Hemingway & Sleep

"I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"
-- Ernest Hemingway

Gaint Sleeping Head

This sculpture is one of Ron Mueck's pieces. Here is some insight into what else was on display:

At the Brooklyn Museum the Australian artist Ron Mueck has delivered “A Girl,” the biggest human infant ever hatched. More than 16 feet long (weight unrecorded) and not yet unhooked from her hawser-like umbilical cord, she still has traces of birth blood on her wrinkled body.

You may have sensed by now that she is not a real baby. What she is is an extraordinarily lifelike sculpture made with exquisite craftsmanship by the 48-year-old Mr. Mueck, who is known for his ultrarealistic re-creations of the human figure in silicone and fiberglass.

via SUPERTOUCH

Sleep Is Good

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Forget the old adage early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. It is more likely to make him stressed. Not only that, getting up early is also more likely to lead to muscle aches, cold symptoms, headaches and significantly worse moods.

Caffeine and Sleep

Just in case you didn't already know, sleep and caffeine are related. Although this is no big revelation for many it's worth knowing a bit more about their relationship.

clipped from www.caffeinedependence.org Studies have demonstrated that caffeine disrupts sleep. When caffeine is consumed immediately before bedtime or continuously throughout the day, sleep onset may be delayed, total sleep time reduced, normal stages of sleep altered, and the quality of sleep decreased. Caffeine’s effects on sleep appear to be determined by a variety of factors including dose, the time between caffeine ingestion and attempted sleep, and individual differences in sensitivity and/or tolerance to caffeine. Caffeine-induced sleep disturbance is greatest among individuals who are not regular caffeine users. Although there is evidence for some tolerance to the sleep disrupting effects of caffeine, complete tolerance may not occur and thus habitual caffeine consumers are still vulnerable to caffeine-induced sleep problems.

Sleeping Baby Photo Contest

The Sleep like a Baby contest is a product of two sleep-minded mothers and I wanted to recognise both of them and their blogs. One is the author of, Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler, and Preschooler: The Ultimate No-Worry Approach for Each Age and Stage, Ann Douglas and she blogs at Sleep Solutions. The other person that helped put this together is Tracy Clark a photographer , wife and author.

The photo above won second place but was tied with another adorable photo. Tracy writes:

And this shot from My Dragonfly of sleepy sibling sweetness holds the magic of togetherness that every parent dreams of. Heavy sigh. What a captivating moment and an absolute perfect image! I could stare at it for days.

The first place winner is this glowing picture of a new born.

Although they announced the winners November 1 of 2006, you can still add your photo to the collection and check out the other submissions.

Commercial Snoring Aids Put to the Test

Not too long ago Dr. Peter Michaelson, MD, an ear, nose, and throat surgeon at Wilford Hall United States Air Force Medical Center in San Antonio decided to put the over-the-counter snoring aids to the test to see if they helped any. He got a group of 37 people to test out the three of the most popular types of snoring solutions, Snorenz spray, Breath Right Strips, and the Snore-No-More pillow.

None of them delivered the promised relief. Read more about this study or listen to a podcast in which Dr. Michaelson and others talk about the issues around snoring.

Beer with Caffeine

There are several new and not so new beers that have caffeine to keep the party going way beyond the point of drunken stupor. At least that's the way this Washington Post article presents the case after reviewing the possible effects caffeine laced beer could have on drinkers.

BBC reports that Budweiser's caffeinated beer was met not only with scepticism but with fear in UK.

Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep and Insomnia

The following is an abstract from the Journal of Psychosomatic Research 2007;62(1):81-4. "The role of dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes in late-life insomnia." by ELLIS J, HAMPSON SE, CROPLEY M.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the role of individual and combined sleep-related dysfunctional beliefs in late-life insomnia. METHODS: Older adults who responded to an advertisement in a magazine took part in a cross-sectional survey (N=382). Respondents completed self-report measures of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep (Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes to Sleep Scale) as well as measures of their current sleep patterns. RESULTS: Overall, people with insomnia (PWI) endorsed more extreme ratings of dysfunctional beliefs than "good sleepers" did. However, some sleep-related dysfunctional beliefs did not discriminate PWIs from good sleepers nor were they related to experiencing a longer duration of insomnia. CONCLUSION: This article demonstrates that not all sleep-related dysfunctional beliefs are related to reporting insomnia and that some are not related to a longer reported duration of insomnia, possibly changing through personal experience. These preliminary results may have implications for tailoring the cognitive aspects of psychoeducational programmes for people with late-life insomnia.

Best and Worst Cities for Sleep

clipped from www.bestplaces.net Best Cities for Sleep Worst Cities for Sleep 1. Minneapolis , MN 1. Detroit, MI 2. Anaheim, CA 2. Cleveland, OH 3. San Diego, CA 3. Nashville, TN 4. Raleigh-Durham, NC 4. Cincinnati, OH 5. Washington, DC 5. New Orleans, LA 6. Northern NJ 6. New York, NY 7. Chicago, IL 7. Las Vegas, NV 8. Boston, MA 8. Miami, FL 9. Austin, TX 9. San Francisco, CA 10. Kansas City, MO 10. St. Louis, MO The "Sleep in the City" study ranked America's 50 most populous metropolitan areas based on five criteria: the number of days in the past month that residents reported not getting enough sleep or rest, average length of daily commute, divorce rate, unemployment rate, and overall happiness index. The happiness index was derived from questions about a person's physical, mental, and emotional health.

What is Daylight Saving Time Really Saving?

The Boston Globe created a multimedia illustration of why America's daylight savings time was 3 weeks early this year. The difference is not felt in the morning for most people but rather its benefits are based on the utility of having another hour of sunlight before darkness.

The LA Times has an article entitled "Daylight saving is just a waste of time, some say" in which the author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time, Micheal Downing has this to say:

Most of the nation will turn its clocks ahead at 2 a.m. Sunday, three weeks earlier than usual. In November, the fallback is a week later than last year.

The idea: Align daylight hours with the time that most people are awake and reduce the need for artificial light.

"That was theory," Downing said. "It didn't work."

Human behavior gets in the way, he said. When the sun sets later, people do more outside the home. That usually means they get in the car and burn more gasoline, using as much energy in the long run as they would have if darkness had fallen earlier, said Downing, a Tufts University lecturer whose book "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time" was published in 2005.

"It has always been a beloved target for baseball and the golf and retail industries," he said. "People shop more after work if there are extra daylight hours."

Sleeping Postures and Personality

The Foetus: Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax.

This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.

Log (15%): Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.

The yearner (13%): People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.

Soldier (8%): Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.

Freefall (7%): Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.

Starfish (5%): Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.

Although this might sound a lot like palm reading this is actually from a BBC report and has been studied by accredited doctors. This particular article is based on the work of Dr. Chris Idzikowski. You can read more about Dr. Idzikowski and his work here.

Tips for Sleeping Well

I found this to be a short and pretty way of explaining something that can get quite complicated.

clipped from health.yahoo.com Sleep Tight All Night Quality of sleep is as important as the quantity of sleep. Often we think we sleep for eight hours, but unless we are getting good quality REM sleep, which is when the body truly rests, we will awake feeling as if we hadn't slept at all. Here are the ways to be sure you are getting quality sleep: 1. Do not eat late. Your last meal should be no later than seven in the evening. 2. Do not exercise just before bed. You should engage in no strenuous exercise for at least two hours before bed. 3. There should be no pets in the bedroom. Sleeping with pets often causes restless sleep. 4. You might try this sitting meditation a half an hour before bed: Sit comfortably at the edge of a firm seat with your back erect and your head tilted slightly downwards. Place your arms gently over your lap and breathe slowly, deliberately, and gently. Keep your eyes slightly closed. Do this for 15-20 minutes.

Sleeping Outside of the Box

These photos come from Adero Designs, a German company I stumbled upon. I'll be able to tell you more about these amazing innovations when I return from Austria in June hopefully with some German proficiency. In the meantime I'll let these photos do the talking.

Sleeping in Heavenly Peace?

"The whole Armor of God Pajama set will help your children to depend on God to protect them from their fears, doubts, and uncertainties at night so their sleep can be restful and peaceful."

There is something very twisted about this whole thing, yet I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps its that these pajamas make visible the fears many (christians and non-christians) associate with sleep, while also being a caricature of how we often go about dealing with these fears.