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Fall & Winter Blues

Dr. Paul | November 09, 2016 | 1 comment
 
Depressed man sitting in window well.

Finally!—it is lighter in the morning, but unfortunately, darker in the afternoon. No one needs a reminder that we have entered into that dark (and wet) time of year.

More than twenty years ago, my family and I moved to the Northwest. We arrived on a cold, gray day in July! Welcome to Washington. Back in Massachusetts, it was 85 degrees and sunny! But I loved the long days here—with the western sky lit until 10 p.m. (when the sun finally did come out!). At first, it was hard for my young kids to get to bed on time because it was still light outside.

But as autumn set in and... Read More

Some 'please considers' for the school year

Dr. Paul | September 13, 2016 |
 
Family eating dinner together.

I love September. Yes, the days are getting shorter, but we still have some beautiful, warm sunny days before the rains return. The air is crisp in the morning, but warms up as the sun slides over to the Western sky. The school is in high gear---pencils are sharp, and backpacks are filling up with new books, homework, and permission slips to bring home. It’s a very busy time for families. But it’s also exciting too.

Kids appear to mature and grow in leaps and bounds over the summer! What happened? Joey seems two inches taller and pre-teen. Claire is starting to look (and act) like a... Read More

Learning to relax makes you more productive!

Dr. Paul | June 18, 2014 |
 
photo of someone reading

Do you wake up feeling tired? Do you check your work email before you get out of bed? Do you work at your desk during lunch? Do you run from meeting to meeting without a moment in between? Do you wonder if you can ever keep up with all of your work email?

(Gee, some days that sounds like me!)

An article in The New York Times (February 9, 2013, “Relax! You’ll be more productive” by Tony Schwartz) cites some interesting research that demonstrates that taking more time to relax and recharge actually increases productivity and work efficiency.

It’s easy to think that... Read More

Sleep 101: How Are You Sleeping?

Dr. Paul | June 01, 2013 |
 
Man and woman sleeping.

Until the early 1950’s, sleep was a largely unstudied field. But in 1953, Nathaniel Kleitman, known as the “father of modern sleep research” and his students discovered the phenomonon of “Rapid Eye Movement” or REM sleep. Later they discovered that sleep occurred in “stages” throughout the course of the night—the science of sleep was launched.

New technologies have made it easier to evaluate how someone is sleeping. These technologies have spawned 1000’s of sleep centers where both children and adults sleep overnight, hooked up to a wide range of electronic gear which help sleep... Read More

Losing Sleep & Gaining Weight: A Recent Study

Dr. Paul | April 22, 2013 | 2 comments
 
Woman tired at work.

I know that I eat more when I am tired. And somehow, I crave those sweet, gooey carbs. It gives me an energy boost, but then later I feel groggy.

Researchers have consistently found that adults who sleep too little are at greater risk of being overweight. There is some relationship between sleep deprivation and carbohydrate and sugar craving…

In a study at the University of Colorado, 16 healthy men and women participated in a two-week experiment, which tracked sleep, metabolism, and eating habits. Because subjects stayed in a special room, researchers were able to track... Read More