Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Untapped potential of antidepressants for cancer

A comprehensive review of current scientific literature, published in the peer-reviewed journal ecancer, has suggested that antidepressants can help the human body fight cancer by boosting its own immune response, amongst other mechanisms.

11 Sep 2008

Men's health campaign launched to address often overlooked physical, emotional and sexual issues affecting men with diabetes

In addition to dealing with the day-to-day aspects of diabetes management that involve blood glucose, nutrition and lifestyle management, men in the United States with diabetes are also grappling with other physical, emotional and sexual health issues according to survey findings released today by the American Diabetes Association.

9 Sep 2008

Bariatric surgery cost-effective for treating obesity

Health insurers can offset the cost of laparoscopic or traditional bariatric surgery as a weight-loss treatment for obese patients within two to four years as a result of savings on other medical costs, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Managed Care, the Wall Street Journal reports.

9 Sep 2008

UNICEF grants $1.7 milion to Ghana for malaria efforts

Ghana will receive $1.7 million from UNICEF to increase the distribution of insecticide-treated nets among children younger than age five in the country's campaign against malaria, UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said Wednesday at the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, GNA/My Joy Online reports.

5 Sep 2008

Heavy snorers at increased risk of stroke

University of Sydney researchers have found that heavy snorers have a higher risk of cholesterol plaque in the neck arteries, leading to an increased risk of stroke.

4 Sep 2008

TV in bedroom makes kids sleep less

Middle school children who have a television or computer in their room sleep less during the school year, watch more TV, play more computer games and surf the net more than their peers who don't - reveals joint research conducted by the University of Haifa and Jezreel Valley College.

2 Sep 2008

Mom's depression, baby's sleep linked?

If there's one thing that everyone knows about newborn babies, it's that they don't sleep through the night, and neither do their parents. But in fact, those first six months of life are crucial to developing the regular sleeping and waking patterns, known as circadian rhythms, that a child will need for a healthy future.

2 Sep 2008

Heavy snoring a sign of early carotid atherosclerosis

A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that objectively measured heavy snoring is an independent risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis, which may progress to be associated with stroke.

1 Sep 2008

Neuroimaging links chronic insomnia to reversible cognitive deficits without changes in behavior

A neuroimaging study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to find that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. These specific brain function alterations can be reversed, however, through non-pharmacological treatment with sleep therapy.

1 Sep 2008

Childhood pets may make adults snorers

New research into why people snore has found that the roots of the problem possibly go back to a person's childhood.

26 Aug 2008

Good tidings for women on HRT

For many women struggling to deal with the symptoms of the menopause, the latest research on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) bears good tidings.

25 Aug 2008

New sleep lab to benefit shift-workers

Two specialist laboratories opening night at the University of Sydney will shed light on the impact of sleep and circadian disruption in medical disorders and shift-workers, and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance abuse and depression.

21 Aug 2008

One night without sleep increases chemical dopamine in the human brain

Because drugs that increase dopamine, like amphetamines, promote wakefulness, the findings offer a potential mechanism explaining how the brain helps people stay awake despite the urge to sleep. However, the study also shows that the increase in dopamine cannot compensate for the cognitive deficits caused by sleep deprivation.

19 Aug 2008

New discovery may lead to new drugs to regulate sleep

A team of scientists from Oxford University in the UK have discovered the reason why people feel drowsier in dim lighting and more alert in bright white light.

19 Aug 2008

Teens with poor sleep habits may have higher blood pressure

In new research, the sleeping habits of teenagers has come under scrutiny and has found that not getting enough sleep may be linked to a rise in their blood pressure.

18 Aug 2008

Multi-agency approach needed to help street-based sex workers break the 'work-score-use' cycle

Integrated multi-agency work will be needed to address the poor physical and mental health experienced by street-based sex workers (SSWs), according to recent research including a new study by Bristol University.

18 Aug 2008

Top Sydney hospital appoints specialist to treat childhood obesity

As Australian children appear to be getting increasingly overweight one of the country's top hospitals has taken the apparently unprecedented step of appointing a specialist to treat childhood obesity.

18 Aug 2008

New model for studying the genetics of Angelman syndrome

A model for studying the genetics of Angelman syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes mental retardation and other symptoms in one out of 15,000 births, has been developed by biologists at The University of Texas at Austin.

14 Aug 2008

A snooze button for the circadian clock

We may use the snooze button to fine-tune our sleep cycles, but our cells have a far more meticulous and refined system. Humans, and most other organisms, have 24-hour rhythms that are regulated by a precise molecular clock that ticks inside every cell.

13 Aug 2008