Speaking to Seniors about Sleep
Posted on November 27, 2007 by Dr. Krakow |Today, I spoke at the Montebello Senior Center in Albuquerque on a variety of topics on sleep. In these types of discussions, the topic of aging always emerges as the most likely explanation for why someone’s sleep would deteriorate. While certainly aging has an impact, I always point out that there’s just as much chance that a sleep disorder ages a persons mind and body faster than aging itself. In particular, we know that sleep breathing problems cause sleep fragmentation and inconsistent delivery of oxygenation to the blood and blood vessels, and both of these problems clearly make us age faster.
Bariatric Surgery and Death Rates
Posted on November 27, 2007 by Dr. Krakow |A useful study has shown that death rates are a bit higher than anticipated following bariatric surgery, and in the short commentary that was written up in JAMA about the article, it merely states that the deaths in the first few months were largely due to coronary artery disease. Yet, no mention is made about the likely contribution of untreated sleep apnea in many of these cases. Even today, it is not clear whether all bariatric centers require pre-op sleep testing in obese patients to determine whether they suffer from sleep apnea.
Promoting Sound Sleep, Sound Mind in Washington, D.C.
Posted on November 24, 2007 by Dr. Krakow |Thanksgiving provided an opportunity to visit family and friends in my hometown and talk about my book at two bookstores, Reiter’s in D.C. and Borders Express in Silver Spring. A common recurring theme among those who attended was the desire to see sleep behaviors, good or bad, as normal. We call this perspective, “normalizing one’s sleep.” And, it is one of the greatest barriers to engaging in a thoughtful and honest self-appraisal of how your sleep might be affecting your health. In this instance, however, I was able to talk with several people about how one must move beyond this “normalizing” perspective to place a fresh set of eyes on one’s sleep problems, after which it is considerably easier to begin taking treatment steps to efficiently improve one’s sleep.
ADHD Research
Posted on November 18, 2007 by Dr. Krakow |A very discerning article about ADHD, but it seems unlikely that any of the new research is looking at sleep connections.
Sleep and Obesity in Children
Posted on November 5, 2007 by Dr. Krakow |In this media report, I was delighted to see Dr. Sheldon’s commentary on “cause and effect.” Is it really all about sleep duration, or could other sleep disorders be the real cause of the shorter sleep in kids who become obese?
