Estimates suggest that over 80% of all adults in the United States drink coffee; this equates to roughly 4/5 adults. There are many benefits associated with caffeine intake, and even more specifically linked to coffee consumption (e.g. reduced risk of certain cancers). The caffeine content within coffee is used by the masses as a means …
When most people think of nicotine, they think of smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products. Since tobacco products are linked to various types of cancer (e.g. lung cancer from smoking), many people assume that nicotine is inherently evil. While nicotine is considered one of the most addictive drugs, there isn’t significant evidence supporting the idea …
We’ve all had nights that we’ve gone to bed, closed our eyes, but no matter how much we relaxed or how many sheep we counted, we weren’t able to fall asleep. An inability to fall asleep is medically referred to as “insomnia.” Although an inability to fall asleep is a common manifestation of insomnia, sometimes …
Insomnia is considered a sleep disorder characterized by an inability to fall asleep or stay asleep throughout the night. There are many different types of insomnia, some of which are short-term days or weeks), and others which are long-term (e.g. months or years). If you suffer from insomnia, it is important to realize that it …
Trazodone (Desyrel) is classified as an atypical antidepressant, functioning specifically as an SARI (serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor). It is considered a second generation antidepressant, and is still utilized primarily for the treatment of depression in patients that don’t respond well to newer medications (e.g. SSRIs). The drug also is used on an off-label basis …
We’ve all had occasional nights in which we’ve stayed up too late because we couldn’t fall asleep. These nights we may have been afflicted with insomnia, a condition characterized primarily by an inability to fall asleep. What many people don’t know is that insomnia isn’t always considered an inability to fall asleep, rather it sometimes …
Hypnagogic jerks refer to involuntary bodily twitches, movements, or muscular jolts that occur during the transition from wakefulness to a sleeping state. Most people are thought to experience them just moments before entering the first stage of sleep. In some cases, hypnagogic jerks are also referred to as “sleep twitches” or “sleep starts,” but are …