2010 The Year in Sleep: #11-15

The top 25 stories in sleep continues with a series of articles on noteworthy research published in 2010:

15. Study Finds Video Games Cause Only Mild Effect on Sleep (April 15)
The adrenaline-fueled firefights in the Call of Duty game series have about the same effect on teenagers’ ability to fall asleep as glacially-paced nature documentaries, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found. Parents still may want to encourage their teenage children to put down the controller at a decent hour.

14. How Much Sleep Do I Need? (January 30)
One sleep size doesn’t fit all, the Sleep Education Blog reported last January, but there are a few clues to your sleep needs. If you struggle to remain alert and attentive during the day or need alcohol, caffeine or other drugs to fall asleep and wake up, you may need more sleep.

13. Ear Tubes, Snoring & Sleep Apnea in Children (March 31)
Sleep-disordered breathing is common in children who had ear tubes inserted, an Israeli study reported. Ear tubes are usually inserted to help relieve fluid buildup behind a child’s eardrum, so that the ears can function normally. The authors of the study reported that sleep-disordered breathing shares common mechanisms with ear tube dysfunction.

12. Teen Depression & Suicide: Sleep, Early Bedtimes Protect Adolescents (January 4)
Adolescents who prioritize sleep tend to be happier and less likely to have suicidal thoughts than their sleep-deprived peers, a study published on New Year’s Day 2010 found. Inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression, for both males and females. Girls are twice as likely to have a major depressive episode by age 15 while boys are more likely to commit suicide.

11. Stanford NCAA Football Players Sleep Longer, Perform Better (June 8)
The Stanford Cardinal is heading to the Orange Bowl January 3rd thanks to a training regimen that emphasizes sleep. A study displayed at SLEEP 2010 shows that the team ran faster and had quicker response times when they slept an additional two hours of sleep per night. Sleep seems to be on its way to replacing early-morning 2-a-day practices in team sports – even pro basketball is starting to take notice.