BOO! It’s getting late in October, which means that Halloween is almost upon us! Soon we’ll be surrounded by spooky ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and blood-sucking vampires. But if you find yourself dreaming about creepy critters or things that go bump in the dark, you might not be so excited about the Halloween spirit.

If you suffer from bad dreams, you’re not in the minority! Nightmares affect almost everyone: 85% of adults and even a greater proportion of children. Let’s take a look at the causes of nightmares and what you can do to overcome them for a restful night’s sleep.

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?  

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.

Babies Born to Obese Mothers with Sleep Apnea are at Increased Risk for Admission to the NICU.

We posted earlier this week about the link between gestational diabetes and OSA. Now we're looking at the affects of OSA on the newborn baby. A 2012 study showed that babies born to obese mothers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk for complications after birth.

The study tested 175 obese pregnant women at home using unattended home sleep testing. About 15% of the women had sleep apnea.

The results:

This is the first post in a series about sleep disorders affecting women during pregnancy. We first published this post in the Summer of 2013. 

The tragic events in Oakland over recent weeks have highlighted the risks of surgery for children. Thirteen year old Jahi McMath underwent routine surgery to remove her tonsils that obstructed her airways at night. She suffered heavy bleeding and cardiac arrest on December 12, three days after complex tonsillectomy surgery.

Every parent knows that a toddler who misses her nap wreaks havoc until bedtime. A new study from the University of Colorado shows that the effects of missing naps may be greater than we realize.

Toddlers who miss naps show decreases in joy, interest and understanding when asked to work picture puzzles. 

Winter holidays are a time of great fun for kids, when looser schedules can translate to looser rules around the house, and things like bedtimes are more negotiable. What’s tough on the whole family is readjusting to the school routine of early bedtimes and early mornings.

To help transition smoothly from hectic holidays and into a new year, we laid out nine tips for getting your family back on school-year sleep schedules: