Caffeine is No Substitute for a Nap

Ninety percent of Americans use caffeine daily, some substituting it for sleep. While the stimulant enhances alertness and concentration, it's been unclear whether it also helps learning and memory. By contrast, daytime naps, like nighttime sleep, benefit both alertness and memory.

"Power Nap" Prevents Burnout--and Morning Sleep Helps Perfect a Skill

Evidence is mounting that sleep--even a nap--appears to enhance information processing and learning. New experiments by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Harvard University show that a midday snooze reverses information overload and that a 20% overnight improvement in learning a motor skill is largely traceable to a late stage of sleep that some early risers might be missing.

A Night’s Sleep Gives Emotional Memories Their Staying Power

Problems with sleep and emotional memories figure prominently in mood and anxiety disorders, and the consequences of inadequate sleep loom for the third of Americans whose sleep-deprived lifestyles interfere with work and social functioning at least a few days each month.

Self-Medicating to Treat Insomnia

A government expert panel on insomnia recently concluded that too many Americans are using alcohol, antihistamines, and other drugs to self-medicate their insomnia problems.

Is Your Child Hyperactive--or Just Tired?

A recently published study suggests that many children thought to be hyperactive and perhaps having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may, in fact, just be overtired because of fitful sleeping or heavy snoring.

Dream Talk

By Ken Kimmel, M.A., C.M.H.C.

In their deepest sense, dreams reflect the condition of our evolving human souls. Dreams over a lifetime may appear like paper-thin cross sections of a 300-foot redwood tree. The patterns running through its veins, from roots to treetop, reveal our wounded condition as well as the resiliency of the human spirit.