1. Health

Sleep and Your Health

Information about the relationship between sleep and your general health, including exploration of: related ailments, obesity, heart disease, breast cancer, and pregnancy.

How Does Being Overweight Affect Your Sleep?
The health consequences of being overweight or obese are well known, but how does being overweight affect your sleep? It may result in conditions such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. Conversely, sleep problems may also cause you to gain weight. Learn more about these relationships.

Does Sleep Apnea Occur More in the Elderly?
Learn about sleep apnea in the elderly, how often it occurs, and why it may be especially concerning in this group.

What are the Consequences of Sleep Apnea in Children?
Sleep apnea and snoring in children can have serious consequences, including effects on the development of intelligence and growth. Learn more about these adverse consequences and how sleep apnea may cause them.

How Can a Headache Interact with Sleep
There are four major classes of headache that can variably interact with sleep. Some may occur exclusively at night and others, such as migraine, may actually be relieved by sleep. In addition, morning headaches may suggest an underlying sleep disorder such as sleep apnea. Learn about the interplay between headache and sleep.

How Does Sleep Apnea Increase the Risk of Stroke?
Studies have shown that people with obstructive sleep apnea have approximately double the risk of having a stroke as people without sleep apnea. How exactly does sleep apnea increase the risk of stroke?

Sleep Deprivation and Obesity - How Does Sleep Affect Your Weight
Sleep deprivation has been shown to be associated with weight gain. How does not getting enough sleep affect your weight? Is it because of eating high calorie foods or caffeinated beverages to stay awake? Or is it that you are simply too tired to exercise? Are there other reasons?

Sleep Apnea - What Scares You Most About Sleep Apnea
Whether it is you or your loved one who suffers from sleep apnea, it can be a scary experience. It increases the risk of developing numerous serious medical conditions, including: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and many others. It may even lead to sudden death. What scares you the most about sleep apnea?

What Are the Consequences If My Child Snores?
It may seem innocent enough, but what are the consequences if your child snores?

Get Some Beauty Sleep -- Literally
Learn how you can wake up more beautiful with some simple tips to treat your skin and hair while you sleep.

Why Sleep Apnea May Be Deadly
What are the risks of sleep apnea? Understand what chronic medical conditions may be worsened by untreated sleep apnea and why those who have it may be at risk for heart attacks, stroke, and sudden death.

Why So Fat and Tired?
What is the relationship between sleep deprivation and weight gain? Explore the latest research on this subject and learn how a good night's sleep might actually keep the pounds off.

CDC's Sleep and Sleep Disorders
Explore the resources of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and learn about sleep and sleep disorders.

NIH Sleep Disorders
Explore the fascinating world of sleep disorders on one of the best websites for information, provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Sleep and Chronic Disease
Learn how various chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression interact with sleep from the experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Sleep Duration and Other Correlating Factors
Learn about sleep duration as a correlate of smoking, alcohol use, leisure-time physical inactivity, and obesity among adults from the National Center for Health Statistics.

What Role Does Melatonin Play in Aging?
Melatonin occurs naturally as a hormone that helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythms, but what role does melatonin play in aging? Learn whether the sleep hormone may be the long-sought-after fountain of youth.

What Are Naps?
For some they are a way of a life, a sign of laziness, a rare treat, or a needed break in the afternoon, but what are naps? This common indulgence may be just the thing you need to compensate for a poor night’s sleep or alleviate building sleepiness. Research also suggests it may be an effective way to jump-start your memory and even improve...

What is Sleep Debt?
Sleep debt is the accumulated amount of sleep loss from insufficient sleep, regardless of cause.

How Sleep Problems Affect Growth in Children
In an unexpected association, sleep seems to have profound effects on children and their ability to grow normally, but how exactly do sleep problems affect growth in children? What sleep disorders might predispose a child to being shorter or to becoming overweight or obese? The answers may surprise you.

What Causes Morning Wood or Morning Erections?
Men often wake up with an erection in the morning, but what causes morning wood or morning erections? Discover the cause of this phenomenon.

Can Sleep Deprivation Cause Your Death?
It may sound unbelievable, but can sleep deprivation actually cause your death? If you are concerned about the ultimate health consequence of sleep loss -- death -- you may also want to be mindful of other increased risks associated with simply not sleeping enough.

What Is a Wet Dream?
In what is a common experience, especially during adolescence or periods of abstinence, wet dreams may occur during our sleep, but what is a wet dream? Learn about wet dreams (or nocturnal emissions), what causes them, and whether they relate to sexual desire or need.

What Are the Physical Effects of Sleep Deprivation?
Sleep deprivation is seemingly universal in its occurrence in the modern world, but what are the physical effects of sleep deprivation? There are many important symptoms and even significant impacts on your abilities. In addition, there are a variety of changes that occur in your body if you do not get enough sleep. Discover some of these effects.

What Are the Side Effects of Sleep Deprivation?
Sleep deprivation is common, but what are the side effects of not getting enough sleep? It increases your risk of job errors and accidents, but it may also cause poor concentration, undermine your decision-making, and lead to relationship conflicts. It may even lower your threshold for pain. Learn how sleep deprivation may be affecting you.

Can You Sneeze While Asleep?
Can you sneeze while asleep? Certain body processes seem to be turned off when we go to sleep, but is sneezing one of them? Learn whether it is possible to sneeze during sleep.

Can You Fart While Asleep?
Is it possible to fart while asleep? Why is it that people seem to pass gas more first thing in the morning? Learn about flatulence and its relationship to sleep.

Sleep in Pregnancy
Sleep changes dramatically during pregnancy, from the first trimester through labor and delivery. Hormonal changes alter the patterns of sleep. New difficulties sleeping may appear such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome. Discover how sleep changes in pregnancy.

Does a Lack of Morning Wood Suggest Erectile Dysfunction?
Does a lack of morning wood suggest that you have erectile dysfunction? Morning erections are common among men, but what if they don't happen? What might be the cause? Learn how the presence or absence of morning wood may differentiate between the causes of impotence.

Dreams and Nightmares in Pregnancy
Learn about the experience of dreams and nightmares in pregnancy. Do dreams and nightmares occur more while pregnant? If so, why might they be more common? Can the content of these dreams be interpreted as a sign of the outcome of the pregnancy, including the risk for any birth complications?

How to Avoid Drowsy Driving
When driving, drowsiness is a red alert. Learn about the conditions that might contribute to drowsy driving, including sleep deprivation and sleep disorders. Explore the processes that lead to drowsiness while driving, including the phenomenon of "highway hypnosis." Discover how to avoid drowsy driving and keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

Insomnia and Pregnancy
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder and it similarly affects pregnant women. What causes insomnia in pregnancy? For those who wish to avoid sleeping pills, what treatment options are available? Learn about the relationship between insomnia and pregnancy and how to sleep better at night.

Consequences of Sleep Problems in Pregnancy
What are the consequences of sleep problems in pregnancy?

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