This recent article in the New York Times summarizes nicely some of the ways that lack of sleep decreases our health and well being. PERSONAL HEALTH: Cheating Ourselves of Sleep Failing to get enough sleep night after night can compromise your health and may even shorten your life. http://nyti.ms/10p6WtT

This fascinating article describes the way that sleep deprivation impacts ethical decision making. People who suffered from even minor amounts of sleep deprivation were more likely to cheat than were people who got more rest. This is another example of how sleep makes our lives better, and of how we suffer when we don’t get [...]

Because snoring and sleep apnea are often associated with weight gain, one of the things I find myself talking with patients about is the need to exercise. So many adults lead sedentary lives and regular exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. But, as this article points out, regular exercise doesn’t have to [...]

A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine looked at the relationship between obesity and sleep duration, and showed that teens who got more sleep had lower rates of obesity. This four year study of 1000 teenagers showed that, particularly for heavier teenagers, more sleep translates into lower body weight. Extrapolating their [...]

It seems more and more in the media we are hearing about the increasing rise in Sleep Apnea!  Why is that?  What is Sleep Apnea?  Do I have it?  These are all questions that come to mind every time another commercial, news story or article touts the problems and cures for this condition. One of [...]

No, it’s not a country song – it’s a potentially deadly combination. Loud snoring is the hallmark of sleep apnea, a disease from which an estimated 18 million Americans suffer. And yet another study has shown that people with untreated sleep apnea are likely to be dangerous behind the wheel. A recent study from University [...]

This is a very interesting perspective on the comparative effect of diet versus aggressive surgical management. Seems like there really is a magic formula for weight loss: diet, exercise, and sleep! http://healthcare.dmagazine.com/2013/04/03/utsw-diet-as-effective-as-bariatric-surgery-for-diabetes-patients/#.UWVwMVEci2A.email

Over the years, I have found that even the most ridiculous health claims tend to stem from some small kernel of truth.  Take this “Overnight Diet”, whereby you lose weight just by sleeping, and are not required to exercise. In my opinion, this is just wishful thinking  - after all, wouldn’t it be amazing if [...]

This spring has been pretty rough on allergy sufferers.  The drastic changes in temperature along with the incredible wind and rainstorms have increased the pollen counts throughout the south.  Many patients have notices that their allergies are worse this year and nothing seems to help! A recent article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology [...]

This recent story about the increasing rate of stroke among young people reiterates the need to treat sleep apnea, which is known to be a significant risk factor for stroke. Up to 10% of adult men and 5% of adult women are thought to have sleep apnea, and it is estimated that fewer than 10% [...]