Latest sleep deprivation Stories

Scientists have discovered an unexpected brain mechanism that modulates the regulation of sleep and the consequences of sleep deprivation. The research, published by Cell Press in the January 29th issue of the journal Neuron, opens new avenues for development of treatments for disorders and cognitive deficits associated with sleep loss.Glial cells are brain cells that do not transmit nerve impulses the way that neurons do. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that play multiple supportive...

U.S. researchers announced on Tuesday that an extra hour of sleep a day lowers the possibility of calcium deposits in the arteries, a forerunner to heart disease.The discovery contributes to the list of health outcomes, like weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure."We found that people who on average slept longer were at reduced risk of developing new coronary artery calcifications over five years," said Diane Lauderdale of the University of Chicago Medical Center."It was...

Having teens start school one hour later, allowing students to sleep longer, resulted in a drop in teen auto accidents, U.S. researchers said. Senior author Dr. Barbara Phillips, director of the University of Kentucky Healthcare Good Samaritan Sleep Center in Lexington, said that when school started an hour later students reported sleeping from 12 minutes to 30 minutes more per night. The percentage of students who got at least eight hours of sleep per weeknight increased significantly...

A study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that after a one-hour delay of school start times, teens increased their average nightly hours of sleep and decreased their "catch-up sleep" on the weekends, and they were involved in fewer auto accidents.When school started one hour later students averaged from 12 minutes (grade nine) to 30 minutes (grade 12) more self-reported nightly sleep. The percentage of students who got at least eight hours of sleep...

Findings may help explain how sleep-deprived people stay alertJust one night without sleep can increase the amount of the chemical dopamine in the human brain, according to new imaging research in the August 20 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Because drugs that increase dopamine, like amphetamines, promote wakefulness, the findings offer a potential mechanism explaining how the brain helps people stay awake despite the urge to sleep. However, the study also shows that the increase in...

You're tired. You could put your head down on a desk right now and fall asleep immediately. You went to bed late last night, had trouble falling asleep and woke up too early. And let's not kid ourselves: Tonight will be the same unless ... well, read on. This is the classic not-so-shut-eye experience of many Americans who think they are sleep-deprived and possibly need pills or other treatment to fix their insomnia, teeth grinding, jet lag, restless or jerky legs, snoring,...

By Leonard Doyle Disturbing video shows teenager weeping during interrogation An unprecedented glimpse into the harsh conditions at Guantanamo Bay has emerged via a grainy video of a weeping Canadian teenager undergoing interrogation after he had been tortured by sleep deprivation for three weeks. The longest portion of video, an eight-minute segment, shows a sobbing Omar Khadr, just past his 16th birthday, burying his head in his hands and moaning "help me, help me" as Canadian...

New research shows that people that get fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night or more than nine are the most likely to be obese. The government study is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big stomachs.The research also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use.Dr. Ron Kramer, a Colorado physician and a spokesman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said the research adds weight to a stream of studies that have...

Somnambulism (sleepwalking), which usually involves misperception and unresponsiveness to the environment, mental confusion and amnesia about sleepwalking episodes, affects up to 4 percent of adults. There has been a sharp rise in the number of studies relating sleepwalking to aggressive and injurious behaviors, including homicides, but unlike most sleep disorders, sleepwalking is diagnosed on the basis of the patient's clinical history, since there is no proven method of confirming the...

WESTCHESTER, Ill. - The field of presidential contenders dwindled Wednesday when former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) dropped out of the race. As Super Tuesday approaches, however, the Democratic and Republican frontrunners will continue to face a formidable challenge from sleep deprivation.The demands of this competitive primary season will intensify this weekend as the candidates visit many of the 24 states that will hold a primary or caucus this...