If you live in a region prone to haboobs, you already know the drill. The sky turns orange, visibility drops, and you shut your windows and wait it out. What you may not know is that the storm keeps affecting you long after the dust settles, especially at night. There are no studies yet that… Continue reading
Author Archives → Waiz Wasey, MD
Double Board Certified Sleep Doctor | Top Doc AZ '25, '26 | Sleepfluencer - IG dr.snoozz | Alumni: SIU, Mayo Clinic
Why Permanent Daylight Saving Time Is the Wrong Fix
Congress is close to ending the twice-a-year clock change. That part is popular. But the version moving through Congress locks in permanent daylight saving time, not permanent standard time. Sleep medicine has been warning against this exact outcome for years. Here’s the problem in one sentence: daylight saving time pushes clock time an hour ahead… Continue reading
Can You Trust Your Sleep Tracker? Here’s What the Research Actually Shows
You wake up, check your watch, and see a sleep score. Maybe it says you only got 12 minutes of deep sleep. Maybe it tells you your REM sleep was low. You start the day feeling like you failed at sleeping. Here’s the problem. That number might be wrong. Consumer sleep trackers and apps have… Continue reading
STOP BANG SCORE
This calculates the risk you have of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it does not diagnose it. If you have an elevated risk based on this score, it should be a conversation starter with your physicians STOP-BANG Questionnaire A quick screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea risk. Answer yes or no to each question below. Calculate My… Continue reading
Diagnostic Tests in Sleep Medicine
Variety of tests exist to help diagnose sleep disorders, familarize yourself with them 1. Pulse OximetryOvernight pulse oximetry can help screen for potential Sleep breathing disordersOrganizations like Mayo Clinic use them for screening prior to sending for a consultI used them in the hospital prior to discharge on suspected casesIt calculates oxygen desturation index (ODI),… Continue reading
What is Hypersomnia
If you sleep 9 to 12 hours a night and still feel exhausted the next day, something more than “being tired” may be going on. That’s hypersomnia. It’s not laziness and it’s not just needing an extra cup of coffee. It’s a real sleep disorder, and for many people it takes years to get a… Continue reading
Epworth Sleepiness Score
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a simple, validated questionnaire used to measure a person’s level of daytime sleepiness. It asks how likely you are to doze off in eight common everyday situations, such as watching TV, sitting and reading, or riding as a passenger in a car. Each situation is scored from 0 to… Continue reading
Sleep Basics
Sleep is a state of psychomotor arrest with an increased arousal threshold and sensory disconnection from the environment.As humans we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, and sleep is not merely a passive state of rest. Normal sleep comprises 2 major states; NREM Sleep and REM Sleep (~25%)NREM Sleep includes – stage 1 (5%), stage… Continue reading
Sleep Changes During Menarche: What Every Teen and Parent Should Know
If your daughter suddenly can’t fall asleep, feels tired all day, or seems moodier than usual after her first period, it’s not just teenage behavior. Menarche changes your biology in ways that directly disrupt sleep. Why your sleep changes when your period starts Menarche is the first menstrual cycle. It marks the start of a… Continue reading
Counting Sheep Does Not Help You Fall Asleep. Imagery Beats It.
In 2002, researchers Allison Harvey and Suzanna Payne at Oxford University tested this directly. They split 50 people with insomnia into three groups. One counted sheep. One imagined a calming scene, like a beach or a quiet walk in nature. One got no instructions at all. The imagery group fell asleep 20 minutes faster than… Continue reading