December 17, 2010
Ready to further hone your knowledge of sleep science and sleep health? That's what this newsletter is all about! No time to waste--here's the best new material on the site, hand-picked to help you learn to your heart's content:
The 40th Year Of Sleep and Dreams Is Fast Approaching
It's winter vacation for students at Stanford University, and over at the Sleep Center Dr. Dement and the rest of us are gearing up for his 40th year of offering the by now legendary Sleep and Dreams course (at left is me, modeling the 2010 class t-shirt featuring Dr. Dement's lovely head and torso twirling sleep debt on his finger).
As we prepare for another winter quarter spent reveling in the fascinating science of sleep with students, I wanted to share with you some of the other interesting stuff going on in the Sleep and Dreams website. Without further ado...
Interview With SleepQuest CEO & Founder Robert Koenigsberg
SleepQuest is a company that for the last decade has made it their mission to make it as easy as possible for individuals with sleep apnea to get diagnosed and treated. The diagnoses are made using a device that you just wear at home, in the comfort of your own bed, mailing it back to them when you're done, rather than having to spend a whole night in a sleep clinic.
Since founding SleepQuest, Robert's worked alongside Dr. Dement to raise further awareness about the disorder that shortens lifespan like it's nobody's business. I had the pleasure of meeting Robert a few weeks ago, and after getting a tour of the SleepQuest offices (about a half hour away from my student home at Stanford) getting to pick his mind a bit about the company he's driven to become one of the 10,000 fastest growing companies in America (according to a shiny award plaque in the waiting room) and how he's poised to help more American's with sleep apnea reach their optimal health once more.
Outreach Project Rollout
As you may or may not know from your past reading on the site, each year the students of Sleep and Dreams create what we like to call Outreach Projects--fun and informative articles, videos, events, brochures and more--attempting to spread knowledge about sleep and sleep disorders. It's really a unique blend of sleep education outreach fueled by quirky college student personalities. Everything from parodies of 'The Office' and 'Jeopardy' to music videos, newspaper publications, and more. (Check 'em all out here)
2010 saw another great showing of Outreach Projects, and for the next couple weeks I'll be releasing a new project from the spring quarter class on the site every day. I've just gotten it underway, and you can check out the first project with this link:
Want to know when the next Outreach Projects are up on the site? Go to our blog to find out the most convenient ways for you to get updates as the new projects become available.
Visitor Submission Highlight
One of my favorite aspects of End-Your-Sleep-Deprivation.com is our attempt to create a platform that enables our visitors to share their stories and engage in dialogue with us and other visitors about their own sleep problems and explorations.One recent visitor submission comes from Christina in Australia, and offers a very unique perspective on her years of sleep paralysis experiences. Sleep paralysis is the most discussed topic on our site, with most submissions conveying great fear and exasperation (for good reason--sleep paralysis is an incredible phenomenon). But Christina takes quite a different view of her episodes…
"After many years these episodes have become less worrying and more fascinating…. It is great not to be scared by it anymore but to feel empowered by it instead."
Am I The Only One Who Enjoys Sleep Paralysis?
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We hope you enjoy the resources above. At Stanford Sleep and Dream's End-Your-Sleep-Deprivation.com we strive for compelling quality in all that we do and I hope that shines through to our visitors.
As a member of The Sleep & Dreams Express, if you have any recommendations or requests, please don't hesitate to let me know. You can reach me directly just by replying to this email.
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Happy holidays!
Warmly,
Kevin Morton
Stanford Sleep and Dreams - Head Teaching Assistant
End-Your-Sleep-Deprivation.com, Founder & Author
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