Study Finds Sleep Drunkenness May Affect More Than 1 in 7 People

Study Finds Sleep Drunkenness May Affect More Than 1 in 7 People
Do you get enough sleep?

January 5
Ever heard of "sleep drunkenness"? Have you ever tried to reach for your phone when your alarm clock rings? Or when you wake up you don't know where you are? Then you may have experienced what's known formally as "confusional arousal."
More than 1 in 7 people in the U.S. may suffer from the condition, according to a study in the journal Neurology. In confusional arousal, sleepers wake up in a disoriented state and perhaps behave strangely in the process. The condition often occurs when someone wakes up during  non-REM sleep and can be caused by a "forced awakening" the study authors wrote. It can potentially cause violent behavior during sleep or right as the person wakes up.
To find out how  prevalent sleep drunkenness is, the researchers surveyed 19,136 people age 18 or older in 15 states. They found that 15.2 percent of respondents said they had experienced a confusional arousal  episode in the previous year. The episodes were overwhelmingly linked to sleep disorders, which were present 70.8 percent of the time.

January 6
The majority of those who'd experienced confusional arousal were experiencing it regularly. 53.8 percent reported having at least one episode per week, and 24.7 percent reported two to five episodes per month.
For 37.6 percent of sufferers, the episodes were brief ─ less than 5 minutes. But 30.1 percent of them said the episodes could last 15 minutes or more after waking up.
Many shared similar  symptoms. 57 percent reported being disoriented as they woke up, and 34.4 percent said they had difficulty talking or thinking clearly. In addition, 19.9 percent said they experienced "inappropriate behaviors" such as grabbing the phone instead of  flailing for the alarm clock. Confusional arousal isn't officially classified as a disorder, the researchers pointed out, "probably because it has received little attention from the scientific community."
But if it was, they said, it could raise awareness. And that could lead to a better understanding of the condition and better treatment options.
"Our study shows that  underestimating the importance of CA leads to a misunderstanding of the disorder and its effects," the study authors wrote.

Five Ways to Do More in Less Time

Five Ways to Do More in Less Time
Be in charge of your time this year

January 1
Time often holds us hostage. We wrestle with endless to-do lists, pressurized deadlines and spiraling guilt (from failing to get it all done). But there is a way out. Good habits ─ planning, organization and focus ─ can unlock the prison of "not enough time." Check out these five time-management pointers,  culled from experts, and let the tips set you free.

1. Focus on values.
Instead of going  full throttle at every task, invest time in identifying your core values. Then, schedule selectively. Take a look at your life and determine which activities are vital: high-payoff, crucial, life- or business-sustaining.
How to: Break activities into categories ─ family, work, friends, home, self. Assign a different highlighter color to each category. A glance at the color-coded schedule will reveal how balanced (or unbalanced, as the case may be) your life is.
Then, set aside an hour on a Sunday to ask yourself what's really important. Make a list and grab your calendar. If you love art, schedule museum trips like you would a dental appointment. If family time is key, designate one day per month as a family outing day. Think creatively.

January 2
2. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
Prioritizing is the key to greater efficiency as well as accomplishing what really matters. Assess each activity or task at hand and ask yourself  point-blank: What results will this gain?
How to: Establish a way of ranking items on your to-do list by relearning your ABCs. Give A-items (rich in reward) your full attention first. Set aside a special time each day or week to accomplish these things. Focus less on the B's (they offer minimal payoff). Brush aside or farm out the C's with the 4D's: delete, delay, diminish, delegate.

3. Disarm distractions.
Taking a call at random or chatting with an unexpected visitor can eat away your day. Manage distractions by asking upfront how much time is required. Be  proactive in deciding whether to proceed or postpone. If you're in the middle of something, offer to meet at a later time.
How to: Get ahead of the game by starting early in the day. One hour of quiet, uninterrupted work time is worth three to four hours later in the day, according to time-management studies. Also, don't start each morning with the simplest tasks on your to-do list to warm up. That tactic simply wastes your most alert hours.

January 3
4. Batch'em.
Imagine your time is like a closet. See your day as a limited space that accommodates only so much and benefits from organization. Group common tasks together. Hit the grocery store, cleaners and health-food store all in one outing.
How to: Counterpoint management: Pick  off-times to pick up dry-cleaning and stock up on groceries. Leave 30 minutes earlier in the morning to avoid rush-hour traffic. Added benefit: You'll get in quiet time at work.

5. Just do it!
Procrastination is a chronic time guzzler. Set up a rewards system to stay motivated. Say a deadline out loud to someone else to solidify it in your mind and to commit yourself to it. If you are consistently late, set an early deadline and write reminders in your planner, calendar, or on post-its. Don't let fear of failure ─ or success ─ paralyze you. Jump in and get started.
How to: If you are feeling unfocused and having trouble getting something done, take a 15-minute break. Set a beginning and end to the break to make it guilt-free.


Note:

• wrestle: struggle with a difficulty or problem.
• full throttle: We were going full throttle.
• vital: absolutely necessary or important; essential.
• crucial: of great important.
• glance: take a brief or hurried look.
• set aside: Each week, he tried to set aside a few dollars of his salary.
• designate: specify.