The winter solstice happens this Thursday morning, which means that each day this week has the least amount of sunshine per day. In Iowa, that means anywhere from just under nine hours of daylight to about nine hours 15 minutes depending on where you are located.
On this River to River, Ben Kieffer is joined by neurologist Dr. Eric Dyken of the University of Iowa Sleep Disorders Center to discuss the latest in sleep news and research. There is a new study finding that our personal sleep requirements may be affected by our genes.
They discuss how a synthetic version of purified THC—the active substance found in marijuana—could be effective for treating sleep apnea.
To dramatically simplify the results, Dyken says, "It will allow you to stabilize your respiratory pattern generation—you will continue to generate normal breathing, and it increases activation of your upper airway musculature."
They also discuss what's being called the "world’s first sleep robot."
