ClockNews#14: Student SAD, Napping at Work, and Lunesta

Dealing with students’ seasonal affective disorder
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050123/YOUTH/101230071

SAD seems to be more predominant in January and February and
affects more women and young people than men. Symptoms may include:n Weight
gain.n Excessive sleeping.n An overall feeling of sadness that seems to leave in
the spring and summer.n Carbohydrate cravings.

Sleeping duty and wake-up calls
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/998742.cms

Admittedly, at 11.40 in the a.m., the Nakate naptime
was out of line by any shift paradigm, but this should not give employers carte
blanche to declare all naps prejudicial to company interests, ultra vires of the
Industrial Relations Act, and tantamount to culpable workicide. On the contrary,
the enlightened annadata would make a post-lunch snooze compulsory so as to
cleanse the brain of the morning's rigours. Any HR ministry will tell you of the
need for detoxification. Long before it got anointed by business gurus as a
power nap, I've been a practising believer. It's the equivalent of pressing the
Refresh button; net-net, I, the tasks at hand, and my bosses benefit; deprived,
my page expires. The world's most vibrant peoples all swear by the virtues of
the afternoon siesta; the more libidinous recharge their batteries with the
equally time-honoured — and energising — custom, of the baporiyu, or afternoon
dalliance with a clandestine dream-girl. However, as everyone, from armies to
Anil Ambani, knows, catching a nap is quite different from being caught napping.
Also, as everyone from Rip van Winkle to Kumbahakaran knew, you have to observe
the cardinal rule of all therapy: you have to be mindful of the fine line that
separates the benefits of sleep from an over-doze.

Makers of new sleep aid plan ads during late TV
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/living/10714830.htm

On late-night television, the companion of insomniacs
everywhere, that’ll buy a lot of advertising, and the drug, named Lunesta, is
expected to be one of this year’s most heavily marketed medications.
Lunesta breaks new ground on at least two counts. When taken at bedtime, the drug not
only puts insomnia sufferers to sleep for a full six or seven hours; it also
carries a low risk of grogginess the next day. This double-barreled approach
offers a balm for those who tend to awaken frequently during the night or too
early in the morning.