Penn Sleep in the News

Many take magnesium supplements for better sleep, but the research on its effectiveness has been mixed. "We don't have definitive, large, randomized trials across healthy populations, or those with specific diseases, over long periods of time," explained Indira Gurubhagavatula, MD, MPH, an associate professor of Sleep Medicine. Tags: indira_gurubhagavatula sleep_medicine expert_opinion healthday March 2023 FY23 Q3 HM EH

Philadelphia-area school districts attempting to balance school start times and adequate sleep for students. Associate Professor Indira Gurubhagavatula, MD, MPH, of Sleep Medicine, shares that later start times are associated with improved attendance, better grades, and fewer car accidents. Tags: psychiatry sleep_medicine FY23 March 2023 Q3 indira_gurubhagavatula Philadelphia_Inquirer EH sleep regional_philadelphia

Nearly 3,000 U.K. employees took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek. They reported lower levels of stress, anxiety, burnout, fatigue, and sleep issues, alongside better work-life balance. Philip Gehrman, PhD, an associate professor of clinical Psychology in Psychiatry, spoke about the potential sleep benefits related with a four-day workweek and discussed some of the study's limits. Tags: philip_gehrman insider expert_opinion communications_placement sleep_medicine psychiatry Februrary 2023 FY23 Q3 HM

There is a lot left to learn about REM sleep, but from what researchers understand, REM is critical to emotional health and brain function. Indira Gurubhagavatula, MD, MPH, an associate professor of Sleep Medicine, explained where REM falls in the sleep cycle, what happens if one doesn't get enough REM, and how to get more REM sleep. Tags: indira_gurubhagavatula sleep_medicine communications_placement top_tier new_york_times for_social expert_opinion February 2023 FY23 Q3 HM

Charles Bae, MD, the associate chief medical information officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and an associate professor of Neurology, explained why he felt full transparency of patients' medical records was beneficial and how it had been recieved since it had been made a requirement. Tags: FO neurology sleep_medicine beckers_health_it_and_cio_review EHR charles_bae fy23 2023 February q2

A person’s daily sleep-wake schedule, called a chronotype, appears to be mostly genetic. And bias against night owls is "purely cultural," explained Philip Gehrman, PhD, an associate professor of clinical Psychology in Psychiatry. “People shouldn’t change their schedule because of the belief that following their schedule is bad for them,” said Gehrman. "I think people should look at circadian rhythm differences the same way they look at any other differences between people.” Tags: philip_gehrman The_Guardian expert_opinion sleep_medicine communications_placement top_tier January 2023 FY23 Q3 HM

Philip Gehrman, PhD, an associate professor of clinical Psychology in Psychiatry, explained how melatonin affects sleep, the impact alcohol has on sleep, and what happens when you take melatonin and alcohol together. As a rule of thumb, he suggested avoiding drinking alcohol about two to three hours before bedtime. Tags: philip_gehrman new_york_times top_tier communications_placement sleep_medicine psychiatry January 2023 FY23 Q3 HM

Representation of women in medical school faculty improved between 1990 and 2019, according to study results published in JAMA Network Open, led by Alexander Yoo, MD, a Penn Sleep Medicine clinical fellow. However, only modest increases occurred for representation of Black faculty, and representation of Hispanic faculty decreased. Tags: alexander_yoo sleep_medicine neurology diversity inclusion diversity_and_inclusion healio Janaury 2023 FY23 Q3 HM KG

Researchers have used human genomics to identify a new genetic pathway involved in regulating sleep from fruit flies to humans. Using a predictive genomics approach called variant-to-gene mapping, Philip Gehrman, PhD, an associate professor of clinical Psychology in Psychiatry, Allan Pack, PhD, the John Miclot Professor, and colleagues found the gene known as Pig-Q is associated with sleep regulation in humans, flies and zebrafish. Tags: The_Jerusalem_Post philip_gehrman allan_pack sleep_medicine psychiatry study January 2023 Fy23 Q3 HM

Indira Gurubhagavatula, MD, MPH, an associate professor of Sleep Medicine, spoke with Healio about the relationship between COVID-19 and sleep. Gurubhagavatula discussed what current research says about the relationship between COVID-19 and sleep, how patients with sleep disorders are affected by COVID-19, and more. Tags: indira_gurubhagavatula sleep_medicine Healio expert_opinion COVID-19 January 2023 FY23 Q3 HM

New research led by Alexander Yoo, MD, a Clinical Fellow in the Department of Sleep Medicine, shows representation of women in academic medicine improved from 1990 to 2019, but representation of underrepresented minorities only modestly increased. Tags: FY23 Q3 2023 January alexander_yoo neurology sleep_medicine rheumatology_advisor gender_gap women

Ilene M. Rosen, MD, an associate professor of Sleep Medicine, shared advice for improving sleep. For example, if you have a hard time falling asleep at night, give up on napping during the day. Tags: ilene_rosen expert_opinion sleep_medicine psychiatry Good_Housekeeping January 2023 FY23 Q3 HM

Mathias Basner, MD, PhD, a professor of Sleep and Chronobiology in Psychiatry, explained why people are sensitive to impact sounds -- distinct sounds of short durations like bangs, thuds, and thumps -- as opposed to continuous ones like music or a steady hum. Tags: nautilus expert_opinion sleep_medicine chronobiology mathias_basner January 2023 FY23 Q3 HM psychiatry

Humans have an intricate system of internal processes that help our bodies keep time. If you are getting enough sleep and your lifestyle is aligned with your circadian rhythms, you should typically wake up around the same time every morning, adjusting for seasonal differences, explained Philip Gehrman, PhD, an associate professor of clinical Psychology in Psychiatry. Tags: philip_gehrman expert_opinion communications_placement npr top_tier sleep_medicine psychiatry December 2022 FY23 Q2 HM

Philip Gehrman, PhD, an associate professor of clinical Psychology in Psychiatry, spoke about consumer sleep trackers and limits to the accuracy of those devices. “It’s not actually accurate to call [these devices] sleep trackers,” said Gehrman. “They not measuring sleep. They’re measuring movement, maybe heart rate, and using these data points to estimate sleep and wakefulness. They are, by definition, proxies.” Tags: philip_gehrman sleep_medicine expert_opinion communications_placement inverse psychiatry December 2022 Fy23 Q2 HM