I have a brilliant friend. He is really very clever, but one thing he doesn’t do well is sleep. Well Mark, you may be interested in this new research study. Did you know that the brains of older adults with chronic sleep problems look different from those of adults who have enjoyed enough sleep. Yet the older adults function well despite their lack of sleep. They switch to a continuous form of mild stress, as a result of which they sometimes even perform better than contemporaries who enjoy a good night’s sleep according to Dutch researcher Ellemarije Altena. [continue reading…]
June 2010
Grief and helping those left behind cope without the support and contribution of their partner, is something we regularly work with in our practice. Today in the Science Times Jane Brody writes about the challenges she faces after the death of her husband Richard in March.
When asked how I’m doing since my husband died in March, I often respond that I need a 48-hour day. It’s a challenge to be Richard and Jane and still do my work and enjoy my life. I have yet to balance the checkbook, there are piles upon piles of unprocessed paperwork everywhere, and, if not for the help of my sons, I would be clueless about managing my finances. continue reading
Source: New York Times
Smokers are known to suffer from high rates of depression and other mental health problems, and now a study reports that even people exposed to secondhand smoke are at significantly increased risk — and more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke were 1.5 times as likely to suffer from symptoms of psychological distress as unexposed nonsmokers, research found. continue reading
Source: New York Times
Researchers Explore Potential Interventions in a Special Issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Photo credit: Sarah Day
