Experts on Sleep Discuss Insomnia, Napping, Irregular Sleep Schedules

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published December 11, 2008 at 9:30 AM PST

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

Have you been experiencing problems sleeping lately? Do you lie awake for hours at night, and end up feeling tired the next day? What are the common causes, and most effective solutions to sleep-rel

Tom Fudge: Sleep is a subject we're all interested in, and it's hard to find a person who has never had difficulty sleeping. Stress, irregular work schedules, the use of caffeine and alcohol can affect our sleep. Speaking for myself, I've taken sleep medication for nearly two years, the result of a brain injury that affected my ability to fall asleep.

One of the problems with analyzing our sleep is we don't really know what a normal sleep schedule ought to be. Is eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, with no naps during the day, really the best approach? It's what our culture expects of us. But is it the best thing for our bodies?

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Guests

Dr. Jerry Phelps, psychologist, and acting director of the UC San Diego Wellness Center .
Dr. Sara Mednick , professor at UCSD, and author of Take a Nap! Change your Life.