Is it safe to take a sleeping pill every night?

Posted April 18, 2012

DEAR DOCTOR K: I am 70 and have always had sleep problems. I’ve started to take a prescription nonbenzodiazepine sleeping pill every night. It’s working very well. Is it OK if I keep on taking it?

DEAR READER: To answer your question, I consulted with my colleague, geriatrician Suzanne Salamon. She told me that she is reluctant to prescribe sleeping pills to her older patients. They lead to daytime grogginess and may contribute to cognitive problems, poor balance and falls.

Is there a relationship between sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes?

Posted April 13, 2012

DEAR DOCTOR K: I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Then, shortly afterward, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Could the two be related?

DEAR READER: One way they could be related is if you are overweight. The heavier you are, the greater your risk of both conditions. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It usually develops during adulthood among people who are overweight. Being overweight causes your cells to resist the effects of insulin, a hormone that drives sugar (glucose) from the blood into cells.

What is hypomania?

Posted March 14, 2012

DEAR DOCTOR K: I like to paint in my free time. Recently I’ve been staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning to work on my paintings. I know I should feel tired, but I don’t. One of my friends said that I might be hypomanic. What is that?

DEAR READER: Hypomania is an elevated mood or energy level — one higher than your normal state. The decreased need for sleep that you describe is one of the hallmarks of hypomania. Some people who are hypomanic sleep only a few hours a day. But despite this, they say they feel rested from such little sleep.

How can I prevent neck strain while sleeping?

Posted February 06, 2012

DEAR DOCTOR K: Most nights I fall asleep feeling fine. But I wake up in the morning with a literal pain in my neck. What can I do?

DEAR READER: Without even realizing it, you may be putting stress and strain on your neck muscles at night. But there are steps you can take to prevent neck pain, even as you sleep.

Is napping good for you?

Posted November 24, 2011

DEAR DOCTOR. K: As I’ve gotten older I don’t sleep as well as I used to. I’m retired, so I have the time to take an afternoon nap. But I’m worried that if I sleep during the day, I’ll have even more trouble sleeping at night. What do you think?

DEAR READER: I’m not surprised that you don’t sleep as well as you used to. Our sleep changes as we get older. After about age 60, we have less deep sleep. We awaken more often and sleep an average of two hours less at night than we did as young adults. It was once thought that older people didn’t need as much sleep as younger ones. But that’s not the case; we need it just as much. We just have a harder time getting it.

What causes yawning, and why do yawns seem contagious?

Posted November 14, 2011

DEAR DOCTOR K: I’ve been yawning a lot lately, and it got me thinking about what causes this phenomenon. Does anyone know why we yawn, and do you have any idea why yawns seem to be contagious?

DEAR READER: Most people yawn several times per day, sometimes without even noticing it. In fact, almost all vertebrate animals yawn up to 10 times per hour, by some estimates. Yawning is most common in the early morning and late evening. What do these yawns mean?

Serious sleep disorders best treated by specialists

Posted October 12, 2011

DEAR DOCTOR K: I’ve always been very active in my sleep. I used to tell people I was a sleepwalker, but it’s really much more involved than that. I often act out my dreams, and recently I threw a lamp across my bedroom, because I dreamed I was pitching a baseball. Have you heard of a problem like this before?

DEAR READER: If you are acting out your dreams, I’d say it’s very likely that you have a condition called REM Behavior Disorder. The type of sleep disturbances you describe certainly fit the bill.

How can I fall asleep?

Posted September 28, 2011

DEAR DOCTOR K: For the past few months I’ve been having a lot of trouble falling asleep, basically every night. I’m groggy and can’t concentrate on anything all day. I’d give anything for a good night’s rest.

DEAR READER: Trouble falling asleep often occurs because a person is overstimulated. There may be unusual stresses in your life that cause a lot of anxiety. With most of my patients, however, there’s no one thing they can put their finger on that explains why they are lying there having trouble falling asleep. Here are some of the things I tell my patients to do, and not to do, to fall asleep more easily.

Sleep