Sleep News and Research

Latest Sleep News and Research

Scientists spot mechanism behind promising new sleep drug

An experimental drug called gaboxadol may soon help millions of bleary-eyed insomniacs get to sleep, and a multi-center team of U.S. scientists believes they've pinpointed just how the drug works.

1 Nov 2006

New evidence says SIDS caused by abnormality in the brainstem

According to a new study by researchers in the U.S. some babies who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) do so because of an abnormality in the serotonin system in their brains.

1 Nov 2006

Implantable chip to establish new nerve connections in brain area that controls movement

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) are working on an implantable electronic chip that may help establish new nerve connections in the part of the brain that controls movement.

24 Oct 2006

Overweight women more likely to have polycystic ovary syndrome

Overweight and obese Spanish women appear five times as likely as lean women to have polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that decreases fertility and contributes to other illnesses, according to an article in the October 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 Oct 2006

Period 2 gene - key component of the circadian time-keeping system

By investigating how animals can predict the timing of food availability, researchers have identified the first gene critical for anticipation of mealtime. This gene, called Period 2, is a key component of the circadian time-keeping system.

23 Oct 2006

Wall Street Journal examines debate over alternative HRT to treat menopausal symptoms

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday examined the debate over the risks and efficacy of alternatives to hormone replacement therapy for treatment of menopausal symptoms.

23 Oct 2006

Victhom files provisional sleep apnea patent application

Victhom Human Bionics announced that, after a series of pilot animal studies on potential medical indications of its Closed Loop System (the CLS Neuromodulator).

19 Oct 2006

Beat those bedtime battles with 'sleep training'

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has found, following a review of 52 studies, that behavioral strategies can help children learn to fall asleep, and stay asleep.

16 Oct 2006

Shift workers sleep better in a dark room

New research from the U.S. has shed a light on why many night and early morning shift workers have problems sleeping.

16 Oct 2006

Health drugs recommended for depression lack sound scientific backing

According to a new study the majority of drugs recommended by health shops to treat depression have no sound scientific backing.

5 Oct 2006

Taking sildenafil will worsen sleep apnea

According to Brazilian researchers, taking Viagra (sildenafil) at bedtime may aggravate breathing problems in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea.

4 Oct 2006

Smoke alarm using parent's voice more effective in rousing children

A new study has found that a smoke alarm using a parent's voice is significantly more effective than a conventional tone alarm for waking children who are sleeping soundly.

2 Oct 2006

Unpleasant memories from intensive care

"Being cared for in an intensive care unit (ICU) can never be an especially positive experience. But at any rate it should not mean that the care improves the patient's physical condition only to leave him or her with severe mental problems!"

20 Sep 2006

New campaign to educate about peripheral arterial disease

More than 8 million men and women - one in 20 adults - have peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D), a largely unrecognized condition which puts them at risk for heart attack and stroke.

13 Sep 2006

Brain scans show unconscious woman played tennis in her head

Neuroscientists at Britain's Cambridge University say functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI brain scans appear to show that a woman in a vegetative state seemed to play tennis in her head despite the fact that she had been unconscious for five months after a motor vehicle accident.

11 Sep 2006

Long hours cause of medical errors among residents

More than 80% of first-year medical residents work more hours than allowed by national accreditation rules, according to two studies published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Washington Post reports (Washington Post, 9/6).

6 Sep 2006

FDA approves AbioCor permanent artificial heart for humanitarian uses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first totally implanted artificial heart for patients with advanced heart failure involving both pumping chambers of the heart under the Humanitarian Use Device (HUD) provisions of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

5 Sep 2006