Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Researchers reveal effects of noise on premature babies' sensory abilities

Premature birth is a harsh change of environment for a baby. Until birth, the baby is confined to the mother's womb, surrounded by soft lighting and filtered noise. When infants are born, they are attacked by several visual, sound, and tactile stimulations. These stimulations thus constitute unpleasant factors for them.

23 Mar 2016

OHSU researchers link infrequent computer use, brain imaging signs in early-stage Alzheimer's patients

A new study sheds light on a powerful tool that may detect signs of Alzheimer's disease before patients show any symptoms of cognitive decline: the home computer.

23 Mar 2016

Sleep suppresses homeostatic rebalancing of brain activity

Why humans and other animals sleep is one of the remaining deep mysteries of physiology. One prominent theory in neuroscience is that sleep is when the brain replays memories "offline" to better encode them ("memory consolidation").

22 Mar 2016

Chronic lack of sleep lowers grades of students

Students who have a chronic lack of sleep have lower grades and find it harder to concentrate. Around a third of students do not feel well rested enough to be able to study properly.

22 Mar 2016

Highly educated women with BMI at increased risk of depression

Even with higher education, women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30-34.9 (obese I) have double the risk of depression compared with women of normal weight and same educational attainment, according to a new study conducted by a sociologist at Rice University.

22 Mar 2016

Crash risk higher among truck drivers not adhering to sleep apnea treatment

Truck drivers who have obstructive sleep apnea and who do not attempt to adhere to a mandated treatment program have a fivefold increase in the risk of a severe crash, according to a new study co-authored by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researchers and featured in the March 21 online edition of the journal Sleep.

22 Mar 2016

Teach-to-goal inhaler education improves mastery of life-saving technique

A rescue inhaler can be a lifesaver during an asthma or COPD flareup, but using a rescue inhaler is complicated and misuse is common, putting patients' lives at risk. An education strategy, called teach-to-goal, may help patients use their inhalers properly during these critical times, according to research published online ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

21 Mar 2016

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