I recently received this email from a reader:

"Dear Professor McNamara,

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Can't get your teen out of bed to go to school? Maybe the problem isn't him. Maybe the problem is his changing body.

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A new study sheds light on why some children may need to urinate more often during the rest cycle. Researchers found sleep deprivation caused healthy children, ages 8-12, to urinate significantly more frequently, excrete more sodium in urine, have altered regulation of the hormones important for excretion.

People with severe sleep apnea may have an increased risk of silent strokes and small lesions in the brain, according to a small study.

Sleeping disorders have been known for some years to increase the risk of diabetes. Scientists have now linked a gene that plays a key role in synchronizing biological rhythms to type two diabetes.

When we are dreaming the unconscious is supposed to be in charge. But what if we can consciously take charge of the process?

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Scientists have found new evidence for a link between the body clock hormone melatonin and type 2 diabetes. The study found that people who carry rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Here's some serious and important news about sleep and heart health: there's yet more evidence of a link between sleeplessness and heart disease. The results of a large-scale study show that people who suffer from insomnia are at higher risk for heart attacks.

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Ever been ridiculed for your dreams? Ever feel like your dreams are just that -- dreams? See what well-known people know about dreams. They are essential to your life.

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One way to promote the scientific study of dreams is to join and support an organization that does just that. I urge all readers of this blog to take a look at and join The International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) Its website is http://www.asdreams.org

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A noted specialist has come out with a simple prescription for what to do (and not to do) in the bedroom. As he explains it: "Psychologically, people need to use the bedroom for sleeping and making love, and not much else."

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From deaths of infants to a litany of zoological diseases, who knew that co-sleeping could be so perilous? Is there anyone you can sleep with safely?

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Whether withholding loving words through the silent treatment or withholding sex as punishment each is a game that is detrimental to relationships. In the sexless marriage oftentimes couples need to step back, put their priorities in order, and learn the art of kissing and making up.

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     A few weeks ago, a woman named Marianne came to therapy distraught with worry. Marianne told me that she had been having an affair for the past eight months, and was in the process of deciding whether to leave her husband. She had two daughters, ages 15 and 19, and she had taken great pains to conceal her affair from them as well as her husband.

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Have you ever gone without sleep for any long period of time?

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New research shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person’s appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people’s risk of becoming overweight in the long run.

Moms and Dads, here's some important news: there are new guidelines you should know about that can help your baby sleep more safely. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new recommendations for sleep safety and protection against SIDS. SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, has yet to be fully explained.

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Job stress and shift work have a lot more to do with obesity among nurses than previously thought, according to a new study.

I was pleased to read this recent blog post, which addresses the link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sexual function in both men and women. In general, we don't talk nearly enough about the detrimental effects of sleeplessness and sleep disorders on sexual relationships.

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Burnout is not just a condition reserved for white collar workers. Defined as a state of fatigue brought about by thwarted intentions in your job, lifestyle or relationship, burnout can affect anyone.

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