Questions tagged [sleep]
Questions about sleep disorders, like circadian rhythm sleep disorders, or the general topic of sleep as it relates to health.
189
questions
37
votes
2answers
1k views
Does the lack of sleep affect my health?
In the past month, I've been really busy with the university and stuff, and I don't sleep as much as I used to. I usually sleep 4-5 hours a night.
I haven't been doing that extensively ( I always ...
27
votes
1answer
91k views
Is it better to sleep without a pillow?
I have read several web pages that mention the potential benefits of sleeping without a pillow.
Examples:
http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/Sleeping-Without-a-Pillow.html
Is Sleeping Without a Pillow a ...
24
votes
1answer
452 views
Are alternative sleep pattern viable?
I'm curious about possible health consequences of polyphasic sleep patterns, which involves sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period — usually more than two, in contrast to getting all sleep in one ...
23
votes
2answers
628 views
How to avoid fatigue if I foresee irregular sleeping time?
Let's say normally, I go to sleep at 00:00 and wake up at 08:00. I know that 3 days from now, I will have to work in another city for just that day and wake up at 05:00 to account for the travel time.
...
20
votes
2answers
520 views
Can long term sleeping at day damage your health?
I've passed half or more of my life, sleeping in very late and often after the sun rises. Now I believe that I'm already feeling its effect. Some of my hormones are under the ideal levels and I have a ...
19
votes
1answer
616 views
What are the long-term side effects of melatonin?
What are the long-term side effects of taking melatonin as an oral supplement?
The couple of articles I have read are inconclusive:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/what-is-melatonin-...
18
votes
2answers
792 views
Can you sleep less permanently, but stay at least as healthy? [duplicate]
Can you train yourself to sleep fewer number of hours forever, nightly, while remaining at least as fit and healthful (without harming or impairing yourself in any way) ?
This question was inspired ...
18
votes
1answer
1k views
Are computers bad for health?
I am a CS student, so my career requires sitting for long periods of time (8~9) hours infront of a laptop daily. I've been hearing for quite a long time that computers are harmful for health. I'm ...
17
votes
2answers
410 views
Does sleep irregularity affect my brain and health?
For more than two years I have been sleeping irregularity. Sometimes I go to the bed at 10am, some days it may 10pm.There no regularity to when I sleep.
Also, sleep time may differ. Sometimes I ...
16
votes
2answers
829 views
Can sleeping on the floor improve sleep quality?
I read many essays about ways to improve sleep quality. One of these essays was about the benefits of sleeping on the floor. At first I found it a ridiculous idea that this would help me get deep ...
14
votes
1answer
266 views
Is prolonged use of melatonin supplements safe for a 3-year-old?
Background:
I recently adopted a 3-year-old girl. The first weeks in her new home, bedtimes were understandably difficult. She had a lot of trouble falling asleep, and resisted going to bed.
My ...
13
votes
1answer
232 views
How does poor sleep cause circles under one's eyes?
I've read that poor sleep causes circles under one's eyes.
Also, I've read that they are caused by dehydration.
Is it safe to assume that the way poor sleep causes the circles is by causing ...
13
votes
1answer
228 views
Is there a link between bed firmness and spine deformations?
When I was a child, I was diagnosed with spine deformations: scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis. The scoliosis is the most pronounced one in my case.
The professionals (I don't remember if it was the ...
12
votes
1answer
294 views
What are the consequences of chronic sleep deprivation for mental function?
Some people don't sleep enough due to work, school, or personal issues. Regardless of the cause, what are the long-term impacts of losing sleep when describing mental performance in particular? I am ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
Why does caffeine make me sleep better?
I have self-administered around 4 mg/kg of caffeine (peroral), and around two hours later I fell asleep, being just a little bit sleep-deprived.
After around five hours of sleep I found myself awake, ...
11
votes
2answers
335 views
Does sleeping position affect health?
I've heard that the sleeping position of a person affects his health in many ways. Is this true, and if so, in what way does it affect a person and which is the best position to sleep in?
11
votes
1answer
511 views
How does sleeping chest-side down hurt the spine?
I do not know the correct English term for the position, so I will just refer it to as "chest-side down". The following CNN page seem to call it the "stomach position", and they ...
10
votes
1answer
26k views
What is the physiological process that would cause one to void more than once in the morning?
I have observed that drinking a full glass of water prior to sleeping leads to urination in the morning, as would be expected.
However, I have also observed that some people urinate more than once in ...
10
votes
1answer
385 views
Does bed type have an effect on sleep quality? [closed]
People naturally have varied preferences for bed firmness / angle / temperature, but is there any evidence that a soft bed improves sleep quality?
Spending ~8 hrs a day on a soft cushion (instead of ...
10
votes
1answer
134 views
Are there any hazards associated with changing sleep schedules (shift work)?
One of my friends works on rotational shifts (if she works a week during the day, another week she needs to work during the night). Her sleeping cycles are changing continuously. Will this cause any ...
10
votes
1answer
4k views
Can wearing retainers at night affect sleep quality?
Besides being uncomfortable, does wearing retainers at night cause any effects like sleep apnea?
I'm wondering this because I've woken up with dry mouth multiple times after sleeping with my ...
10
votes
1answer
149 views
Nasal congestion on wakeup in healthy individuals vs. vasomotor rhinitis sufferers
How common is it for healthy individuals to wake up with one nostril congested to the point where there is no airflow through that nostril, and respiration takes place solely through the other nostril?...
10
votes
1answer
281 views
How much sleep is too much?
As I have understood from reading stuff on the internet and talking to people, too little sleep can have very serious health problems and you need to sleep at least 6 hours every night. what I don't ...
9
votes
1answer
745 views
Human Circadian Rythym, can we live a 36 hour day, or for that matter, a 48 hour day?
By this I mean, is it possible or advisable to change my rhythm so that I wake up on Monday morning, sleep Tuesday afternoon (I'm awake for over 24 hours) and then sleep for over 16 hours till the ...
8
votes
1answer
3k views
Does Benadryl (=diphenhydramine) lead to tolerance? Can I use it to help with sleep?
I am an insomniac and all the sleep medications that I've been prescribed have eventually had no effect on me -- I built a tolerance to them. It's a dangerous thing because I don't want to take lots ...
8
votes
1answer
325 views
Is eating one's dinner right before going to sleep bad for health?
I often read or hear that eating one's dinner right before going to sleep is bad for health. How true is that?
8
votes
1answer
178 views
Can oversleeping be harmful to overall health?
Is it worse than undersleeping, especially for healthy development? Does it have any benefits? I would like to know both physical and mental effects (or diseases?).
8
votes
2answers
148 views
Why do people snore?
I am 33 years old, and I have been told by my parents and my wife that I snore. My question is - what is the reason for snoring? Is it a symptom of bad health?
8
votes
1answer
167 views
Is it possible to maintain my health during irregular sleeping patterns?
I'm 23 years old lanky guy, and my health is below average. I believe it's also wise to mention that I currently have Tuberculosis in my lymph nodes around the neck area, for which I'm taking my ...
8
votes
1answer
317 views
Are afternoon naps healthy?
I live in a hostel and I observe that in weekends, some of my friends are very desperate for an outing or a day trip. But there are some exceptional ones who like to sleep after their lunch, and it ...
8
votes
0answers
142 views
Possible harms of white noise [closed]
I am having problems sleeping because of loud neighbours. There isn't a diplomatic way to solve this. So I went looking for ways to make sleeping easier with noise, and I came across this answer in ...
7
votes
2answers
7k views
How to reduce apnea/hypoapnea events?
When using a machine (such as CPAP, APAP, BiPAP) to help control sleep apnea, is there anything that can be done to help lower your AHI (apnea-hypoapnea index; the number of sleep apnea events per ...
7
votes
2answers
231 views
How to get rid of insomnia naturally?
I know that sleep is important, and on weeks, that I consistently get enough sleep I feel my best. The problem is sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and can not go back to sleep for hours. ...
7
votes
1answer
131 views
Should eating before bedtime be avoided if someone wants to lose weight?
I have read many contradictory articles regarding eating before bedtime for someone trying to lose weight. Here some examples:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/health/17really.html?_r=4&adxnnl=1&...
7
votes
1answer
97 views
Can one's body temperature affect the quality of his/her sleep?
If so, how does it influence our sleep? And what can we do to improve the quality of sleep in regards to adjusting our body temperature?
7
votes
1answer
110 views
Coffee for solving sleep problems?
In this post I asked whether Coffee use could cause an increase in adenosine levels as a result of the body’s adjustment to lower adenosine receptor activation. An answer stated that coffee use ...
7
votes
1answer
229 views
Can sleeping too much damage the brain and heart?
I heard that sleeping long hours can damage brain functions and harm the heart. Is that true?
7
votes
1answer
53 views
Ways to lessen or prevent episodes of sleep walking
I am currently on medication to dampen my sleep walking. The medication is amitriptilyne, but lately it seems to be having no effect.
For the past few weeks I have been getting up at around 3am for ...
6
votes
1answer
144 views
How to avoid snoring?
If someone is suffering from snoring for around 5 years, are there some remedies to avoid or control snoring? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
6
votes
3answers
5k views
How to know if ( or when) I fall asleep?
Sometimes when I wake up from a nap, I don't even know whether I fell asleep in the first place. As a person who doesn't take naps as a habit, I need to take efficient naps when I'm tired and need ...
6
votes
2answers
336 views
What is snoring and why am I so loud
I'm a 26-year-old male who is 6 foot 3 and around 19 stone and I have a snoring problem.
I don't do much exercise other than about a kilometer per day plus whatever I do on the stairs at work. Which ...
6
votes
2answers
5k views
Sleeping on stomach - why are people naturally drawn to it if it's bad?
Why are some adults and children naturally drawn to sleeping on their stomachs if it's not a good sleep position (according to many articles)? I understand it's not good for babies because of the ...
6
votes
1answer
87 views
Does caffeine have any distinct biological effects to adrenaline?
Adrenaline usually is a "panicking response" and should, as far as I understand it, supresses any feelings of tiredness. However, someone I know has agoraphobia, which when triggered releases a lot of ...
6
votes
1answer
273 views
Should I sleep with my bra on?
I have always slept with my bra on. This summer is particularly hot and the sweating makes me feel uncomfortable. I was considering sleeping without a bra.
All the below sentences are quoted directly ...
6
votes
2answers
214 views
Is setting your alarm for a long duration at a lower volume a good way to ensure you wake up in light sleep?
I usually set my alarm really loud so that I will definitely wake up. Usually that is accompanied by disorientation, headaches, etc. However, I read about 'completing the sleep cycle' and that it ...
6
votes
1answer
574 views
Does lifting legs up before going to bed really reduce nocturia?
Is this an urban myth, or is there a known association between lifting legs before going to sleep, and a reduction in the number of bathroom trips during the night? If so, what is the best time and ...
6
votes
0answers
88 views
Sleeping during the day instead of sleeping at night [closed]
Is there any difference to ones health outcome if they wake up at night and go to sleep when the sun rises up?
To be more specific, what will happen to a person if the sleep cycle is reversed?
6
votes
0answers
76 views
How do scientists determine how much sleep a particular individual needs?
Is it determined the same way as "healthy" weight? Someone told me that for weight, they do it by measuring a large number of people and see who gets sick and who doesn't and correlate that weight.
...
6
votes
3answers
565 views
How to avoid back pain while sleeping? [closed]
I usually experience back pain while I sleep. I was wondering if there is any way to prevent this. Are there specific sleeping positions that can prevent back pain? Should I use different types of ...
6
votes
0answers
143 views
What factors affect sleep propensity?
What environmental and personal factors affect the amount of time it takes to fall to sleep? How can some people go to bed in 5 min where others take an hour?
Some factors I’ve thought about include: ...
