Sleep disorders

Analysis and Comment (7)

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The dreams of people with PTSD tend to be accompanied by bodily movement. piXo

Acting out the nightmares of post-traumatic stress disorder

By Andrea Phelps, University of Melbourne

You can run a marathon, fly over foreign lands, fight to the death with a two-headed dragon … all while you lie peacefully in your bed. This is the beauty of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, where most…
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Controlled crying is when parents respond to their infant’s cries and gently comfort them, then return at increasing time intervals. Flickr/tea...

Monday’s medical myth: controlled crying damages babies' brains

By Monique Robinson, University of Western Australia

In my clinical work with pregnant and postnatal mums experiencing anxiety and mood disorders, few issues are reported as consistently as sleep deprivation. Parents who spend the first year of their child…
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Good news for those who like a weekend sleep-in: lost sleep can be recovered. Image from shutterstock.com

Explainer: can you pay off your ‘sleep debt’?

By Leon Lack, Flinders University and Siobhan Banks, University of South Australia

Ever have those moments on weekends or public holidays when you wake at your usual time, then realise there’s no pressing need to get up? If you go back for another couple of hours of shut-eye and use…
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The majority of people who have obstructive sleep apnoea are unaware they have the disorder. Image from shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is obstructive sleep apnoea?

By Danny Eckert, Neuroscience Research Australia

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder, where the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep. During an obstructive breathing event, someone with OSA continues…
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Sleeping pills aren’t the answer to sleep on demand. Drake Guan

Explainer: insomnia, pills and the pursuit of sleep

By Michael Vagg, Barwon Health

Insomnia is far from a modern concept, with sleep remedies such as opioids, chamomile and valerian root recorded in the earliest existing medical writings. The word insomnia itself dates back to at least…
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Between 10% and 45% of children have one or more sleep problems. Jack French

Explainer: childhood sleep disorders

By Sarah Biggs, Monash University

Any parent will tell you the meaning of the saying “slept like a baby” is completely opposite to reality. Thankfully, many parents succeed in establishing a routine to their baby’s initial erratic sleep…
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You might not be getting enough shut-eye (and you may not even know it). orangeacid

Dream appzzz: can the iPhone help you sleep?

By David Glance, University of Western Australia

Sleep matters – and yet many of us know how difficult it can be to get enough unbroken slumber. Research has shown that getting less than seven to eight hours' sleep daily is associated with increased…

Research and News (3)

Research Briefs (6)

Snoring itself does not increase death risk

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

Snoring itself, without the more serious sleep apnea disorder, does not increase mortality or cardiovascular disease. A…

Participants (33)