Things I Didn't Know About Sleep

These came from a longer article by Jason Stahl
DISCOVER Vol. 27 No. 07 | July 2006 | Mind & Brain

- Chronic snoring can be treated by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a surgical procedure that tightens the tissues of the soft palate and throat. Possible side effects include changes in voice frequency. Another option involves injecting the palate with a chemical to harden the soft tissue. This is called a snoroplasty, derived from the Greek word plastos, meaning molded, and somewhat lamely from the English word snore, meaning snore.

(This is interesting because I'm a bad snorer sometimes. I figure it's just better to admit it. But if I got surery - what would that do to my singing voice? Didn't Barbra Streisand NOT get a nosejob because she wondered the same thing? I wonder if she snores.)

- Baaaa'd idea: A 2002 study by Oxford University researchers concluded, brilliantly, that the traditional practice of counting sheep is an ineffective cure for insomnia. The mental activity is so boring that other problems and concerns inevitably surface.

(I never believed anyone actually counted sheep. I always figured it was a snotty thing parents said to their children to get them to go back to bed.)

- In 2004 Americans filled more than 35 million prescriptions for sleeping pills.The number of adults aged 20 to 44 taking pills to help them fall asleep has doubled in the last four years.

(I rarely can't sleep, but the other day, I accidentally took a non-drowsy Claritin in the afternoon - and I was up all night. Duh.)

- More than 100,000 car crashes in the United States each year result from drowsiness. Drivers talking on cell phones increase the rate by 6 percent, so don't call someone if you get tired. In 2008 Volvo plans to unveil a system that will monitor a driver's eyes and head, along with the movement of the steering wheel. If a driver seems to be nodding off, interior lights will start to flash.

(I fell asleep once on the PA turnpike. I woke up heading towards the median... That was too scary. After that, I learned to stop, eat, drink, listen to music I hate - but usually stopping proves the best. Regarding the '08 Volvo - what happens if you're just bopping around, singing along to your American Idol CD? :)) (I don't actually HAVE an American Idol CD - but I'm sure somebody does.)

- A six-year study of a million adults showed that people who get only six to seven hours of sleep a night have a lower death rate than those who get eight hours. Maybe it's those late nights watching QVC.

(I ask - what group of scientists are *SO* slick as to actually get someone to pay for this kind of study? How nutty.)

- In a gesture of integration with the European Union, Spain has launched a campaign to eliminate the tradition of siestas, or afternoon naps. Thanks in part to their afternoon naps, Spaniards sleep an average of 40 minutes less per night than other Europeans. Spain also has the highest rate of workplace accidents in the EU and the third lowest productivity rate.

(You know, as I watched the San Fermin festivities, all of the Spaniards I saw running with the bulls looked DARN productive)

- A Muslim couple in India is being forced to split up after the husband uttered the word talaq, the Arabic word for divorce, three times in his sleep. According to Muslim law, the "triple talaq" is an actual divorce.

(Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!...)

- Dreaming is connected to bursts of electrical activity that blow through the brain stem every 90 minutes during REM sleep. Over a lifetime, an average person spends more than six years dreaming, clocking more than 136,000 in all.

- Somniphobia is the fear of sleep.

(I'm wondering if Wes Craven's movies had any effect on somniphobia. Where are the slick scientists? Where are the grants? Where's the money for this nutty study?)

Enjoy your day! I'm off to tackle Mt. Kell (laundry, if you're new to this blog)