As millions of Americans move through life weary and sleep-deprived, scientists are uncovering more and more evidence that insufficient slumber may cause hormonal shifts that boost both hunger and appetite -- particularly for fat-laden carb catastrophes like jelly-filled donuts and super-sized fries. (excite.com)

July 06, 2006

Researchers in Italy found that popular red wine grapes contain the sleep hormone melatonin. The alcohol in wine, long known to have a sedative effect, might be enhanced by melatonin in grapes. (sacbee.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Research

March 15, 2006

Strange behavior by insomniacs taking prescription drugs, ranging from binge eating to having sex while asleep, have raised safety questions about anti-insomnia medications such as Sanofi-Aventis’ Ambien. (MSNBC)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Insomnia

January 10, 2006

If you and your partner sleep apart, you may be lonely, but you're not alone. According to a 2005 National Sleep Foundation survey, 23 percent of partnered adults frequently sleep solo because of their loved one's snoring, kicking or other sleep problem. That number doesn't include those who bed down apart because of mismatched schedules or desire for different room temperatures, or to let an exhausted spouse avoid a tyke's wake-up calls. And though a small number of couples who opt for separate beds do so to recapture a sense of romance, for most, there's one simple fantasy: some decent rest. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Deprivation

October 31, 2005

... a wealth of sleep research has regularly produced baffling paradoxes and conflicting lines of evidence about the uses, role and need for sleep. If sleep is primarily about providing mental rest, why do people's brains remain so active during sleep, as research in recent decades has found? (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Research

October 09, 2005

With a good night's rest increasingly losing out to the Internet, e-mail, late-night cable and other distractions of modern life, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that too little or erratic sleep may be taking an unappreciated toll on Americans' health. (Washington Post)

Posted by hdiaries | Filed under: Sleep Deprivation

August 23, 2005

A drug could reverse the effects of sleep deprivation in the brain, a US study of monkeys has suggested.

The drug comes from a class of molecules called ampakines which enhance how some chemical receptors work in the brain. (BBC)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Deprivation

August 09, 2005

People who die in their sleep may stop breathing because they have lost too many brain cells, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. (Reuters)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Apnea

July 22, 2005

The government approved a new treatment for insomnia on Friday, the first prescription sleep aid not designated as a controlled substance. Called Rozerem, the drug works differently from its competitors. It is chemically related to the natural hormone melatonin, which helps regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle, and is thought to work by stimulating melatonin receptors in the brain. (AP)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Insomnia

May 28, 2005

With a splash of stomach acid that singes the esophagus, heartburn awakens many American adults two or more times a month. (Journal Gazette)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Deprivation

April 22, 2005

The surgical removal of tonsils and adenoid tissue helps improve sleep and quality of life for children with obstructive sleep apnea, researchers report. (Forbes)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Apnea

March 29, 2005

"According to the 2005 Sleep in America poll released Tuesday by the National Sleep Foundation, sleep is the 'great American divide' with only half the country sleeping well almost every night. The other half is split between those getting 'a good night's sleep' a few nights each week and those resting well a few nights a month or less."

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Sleep Deprivation