According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 18 million American adults have sleep apnea. It is estimated that a minimum of 2-3% of children have obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted during sleep. The "apnea" in sleep apnea refers to a breathing pause that lasts at least ten seconds. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep the airway open, despite efforts to breathe.

But is sleep apnea a disease?

Whether you typically drink at night before bed or are hoping to fall asleep faster in the sleep center, you should consider this information if you're wondering whether you should have a drink before your sleep study.

Does a glass of wine (or beer) before bed help you sleep better at night?

Just because a drink before bed can make it easier for you to fall asleep doesn’t mean that it actually helps you sleep well.

Drinking alcohol can reduce the effectiveness and alter the results of your sleep study.

Have you ever noticed someone who snores worse after a couple of drinks before bed? Why does this happen?

A study published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice tracked the diet and exercise habits of 36,400 American adults from 1971 to 2008 and found that even if they exercised the same amount and ate the same number of calories,  the BMI of a person in 2006 was 2.3 points higher than someone of the same age in 1988. What gives?

NY Daily News reports that a $10 million defamation lawsuit filed by a sleeping baseball fan was dismissed. The fan  was caught on camera by ESPN sleeping through the fourth inning of a New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox game in April 2014. Here's the video and the contested commentary that lead to the suit.

Sleep studies aren't fun. PAP therapy isn't easy. But they are means to an end: a good night's sleep. Millions of Americans are suffering from sleep disorders but don't or won't get tested. If your life has changed since you've started treating your sleep disorder, we want to hear about it! We will feature selected stories in upcoming blog posts to help others get a good night's sleep too.

It's true that different people need different amounts of sleep. Some people can get by on 7 or even 6 hours per night; others need 9 or 10 to feel optimal. Sometimes, the one-size-fits-all guideline of 8 hours per night just isn't enough to help you determine if you're really as well-rested as you can be. So in this post, our goal is to lay down some rough guidelines for how much sleep is healthy, and how to tell that you need to be catching some more zzzs. 

Sleep deprivation--a consistent shortage of sleep--is a serious problem in the United States. A Gallup poll taken in 2013¹ found that 40% of Americans get less than seven hours of sleep per night. That means that two in five Americans is not getting the recommended amount of sleep. 

The past week, we have been running a series of blog posts on how sleep affects different groups of people: namely, men and women. But what about the younger sleepers among us? 

Healthy sleep may be even more important for children and toddlers than for grown adults. Kids and teens need more sleep (depending on the age, sometimes a lot more sleep) than adults. Plus, at this age, sleep quality and quantity can influence kids' emotional and mental development (for example, toddlers who skip naps are proven to be less happy and engaged than their well-rested counterparts. 

So if you're the parent of a kid or teen, here are our top 3 tips about children and sleep. 

Last week on the Sleep Better, Live Better blog we talked about sleep facts that are particular to women. But what about sleep-related issues that affect men? For instance, men show some slightly different sleep patterns, are at greater risk for certain sleep disorders, and can experience particular side effects as a result of sleep deprivation. 

So this week, we're focusing on four must-know facts about men and sleep.