insomnia

Dear Doctors: Our family spends a lot of time these days on our screens. I’ve always had trouble sleeping (mom brain), but now my husband and our two teen boys are struggling, too. Do you think all the screen time could be why?

Dear Reader: We’re all dealing with so much [...]

Sleep is essential to a healthy and high-quality life. It can help you achieve mental clarity, fight off illness and maintain a healthy weight. Unfortunately, 20 to 30 percent of people sleep poorly. Even worse, 10 percent of people have chronic insomnia — difficulty falling or staying asleep.

Good sleep [...]

Older adults can benefit from regular physical activity. Fortunately, the activity does not need to be strenuous to achieve health benefits. Even a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood or a nearby park can benefit both body and mind. While activities such as hobbies can contribute to maintaining independent, [...]

Adults need seven to eight hours of quality sleep each night. When that is cut short, people miss out on crucial sleep stages that help the brain and body function optimally. Chronic lack of sleep can lead to long-term physical and mental health issues.

If [...]

Dear Doctor: I’m leery of sleep drugs, so I’ve been taking the allergy drug diphenhydramine HCL to help me sleep. Now I read that it should be taken only for a limited time. What’s the story on this drug? Diphenhydramine HCL [...]

Dear Doctor: I’m 81 and usually go to bed by 10:30 p.m. and, though I would like to sleep until 7 or 7:30 a.m., I wake up after 5 or 5 ½ hours. I’ve tried 3 milligrams of melatonin, then 5 milligrams. What else can I do?

When Dr. Shafali Jeste first started seeing children through UCLA’s Developmental Neurogenetics Clinic, she expected most visits to focus on the medical management of epilepsy, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, or behavioral challenges. Jeste, a behavioral child neurologist, specializes in children with rare genetic variants and syndromes associated with [...]

Smartphones, owned by 77 percent of U.S. adults, have had a profound impact on the way we socialize, pay for things, connect with people and spend our downtime. It’s been 10 years since Apple’s first iPhone was introduced in June, [...]

Want to lower your risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression – without leaving your house? Then go to bed! An often-ignored factor in improving our health is getting a good night’s sleep. We may view a solid 8 hours as a luxury, but it is actually [...]

Sleep on This: 6 Important Facts About Sleep Whether you’re one of the few who sleep like a baby or are constantly playing catch up, your sleep habits play a critical role in your health. Our bodies not only need to recharge, but our brains also need time [...]