily affectionate couples can have a strain in their relationship caused by snoring. Sometimes if it wasn’t for their spouse, a snorer wouldn’t even know they had a problem. As one of my patients recently told me, “I was very surprised when my lovely wife first clued me in that I was snoring at night. It was disturbing her sleep, but I didn’t realize that snoring was the cause of my own fatigue.”

The reason for resentment is understandable. Snoring can cause daytime symptoms that can cause serious problems in one’s waking life, and unfortunately, it is not just the snorer that suffers – the snorer’s spouse can suffer just as much. According to the National Sleep Foundation,  39% of American adults get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight, and more than one in three (37%) are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with daily activities. The sleep loss associated with snoring—whether it’s the snorer or the bed partner who is awakened by the snoring, interrupts important recuperative sleep which can impair a person’s ability to perform cognitive tasks involving memory, learning, reasoning, and mathematical processes. It can impair motor skills and can cause morning headaches, irritability, burnout and depression to mention just a few symptoms.

Symptoms can be even more severe for the snorer if they have sleep apnea, a condition which causes them to stop breathing often many times a night, and wake gasping for air. Sleep apnea is linked to lung and heart disease, diabetes, obesity and stroke.

The disruption of sleep from snoring is causing couples to have a hard time sleeping together. Fifty-three percent of adults say they have relationship problems because of their or their partner's sleep disorder, the National Sleep Foundation found in a recent study. To avoid the symptoms of daytime sleepiness, many couples choose not to sleep together in the same bed.

In the book, "Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing," author Paul C. Rosenblatt interviewed 42 couples, and examined how sharing a bed affects the couple’s relationship. Many couples described the intimacy and comfort level of sleeping in the same bed is extremely important to their relationship. As he describes in the book, in their time together before drifting off to sleep, “couples catch up on what's going on with one another, plan, make decisions, deal with disagreements and solve problems.”

With their hectic schedules, many couples often only have this time to catch up. It is no wonder why it’s crucial to their relationship. Unfortunately snoring can force one spouse into another room for the sake of sleep, and this crucial together time is hard to replace in their busy lives otherwise.

If your marriage is suffering because you or your spouse snores, the key to reconciling is to understand that snoring is a symptom of a physical condition, such as sleep apnea, sinusitis, or nasal obstruction and it can be treated. There are many non-surgical, in-office and minimally invasive treatments available to snorers today. Although I would never make the claim that I’ve saved marriages, I’ve heard back many times from patients who tell me that it wasn’t until after their snoring was cured did they realize how much happier they are snuggling next to their spouse again.

Mending Your Relationship When Snoring Rips You Apart

Snoring is a major cause of couple's unhappiness.

Although in this blog I generally discuss the health consequences of snoring, I’d like to bring to light another serious side effect, which is the devastation snoring can wreak on marriage. Often I meet with married couples in my practice who are at their wits end. Both partners are exhausted…the snorer because of the toll snoring takes on their body, and the spouse whose health is impacted dramatically from their partner’s snoring because of the daytime fatigue brought on by their inability to get a healthy full night’s sleep.

According to a new study by the British Lung Foundation (BLF)¹, loud snoring forces more than a third of couples to sleep in separate beds at night. The foundation polled more than 2,500 adults through an online survey in the United Kingdom this past Spring. Even more drastic for these couples is the fact of the 39% who admit they sleep apart, a full third (33%) claim it has become a permanent sleeping arrangement. Certainly sleeping apart from your significant other all the time can’t be healthy for the relationship. In addition to the noise of snoring creating distance between couples, snoring can also be a factor that leads to sexual dysfunction in men, according to a study² that was reported in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

When couples feel that snoring is ripping their marriages apart, it is often because they are both tired, irritable and tense. If they have been sleeping separately, most likely their relationship has eroded, and their communication has faltered. Certainly the lack of intimacy—not just physically, but the relaxing interactions between companions such as pillow talk—has worn them down.

How intrusive is snoring in a marriage? In 2006, a study from the Rush University Medical Center in Illinois3 determined that couples have a high divorce rate when the husband snores due to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is the most serious of the many causes of snoring because it causes the snorer to stop breathing multiple times throughout the night, which can lead to heart and lung issues, high blood pressure and stroke. For years many snorers were reluctant to seek treatment because some of the most common treatments involved cumbersome sleep masks or surgery. Thankfully, today there are a number non-invasive in-office techniques that successfully treat the varied types of snoring such as the Pillar® Procedure, Balloon Sinuplasty™, and more based on the individual cause of your snoring.

Although I’m not a marriage counselor or sex therapist, patients who come to the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center are taking a positive step to mend their relationship and hopefully will not become one of the statistics of divorce due to snoring. They are not only mending their relationship, but they are taking control of their health, leading to a more fulfilling life.

My marital advice to snorers? Seek treatment and enjoy getting close to your partner again.

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1. The British Lung Foundation, 14 June 2011, Survey of over UK 2,500 adults aged 16 and over through TNS between 28 April – 3 May 2011, completed online through an OnlineBus.
2. Hanak, V., Jacobson, D. J., McGree, M. E., Sauver, J. S., Lieber, M. M., Olson, E. J., Somers, V. K., Gades, N. M. and Jacobsen, S. J. (2008), ORIGINAL RESEARCH—MEN’S SEXUAL HEALTH: Snoring as a Risk Factor for Sexual Dysfunction in Community Men. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5: 898–908. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00706.x
3. The Sleep Disorders Center at Rush University Medical Center, Illinois: The Married Couples Sleep Study, January 2006

A Snorer’s Guide to Summer Travel

Summer Vacation

School is out and summer travel plans are getting underway. Whether you’re planning a camping trip, renting a house on the shore for a week, or visiting relatives on the other side of the country, summer is a way for us to relax and reconnect with family.

Unfortunately, if you’re one of the 50 million Americans who snore, sharing close quarters can not only be embarrassing, but put a damper on the entire vacation if you’re a guest in someone’s home or as a housemate in a vacation home. While your spouse may have learned to adjust to the noise of your snoring, it’s important to understand that your snoring can also interfere with the sleep patterns of family and friends in close proximity.

When someone is prevented from receiving their requisite hours of recuperative sleep, it can lead them to be irritable, experience daytime drowsiness, affect their ability to concentrate, and interfere with their response time when they drive.  Absolutely nothing can ruin a vacation faster than cranky, over-tired children, and/or their parents.

However, realizing that your snoring is a problem that can be avoided, and by taking some steps ahead of time, you can prevent the issue altogether and ensure that your vacation will be full of energy and fun.

In-Office Procedures:

There are a few relatively new procedures that cure or drastically eliminate snoring that can be performed in just a few minutes in a snoring specialist’s office:

ThePillar® Procedure can be performed in a doctor’s office in about 20 minutes using only local anesthetic. It is effective to treat snoring that is caused by the fluttering of the soft palate, which occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax while asleep. The procedure involves three small polyester implants that are placed into the soft palate and over time, the implants, together with the body’s natural fibrotic response, provide support and stiffen the soft palate. This minimally invasive, simple and safe treatment for snoring and mild to moderate snoring including snoring caused by Obstructive Sleep Apnea, is a relatively painless procedure that is giving hope to snorers everywhere.  

Balloon Sinuplasty™ is another relatively new procedure to treat blocked sinus passages for snoring that is caused by chronic sinusitis. It can also be performed in a doctor’s office on an out-patient basis. It uses a small, flexible, sinus balloon catheter to open up blocked sinus passageways. When the balloon inflates, it widens the walls of the passageway while maintaining the integrity of the sinus lining, and restores normal sinus drainage.

When the sinus balloon is inflated, it gently while maintaining the integrity of the sinus lining.

Over the counter treatments: There are additional treatments a snoring specialist can recommend that can aid you while on your vacation that don’t necessarily include other types of surgery. For example if obstruction in the nose or sinus cavity is the cause of your snoring, many patients get relief from using nasal strips. Antihistamines, decongestants as well as topical and systemic corticosteroids can also be of assistance.

Lifestyle Adjustments: Your snoring specialist may ask you for some lifestyle modifications before any of the above treatments are recommended. That is because there are a variety of influences that could cause you to snore.

•  Lose 5-10 pounds. Excess weight is the most common contributing factor to snoring. If there is time before your vacation, try losing weight,
  because even those that are mildly overweight find that weight loss can significantly reduce their snoring with even a modest weight loss of five to ten pounds.   
• Quit smoking. Since snoring leads to irritation and dryness of mucous membranes, quitting cigars or cigarettes is a lifestyle change that can have a dramatic impact on snoring. 
• Reduce consumption of alcohol and sedatives. Alcohol, sedatives, and sedating antihistamines lower muscle tone in the upper airways, causing an increased airway resistance and snoring. Many people who reduce these substances report improvements in their snoring. 
• Change your sleep position. For some people, an increased amount of obstruction occurs when they sleep on their backs. Described as positional snoring, this type of snoring can have a simple solution. Sew a ball into the pocket of a t-shirt and wear it backwards. This will keep you off your back during sleep.
• Get an extra pillow. Some positional snorers also improve when the head of the bed is elevated.
• Pack some earplugs. If you’re worried that the loudness of your snoring still won’t be under control, do your fellow vacationers a favor, and pack some earplugs for them. They’ll thank you for it.

With a little forethought, your snoring doesn’t need to interfere with you or your fellow
vacationer’s sleep. Contact a snoring specialist near you today to get the treatment you need, to relax and enjoy your summer travels.

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David Volpi, M.D., P.C., F.A.C.S. is a board-certified otolaryngology surgeon with Ear, Nose and Throat practices, Otolaryngology Associates, on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side and is a staff member of the best teaching hospitals New York City. Realizing that there is a lack of information on the part of the public about the potential severity of snoring, he founded The Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center to be a place where snoring patients can go for expert information, diagnosis and treatment. As a recognized authority throughout the country for his work in snoring disorders, he is also the author of the definitive guide book on the diagnosis and treatment of snoring: Wake Up! You’re Snoring…

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American College of Surgeons, the Medical Society of the State of New York, the New York County Medical Society, the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and the American Rhinologic Society.

For more information, contact the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center: (866) 835-2361 or visit www.drvolpi.com.

Driver Fatigue Brought to Light in NYC Bus Crash Investigation

Driver Fatigue

The tragic bus accident that killed 15 people after it violently crashed on I-95 just outside of the Bronx last week has raised multiple questions for federal investigators. Among the causes being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board was whether the bus driver was so fatigued he was not capable of driving properly. To determine that, they will be checking surveillance video and room records at Mohegan Sun where the bus traveling from, carrying people back to New York City’s China Town.

Although there are numerous questions as to why the driver, a convicted felon, should have even been behind the wheel of the bus in the first place, there is no question that even if fatigue wasn’t the cause of this crash, it is a major cause of crashes--not just for buses, but for trucks, airplanes, trains and boating accidents as well.

Last fall the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety polled 2,000 drivers. One-third of them admitted to either nodding off or completely falling asleep while they were driving in the past year. The results were surprising, indicating the problem is much more profound than previously expected.

More than half of those polled by AAA reported they fell asleep on a high-speed highway. Although it might seem more common to doze off during long car rides, 59% said they’d been driving under an hour before they had fallen asleep and only 20% had been driving for more than three hours. Twenty-six percent reported that it happened in the middle of the day, between noon and 5pm.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsy driving “results in 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and more than 100,000 accidents each year” and that fifty-seven percent of  driving crashes caused by fatigue involved the driver drifting into other lanes or even off the road.

The cause in this growing US problem can be contributed to many factors, not the least of which is the link between daytime fatigue and snoring. Results of a Canadian study published a few years ago linked drivers with sleep apnea with more than double the risk of car and truck accidents. Sleep loss, whether it is associated with snoring, insomnia, or simply poor sleep habits, impairs a driver’s reaction time. It causes people to lose the ability to perform important tasks, impedes memory, reasoning, and the ability to learn and perform math. Prolonged sleep loss can also lead to depression and hallucinations, and can cause health problems involving the heart and immune system and be a contributing factor to obesity which leads to further health issues such as diabetes.

If you’re feeling fatigued, it’s best to not get behind the wheel at all. Here are some tips to help stay awake while driving. If you are having trouble getting restful sleep, it is important that you speak to your doctor about it, because it is likely more serious that you think.

Originally published in The Huffington Post, for which Dr. Volpi is a regular contributor.

Help for Couple’s this Valentine’s Day: Cupid’s Arrow or a Cure for Snoring?

Cure for Snoring?

Cupid could use some help from snoring treatment this Valentine’s Day. Snoring is a major cause of couple’s unhappiness according to the Etap Hotel Group of Europe, which recently conducted a poll of 4,000 couples. Of the three most aggravating factors that drive couples apart, noisiness is the most common complaint, together with hogging the bed covers and restlessness.

Results showed that snoring forces many of couples to sleep in separate rooms. According to the study, nearly a quarter of the couples studied feel resentment towards their partner as a result of lack of sleep, which causes arguments between almost half of couples. Those who do share a bed lose out on an average of 70 minutes sleep a night.

When a partner snores, according to the Etap study, in over a quarter of relationships the couple’s sex drive suffers and one in 20 people would consider leaving their partner because they snore.

When a partner snores, it causes the other person to lose much needed sleep. Even just mild sleep deprivation can cause serious health issues. As a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found, even five consecutive nights of four hours or less of sleep per night has the same negative affects on the brain and body than total sleep deprivation. Someone else’s snoring can take a real toll on your health.

If your spouse’s snoring keeps you up at night, you’re not alone. It is an issue that affects people from all walks of life, including the most famous celebrities. It has been reported that Tom Cruise, Sid Owen and Kevin Jonas sleep separate from their partners because of their snoring. Recently Helena Bonham Carter admitted that Tim Burton, her partner has a deviated septum that causes him to snore loudly. They have two adjacent houses in London, and Carter stated that his snoring is one of the reasons she enjoys having her own house.

If you’re in the New York Tri-State area, schedule an appointment at the Manhattan Snoring & Sleep Center, New York City’s top medical practice for snoring and sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. The center’s medical/surgical snoring specialists offer the latest techniques to treat snoring and sleep apnea including minimally invasive treatment for deviated deptum, the Pillar Procedure, Balloonplasty™ and even provide the Home Sleep Test for patients for whom an overnight sleep lab is not an option.

Disclaimer:
 This article is intended for general information only is in no way intended to be a substitute for receiving direct medical advice from a medical professional, their diagnosis or treatment. Use and access to this website or any of the links contained within the site do not create a doctor-client relationship. If you have any questions regarding a medical condition, or if you suspect you may have a snoring disorder.

Roll Over and Stop Snoring! Truth or Wives’ Tale?

Many people think it’s an old wives’ tale—that rolling over from your back to your side when you’re sleeping will stop your snoring. Maybe it’s because wives are usually the ones poking their snoring husbands to roll over in the middle of the night! But just like many myths, there is a hint of truth to the tale.

To start, we must first understand why we snore. During sleep, our throats relax causing the tongue to fall into the airway in the back of the throat. Snoring is caused when there is an interruption to the free flow of air through the nose and throat causing a vibration that produces the sound of snoring. There are many reasons why air may block breathing so people can snore for many different reasons. There are many factors that can trigger the interruption of airflow including a person’s weight, whether they smoke, take certain medication, or have allergies. Physical causes can include if someone’s had a nose or throat injury or if they were born with narrow passages, and more.

For some people, gravity produces an increased amount of obstruction from the tongue occurs when they sleep on their backs, which is described as “positional snoring.” This type of snoring explains why snorers often complain about being "frequently assaulted" throughout the night by their spouses, and implored to roll over.

If you’re a snorer whose favorite sleeping position is on your back, a simple solution to keep you off of it is to sew a ball into the pocket of a t-shirt that is then worn backward during sleep, keeping you off of it and sleeping on your side or stomach. If you feel muscle strain in your lower back when you sleep on your side, many people feel more comfortable when they sleep with a pillow between their knees. Some positional snorers also improve when the head of the bed is elevated or they sleep on an extra pillow.

So there definitely is truth to the wives’ tale, but unfortunately, not for everyone. If you have tried keeping off your back when you snore and it’s not working, there may be other physical factors that are causing it, and it makes sense to have a snoring specialist examine you to discover the reason. Snoring can be more than an annoyance, and can negatively affect your health as well as daytime productivity.

If you’re in the New York City area, contact us today at the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center to set up your appointment and start your treatment.