Sunday, January 11, 2009

Secondary Insomnia and the Drugs Used To Treat It

I previously posted about the diagnosis of insomnia, the difference between primary and secondary/comorbid insomnia, and the importance of evaluating for and treating any underlying causes of insomnia. I encourage you to read my Secondary Insomnia post before reading any more of this post. Today I will be talking more about medication treatment options for secondary (comorbid) insomnia. Although persons with primary insomnia (insomnia not... Read more ...

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, primarily used as a treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, improves glycemic (blood sugar) control during sleep in patients who also have type 2 diabetics, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Read more ...

Among children who undergo removal of their adenoids and tonsils to correct breathing problems when they're sleeping, obesity does not necessarily predict an unfavorable outcome, researchers from Greece report. Read more ...

People with sleep apnea are continually tired because of the sleep interruptions they experience from breathing interruptions during the night, and now it's been shown that loud snoring contributes to the problem. Read more ...

A reporter picks the top six health stories of 2008, including stem cell research, autism, and health care reform. Read more ...

A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that objectively measured snoring intensity is correlated with subjective sleepiness independent of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Read more ...

Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain, elevates blood pressure within the brain and eventually harms the brain's ability to modulate these changes and prevent damage to itself, according to a new study published by The American Physiological Society. The findings may help explain why people with sleep apnea are more likely to suffer strokes and to die in their sleep. Read more ...

Immune system works better at night

Immune system works better at night
A good night's sleep may truly be the best medicine, one new study suggests.

Longer sleep tied to worse cholesterol in seniors
Older people who spend more time sleeping have higher cholesterol levels, and less "good" HDL cholesterol, Dutch researchers report.

Tonsillectomy results unaffected by kids' obesity
Among children who undergo removal of their adenoids and tonsils to correct breathing problems when they're sleeping, obesity does not necessarily predict an unfavorable outcome, researchers from Greece report.

Study On Origin Of Mutation That Causes Fatal Familiar Insomnia
A PhD thesis at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has studied the origin of the mutation that causes Fatal Familiar Insomnia (FFI). In the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country there is a high rate of carriers of this mutation 50%of all the cases registered in the whole of Spain. Fatal Familiar Insomnia (FFI) is one of the diseases considered as rare there are less than 100 cases described throughout the world.

Adding Just A Few Pounds May Put You At Risk During Sleep - Holiday Weight Gain Holds Hidden Danger
Indulging in high-calorie foods during the holidays resulting in weight gain, especially around the neck, may lead to more problems than facing yourself in the mirror after the new year, says a Diplomat of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. Many Americans put on pounds during November and December, leading not only to new year's resolutions, but possibly significant impairment of their air passages during sleep, says Dr.

Immunity Stronger At Night Than During Day
The immune system's battle against invading bacteria reaches its peak activity at night and is lowest during the day. Experiments with the laboratory model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, reveal that the specific immune response known as phagocytosis oscillates with the body's circadian rhythm, according to Stanford researchers who presented their findings at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17, 2008 in San Francisco.