Children’s books for sale in New York museum gift shop

Two children’s picture books published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in 2011 are available at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. The Animals Sleep: A Bedtime Book of Biomes and I See the Animals Sleeping: A Bedtime Story emphasize the importance of sleep for both animals and children.

The books are written in rhyme and feature colorful illustrations. They explore the sleep habitats of various animals, from the familiar to the more exotic. In all cases, children are encouraged to get a good night sleep. The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is currently exhibiting “EatSleepPlay™: Building Health Every Day.”

The Animals Sleep: A Bedtime Book of Biomes can be purchased from Amazon or directly from the AASM. Also available from the AASM is I See the Animals Sleeping: A Bedtime Story. Learn more about these books and find other educational resources at SleepEducation.com.

Insomnia a risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary patients

Insomnia is highly prevalent in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study shows. A group of 72 military veterans in Tucson with COPD were studied for a week. Researchers determined that 27 percent of them had insomnia. Smokers and those experiencing sadness and/or anxiety had higher odds.

Patients with insomnia had a worse quality of life and a higher incidence of daytime sleepiness. They slept for less hours and less efficiently. COPD patients who used oxygen, however, had a lower risk for developing insomnia. The study was published in the March edition of the journal SLEEP.

Learn more about insomnia due to a medical condition or sleeping short of the average hours for an age group. Or read additional blog posts about insomnia.

Getting older means you sleep better, not worse, study shows

Older people often complain about sleeping poorly as a sign of aging. Turns out that sleep improves during an adult’s lifetime. A new study in the March edition of SLEEP analyzed 150,000 responses to questions about sleep issues. The adults with the least complaints about sleep disturbances and daytime tiredness were in their 80s. Sleep complaints in general declined over the years, with a slight uptick in middle age.

Researchers said the results challenge conventional beliefs. They said physicians tend to ignore sleep complaints among older adults as a normal part of aging. Granted, there are contributing factors like illness and depression that affect slumber. But those things aside, older folks should be feeling good about their sleep, the study said. If not, they need to talk to their doctor.

Read more blog posts about sleep issues with older adults. Or learn more about sleep and growing older.