Sleep Disorder News and Research

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A sleep disorder (somnipathy) is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning. A test commonly ordered for some sleep disorders is the polysomnogram.

Sleep may enhance memory formation

Sleep could play a major role in our ability to form long-term memories, suggest study findings.

9 Jun 2014

Hypertensive pregnant women who snore may have unrecognized obstructive sleep apnea

1 in 2 hypertensive pregnant women who habitually snore may have unrecognized obstructive sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that can reduce blood oxygen levels during the night and that has been linked to serious health conditions, new University of Michigan-led research shows.

3 Jun 2014

Jazz Pharmaceuticals' JZP-110 improves symptoms of EDS in adults with narcolepsy

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc today presented data from the Phase 2b study evaluating JZP-110 (formerly known as ADX-N05) as a potential new treatment for the symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in adults with narcolepsy.

3 Jun 2014

Form of baclofen works better at treating narcolepsy

Neuroscientists at SRI International have found that a form of baclofen, a drug used to treat muscle spasticity, works better at treating narcolepsy than the best drug currently available when tested in mice.

8 May 2014

Pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnea more likely to die in hospital

Pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnea are more than five times as likely to die in the hospital than those without the sleep disorder, a comprehensive national study by the University of South Florida researchers found.

5 May 2014

Sleep disorder is the best current predictor of brain diseases, say U of T researchers

Researchers at the University of Toronto say a sleep disorder that causes people to act out their dreams is the best current predictor of brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

22 Apr 2014

Study shows obstructive sleep apnea is associated with increased risk of stroke, cancer and death

A new study shows that moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea is independently associated with an increased risk of stroke, cancer and death.

15 Apr 2014

New study may open door to better diagnosis, treatment for chronic insomnia

Johns Hopkins researchers report that people with chronic insomnia show more plasticity and activity than good sleepers in the part of the brain that controls movement.

3 Mar 2014

Sleep apnea may contribute to fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) might assume that the fatigue they often feel just comes with the territory of their chronic neurological condition.

17 Feb 2014

Poor quality sleep may cause widespread pain later in life

Poor quality sleep may be partly responsible for the aches and pains people develop as they grow older, according to a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

13 Feb 2014

Ferrer executes two agreements to support clinical studies of Lorediplon in insomnia patients

Ferrer, a privately-held Spanish pharmaceutical company, today announces that it has executed two agreements; with Ildong Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd, Korea and Ergomed Clinical Research Ltd, UK to support further clinical studies of Lorediplon in patients with insomnia.

3 Feb 2014

REM sleep, memory and depression: an interview with Dr Penny Lewis, University of Manchester

Usually you don’t go into REM until you’ve passed through all the other stages of sleep. The stage immediately before REM is slow-wave sleep.

From The University of Manchester 29 Jan 2014

Acute to chronic insomnia transition warns of depression risk

In patients with acute insomnia, long periods of light sleep may be the key driver to chronic insomnia and depression, research suggests.

27 Jan 2014

Implantation of sleep apnea device can lead to improvements for patients with OSA

Implantation of a sleep apnea device called Inspire- Upper Airway Stimulation therapy can lead to significant improvements for patients with obstructive sleep apnea, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

9 Jan 2014

Sleep disorder linked to poor nonmotor status in Parkinson’s disease

The presence of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is associated with more severe nonmotor symptoms in patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, a study shows.

8 Jan 2014

Researchers associate some insomnia symptoms with higher mortality risk in men

Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, affects up to one-third of the population in the United States. In new findings, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have found that some insomnia symptoms are associated with an increased risk of mortality in men.

20 Nov 2013

One in six fatal traffic accidents results from drowsy driving, show reports

Many of us make light of that relatively short drive home. But getting behind the wheel when you're sleepy can cost lives and lead to imprisonment and a hefty fine.

29 Oct 2013

Researchers find relationship between solar intensity and ADHD prevalence

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is the most common childhood psychiatric disorder. Scientists do not know what causes it, but genetics play a clear role. Other risk factors have also been identified, including premature birth, low birth weight, a mother's use of alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy, and environmental exposures to toxins like lead.

23 Oct 2013

Researchers discover how the body's muscles accidentally fall asleep while awake

Normally muscles contract in order to support the body, but in a rare condition known as cataplexy the body's muscles "fall asleep" and become involuntarily paralyzed. Cataplexy is incapacitating because it leaves the affected individual awake, but either fully or partially paralyzed. It is one of the bizarre symptoms of the sleep disorder called narcolepsy.

11 Oct 2013

Preoperative auto-titrated CPAP treatment benefits patients with OSA after surgery

An estimated 80 percent of patients who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) go undiagnosed, including Deanna G. McNeil, a 72-year-old nurse from Toronto. Before hip replacement surgery in 2010, Deanna completed the STOP-Bang questionnaire, created by Frances Chung, M.B.B.S., professor, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, Ontario. Based on the questionnaire, Deanna was suspected to have OSA.

19 Sep 2013