Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

New type of nerve cells appears to control feeding behaviors in mice

While researching the brain's learning and memory system, scientists at Johns Hopkins say they stumbled upon a new type of nerve cell that seems to control feeding behaviors in mice. The finding, they report, adds significant detail to the way brains tell animals when to stop eating and, if confirmed in humans, could lead to new tools for fighting obesity. Details of the study will be published by the journal Science on March 18.

20 Mar 2016

World sleep day tackles poor sleep due to nocturia

Today is World Sleep Day, an annual global event that aims to improve sleep health worldwide. World Sleep Day is organized by the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to spread awareness of important sleep-related issues and the burden insomnia places on society through a series of special events. This year it is focussing on sleep loss resulting from the need to urinate during the night.

18 Mar 2016

Intervention programme significantly decreases preschool children's disruptive behaviour

Training parents online and over the telephone significantly decreased preschool children's disruptive behaviour, shows the new Strongest Families study from the Research Centre for Child Psychiatry at the University of Turku.

18 Mar 2016

New study reports association between nightmares and suicidal behaviors

A new study is the first to report that the relationship between nightmares and suicidal behaviors is partially mediated by a multi-step pathway via defeat, entrapment and hopelessness.

17 Mar 2016

Hedrin celebrates 10th anniversary with launch of new packaging

Hedrin, the UK’s number 1 head lice brand, is celebrating its 10th birthday with a complete refresh of the packaging, to be available in pharmacies from April.

17 Mar 2016

Report: English schoolgirls' happiness drops as they hit teenage years

English schoolgirls are less satisfied with their lives than boys and feel more pressure to succeed at school – a report authored by University of Hertfordshire researchers has revealed.

16 Mar 2016

Researchers identify important role of sleep in stroke care, rehabilitation

Researchers identify sleep as a problem in patients with stroke, and highlight the need to give greater consideration to sleep in stroke care, and in particular stroke rehabilitation.

15 Mar 2016

Understanding dangers of binge drinking

Researchers estimate that each year 1,825 college students ages 18-24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle collisions. About 20 percent of college students meet the criteria for an alcohol use disorder, with one in four college students report adverse academic consequences from drinking, including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall.

14 Mar 2016

NIMH-supported researchers discover key secrets of the underlying brain circuitry

A few years ago, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health discovered in rats that awake mental replay of past experiences is critical for learning and making informed choices. Now, the team has discovered key secrets of the underlying brain circuitry -- including a unique system that encodes location during inactive periods.

14 Mar 2016

Daylight saving time can increase stroke risk, study reveals

A recent study out of Finland found the overall rate for stroke was 8% higher in the two days after daylight saving time. Individuals with cancer were 25% more likely to have a stroke during that time, and people older than 65 were 20% more likely to have a stroke.

14 Mar 2016

Retirement associated with positive lifestyle changes, study reveals

A landmark study led by University of Sydney has found that people become more active, sleep better and reduce their sitting time when they retire.

13 Mar 2016

People with type 2 diabetes, OSA may not experience improved glycemic control with CPAP

People with type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may not experience improved glycemic control by using continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, as some studies have suggested, according to the results of a randomized, controlled trial published online ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

13 Mar 2016

Springing forward one hour may lead to increased heart attack risk

Many people may groan about losing an hour of sleep March 13, but there may be a more serious reason to be mindful of daylight saving time.

11 Mar 2016

Brown fat may help to keep blood sugar steady in adults

Australian scientists have shown that brown fat - a special type of fat that burns energy to produce heat - may also help to keep blood sugar steady in adults.

10 Mar 2016

Sleep Awareness Week 2016: XenoPort launches campaign to raise awareness about impact of RLS on sleep

Nearly 7 million Americans suffer from restless legs syndrome (RLS). For many patients suffering from moderate to severe symptoms, RLS is debilitating – disrupting sleep, influencing mood, and negatively affecting everyday life.

10 Mar 2016

Vanderbilt sleep specialist provides important tips for easing into seasonal time change

The Monday after daylight saving time takes effect doesn't have to be a heart-stressed, mad-dash, car-crash kind of a day.

10 Mar 2016

Heart rate variability may increase epilepsy risk

Doctors have long characterized epilepsy as a brain disorder, but researchers at Case Western Reserve University have found that part of the autonomic nervous system functions differently in epilepsy during the absence of seizures.This connection to the involuntary division of the nervous system may have implications for diagnosing and treating the disease and understanding sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

10 Mar 2016

Hemispheric and thalamic volumes point to electrical epilepticus during sleep

Early assessment of hemispheric and thalamic volumes in children with polymicrogyria and epilepsy can reliably predict the risk of continuous spike-and-wave complexes during sleep, a study indicates.

10 Mar 2016

Early childhood sleep problems predict later school adjustment

A child who soothes themselves back to sleep from an early age adjusts to school more easily than those who don't, new QUT research has found.

10 Mar 2016

Oversized tonsils and tongue indentations increase risk for OSA

According to a new study led by University at Buffalo orthodontic researcher Thikriat Al-Jewair, dentists are in the unique position as health care professionals to pinpoint signs of obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep due to blocked upper airways

9 Mar 2016