Sleep news for May

Picking sides

Survey of bedside practices: Where Americans lie down affects sleep quality, relationships

Could something as simple as picking the right side of the bed actually make a difference in how people sleep? It may, according to a new Pick Your Side survey that looks at the bedside practices of Americans and their impact on sleep, relationships and well-being.

The poll by the online mattress maker Saatva shows that the majority of those interviewed (54%) want to get up on the right side of the bed. Literally. It also found that 71% men said they care about which side they sleep on, compared with 60% of women. On the other hand, 72% of women said need their space and prefer to face away from their partners, compared with 55% of men.

Not surprising, technology is a leading factor when choosing the side of the bed. In fact, 75% Americans agree that being close to outlets would determine the side of the bed they choose, as compared with choosing to be near the bathroom (67%), window (58%) or door (48%).

Want to improve your memory? take a catnap

If you’re preparing for a change in your product lines or attending a training session, maybe you should take time for a little snooze.

Researchers at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany, studied the memory of 41 volunteers and found that an hourlong nap improved their memory performance fivefold.

Here’s why they think it happened: The hippocampus—a brain region known to play a role in memory consolidation—transfers learned information into memory storage after the information is learned.

Electroencephalogram tests revealed that the brain’s activity during sleep seems to supercharge the ability of the hippocampus to consolidate information, researchers found.

“Further studies will be required to unravel by which mechanisms the brain distinguishes between information that is retained or forgotten by sleep,” the study’s authors wrote, noting, however, “A short nap at the office or in school is enough to significantly improve learning success.”

Pain robs Americans of sleep

A new poll by the National Sleep Foundation reveals that more than half of Americans lose sleep because of pain issues. According to the foundation’s 2015 Sleep in America survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, 57% of respondents said chronic or fleeting pain led to significant sleep loss in a one-week period. People in chronic pain said they sleep an average of 42 minutes less than they need. Those suffering from acute pain lost 14 minutes of needed rest.

Sleep apnea leads to greater risk of car accidents

A chronic sleep disturbance does more than impair a good night’s rest. It also makes driving more dangerous, new research has found. The study, published in the journal Sleep, concluded that those who have obstructive sleep apnea are 2.5 times more likely to be the driver in an accident than those without the sleep disorder.