Health Expert Allen Blaivas, M.D. shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/68/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/68/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/68/index http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/3444/sleep-101 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:35:00 -0500 Allen Blaivas, M.D. In my previous blogs I have written about the importance of good sleep, but I don’t think we ever really explained the significance of sleep deprivation and the effects on society and the individual. I thought that it would be a good idea to go over some significant facts and figures to convince you of the importance of getting a good restful sleep and of the need to address sleep problems with your doctor.What is sleep deprivation?It is... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/3444/sleep-101 http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/56428/relieving Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:07:00 -0500 Allen Blaivas, M.D. Let’s continue talking about restless legs syndrome (RLS).   We reviewed some of the symptoms, causes, and adverse effects of restless legs syndrome in the past two blogs, now let’s talk about how RLS is diagnosed.  Due to the unusual sensations that patients with RLS complain of, it is sometimes difficult for a healthcare provider to determine if these complaints are actually related to RLS.  Contrary to popular... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/56428/relieving http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/54908/symptoms-leg Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:13:00 -0500 Allen Blaivas, M.D. We started our discussion about restless legs syndrome (RLS) in my recent blog, so let’s continue where we left off.   Mild symptoms of RLS occur in 5-15% of the general population, which makes it the second or third most common sleep disorder.  Of these cases, only about 2-3% are considered clinically severe enough to require treatment.  It appears to occur more commonly in females and can even affect children.  Due... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/54908/symptoms-leg http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/54189/diagnosing Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:57:00 -0500 Allen Blaivas, M.D. You’ve all seen the ads.  You might have even heard about the charges of “disease mongering” that have been bandied about, specifically about this disorder.  We are going to start covering the topic of restless legs syndrome (RLS).  (By the way, disease mongering is when someone with a financial interest in a disease, like a pharmaceutical company with an effective medicine, publicizes a disorder with the sole... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/54189/diagnosing http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/52507/treating Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:10:00 -0500 Allen Blaivas, M.D. In my last blog we began a discussion of seasonal affective disorder or SAD.  We will pick up where we left off.   There is actually some debate in the psychiatric community whether or not SAD is actually a separate diagnosis, apart from general depression.  Those who claim it is not suggest that it is no more than a seasonal coincidence that occurs in someone with recurring episodes of depression.  As support to this idea... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/52507/treating http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/50870/sd-circadian Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:27:00 -0500 Allen Blaivas, M.D. “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”   - Anne Bradstreet, British poet   It’s that time of the year again.  Especially for those of us not fortunate enough to live in warmer climes- the winter is coming.  As we all know, along with the season comes shorter days and longer nights.  Some of us may... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/50870/sd-circadian http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/47052/explained Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:08:00 -0400 Allen Blaivas, M.D. We finished the last blog in mid-thought.  We were talking about REM sleep and the idea of brain plasticity- the rewiring of our brains that take place when we learn new information.   A recent study in rats showed that 4 days of REM sleep deprivation decreased the amount of new cells in the part of the brain that is associated with long-term memory, in other words they did not make those new circuits.   Another study with... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/47052/explained http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/45692/importance Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:45:00 -0400 Allen Blaivas, M.D. In my last blog we discussed at length the different stages of sleep, namely non-REM and REM, the biological need for sleep to stay alive, and started discussing what some researchers believe may be the function of some portions of non-REM sleep.  We reviewed how there is some evidence linking declarative memory (memory of facts and figures) to slow wave sleep and procedural memory (the ability to perform tasks like riding a bike or playing... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/45692/importance http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/44021/sleep-equal Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:30:00 -0400 Allen Blaivas, M.D. In my last blog we were reviewing the fundamental question of why we sleep.  We left off trying to sort out the level of activity of the brain and body during different stages of sleep (i.e. Non-REM and REM).    During non-REM the body and brain are at their most relaxed state.  Ironically, most people think of REM as deep sleep, but actually during REM the level of brain activity resembles the awake state.  Our most... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/44021/sleep-equal http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/42953/biological Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:30:00 -0400 Allen Blaivas, M.D. In this blog, I am going to deal with a question that has stumped some of the most talented researchers in the world.  That should hopefully get your attention- this vexing question seems simple, but represents the “holy grail” of biology.  The question: why do we sleep?  Consider this- we spend approximately one-third of lives doing it and scientists are still not quit sure why.  (Much of this and future blogs on... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/42953/biological