UCLA researchers identify brain cells responsible for keeping us awake

Bright light arouses us. Bright light makes it easier to stay awake. Very bright light not only arouses us but is known to have antidepressant effects. Conversely, dark rooms can make us sleepy. It’s the reason some people use masks to make sure light doesn’t wake them while they sleep.

Read more

Wake Forest Baptist conducts clinical study for insomnia using new technology

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – June 30, 2011 – Insomnia is the most prevalent sleep disorder, affecting up to 50 percent of the adult population in the United States on a weekly basis.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is conducting the first ever, randomized, controlled clinical research study in the country using Brainwave Optimization™ to treat people with insomnia. Brainwave Optimization™ is a non-invasive technology that helps the brain balance itself for optimal performance.

Read more

Researchers discover compound with potent effects on the biological clock

Using automated screening techniques developed by pharmaceutical companies to find new drugs, researchers from UC San Diego and three other research institutions have discovered a molecule with the most potent effects ever seen on the biological clock. Dubbed “longdaysin,” for its ability to dramatically slow down the biological clock, the new compound could pave the way for a host of new drugs to treat severe sleep disorders or quickly reset the biological clocks of jet-lagged travelers who regularly travel across multiple time zones. The researchers demonstrated the dramatic effects of longdaysin by lengthening the biological clocks of larval zebra fish by more than 10 hours. The article will be published in next week’s issue of the online, open access journal PLoS Biology.

Read more

WSU researchers discover key mechanism behind sleep

Finding holds promise for treatment of fatigue and sleep disorders, more detailed understanding of brain

SPOKANE, Wash.— Washington State University researchers have discovered the mechanism by which the brain switches from a wakeful to a sleeping state. The finding clears the way for a suite of discoveries, from sleeping aids to treatments for stroke and other brain injuries.

Read more

Study finds an increased risk of death in men with insomnia and a short sleep duration

Study is the first to demonstrate that chronic insomnia with objectively measured short sleep duration is associated with increased mortality in men

DARIEN, Ill. – A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP found an elevated risk of death in men with a complaint of chronic insomnia and an objectively measured short sleep duration. The results suggest that public health policy should emphasize the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of chronic insomnia.

Read more

New study suggests tart cherry juice can be a natural solution for insomnia

Researchers find red hot Super Fruit aids sleep in older adults

LANSING, Mich., July 12, 2010 – Drinking tart cherry juice daily could help reduce the severity of insomnia and time spent awake after going to sleep, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food¹.

Read more

Sleep colors your view of the world: Study suggests sleep may restore color perception

Contact: Kathleen McCann
kmccann@aasmnet.org
708-492-0930
American Academy of Sleep Medicine Read more

Long-term study links chronic insomnia to increased risk of death

Mortality risk in people with chronic insomnia was three times higher than in people without insomnia

Read more

New use for old drugs in treating hepatitis C

Common drugs used to treat conditions such as diabetes and obesity could be used to successfully treat hepatitis C virus infection.

Research led by the University of Leeds has found drugs such as anti-diabetic drug Metformin and AICAR, used to combat obesity, can prevent the hepatitis C virus from replicating in the body.

Read more

New Internet Intervention Gives Insomnia Patients a Better Night´s Sleep

UVA Health System Study Finds Nearly Three-Fourths of Patients Reported Notable Sustained Improvements in Sleep

The estimated one-third of adults who suffer from insomnia could soon find effective treatment without ever leaving their homes.  Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have developed a unique Internet-based intervention, based on well-established face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, that has shown remarkable results in improving patients’ sleep.

Read more