Be warned: to read Walker's excellent book is face the reality that nighttime wine probably isn't helping. I'm both glad and pissed to have learned this.
The light-sleep issue seems like a very interesting (promising?) area of research. Thanks for covering.
Correlation-Causation anecdotes at their questionable best. Older people use floor-level night lights because they have to get up to use the bathroom and don't want to wake other members of the family. Moonlight bathing the house is generally much brighter than the night lights.
There is no question that sleeping with lights on is harmful. There have been many studies that have shown this. Perhaps you could install a very dim night light with an easy to reach switch (like I have) if you are concerned about waking other family members (I am assuming this is a similarly aged spouse who would also benefit from the dark.) I haven't seen any studies but I doubt moonlight bathing is a) brighter or b) stimulates the human system as artificial lights do.
As a ubiquitous and addictive drug (or at least its vehicles are addictive), caffeine certainly has a large effect on sleep quality. Clearly some people metabolize it rapidly and that 8PM espresso is of no consequence. I personally have to stop drinking tea by 3PM or risk being wide awake from 3-5AM, and I am no novice when it comes to caffeine consumption. (So I’m as “used” to it as I’m going to get) Some companies advertise a DNA test that can deliver information on the specific genotype of the enzymes that metabolize various drugs. Are these tests reliable and informative? If so, it would make sense to have a patient do the test in order to assess whether or not caffeine intake/timing is affecting sleep quality and contributing to high blood glucose, obesity, low energy level, etc.
Be warned: to read Walker's excellent book is face the reality that nighttime wine probably isn't helping. I'm both glad and pissed to have learned this.
The light-sleep issue seems like a very interesting (promising?) area of research. Thanks for covering.
Correlation-Causation anecdotes at their questionable best. Older people use floor-level night lights because they have to get up to use the bathroom and don't want to wake other members of the family. Moonlight bathing the house is generally much brighter than the night lights.
There is no question that sleeping with lights on is harmful. There have been many studies that have shown this. Perhaps you could install a very dim night light with an easy to reach switch (like I have) if you are concerned about waking other family members (I am assuming this is a similarly aged spouse who would also benefit from the dark.) I haven't seen any studies but I doubt moonlight bathing is a) brighter or b) stimulates the human system as artificial lights do.
As a ubiquitous and addictive drug (or at least its vehicles are addictive), caffeine certainly has a large effect on sleep quality. Clearly some people metabolize it rapidly and that 8PM espresso is of no consequence. I personally have to stop drinking tea by 3PM or risk being wide awake from 3-5AM, and I am no novice when it comes to caffeine consumption. (So I’m as “used” to it as I’m going to get) Some companies advertise a DNA test that can deliver information on the specific genotype of the enzymes that metabolize various drugs. Are these tests reliable and informative? If so, it would make sense to have a patient do the test in order to assess whether or not caffeine intake/timing is affecting sleep quality and contributing to high blood glucose, obesity, low energy level, etc.