People who have experienced an accident, trauma, brain injury, illness or loss often complain of disrupted sleep. Sleep disruption impacts all areas of life: cognitive, emotional and physical. Family, social, vocational and rehabilitation commitments are also negatively affected by poor sleep. Disrupted sleep is a risk factor for developing secondary illnesses and difficulties. It is critically important to understand how sleep disruption can be assessed and treated.

Below you will see a review of this year’s research, blogs and news stories on the importance of sleep.

Sleep Experts Warn Santa Claus of Health Risks of Flying All Night

Wonderful article, using Santa’s all-nighter as the backdrop to explain the importance of sleep. “Every year Santa Claus and his team of elves and reindeers stay awake for days and nights so he can deliver presents to children all over the world for Christmas — but he could be putting his and their health at risk. Sleep experts Professor Franco Cappuccio and Dr Michelle Miller, from University of Warwick’s Warwick Medical School, discuss the pros and cons of Santa’s sleepless Christmas Eve.” via Science Daily

Get Some Sleep: Jet lag? Reset your inner clock

“Although they’re usually temporary, there is a growing body of research that shows that frequent jet travel over many time zones may have long-term health risks. Studies have shown increased risk of neurological problems and cancer. There is even concern that chronically eating at times that are out of rhythm with your circadian clock may put people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes because you are eating at times when your hormones such as insulin are not programmed to respond as well.” via CNN

The importance of stimulus control when treating sleep disturbances

“Stimulus control therapy originally developed by Richard R. Bootzin, PhD, aims to break the negative associations of being in bed unable to sleep. Stimulus control therapy is designed to re-associate your bed and bedtime routine with sleep and to eliminate any and all associations with ‘wakeful’ and ‘engaging’ activities that include eating, computer technology (phones, pdas, computers etc.), tv and worrying to name a few.” via Brainworks

Why Americans Are Among the Most Sleepless People in the World

“A new survey finds that Americans are among the world’s leaders in sleep deprivation, along with the French and Taiwanese. Lack of sleep is detrimental to our overall productivity, of course, but it also has potentially troubling implications for health. So what’s keeping everybody up at night? The researchers found that people’s reasons for sleep deprivation varied greatly.” via Time

Specific Changes in the Brain Associated With Sleep Deprivation Described in New Study

“Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and SRI International have published the most systematic study to date of the effects of sleep deprivation on gene expression in the brain. The findings have implications for improving the understanding and management of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on brain function.” via Science Daily

The woman whose new memories are erased each night

“Psychologists have documented what they believe to be a clinical first – the case of an amnesic woman whose memory for new material is erased each night that she goes to sleep (movie fans will recognise this as a plot device in the 2004 film 50 First Dates). Referred to as case FL, the woman developed these symptoms after she hit her head in a car accident in 2005, aged 48. Brain scans and neurological exams revealed no signs of brain damage, thus suggesting the woman is exhibiting what’s known as psychogenic or functional amnesia – that is, symptoms in the absence of any detectable organic cause.” via British Psychological Society

Your Performance And The Freshman 8

“Only 11 percent of American college students report that they sleep well. Forty percent say that they feel well rested about two days a week. Seventy-three percent report experiencing “occasional” sleep issues. We are facing a sleepademic! Did you know that lack of both quantity and quality sleep can affect your memory?” via Dr. Michael J. Breus, Huffington Post

Effects of sleep loss linger longer than you think

“It can take several days to recover after experiencing a few nights of little sleep, according to a new study. Researchers found that even a catch-up night of 10 hours of sleep may not be enough to restore many people after they have a few nights of bad sleep.” via LA Times

When Good Sleep Habits Aren’t Enough

“What happens when you follow all the lifestyle recommendations for sound sleep, like turning off the TV and cutting out the coffee, but you still can’t get a good night’s sleep? This was among the hundreds of questions about insomnia readers recently posed to the Consults blog.” via New York Times

8 Ways to Unplug and Recharge Your Brain

“Do you feel stressed, tired, fatigued, rushed, drained, zapped? Join the club. Add an economic crisis to multiple jobs, kids, elderly parents and a body-crushing lifestyle, and lots of Americans feel whacked-over-the-head overloaded. What’s the antidote? Simple: use your body the way it’s built. If you want your brain to work well you first need to know how your brain works. Hint: it’s not a machine. It is a living, wondrously inventive, rapidly renewing organ. You see your hair grow, your nails grow, but do you see your brain grow? That’s what your brain does during rest — it’s your body’s rebuild and renew program. To get your brain to work better, here’s rule number one: rest for success.” via Dr. Edlund, Huffington Post

Sleep Journals

Sleep

SLEEP is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific and medical journal featuring a wide spectrum of sleep-related research. The journal is the official publication of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS), a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.
The primary audiences are clinicians and research professionals specializing in sleep-related disorders. SLEEP publishes 12 regular issues annually, along with a digital supplement featuring abstracts presented at the yearly SLEEP Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Subscribers have access to all new and archived issued online. All articles are available to the public free of charge six months after publication.

Journal of Sleep Research

The Journal of Sleep Research is dedicated to basic and clinical sleep research. The Journal publishes original research papers and invited reviews in all areas of sleep research (including biological rhythms). The Journal aims to promote the exchange of ideas between basic and clinical sleep researchers coming from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines. The Journal will achieve this by publishing papers which use multidisciplinary and novel approaches to answer important questions about sleep, as well as its disorders and the treatment thereof.

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

The scope of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is clinical sleep medicine. Its emphasis is the publication of papers with direct applicability and/or relevance to the clinical practice of sleep medicine. This includes some original manuscripts such as clinical trials as well as clinical reviews, clinical commentary and debate, medical economic/practice perspectives, case series and novel/interesting case reports. In addition, the JCSM will publish proceedings from conferences, workshops and symposia sponsored by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine or other organizations related to improving the practice of sleep medicine.

Sleep Medicine

Sleep Medicine aims to be a journal no one involved in clinical sleep medicine can do without. A journal primarily focussing on the human aspects of sleep, integrating the various disciplines that are involved in sleep medicine: neurology, clinical neurophysiology, internal medicine (particularly pulmonology and cardiology), psychology, psychiatry, sleep technology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, otorhinolaryngology, and dentistry.

Sleep Blogs

Matthew Edlund, M.D., Director, Center for Circadian Medicine

Dr. Matthew Edlund, M.D., M.O.H., is an internationally recognized expert on biological clocks, performance, and rest, and the Director of the Center for Circadian Medicine. Formerly a medical school professor at Brown University and the University of Texas and the author of The Body Clock Advantage, his latest book, The Power of Rest, published by Harper One was just released. The link is to several blog articles he has written for the Huffington Post.

Sleep Education Blog

The Sleep Education blog covers the latest news and information about sleep and sleep disorders from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine

Dr. Michael J. Breus, PhD, Clinical Psychologist & Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine

He was one of the youngest people to have passed the Board at age 31 and, with a specialty in Sleep Disorders and Neuropsychological Testing, is one of only 159 doctors in the world with his credentials and distinction. He is the co-founder of SoundSleep Solutions, a direct-to-consumer, sleep-related information Web site, and currently serves as Chairman of the Clinical Advisory Board for Sleep Holdings, inc., the only publicly traded sleep diagnostic and therapy company in the world (SLHJ.PK). His first book, Good Night: The Sleep Doctor’s 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health (Dutton/Penguin, 2006), has been met with rave reviews and continues to change the lives of readers. The link takes you his articles on the Huffington Post.
Dr. Breus also has his own site, The Insomnia Blog

Dr. Lisa Shives’ Sleep Better Blog

Nationally recognized as a sleep expert, Dr. Lisa Shives has been at the forefront of sleep health for nearly a decade. She has completed a fellowship in Sleep Medicine at the University of Chicago. She is double-boarded in Sleep Medicine by the American Board of Sleep Medicine AND the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Shives is an official spokesperson for the Amercan Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Everyone knows someone whose life has been touched by a devastating injury or loss.

Brainworks is raising awareness about injury prevention, offering hope to trauma survivors, and helping people reach their full potential. You can help us get the word out. We are building an online community for everyone who knows someone whose life has been touched by an injury or loss. That is all of us. We invite you to join our facebook page and suggest our page to your friends.

Clinical Excellence, knowledge, evidence-based practices ... We are on the cutting edge

Twitter: For those of you that might not know, Twitter's motto "Discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world". Twitter is a rich source of instant information. Stay updated. Keep others updated. It's a whole thing. Brainworks stays current with the latest news, developments & research in rehab. We invite you to follow us on our Twitter page.