Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Just a few short weeks ago, we got to “spring up” by setting our clocks forward one hour due to Daylight Savings Time (DST). Usually, this change results in little more than people being a little tired on the Sunday morning of the time change and the occasional unaware family showing up to church an hour late. But, after a few days, most people rejoice over the extra hour of sunlight and enjoy coming home from work and having the sun still high in the sky.
The Origins of Daylight Savings Time
In ancient times, many civilizations including the Romans, Greeks and Hebrews adjusted their schedules to take advantage of spring and summer daylight. In 1784, Ben Franklin once wrote an anonymous letter to the city of Paris asking them to consider rising and going to bed earlier to take advantage of morning sunlight and to reduce the amount of unnecessary candle burning in the evening. Although he did advocate a change in behavior, Franklin didn’t suggest any changes to the clock because 18th-century Europe had yet to adopt the formalized timetables we enjoy today.
By the 19th century with the invention of the train and the modernization of industry, standardized clocks came into wider use and, of course, people were still wasting their productive morning hours by sleeping in. Eventually, in 1908, the idea of setting the clocks forward was formally proposed by Robert Pearce who introduced the first Daylight Savings Time (DST) bill to British Parliament. The bill failed and the first countries to eventually adopt DST would be Germany and its allies during World War 1 who thought the extra daylight would help to conserve coal for the war effort. The United States would eventually adopt DST in 1918.
The Pros and Cons of DST
As with the “save your candles” rationale posed by Ben Franklin to Parisians in 1784, one of the major reasons countries and states began to adapt to DST is for energy savings. The theory is that with more daylight hours being utilized, people would use less artificial light and cities would save money on street lighting and other energy costs. Being that energy consumption en masse is a little hard to pin down to specific causes; studies have been inconclusive as to whether DST has actually saved municipalities a significant amount of money. Some actually believe DST leads to increased gas consumption because the extra hours of daylight give people more reasons to travel.
Although energy reduction has proved inconclusive the positive economic effects are well-proven. With more daylight hours at their disposal, consumers shop more often and enjoy more outdoor leisure activities while prime-time television viewing and movie theater attendance sees a decrease.
When it comes to public safety, the greater visibility during evening commutes results in an approximately 2% decrease in traffic fatalities and in 1995 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety noted 5% reduction in pedestrian fatalities as well. Although some feared more daylight would increase potential crime activity, additional visibility makes it difficult for criminals to do their dastardly deeds so DST has, in fact, lowered crime rates.
So, next time you get into an argument over DST with a friend or relative from a non-DST-supporting municipality like Arizona, let them know that overall, DST is a good thing. When it all boils down, who can complain about an extra hour of sunshine on a spring or summer day?
Isn’t it odd that simply reading the title of this article made some people yawn? Here, the crack research team at SleepBook attempts to corral some of the research out there to provide our readers with insights into the bizarre behavior known as yawning.
The Physicality of Yawning
Physiologically, when we yawn our bodies deeply inhale air and the eardrums stretch, followed by the exhalation of a deep breath. Many times, the yawn will be accompanied by a broad stretching of the arms, neck and torso. One should be careful not to exhibit one of these overly-dramatic yawns in social situations where they can be construed as rude.
Why Do We Yawn?
The most commonly-held belief is that yawning is performed by the body to rapidly replenish dwindling oxygen levels in the brain. Yawning occurs most frequently when we are exhausted and our breathing is shallower. A large yawn will quickly replenish the oxygen supply throughout the body. Some also believe that people yawn in order to cool down their brains. Others postulate that yawning helps to alert people when they are tired and helps them to remain awake and stay focused on tasks such as driving.
Is Yawning Contagious?
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding yawns is whether they are contagious or not. Well, science has proven that yes, yawning is contagious and not only in humans. Contagious yawning is also prevalent amongst chimpanzees and other distinguished members of the animal kingdom. There are a few theories as to why yawning is contagious. From an evolutionary perspective many believe that yawning acts to awaken the body by elevating oxygen levels and the accompanying stretching keeps the body limber as well. This heightened alertness and loosening of muscle tension may have helped our hunter-and-gatherer ancestors better deal with fatigue and protect themselves against predators. Others believe that yawning communicates sleepiness amongst a human social group and allows them to coordinate their sleep cycles, improving group cohesion.
Now, we bet most of the people who have read this article began to yawn at some point. If so, that’s a good thing. Studies have shown that children with autism are less likely to catch a contagious yawn, because they are less adept at perceiving and mimicking social cues. Also, the authors of this study would like to remind you that any yawning that occurred while reading this article happened due to years of evolution and not because it triggered any feelings of boredom or sleepiness.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The folks here at SleepBook have investigated many of the important facets of sleep, from health to children to even sleep wear. But we have yet to dig deep into where all of the magic happens, the bedroom. So, in the spirit of this February’s Presidents’ Day, why not start with arguably the most famous bedroom of all, the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House?
In the White House, what is known today as the Lincoln Bedroom, actually isn’t a room where the Lincolns actually slept. During the Lincoln administration the 16th President used it as an office. In this office, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 and these days you can find a holography copy of the Gettysburg Address, signed, dated and titled by Lincoln himself.
Currently, the room is decorated in a Victorian style and is furnished with three chairs, two slipper chairs and some of Lincoln’s cabinet chairs, although all of this furniture pre-dates Lincoln’s time in the White House from 1861-1865. The center piece of the room is known as the Lincoln Bed, and although it was never slept in by Lincoln it was purchased by his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln as a guest bed. The bed has been used by Theodore and Edith Roosevelt, Woodrow and Edith Wilson, and Calvin and Grace Coolidge. The bed finally found its way to the room now known as The Lincoln Bedroom after being moved there by President Truman in 1945.
Recently, the Lincoln Bedroom was a source of controversy during the Clinton administration when campaign donors and friends of the first family we’re allowed to spend the night in the Lincoln Bedroom. After the controversy blew over the room was once again opened to donors during the subsequent Bush administration. President Barack Obama noted before moving into the White House that he planned to remove the flat-screen TV saying, “Now, who stays in the Lincoln Bedroom and watches [ESPN’s] ‘Sports Center’? You’ve got your clicker. . . .That didn’t seem to me to be appropriate. So I might take out the TV, I don’t know…You should read when you’re in the Lincoln Bedroom! Reread the Gettysburg Address. Don’t watch TV.”
Over the last century, there have been many stories of reported sightings of Honest Abe in the Lincoln Bedroom. Cesar Carrera, FDR’s personal valet was once seen running through the White House and out of the front door after having an encounter with Mr. Lincoln. Eleanor Roosevelt’s assistant once saw him pull on his boots and even their dog, Fala seemed to be disturbed by a ghostly presence in the room. Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Margaret Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Ladybird Johnson, Susan Ford and Maureen Reagan have all admitted sensing the presence of the Civil War president in the White House. So, although Lincoln never officially slept in the Lincoln Bedroom, it seems to this day he still handles all of his post-presidency business out of his old office.
Improve Your Memory
A good night’s sleep can help to strengthen your memories or improve skills you’ve learned throughout the day. A mental process known as “consolidation” works to strengthen these skills while you rest at night. Commonly, after an intense lesson, people will find the next day they can perform the new task much better after their brain has worked on it while they were sleeping.
Live Longer
Not getting enough sleep can be bad for your heart, weight, mind and more.
Numerous studies have pointed to the fact that getting less than six hours of sleep on a consistent basis lowers lifespan expectancy.
Reduce Inflammation
People who get an adequate amount of sleep have lower levels of inflammatory proteins in their bloodstream than those who get less sleep. Inflammation is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and premature aging.
Educational Benefits
Studies show that children who have sleep disorders are more likely to have troubles with paying attention in class and retaining what they’ve learned. In other studies, college students who get less sleep have lower grades than those who get the recommended eight hours a night.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
We’ve reported more than one story that shows people who are sleep deprived have a higher rate of obesity. When people are sleep depraved they produce less of the hormone that tells them they’re satisfied and more of the hormone that tells them they’re hungry. Plus, when you’re tired your body tends to crave higher calorie, energy-producing food such as sugary treats and carbohydrates.
Less Stress
Sleep can go a long way to reduce stress on the body. Too much stress can raise blood pressure levels and be detrimental to long-term cardiovascular health. It is also believed that adequate sleep can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels, leading to improved cardiovascular health.
Counteract Depression
People who get an adequate amount of sleep on a regular basis experience greater emotional stability than those who are sleep deprived. Lack of sleep caused by another medical illness or by personal problems can make depression worse. An inability to sleep that lasts over a long period of time is also an important clue that someone may be depressed.
Increase Your Creativity
During sleep, the brain re-organizes and restructures memories and information it has received during the day. Researchers at Boston College believe that getting an appropriate amount of sleep can help spur the creative process.
Improve Your Athletic Skills
Athletics are all about getting that extra step on the competition. A study from Harvard found that sprinters who got at least ten hours of sleep a night for seven to eight weeks improved their average time and were less fatigued.
Improve Your Child’s Focus
Studies have shown that sleep-deprived children exhibit ADHD-like symptoms such as hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsivity. This can affect their studies as well as their relationships with other children, family and authority figures.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Oh, the traumas of childhood. Wetting the bed can be a very embarrassing event for a youngster, especially one that is old enough to have mastered urinary control. Waking up in a wet bed can be stigmatizing for kids and bring up feelings of shame. Bedwetting can also be difficult for parents, whether it’s the stress of cleaning up the wet bed or helping their child overcome the problem.
Who Wets the Bed?
Bedwetting occurs most frequently in boys who comprise approximately 60% of all bedwetters. Most girls develop the ability to stay dry all night by the age of six and most boys around the age of seven. Most bedwetters get over the problem in due time with 20% of children age five experiencing wet nights but only 5% of ten year olds suffering from the problem. So when should parents start to worry? They should become concerned if the child regularly wets the bed after the age of seven.
What Causes Bedwetting?
Bedwetting is most commonly a symptom of delayed development and/or a nervous system that is too slow to process the feeling of a full bladder. Bedwetting also has a strong genetic cause. Children whose parents were not bedwetters have only a 15% incidence of bedwetting. Although not a primary cause of bedwetting, psychological distress can be a secondary cause. Children may wet the bed when there is another birth in the family, a change in schools or when sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Other less-common causes of bedwetting include a small bladder, urinary tract infection, diabetes, chronic constipation or an anatomical defect.
Treating Bedwetting
Most children outgrow bedwetting and, if there is a family history of bedwetting, usually will stop around the time their parents gained nighttime bladder control. One of the most common treatments is a moisture alarm. These alarms sense wetness and will emit a tone that will wake the child up so they can stop urinating and make it to the bathroom. These small, battery-operated devices connect to the child’s pajamas or bedding. In more extreme circumstances, a pediatrician may prescribe medication to help the problem. Medications are available that can slow down nighttime urine production as well as calm the bladder. Also, simply changing the child’s sleep and waking pattern can be an effective method of treating the disorder.
