Lisa Shives, M.D., is the founder of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois. She blogs regularly on The Chart . Read more from her at Dr. Lisa Shives’ Sleep Better Blog . Zach was a life-long teeth grinder. “It seemed that as soon as his teeth came in, he started grinding," his mother told me. It was so loud and frequent that Zach was given his own room because his little brother couldn't get any sleep when they shared. For years he had slept at the end of the hall far from his parents’ and his brother’s room, so one suspected that the grinding was getting worse. When a dentist noticed a progressive worsening of wear on his patient's teeth, he discussed his concerns about a possible underlying sleep disorder with both Zach and his mother. They then came to me. Sleep-related bruxism is the official term for grinding your teeth during sleep. It occurs in approximately 14% to 17% of children, although these rates decrease with age. Bruxism does show a familial pattern but no genes have been identified. It affects both sexes equally. Nocturnal grinding can cause not only extensive wear on your teeth, but also jaw and facial pain, headaches, and when it is severe, it can cause sleep disruption that results in daytime drowsiness. There are two types of bruxism. If there's no clear cause, bruxism is termed "primary." Secondary sleep-related bruxism has been associated with various other disorders, as well as the use of psychoactive medications and recreational drugs. An overnight sleep test is not always necessary. However, a careful evaluation by a sleep specialist is warranted if, as in this case, the grinding is becoming worse rather than better with age. Bruxism must be distinguished from partial complex seizure, facio-mandibular myoclonus and sleep disordered breathing. Often, grinding can be an accompanying feature of obstructive sleep apnea and confusional arousals, and it can improve with treatment of the underlying sleep disturbance. Even in the absence of a clear psychiatric or medical cause, sleep specialists often note heightened stress and anxiety as a predisposing factor. Some specialists have found an association with a Type A personality or someone who is hyper-vigilant and easily aroused from sleep. In Zach’s case, we figured out that he did have a lot if increased stress due to his busy academic and extra-curricular schedule. He was also worried about getting into a good college and was working around the clock to assure his success. He was stressed in the daytime and it carried over into his sleep. We ruled out any other sleep or medical problems. His dentist made him a bite guard to protect his teeth at night. He and his parents worked on simplifying his schedule, ensuring adequate time for sleep. They also talked a lot more about his college application process which, Zach admitted, really made him feel less alone and less anxious about the outcome. Filed under: Dental health , Lisa Shives M.D. – sleep expert , Sleep Tagged: Lisa Shives M.D. – sleep expert

Back in January, we created the Get Fit For 2011 community group and contest to help us all follow through on our health and fitness goals for the New Year. If you completed the 12 challenges, you’re hopefully basking in the glory of all your hard work as we saunter into the Summer months. We’ve announced the 12 weekly prize winners, and now it’s time to meet our grand-prize winner. Please help me in congratulating Sugar reader TiVo ! She is headed to Los Angeles for a personalized Get Fit Boot Camp, including a round-trip flight to LA, a four-night stay at the W Hollywood, a personal training session with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins, a nutrition consultation with C & J Nutrition, and four workout sessions with our very own FitSugar editors to be featured on PopSugar LivingTV. Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest! Be sure to join in the weekly fitness challenges in our Get Fit For Summer to help you prepare for the beach.

I love bringing my lunch to work; it makes me feel organized and on top of things. Brown bagging it not only saves you dough, it saves you calories as well. Isn’t the point of leftovers to become salad toppings for lunch the next day? Steamed green beans, extra chicken, that half cup of couscous that no body ate – all these spruce up basic greens. Turning leftovers into salad is a quick way to bring your lunch with you. I manage to bring my lunch to work about 50 percent of the time (I’m not quite on top things). And you? How Often Do You Bring Your Lunch to Work? Every day At least half of the time Once a week Never

It might mean an easy way for consumers, rather than health systems or health plans, to control their health records.

When it comes to practicing yoga , I believe so much of it boils down to finding the right teacher. If you aren’t inspired by your instructor, the desire to keep going weakens. On the flip side, if you adore the guru in front of you, the yearning to continue only grows stronger. For that reason alone, I’d highly recommend Shiva Rea’s latest yoga DVD – Shiva Rea: Power Flow Yoga ($14). While new to the market, it is actually a compilation of Shiva Rea’s previously released DVDs, which are awe inspiring on their own. For those who don’t feel like buying each of her select DVDs, the Power Flow Yoga DVD offers the best of the best with 13 segments of various types of yoga. If you’re in the mood for Vinyasa only, she’s got you covered. If Namaskar (variation on sun salutations) has a grip on you for the day, there are three options for that, too. Between the “matrix,” as she dubs, it, you can tailor your yoga workout to suit exactly your needs. And, if you don’t want to manage that, you can simply set it to one of the three pre-set practices, which range between 50-57 minutes each. To see which segments I liked the best, just read more. Before I could decide which part of the DVD I liked best, I tried each of the 13 segments of the matrix and all three of the pre-set practices. The matrix allows you to customize your yoga routine to fit your fitness and time needs. If you only have 25 minutes to squeeze in some stretching, you can easily pop in the DVD and fire up the 11-minute Mandala Namaskar part of the matrix, where you get into a fluid motion of intense stretches. Follow it up with a calming 10-minute Water Core routine and wrap it up with a quick 5-minute session of Savasana (corpse pose). If you can budget more time, you can make the yoga practice as long and intense as you’d like. And, if you’re just not a customizing kind of gal, then you may just opt for the preset practices, which I found myself doing frequently. I played with the matrix and came up with a few of my own workout routines and found that while I enjoyed customizing my yoga practice, I found I liked the “Fluid Power” pre-set practice the most. Intense and challenging, it also made my body and mind feel capable and strong. I liked the “Core Power” and “Heart Fire” sessions also but found I went back to the “Fluid Power” most frequent. Prior to setting off on your yoga discovery, it is probably worth watching each of the 13 matrices separately so you can know what options you have before you. Once you are set and ready, Shiva Rea talks you through each sequence so you feel as if she’s standing right beside you – in a sandy desert! The opening, or the Twisting Kriya, reveals about 10 people literally twisting and swaying in a gorgeous sand dune setting where you might imagine camels marching along in the background. You may find yourself sweeping your feet looking for sand at the end of the hour-long workout. Which, by the way, is a huge selling point for myself and many of my yoga-adoring friends. I love that this DVD has countless ways for me to find the right amount of flexing and bending in just under the 60-minute mark. Most classes I attend go for 90 minutes, which is nice when you’ve got the time, but with two kids and a job, I find the option to customize my yoga routine quite nice and appropriate for my hectic life. And, when I finish the workouts, I don’t feel so, well, hectic. Nor do my muscles, joints, or mind. Here is a breakout of the matrix as well as the pre-set routines. Matrix: Opening: Twisting Kriya (7 minutes, Trance Dance) Namaskars: Agni Namaskar (17 minutes, Surf Yoga Soul), Mandala Namaskar (11 minutes, Fluid Power), Chakra Namaskar (20 minutes, Daily Energy) Core: Water Core (10 minutes, Fluid Power/Creative Core Abs), Handstand Vinyasa (8 minutes, Fluid Power) Standing: Fire & Water (20 minutes, Daily Energy), Balance Flow (20 minutes, Surf Yoga Soul), Flow of Empowerment (22 minutes, Standing Poses), Creative Roots (13 minutes, Creative Core Lower Body) Back and Forward Bends: Backbending Vinyasa (14 minutes, Fluid Power), Forward Bends & Hip Openers (18 minutes, Fluid Power) Shavasana (5 minutes, Fluid Power)   Pre-Set Practices: Fluid Power (53 minutes): Twisting Kriya (from Trance Dance), Mandala Namaskar (Fluid Power), Water Core (Fluid Power), Fire & Water (Daily Energy), Shavasana (Fluid Power) Core Power (50 minutes): Agni Namaskar (Surf Yoga Soul), Handstand Vinyasa (Fluid Power), Balance Flow (Surf Yoga Soul), Shavasana (Fluid Power) Heart Fire (57 minutes): Chakra Namaskar (Daily Energy), Backbending Vinyasa (Fluid Power), Forward Bends & Hip Openers (Fluid Power), Shavasana (Fluid Power)

Also: Caritas deal; Merck KGaA gets bad news in Europe; medical loss ratio draft rules; physicians and their nutrition advice.

We’re all exposed to a fair share of advice and information about how to best to care for ourselves. If we’re fortunate, we also have the benefit of good counsel via a physician. But, ultimately, it’s up to us to decide what exactly to do with respect to our own health care. Do we take Related posts: Alternate Day Fasting Update Alternate Day Fasting Dr. Krista Varady Interview Part 2 Dr. Krista Varady Interview Part 1 The Luo Han Guo Stevia Experiment

In addition to J&J’s bonds: regulators struggle with limited-benefit plans; FDA warns on GSK drug; a weight-loss drug trial.

Also: meaningful use likely to benefit GE and others; early Alzheimer’s diagnosis less costly; lobbying over preventive services; weight loss drugs.

Gluten-free foods are popping up all over and not just in specialty health food stores. I’ve seen them in mainstream grocery stores, on restaurant menus, and even on beer lists at bars. Gluten-free is well on its way to becoming a household catch phrase, which is great news for the one in 133 people suffering from celiac disease , which means they’re allergic to wheat, rye, barley, and possibly oats. To raise awareness for this condition, this weekend, May 22 and 23, is the first ever Gluten-Free Challenge . The Gluten Intolerance Group is teaming up with Pamela’s Products, and asking everyone to avoid foods containing gluten for those two days. Why go gluten free? It’s not because it’s healthier , but it’s to raise awareness of this condition, so that people can understand firsthand what it’s like for people who can’t eat gluten. It’s also a way you can show your support to a friend or family member who has celiac. Do you think going gluten-free for two days would be difficult or a cinch? Are you going to try?