If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don't roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour's nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter. ...

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia significantly improved sleep for patients with chronic neck or back pain and also reduced the extent to which pain interfered with their daily functioning, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers. The study, published online by the journal Sleep Medicine, demonstrates that a behavioral intervention can help patients who alrea ...

Chronic and severely stressful situations, like those connected to depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, have been associated with smaller volumes in "stress sensitive" brain regions, such as the cingulate region of the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory formation. A new study, published by Elsevier in Biological Psychiatry, suggests that chronic insomnia may be a ...

A study in the January 1, 2010 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep. ...

The excellent response to BMED Report’s recent review of The Big Five Inventory came as a pleasant surprise. In light of the intense reader interest, other quality psychological assessment/screening instruments that are freely available will receive occasional reviews heretofore. Healthcare practitioners, like most everyone, look for ways to save money yet to maintain the highest quality service in today’s ...

The American Journal Of Managed Care made available (for free) two excellent articles on co-morbid insomnia. "Comorbid Insomnia: Current Directions and Future Challenges" provides an excellent background and overview of this complicated sleep disorder, while "Current and New Thinking in the Management of Comorbid Insomnia" reviews current medications along with a short explanation of behavioral approaches t ...

In an unpublished study* (in press), researchers report that home-based neurofeedback training ("tele-neurofeedback") leads to significant improvements in sleep for participants with insomnia. A electromyography (EMG) biofeedback group ("tele-biofeedback") was used as a comparison group. Seventeen participants were randomly assigned to a neurofeedback (n=9) or biofeedback condition (n=8), and 12 control sub ...

Approximately 5% of persons in the United States suffer from primary persistent insomnia and many are prescribed sedative hypnotics or antidepressant medications. However, prescription medication can also cause side effects or create dependence, and published data on their efficacy for sleep disorders is limited*. Additionally, poor sleep may return once the medication intake stops*. The current study* inve ...

Researchers* report that participants' sleep and declarative memory improved after they received 10 sessions of human sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) neurofeedback in a randomized parallel group design. SMR is an EEG frequency band from 12-15 Hz that is associated with an alert, attentive state coupled with calm or silent motor activities. The cat who remains completely still, yet focused the moment before he nab ...