Sleep Disorders Expert Allen Blaivas, M.D. shares Sleep Disorders management news and commentary at MySleepCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.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/sleep-disorders/c/68 http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68 http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/47052/explained Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:08:00 -0000 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 14:45:00 -0000 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 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:30:00 -0000 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 21:30:00 -0000 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 http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/40028/restore Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:05:00 -0000 Allen Blaivas, M.D. Let’s continue on the topic of napping.   We left off discussing some of the negative aspects of napping.  We were reviewing the concept of sleep inertia and how if a nap is too long, a person might have a reduction in performance and worsened mood soon after waking.  Obviously this usually is counterproductive to the reasons why we take a nap in the first place, so it is best to limit naps to less than 30... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/40028/restore http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/37402/naps-bad Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:12:00 -0000 Allen Blaivas, M.D. Let’s continue on our topic of naps in healthy adults- the good, the bad, and the otherwise.   Some more good news about napping.  As we all have probably experienced in our life, a short nap has helped us learn something that we simply couldn’t grasp beforehand.  This is because after intense work, parts of our brain begin to show signs of information saturation, meaning our brains are at capacity and we... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/37402/naps-bad http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/37058/nap-positive Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:10:00 -0000 Allen Blaivas, M.D. Don’t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day.  That’s a foolish notion held by people with no imaginations.  You will be able to accomplish more.  You get two days in one- well at least one and a half. - Winston Churchill   Or as Yogi Berra put it:   I usually take a two hour nap from one to four.   Near and dear to our hearts is the nap.  Some of the greatest... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/37058/nap-positive http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/34916/post-fri Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:15:00 -0000 Allen Blaivas, M.D. Let us continue talking about pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  We have covered its background and complications, now its time for us to talk a little about treatment.   As we explained in previous blogs, as opposed to adults where OSA is most often related to being overweight, in otherwise healthy kids the most common cause of OSA is enlarged tonsils and adenoids (glands located at the exit of the nose canal as it... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/34916/post-fri http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/34915/consequences Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:45:00 -0000 Allen Blaivas, M.D. I’d like to continue on the topic of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children.   As we mentioned OSA is the repetitive stopping of breathing due to an obstruction in the child’s airway.  OSA can occur in children of all ages, but is probably more common in pre-school children.  As we explained, in most children the main reason for their OSA is not obesity, which is the main risk factor in the adult population... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/34915/consequences http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/34913/obstructive Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:58:00 -0000 Allen Blaivas, M.D. We have already discussed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the adult, but have not spent much time on OSA in the pediatric age group, which despite also causing breathing to stop during sleep, can have different consequences, is often treated differently, and consequently is a very different disease.  Unfortunately pediatric OSA is often overlooked as a problem, and can lead to serious health problems. As is the case in an adult... http://www.healthcentral.com/sleep-disorders/c/68/34913/obstructive