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Seattle’s Early School Start Times – personal experience
It's 9am Saturday as I write this. My middle school student is still sleeping, despite the household noises. Yesterday, and every school day, she would be finishing math and be headed into science class in 10 minutes. Both essential subjects to master. Yet difficult...
Light Impacts Sleep
Now that the nights are longer, it's time to think about the impact light has on our sleep. And oh, does it have impact! This last month it's been a pleasure to read two books on light, and human's historical experience of night - The End of Night by Paul Bogard, and...
Sleep Impacts Cancer
We have become a 24-hour society where people can work, shop and exercise at all hours of the day or night. But just because we can, does that mean we should? Humans evolved in a rhythmic world, with daily and seasonal variations in light, temperature, and food...
Similarities between Childrens Sleep and Gambling?
Okay, you may think this is a stretch. What similarities could there possibly be between children's sleep and gambling? Well, let's talk about it. Remember from a psychology class the idea of "intermittent reinforcement?" This is when a behavior is only sometimes...
An Ergonomic Bed
Regularly there are new sleep products on the market. Just last week I saw one that really impressed me, so much so that I'd like to share. Rest assured, I have no affiliation with this company, financial or otherwise. It is a new bed which was designed ergonomically...
Start School Later meets with the Dept. of Health
Tomorrow, July 18, the leaders of the national Start School Later initiative will be meeting with directors at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health. There is a connection between early school start times and...
“Sleep Deprived in Seattle” in Seattle magazine
It was a pleasure to talk with journalist Sheila Cain about my approach to treating sleep disorders. The article is now published in Seattle magazine's Top Doc issue (July). My favorite excerpt is: “My primary care doctor gave me a printout of things to try, then told...
Curing Insomnia is Like Climbing a Mountain
Being unable to sleep can be very distressing, especially when it's an acute episode. One analogy that works when I think about treating insomnia is that Curing Insomnia is Like Climbing a Mountain. Think about going for a hike up a mountain to the scenic view from...