When you agree to work the night shift, you expect to change your lifestyle only slightly to match the need to sleep during the day in order to sleep at night. But that change of schedule can be easier said than done, warns the National Sleep Foundation.

Around 5.7 million people in the United States regularly work the night shift or a rotating shift, according to a 2004 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most people work the night shift because it is a job requirement, but others choose it for personal preference or better pay.

Insomnia, characterized by difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, is very common. Sleeping pills are one of the ways to treat insomnia. Modern drug treatments for insomnia typically fall into two broad categories: benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines.

Your heart is responsible for supplying blood to every living cell in your body. To perform this essential task, your heart must beat in a controlled fashion so it can fill and empty efficiently.

A cervical collar is to be worn after neck injury or surgery to prevent excessive movement of the neck and to allow it to heal, according to the Ohio State University Medical Center.

While you're fast asleep at night, your brain is working furiously to process information and update your memory. This phenomenon occurs during the rapid eye movement -- or REM -- phase of sleep. REM sleep happens every 60 to 90 minutes during sleep and lasts only about five minutes.

Sleeping or lying down in positions that weaken the muscles and stretch the ligaments of the lower back can cause poor posture and aggravate back problems and pain. The body curves inward naturally at the lumbar area, at the small of the back above the pelvis or hip bones.

Successful bodybuilding requires a great deal more than spending countless hours at the gym. To gain lean muscle mass, you also need to have a healthy diet and ample rest for your muscles to recover and grow. Exactly how much sleep you need may vary for each person.

Getting a bit of sleep involves more than just deciding to nod off, especially if you’re lucky enough to get the chance to fit a nap into your daily schedule. Understanding the difference between power napping and sleeping allows you to make the most of your sleep time and reap the many benefits of smart snoozing.

Sleeping on your back isn't necessarily harmful, but it leads to back pain in some people. You're also more likely to snore because the relaxed tissue in your throat blocks your windpipe. Sleeping positions can be a matter of habit and tricky to break.

Glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in the body, has a variety of potential uses for immune, digestive and brain health.

Some coughs are more persistant when you are lying down. Often a cough that is worse when you are lying down is caused by acid reflux, or acid from the stomach backing up into your throat.