Sleeping Angels

How children's sleep affects their health and well being.

Dennis Rosen M.D.

One Twin Sleeps, the Other Doesn't

Advice for sleep training 14-month-old twins.

Staying Safe While Driving At Night—Without Coffee

Keeping yourself from falling asleep while driving can be a huge challenge. Driving while sleepy is a major cause of motor vehicle accidents, and even brief lapses of attention can have catastrophic results. Now, there's a new way to keep awake while on the road.

Hope In The Guatemalan Highlands

Reflections on a medical mission trip to central Guatemala

Do Early Childhood Sleep Problems Predict (Or Cause) Learnin

What’s the connection between sleep disturbances in early childhood and learning difficulties later on in life? More than you might think.

Staying Healthy By Sleeping Longer

A new study published last week in Sleep sheds new light on the connection between sleep and susceptibility to infection.

Non-Alcoholic Beer May Help You Fall Asleep Faster

A new study published in Public Library of Science One (PLoS One) finds that drinking NON-alcoholic beer with dinner may help you fall asleep faster, sleep more soundly, and be less anxious overall.

Cigarette Smoke Increases Teeth Grinding In Sleeping Kids

A group of Italian researchers reported that children exposed to cigarette smoke in the home had a higher incidence of teeth grinding during sleep.

Threefold Increase In Parents Not Vaccinating Their Kids

A new study published today in Pediatrics found that the percentage of children not being vaccinated according to schedule between birth and age 9 months increased threefold between the years 2006-2009.

Early Risers Have Better Emotional Control

Brazilian researchers are reporting that people whose natural preference is to stay up later at night and sleep in later in the mornings are less emotionally stable than those whose preference is to go to sleep and to wake up earlier.

Teaching A 3-Month-Old To Fall Asleep On His Own

A reader asks whether she can start sleep training in a 3-month-old.

Painful Bureaucracy In The Most Literal Sense

A woman with chronic pain explains how she fears new restrictions limiting doctors from prescribing medications she needs to tread it will affect her.

There Was a Great Doc From Nantucket...

Pam Belluck's beautifully written "Island Practice" tells the true story of one of Nantucket's most storied physicians.

Why Laughing In the Evening Helps You Sleep Better at Night

A group of Japanese researchers found that laughing in the evening causes the body to produce more melatonin (the hormone released by the brain at sleep onset).

Losing Weight Because of CPAP?

Gwen writes: I'm looking for a connection between weight LOSS and sleep apnea.

Government Bean Counting Is Bad For Your Health (Surprise!)

How a new government policy to cut costs at the expense of patient education is likely to result in poor health outcomes and increased costs.

As Fewer Vaccinate Their Children, Whooping Cough Epidemic Sweeps Washington

The New York Times reported yesterday about a recent epidemic of pertussis (whooping cough) in Washington State.

Staying Sane While Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit

An old-new way of reducing confusion and improving sleep perception in intensive care patients.

Restricting Pain Control Versus Preventing Addiction

Some 2-3 percent of teens abusing prescription pain killers is a big problem. So is making it more difficult for people with chronic pain to get the care they need.

Changing Your Pillow Could Make Those Wrinkles Go Away

Having smoother skin just by using a different pillow.

Poor Sleep Makes You More Sensitive to Pain

It will surprise no one that being in pain makes your sleep worse. Now there’s evidence that the opposite is also true: poor sleep makes pain worse.

Evidence Childhood Trauma Leads To Brain Damage

A fascinating study showing altered brainwave patterns during sleep in adults with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was published by a Canadian group earlier this month.

It’s Not Just the Donuts (Though They'll Make You Fat, Too)

New evidence that not getting enough sleep leads to weight gain.

Making Important Decisions When Sleepy Like Rolling Dice

Putting off an important decision until you’ve had a chance to think it through (instead of relying on impulse) has always been a good idea. “Let me sleep on it and get back to you tomorrow” sums this up nicely.

How Much Do Sleep-Talkers Reveal During Sleep?

I get asked a lot about how much truth there is in what people say when they talk in their sleep.

Drinking Coffee While Nursing Doesn’t Ruin Babies’ Sleep

While there are lots of good reasons to restrict or eliminate caffeine intake during pregnancy, causing sleep disturbances in the newborn is not one of them, according to a new study published in Pediatrics.

Drugging Children To Sleep: Almost Always A Bad Idea

I see lots of kids with sleep disturbances in my sleep clinic, many because of difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep.

Why It’s REALLY Not Cute When Kids Snore Like Grandpa

Still more evidence that breathing is important for children (in this case, during sleep).

Connecting the Dots Between Snoring And Attention Deficit

A reader writes: My 6-year-old was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and our pediatrician recommended starting him on medication. He has always snored, but it seems to have gotten worse this last year. I’ve read that there can be an association between snoring and ADHD, and wanted to ask if treating his snoring might improve his behavior.

Fighting Monsters with Force Fields and White Lies

I recently learned of a device which promises to cure children’s nighttime fears of monsters. Its makers recommend explaining to children whose fear of monsters prevents them from falling asleep that it generates a force field which will protect the house (and everyone within it) from all sorts of things that go bump in the night.

Returning a 5-Year-Old to Her Bed

A reader from Canada writes: My 5-year-old daughter always used to sleep alone in her bed without waking up at night. For the last month now, she refuses to go anywhere in the house or to sleep alone. I don't know how to help her.