Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Dental care needs for HIV patients continue to rise

People with HIV now are living longer and the number of dental patients treated monthly at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry's Russell Street Clinic continues to grow.

16 Jun 2005

Neurocrine Biosciences issued new U.S. patent

Neurocrine Biosciences announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,903,106 covering a novel polymorphic form (different crystal structure) of its proprietary compound indiplon for the treatment of insomnia.

16 Jun 2005

The most frequently used drugs for treating chronic insomnia have never been approved for that purpose

Vaughn McCall, M.D., M.S., professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, told a special consensus panel at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that he could find no evidence that randomized controlled clinical trials had ever been conducted for five of the 10 pharmaceuticals prescribed most often for chronic insomnia.

14 Jun 2005

Causes, consequences and clinical implications of alcohol-related brain shrinkage

Previous studies have demonstrated that the brains of alcoholics are smaller, lighter and "shrunken" when compared to nonalcoholic brains.

14 Jun 2005

Short-term use of CPAP therapy may protect against cardiovascular disease

A common sleep therapy used to treat patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may actually have a protective effect against death related to cardiovascular disease.

13 Jun 2005

Circadian clock gene also plays pivotal role in drug addiction

The gene that regulates the body's main biological clocks also may play a pivotal role in drug addiction, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

13 Jun 2005

Excessive sleepiness in adolescents may indicate more than just lack of sleep

A new technical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH) says that although sleepiness is rather common in this age group, pediatricians should pay special attention to patients who exhibit evidence of excessive sleepiness because it could indicate an underlying medical or mental health condition.

9 Jun 2005

Despite WHO/UNICEF push for “rooming-in,” mothers and babies being separated at birth

Mothers of newborns are not rooming-in with their babies, even when they think it is valuable, according to a study published in Birth.

8 Jun 2005

Early to bed okay, but early to rise might not make Jack a bright boy

Researchers in the U.S. say that an early start to school classes in the mornings means many teenagers lose much needed sleep and that makes them more likely to be moody and perform poorly in school.

6 Jun 2005

Childrens' mental development may be impaired by aircraft noise

A new study is suggesting that exposure to aircraft noise at schools located near major airports may affect the development of children's mental skills in an adverse way, and this applies especially to reading comprehension.

6 Jun 2005

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep and force students to perform academically in the early morning, a time of day when they are at their worst, according to a study in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have chronic sleep deprivation

Adolescents who are lethargic, cranky and forgetful may have a common ailment: chronic sleep deprivation. But some tired teens may actually have a medical condition such as depression, insomnia, narcolepsy or sleep apnea, warns a new report in Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

New understanding of jet lag

A new study demonstrates that the brain’s central timekeeper - the biological clock that regulates waking and sleeping cycles - has two parts that fall out of synchrony during light schedule shifts of six hours, the time it takes to fly across the Atlantic.

3 Jun 2005

Modern mothers prefer a good nights sleep to sex

In a survey by two popular magazines it appears that mums today find it harder to get a good night's sleep, and are getting around 30% less sleep than their own mothers did.

2 Jun 2005

Losing weight for a better night's sleep

Significant weight loss can improve the sleep patterns of severely obese people, leading to less daytime sleepiness and better quality of life, a study by the Monash University Centre of Obesity Research and Education has found.

1 Jun 2005

Nearly one out of two visits to a doctor's office for help with a sleep disorder result in the prescription of potentially addictive medications

The drugs, called benzodiazepines, are often a cheaper alternative to some newer types of medicines that don't have the same potentially addictive side effects, said Rajesh Balkrishnan, the study's lead author and the Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University.

1 Jun 2005

Adolescent depression can be as high as 20 percent

Teenage depression is widespread and can become a life-long illness, but is more often transitory, said UCLA Psychology Professor Constance Hammen, who discussed her research at the American Psychological Society's annual convention in Los Angeles.

29 May 2005

Common over-the-counter cough medication dextromethorphan may help people with fibromyalgia

About 10 million Americans, most of them women suffer from fibromyalgia, an incurable illness that causes stiffness, fatigue, muscle aches and sleep disturbances.

29 May 2005

Breathing disorders during sleep are common among asthmatics

When asthmatics are awake, they can turn to their inhalers to open their airways. But when they sleep, many of them continue to struggle with breathing - and an understanding of their sleep-related problems may help doctors better diagnose and treat their patients' asthma, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

26 May 2005

First study to examine liver injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Many patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are obese and therefore at risk of having fatty liver, a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver cells. But the link between OSA and liver injury independent of weight has yet to be examined.

25 May 2005