If a 20-minute nap, a cup of joe, and more shuteye at night were in a cage match, who would win for reducing that classic afternoon "dip"? The answer is: (in order of effectiveness)

1. Nap
2. Caffeine
3. Then more nighttime sleep

A

The story reads like something out of a sitcom or a joke that doesn't have a punchline. Woman stashes life savings to the tune of $1 million in her mattress. Woman throws out the mattress by mistake. After a day goes by, she remembers her major gaffe and frantically searches...

Has someone been falling asleep in Congress?

I was delighted to hear that Florida Congressman Gus Bilirakis has just introduced a sleep apnea awareness resolution to the House of Representatives. The goal is to raise public awareness of this serious condition and encourage all Americans...

Earlier this week I covered a new study that points to the disturbing effects (literally) of noise pollution in intensive care units. The second half of the article discussed several methods to reduce noise and their...

Noise. Whether it's the blare of traffic and the hustling sounds of a city, or just your neighbor's barking dog and lawn mower cutting into your Sunday snooze, noise pollution is something we all have to deal with to some degree. But what about indoor disturbances -- in a hospital...

We've all experienced it. You see a face and think, "Where do I now that person from? He looks so familiar!" Sometimes, a few more minutes of pondering or resorting to some awkward inquiry can result in an answer. Other times, you're not so lucky and you never figure it...

If you're still scratching your head wondering why you're not feeling as refreshed as you should in the morning, you may have overlooked a little furry sleep thief: your pet. 

I get asked about pets in the bedroom pretty frequently, and it can be a hard to hear that pets...

It's widely known in sleep medicine circles that the most common--and helpful--treatment we have these days for patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the CPAP machine, short for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. If you've been diagnosed with OSA, then...

It's hard to legislate sleep. As an employer you can certainly set rules and guidelines, hoping your employees show up refreshed and ready to perform, but you can't really enforce or police it -- even when lives depend on it.

Hearing about the fatigue factor involved in Continental's February plane...

Have you ever had trouble sleeping when a storm blows through? (No, I don't mean being awakened by the sound of thunder or the pelts of rain on your window.) If you suffer with obstructive sleep apnea, listen up: there's new evidence that...

There are plenty of stories about famous short sleepers to go around. Among those who claim (or claimed, as some are no longer with us) that they do perfectly well on four hours of sleep are Jay Leno, Madonna, Michelangelo, Napolean Bonaparte, Florence Nightingale, and Thomas Edison (whose invention--the light...

I'm not usually the sort to wade through celebrity gossip pages, but this one came across my desk because it is, well, directly related to my area of expertise... and I am compelled to reach out and offer some advice.

Word travels fast: no sooner did Mariah Carey Twitter about...

Looking for an extra boost in the shower to wake you up? How about a caffeinated shower?

You read that right. I had to do a double-take myself when I read about this in an airplane magazine. It's called Shower Shock (aptly titled) and the product...

Just because I'm a sleep doc doesn't mean I only encounter insomniacs and narcoleptics. Much to the contrary, I meet sound sleepers all the time and love engaging them in conversation. Have they always been good sleepers? What's their "secret"?

Well, sorry, but there isn't just one secret. But a...

In this day and age, when sleep rhythms can go haywire at the drop of bad news, questions about sleep aids are a hot topic. They are no longer confined to those who are presumed to have oddball sleep cycles, such as

Pop Quiz: Which is the better bedtime snack--an oatmeal raisin cookie with milk or another serving of the pasta with meat sauce you ate at dinner?

Answer: go for the cookie and milk.

It's common knowledge that caffeine and

In some parts of the country, winter is still holding down the fort. But for many of us, spring is really right around the corner and soon we'll be embracing the outdoors and welcoming warmer weather. Where I live in Arizona, it is time to break out the flip flops!...

When I tell people that snoring can be a sign of a serious health problem, they typically act surprised because snoring is so common. In other words, how can it be so serious if it's so universal?

Approximately 90 million American adults snore, and of those 37 million snore on a...

Apparently, a lot. An intriguing article posted online summarizes studies exploring how much people value--and heed--their dreams. In short, most of us put a lot of significance on our dreams and believe they speak the truth to us.

What do you...

Headaches come with the territory these days. Any look at the news can give you one of the most common types around: the tension-type. But if you suffer from chronic tension headaches and resort to sleeping them off, you may want to listen up: a