Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Poverty linked to HIV infection among heterosexuals living in inner-city neighborhoods

In a groundbreaking study published last year, scientists reported that effective treatment with HIV medications not only restores health and prolongs life in many HIV-infected patients, but also curtails transmission to sexual partners up to ninety-seven percent. However, a new study by UCSF scientists shows that lack of basic living needs severely undercuts these advances in impoverished men.

27 Apr 2012

Simple wrist sensor could gauge severity of epileptic seizures

In this week's issue of the journal Neurology, researchers at MIT and two Boston hospitals provide early evidence that a simple, unobtrusive wrist sensor could gauge the severity of epileptic seizures as accurately as electroencephalograms (EEGs) do - but without the ungainly scalp electrodes and electrical leads.

27 Apr 2012

Change in attitude may ease chronic pain by aiding sleep: Study

Chronic pain sufferers who learn to dwell less on their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain, according to results of research conducted on 214 people with chronic face and jaw pain.

26 Apr 2012

Helpful roles of rank, toxic substances

Usually, we think of mold, feces, nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide and rat poison as rank, toxic or both. But scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health are learning more about the helpful roles these substances can play.

26 Apr 2012

Study shows how PCBs could add to autism risk

New research from UC Davis and Washington State University shows that PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, launch a cellular chain of events that leads to an overabundance of dendrites - the filament-like projections that conduct electrochemical signals between neurons - and disrupts normal patterns of neuronal connections in the brain.

26 Apr 2012

Gender differences in musculoskeletal health are not solely due to hormones

Osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, fractures, and spinal disorders are among the most common reasons for doctor visits. These conditions have more than one thing in common: they are all musculoskeletal problems and are more prevalent in women.

26 Apr 2012

UT Southwestern lung transplant recipient lives through 19 years

UT Southwestern Medical Center has performed more than 300 lung transplants in recent decades, and Michael Young represents a remarkable success story.

25 Apr 2012

Gabapentin drug helps people to quit cannabis

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found clinical evidence that the drug gabapentin, currently on the market to treat neuropathic pain and epilepsy, helps people to quit smoking marijuana.

24 Apr 2012

Poor sleep not a significant predictor of fibromyalgia pain intensity

Patients coping with the complex pain disorder fibromyalgia often have difficulty sleeping, and a new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that despite the negative quality of life implications, poor sleep is not a significant predictor of fibromyalgia pain intensity and duration.

23 Apr 2012

Enrollment complete for In-tunnel SeptRx European PFO Trial in Europe

SeptRx, an emerging medical device company that has developed the SeptRx Intrapocket PFO Occluder (IPO), reported today that it has completed enrollment for its "InterSEPT" (In-tunnel SeptRx European PFO Trial) clinical trial in Europe, and has entered into a partnership with CoRRect Medical GmbH for commercial distribution in Germany and Switzerland of the SeptRx IPO.

23 Apr 2012

LCIG improves quality of life, reduces symptoms of Parkinson's

A recent clinical trial conducted at Evergreen Healthcare shows that a new form of a common drug used to treat Parkinson's Disease greatly improves the quality of life for patients and reduces the affects of symptoms such as tremors, slowness, stiffness and difficulty walking.

21 Apr 2012

Researchers revisit Charcot's vibration therapy for Parkinson's disease

In the 19th century, Jean-Martin Charcot, the celebrated neurologist, developed a "vibration chair," to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Charcot reported improvements in his patients, but he died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted.

20 Apr 2012

Safe, separate sleep environments for infants are critical to preventing SUIDs

Since 1992, the government's Back-to-Sleep Campaign has encouraged parents to place infants on their backs to sleep. Still, more than 4,500 infants die unexpectedly during sleep each year in the United States. Now, a University of Missouri injury prevention researcher says that safe, separate sleep environments for infants are critical to preventing sudden unexpected infant deaths.

20 Apr 2012

Key points about head shape asymmetry treatment

Parents are often the first to notice when their otherwise healthy infant slowly begins to develop a lopsided skull. Sometimes the change in head shape can look like a flattened section in the back of the skull, or off to one side if the baby prefers looking toward one direction. The incidence of head shape asymmetries has risen, likely related to the successful Back to Sleep campaign, which has saved countless infant lives since it was introduced in 1994 to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.

20 Apr 2012

Study shows efficacy of Infant Behavior, Cry and Sleep Clinic's model of integrated care

Having a new baby brings much joy to a new family. But for a family whose baby cries for hours on end, fusses through feedings, or has difficulty sleeping, the joy may be overshadowed by feelings of helplessness and frustration. The treatment of that infant - and that family - will impact the parent-child relationship for years to come.

20 Apr 2012

Optimism could benefit the heart: A review of studies

A Harvard School of Public Health review of more than 200 studies suggests that optimism is good for the heart. The researchers looked at studies that had recorded psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. This revealed that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness appeared to be linked associated with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory diseases, regardless of a person's age, socio-economic status, smoking status or body weight. Disease risk was 50% lower among the most optimistic individuals.

19 Apr 2012

Link between insomnia and severity of perceived tinnitus symptoms

For the more than 36 million people plagued by tinnitus, insomnia can have a negative effect on the condition, worsening the functional and emotional toll of chronic ringing, buzzing, hissing or clicking in the head and ears, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

19 Apr 2012

US DoD awards UC researchers $3.7M grant to study circadian rhythms

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) have received a four-year, $3.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for investigations into circadian rhythms that could lead to enhanced understanding of disease treatments, trauma care and human combat performance.

18 Apr 2012

A guide to catch and treat hypertension early in children

High blood pressure in children and adolescents is a growing health problem that is often overlooked by physicians, according to a University of Michigan Health System article published in American Family Physician that offers doctors a guide to catching and treating hypertension early.

18 Apr 2012

Accidental deaths among kids down but more needs to be done: CDC report

According to U.S. mortality data the overall death rate from unintentional injury among children and teens fell 29% from 2000 to 2009. What was concerning however, was that rates of death by poisoning in young adults - mostly from prescription drug overdose - and suffocation in infants rose. And unintentional injury still accounted for 37% of all deaths in the 19-and-under age group in 2009 and was the fifth leading killer of patients younger than 1, the report said. The CDC report was published in the April 16 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

17 Apr 2012