Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Study examines link between sleep and language in children with neurodevelopmental disorders

New research has discovered that Down's syndrome, Fragile X syndrome and Williams syndrome are all linked to sleep disruption in very young children, and that sleep plays a crucial role in the development of these children's language skills.

16 Jan 2020

Blue light exposure therapy can aid in healing people with mTBI

Early morning blue light exposure therapy can aid the healing process of people impact by mild traumatic brain injury, according to new research from the University of Arizona.

16 Jan 2020

Women who have more sex less likely to have early menopause

Women who have sex more are at a reduced risk of experiencing early menopause, a new study found. The new finding raises the possibility of lifestyle practices as a predictor of when menopause will occur.

15 Jan 2020

Targeted transcranial electrical stimulation can improve metamemories

HRL Laboratories, LLC, researchers have published results showing that targeted transcranial electrical stimulation during slow-wave sleep can improve metamemories of specific episodes by nearly 20% after only one viewing of the episode, compared to controls. Metamemory describes the sensitivity of whether memories are recalled accurately or not, such as during eyewitness testimony.

14 Jan 2020

Health benefits of a 'Dry January'

A new year often means a list of resolutions for change, such as abstaining from drinking alcohol, stopping smoking, or living a healthier lifestyle. For one, “Dry January” has become immensely popular because it motivates people to abstain from drinking alcohol for 30 days, at least.

13 Jan 2020

Losing Tongue Fat Improves Sleep Apnea

Doctors already know that weight loss can be an effective treatment for improving sleep apnea, although the reasons for this have remained unclear. Now, new research has uncovered that a reduction in tongue fat is the key to why fat loss helps in instances of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

13 Jan 2020

Study assesses variation in 'maturing out' of alcohol use in young adulthood

Rates of heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder peak in the late adolescent and early adult age-group (19-25 years), before decreasing from around age 26.

12 Jan 2020

Weight loss decreases tongue fat in obese patients with sleep apnea, study shows

Weight loss in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea appears to improve sleep apnea primarily by reducing tongue fat, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

10 Jan 2020

Family doctors in rural America tackle crisis of addiction and pain

Dr. Angela Gatzke-Plamann didn’t fully grasp her community’s opioid crisis until one desperate patient called on a Friday afternoon in 2016.

10 Jan 2020

Parental enforcement of bedtime yields solid results for sleep-deprived teens

Teenagers in the US simply don't get enough shut eye. The consequences of this epidemic of sleep deprivation are extensive and include increasing rates of anxiety and depression among adolescents, as well as suicidal thoughts and actions.

9 Jan 2020

Harnessing biology and technology to develop much-needed treatments for depression

New research into the biology of depression, along with new and evolving technologies, provides the basis for developing the next generation of treatments for major depressive disorder, according to the special January/February issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

9 Jan 2020

Changing the underlying structure and culture of a clinic to address opioid epidemic

For the 20 percent of Americans who suffer from chronic pain, prescription opioids may bring relief, but also risks. An estimated 21 to 29 percent of patients who receive chronic opioid treatment will misuse their medications, and 8 to 12 percent will develop an opioid use disorder.

8 Jan 2020

Missing one night of sleep may increase Alzheimer's biomarker, study finds

A preliminary study has found that when young, healthy men were deprived of just one night of sleep, they had higher levels of tau, a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, in their blood than when they had a full, uninterrupted night of rest.

8 Jan 2020

Meta-analysis highlights predictors of chronic migraine

A meta-analysis published in the journal Cephalalgia, the official journal of the International Headache Society, highlights the predictors of chronic migraine.

7 Jan 2020

Physicians and the public should be aware of several risks related to cannabis edibles

With the recent legalization of cannabis edibles in Canada, physicians and the public must be aware of the novel risks of cannabis edibles, argue authors in a commentary in CMAJ.

6 Jan 2020

Comparing surgical and non-surgical weight loss procedures

Losing weight may not be easy, but there are many options available to help with the journey. People often start the weight loss process by trying a commercial diet, like those you see on TV.

6 Jan 2020

A new non-surgical approach to lose weight

Laurie Busa was looking for a new and more successful way to lose weight. As a cardiovascular technologist at Winchester Hospital, she conducts stress tests to measure heart function -; and hoped to serve as a better example of good health for her patients.

6 Jan 2020

80% of medical students report low sense of personal achievement

Despite the prestige of becoming a physician, 80 percent of medical students report a low sense of personal achievement, according to a new study in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

6 Jan 2020

New clinical study to test retinal screening processes for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

The University of Rhode Island, in collaboration with BayCare Health System in Florida and The Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital, an affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, is launching a clinical trial of retinal screening processes that could help clinicians detect Alzheimer's disease possibly two or more decades before patients develop life-altering clinical symptoms.

6 Jan 2020

Body clock gene impairs defense against pneumonia

Most living things have an internal body clock which regulates when they sleep and when they wake up. A complex set of genes turning on and off, make this body clock run over roughly 24 hours, and a gene known by the acronym BMAL1 is one of the master regulators of this clock, controlling many other body clock genes and pathways.

6 Jan 2020