Iowa Sleep Blog

How Holiday Treats Can Affect Sleep

Monday, November 21, 2016
The holiday season brings family, friends, and food. Lots and lots of food, especially festive, holiday treats that only come around during this time of year. But, don’t over indulge in some of these special items as it can affect your sleep at night. Below we recap how the following popular holiday food items can affect your sleep at night: Alcohol Having an alcoholic…

Sleeping Well During the Holidays

Monday, November 16, 2015
The holiday season is a joyful time of year, full of family, friends, and giving thanks for the many blessing we each have. But, it can also be stressful between the shopping, parties, events and travel, whether that’s around Des Moines or outside of Iowa. Don’t let the stress of the “most wonderful time of the year” start affecting how you sleep at night. Here are a couple…

Sleep and Studying: Finding the Formula for Success

Monday, November 09, 2015
The upcoming holidays mean final exams are on the way for Iowa high school and college students, which typically means students are staying up late studying or even pulling all-nighters. Students are already known to have poor sleep habits, so adding the stress of exams makes sleep even harder to come by. According to a study done by the Journal of Adolescent Health, more than 70…

Stay Alert and Arrive Alive - Drowsy Driving Prevention Week 2015

Monday, November 02, 2015
It is so important to make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night, especially if you’re getting behind the wheel. Whether you’re a long distance trucker, shift worker, or just have a long commute in the mornings, ensuring you are well-rested behind the wheel is extremely important for your safety and others on the road. Feeling tired behind the wheel is called drowsy driving. Below…

What It Means to Be Sleep Deprived

Monday, September 07, 2015
Many of us wake up in the morning feeling, well, not well rested. In fact, more than 48 percent of people in the U.S. say they are not getting enough sleep at night. But, there is a difference between not sleeping well during a stressful week at work and consistently not sleeping well night after night. When you continually skimp on sleep is when your body becomes sleep deprived. …

Five Tips For Sleeping Well During Finals

Monday, May 11, 2015
The end of the semester and school year can be stressful, as students rush to finish projects, study for exams and write papers. Students get so busy during this time, sleep frequently gets pushed aside in order to stay up for a few extra hours to stay on top of their to-do lists. It should come as no surprise that students are one of the most sleep deprived demographics in our…

How Sleep Affects Your Job Performance

Thursday, May 07, 2015
Sleep is one of the most important ways to take care of your body and your overall fitness. So why do so many people overlook a good night’s rest? Today’s work environment features an increase of globalized work that has made it harder for managers and employees to turn off work at night. The average business executive sleeps less than six hours each night. From downing caffeine to stay…

ADHD or OSA?

Monday, January 19, 2015
Many are quick to call a child’s hyperactivity or lack of focus in the classroom Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In fact, 11 percent of children ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2011. If your child is having a hard time staying focused during the day, the real problem may be what happens at night. While obstructive sleep apneas seem like a sleep problem only for…

Why Sleep Is So Important

Wednesday, November 26, 2014
It may not seem like a big deal if you lose a couple hours of sleep over the weekend. And it’s true: recovering from one night of poor or little sleep isn’t so bad. However, when you’re regularly sleeping less than the recommended amount a night (7-8 hours), things can go downhill fast.  Sleep is a major part of your overall health. Your body needs restorative sleep to clear toxins from the…