It's the end of the day and you're all tucked into bed, but your brain isn't quite ready for sleep just yet. So what do you do? You grab your phone and spend the next 30 minutes checking out social media or reading the news. Although this may seem like a harmless habit, reading on your phone at night--as well as using other electronics in the bedroom--can actually have damaging effects on your sleep habits. 

A few months ago we wrote a post on how electronics in the bedroom can disturb and distract you from your sleep. But now, sleep trackers in phones and health gadgets are offering a way to use technology to monitor and perhaps improve your sleep habits.

That’s right—popular fitness devices like Fitbit and smartphone apps like Sleep Cycle are now providing functions that let you track, not only the number of hours you spend sleeping, but also how restful your slumber is. How useful and accurate are these devices, and how can they be used to improve your nightly routine?

New Year 2015 is coming up—which means that you’re probably already compiling your list of behaviors that you want to change in the coming year. But what if your New Year’s resolution was a single action that could lead to you feeling more energetic and alert, improving your memory, decreasing your risk for heart disease and other serious conditions, and being able to enjoy a good night’s sleep? That resolution is having a sleep study to test for sleep apnea—and 2015 is the time to finally get the sleep you deserve.

This time of year is known for its mouth-watering main courses, delectable sweets, and generous portions. With Thanksgiving behind us and the Christmas season in full swing, the temptation to overeat—or to eat treats high in fat and sugar—is looming. Surprisingly, the easiest, most stress-free way to avoid weight gain might not be exercising or dieting—but just getting enough sleep.

My shelves are stacked with books I've read and planned to read in 2014. This year many were of the health & wellness variety. The health and wellness market continues to grow (here's a list of 10 fastest growing US industries--hot sauce is #3--who knew?). Americans are spending money on getting healthy including books, wearable tech devices and health monitors and healthier fast food.

Feeling tired, sapped of energy, and constantly ready to fall asleep? Are you irritable, unable to concentrate and have trouble completing simple tasks...but can't figure out why? If you don’t have sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, your spouse doesn’t snore or there are no outside influences disrupting your sleep, then sleeping with pets could be responsible for poor quality sleep. There are dozens of reasons why pets are good for us, including emotional and psychological health. On the other hand, that same pet snuggled up against you in bed might be causing emotional and psychological disruption.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has recently released a pair of free ebooks designed to promote healthy sleep habits in young children. This publication comes as more and more readers, kids and adults alike, swap out their traditional print texts for electronic ebooks. So where does that leave the humble bedtime story?  

Who doesn’t use their smartphone or watch some TV at night? If you don’t, you’re in the minority: according to the Sleep in America poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 95% of Americans admit to using some type of electronic device in the hour before bedtime. This in spite of the fact that well-established research has revealed the negative health effects of the blurring line between sleeping and surfing.

If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter, you probably know what it feels like to have an overwhelming, almost compulsive desire to sleep the next day. But what if that feeling might strike you any day, whether you’d rested the night before or not? That’s what pretty much what narcolepsy is.

Is it a daily struggle to drag your son or daughter out of bed at the crack of dawn to get ready for school? Well you’re in luck, because this start of the school year, many doctors are arguing that later start times for classes are good for students' health.