/oss/taxonomy/term/689/all en /oss/article/contributors/cram-or-sleep-are-students-focusing-wrong-sleep-habits <p>I was no stranger to late nights and early awakenings during my early undergraduate years. I stretched myself thin on sleep but told myself that all would be well if I got a good night’s sleep the night before an important exam. Little did I know that one night of good sleep after a semester of sleepless nights was like putting a band-aid on a bullet hole.</p> Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:21:46 +0000 Daniela Padres 9995 at /oss /oss/article/medical/feeling-tired-mind-your-sleep-hygiene <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-measles-are-back-blame-complacency">The Montreal Gazette</a><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-feeling-tired-mind-your-sleep-hygiene">.</a></em></p> Wed, 13 Mar 2024 19:12:01 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9866 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/will-taking-benadryl-sleep-aid-give-me-dementia <p>It took me by surprise. The claim was made on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@drcharlesmd1/video/7330371646370549038">TikTok</a> by a very popular dermatologist, Dr. Charles Puza, and was picked up by <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristatorres/benadryl-dementia-risk-tiktok">BuzzFeed</a>. Puza grew concerned when many of his patients confessed to regularly taking Benadryl, an old allergy medication, to help them sleep. Drowsiness is a well-known side effect of the drug, so many people use it precisely <i>because </i>it puts them to sleep.</p> Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:36:53 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9833 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-general-science/let-us-talk-about-lettuce-water <p>Macbeth knew about sleep deprivation, as we can infer from his thoughts in the second scene of Act 2.  </p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, </em></p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, </em></p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, </em></p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>Chief nourisher in life's feast. </em></p> Wed, 06 Dec 2023 18:02:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9750 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/beneath-cbd-hype-lies-lot-uncertainty <p>Searching for CBD on the website of the SQDC returns nearly 1,000 search results. The SQDC is the Quebec-government-owned corporation responsible for selling recreational cannabis to the people. Like all plants, cannabis contains numerous naturally occurring chemicals, and one of them, cannabidiol (or CBD), has attracted a hazy halo of health benefits.</p> Fri, 01 Dec 2023 18:17:10 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9746 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/magnesium-supplements-sleep-may-not-work-dream <p>Everywhere I turn these days, an influencer is trying to sell me magnesium supplements. Apparently, all of us who find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep all night are missing the boat. The answer is a simple mineral available as a dietary supplement: the all-mighty magnesium.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:09:25 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9649 at /oss /oss/article/medical/melatonin-safe-sleeping-aid <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-is-melatonin-safe-as-a-sleeping-aid">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 05 May 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9501 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/why-do-we-wake-feeling-cold <p>A few different bodily processes in humans follow a stable, roughly 24-hour cycle. For example, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568897/">cortisol</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0748730404273983">melatonin</a> levels in our blood. Physical parameters like your <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.HYP.18.2.199">blood pressure and heart rate</a> too.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9251 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/can-blood-test-determine-if-youre-morning-or-night-person <p>The 24-hour internal clock in your brain is known as your <i>circadian rhythm</i> and its personal manifestation is your <i>chronotype</i>—which varies greatly on an individual basis.</p> <p>For example, night owls tend to have a <i>late chronotype</i>; these individuals have their circadian rhythm delayed by any number of hours, going to bed late and waking up late. In the same manner, those whose internal clock is advanced have an <i>early chronotype</i>, and tend to be early risers.</p> Fri, 22 May 2020 19:23:38 +0000 Caitlin Bard, OSS Intern 8255 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-darkness-and-blue-light-bedtime <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-ckyqbpdja6g" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on darkness and blue light at bedtime" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/CkYQBPDja6g?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-ckyqbpdja6g&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on darkness and blue light at bedtime" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on darkness and blue light at bedtime</iframe> </div> Fri, 14 Feb 2020 16:40:01 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8112 at /oss /oss/article/health/sleepy-science-there-best-position-sleep <p>One thing is very clear. If you are a baby, you should be <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/childhood-adolescence/stages-childhood/infancy-birth-two-years/safe-sleep/safe-sleep-your-baby-brochure.html#back-to-sleep">sleeping on your back</a>. Infants who sleep on their back, as opposed to their stomachs, have a reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).</p> Wed, 27 Feb 2019 17:06:37 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7613 at /oss /oss/article/health/when-best-time-drink-water <p> A friend forwarded me an interesting facebook post that claimed that the best time to drink water was just before going to bed. Upon careful reflection, it seems to me that this would be the worst possible time to drink water unless you really enjoy waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.</p> Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:46:55 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7601 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/how-can-melatonin-hormone-be-sold-without-prescription <p><span>Melatonin is indeed a hormone that is produced by the pineal gland in the brain, mostly during the night with its secretion being impaired by exposure to bright light. It has appropriately been termed the “Dracula hormone” and seems to be related to the circadian (from “circa” around and “dian” day) cycle of our body.</span></p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 16:32:27 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7021 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/chamomile-tea-will-you-help-me-sleep-tonight <p>We’ve all heard it: chamomile tea is what you drink if you have difficulty falling asleep. This bit of folkloric wisdom has been repeated so many times, it must be true, right?</p> Thu, 08 Mar 2018 15:42:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 6957 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/hypnic-jerks <p>If you ever twitch while falling asleep, you’re not alone. In fact 70% of the population experience this phenomenon, called a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnic_jerk">hypnic or hypnagogic jerk</a>. </p> Sun, 17 Sep 2017 18:15:18 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2628 at /oss