Copyright 2012 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/sleep/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241362.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241362.phpThe molecular pathway that carries time-of-day signals from the body's internal clock to ultimately guide daily behavior is like a black box, says Amita Sehgal, PhD, the John Herr Musser Professor of Neuroscience and Co-Director, Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241238.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241238.php Merck has announced positive results in a phase 3 trial of its insomnia drug. It's a key player in the companies up and coming products, especially considering the loss of patent protection on its top drugs for asthma and allergys...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241110.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241110.phpNighttime visits to the bathroom are generally associated with being pregnant or having an enlarged prostate, but the problem can affect youngsters, too. A new study sheds light on why some children may need to urinate more often during the rest cycle...Urology / Nephrology Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241096.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241096.phpPeople with severe sleep apnea may have an increased risk of silent strokes and small lesions in the brain, according to a small study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012. "We found a surprisingly high frequency of sleep apnea in patients with stroke that underlines its clinical relevance as a stroke risk factor," said Jessica Kepplinger, M.D...Stroke Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240928.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240928.phpA study published in Nature Genetics has found new evidence for a link between the body clock hormone melatonin and type 2 diabetes. The study found that people who carry rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes...Diabetes Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240645.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240645.phpEven though insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, it is often left unrecognized and untreated, despite advances in diagnosis and management. The risk of developing other illnesses, such as diabetes, depression, hypertension, and possibly even death in older adults increases if insomnia is left untreated...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240499.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240499.phpNew research from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person's appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people's risk of becoming overweight in the long run...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240437.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240437.phpA recent study by sleep researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the first to suggest that a person's emotional response after witnessing an unsettling picture or traumatic event is greatly reduced if the person stays awake afterward, and that sleep strongly "protects" the negative emotional response...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240381.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240381.php 1. High Doses of Vitamin D Provide No Benefit to Patients with Severe COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the top 10 leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Vitamin D deficiency is present in 60 percent to 75 percent of patients with severe COPD...COPD Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240257.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240257.phpExposure to light appears to have therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's disease patients, a Wayne State University researcher has found. In a study published recently in the Western Journal of Nursing Research, LuAnn Nowak Etcher, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing, reported that patients treated with blue-green light were perceived by their caregivers as having improved global functioning...Alzheimer's / Dementia Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240179.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240179.phpNew research at Oregon State University provides evidence for the first time that disruption of circadian rhythms - the biological "clocks" found in many animals - can clearly cause accelerated neurodegeneration, loss of motor function and premature death. The study was published in Neurobiology of Disease and done by researchers at OSU and Oregon Health and Science University...Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239894.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239894.phpA new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder could be a wake-up call for parents of toddlers: Daytime naps for your kids may be more important than you think...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239802.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239802.phpNew research finds that many young people with type 1 diabetes struggle to get a good night's sleep and this leads to increased health and behavior problems, such as poorer control of blood sugar and worsening of academic performance...Diabetes Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239590.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239590.php A new UCLA study shows that physicians who work shorter shifts are less likely to make mistakes during medical procedures. Dr. Christian De Virgilio, lead investigator at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor- UCL A Medical Center (LA BioMed), led a team that studied the medical records of 2,470 patients who had undergone laparoscopic gallbladder surgery...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239599.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239599.php A survey of police officers in the US and Canada finds that about 40% have a sleep disorder, and this is significantly linked to a raised risk of adverse health, performance, and safety issues. The researchers report their findings online this week in JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239519.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239519.phpA survey of police officers indicated that about 40 percent have a sleep disorder, which was associated with an increased risk of adverse health, safety and performance outcomes, according to a study in the December 21 issue of JAMA. Sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and shift work disorder, affect 50 to 70 million U.S. residents...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239487.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239487.php Children may have a better quality of life (QOL) and diminished cardiovascular disease risk from the decreased endothelin 1 (ET-1) levels after adenotonsillectomy, according to new research published in the December 2011 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. SDB is an increasingly common indication for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy due to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)...Ear, Nose and Throat Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239374.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239374.phpAlmost two-thirds of women in British Columbia filled at least one prescription at some point in their pregnancy, including drugs with potential risks, according to a new study by University of British Columbia researchers. The study, published online in the journal Clinical Therapeutics, is the first of its kind in Canada...Pregnancy / Obstetrics Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239308.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239308.phpAccording to research published in BMJ Open, undiagnosed chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) may be responsible for almost 1% of non-truant children who miss extended time off school...Pediatrics / Children's Health Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239232.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239232.phpMen who have lost their partner to cancer and who are still single four to five years after their loss run a far greater risk of developing mental illness than those who have managed to find a new partner, reveals a unique study of 691 Swedish widowers carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy. More than 22,000 people die of cancer in Sweden each year...Mental Health Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239280.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/239280.phpPatients with obstructive sleep apnea who use a face mask during their slumber hours were found to have significantly improved blood pressure, levels of stomach fat (visceral fat), and cholesterol and blood sugar levels - all factors closely related to metabolic syndrome and heart health, researchers reported in NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine)...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239179.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/239179.phpA team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University has made a major breakthrough by unraveling the inner workings of melatonin, also known as the "sleep hormone." The research, conducted in collaboration with scientists in Italy, reveals the key role played by the melatonin receptor in the brain that promotes deep, restorative sleep...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238925.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238925.php Americans seeking a better night's sleep may need to look no further than tart cherry juice, according to a new study in the European Journal of Nutrition...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238745.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238745.phpOlder women with weaker circadian rhythms, who are less physically active or are more active later in the day are more likely to develop dementia or mild cognitive impairment than women who have a more robust circadian rhythm or are more physically active earlier in the day. That's the finding of a new study in the latest issue of the Annals of Neurology...Alzheimer's / Dementia Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238564.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238564.php People with obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to stick to prescribed treatment when a partner or parent is involved with their treatment, according to a team of sleep researchers. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway collapses during sleep. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, and chances of it occurring become more elevated in obese people...Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia