According to a study conducted a few years ago by Allison Harvey and Suzanna Payne of the University of Oxford, the ancient remedy of counting sheep does not help us fall asleep. It is much more effective against insomnia to visualize a relaxing scene.
The Japanese manufacturer Tanita has developed a novel scanner that is placed under the mattress to measure the movements of the body, breathing and the pulse of users while they sleep, and thus assess the quality of sleep.
The latest study carried out by the National Sleep Foundation (USA) reveals that, in general, Americans do not get enough rest: 6.5 hours on average. Among Spaniards, 5.4% of the population suffers from insomnia, 64.7% sleeps on their side. As for the mattress, 57.2% use it for sexual intercourse in addition to sleeping, and 25% for reading.
Normally the body regulates its water content by balancing the intake of fluids (through thirst) and its elimination (through the production of urine). When the amount of water in the blood is low, cells called osmosensory order the release of vasopressin by the hypothalamus, an antidiuretic hormone that orders the body to retain as much fluid as possible.
Napoleon, an illustrious insomniac, is credited with this offensive sentence: "Women and idiots need ten hours of sleep, the wounded eight, and men six." The truth is that some men and women sleep less than the average without showing fatigue in their daytime activities. This gift could have a biological explanation, according to a recent study by Ying-Hui Fu's team from the University of California.
A new study from the California University of Berkeley (USA) reveals that 90 minutes of naps serve to clear the mind and improve learning ability. The findings support the hypothesis that sleep is absolutely necessary to clear short-term memory and "make room" for new information, and could help understand the memory problems that accompany aging.
Severe sleep apnea, which causes a series of brief interruptions in breathing during sleep, increases the risk of premature death by 46 percent, a new US study reveals.
This weekend the annual SLEEP 2009 conference (sleep, in English) began in the United States, which in this edition brings together more than 6,000 experts in sleep medicine.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
