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A new study shows that many people diagnosed with sleep apnea or insomnia often suffer from attention deficit disorder, as well.

Seattle -- People who have difficulty sleeping at night or staying awake during the day may suffer from more than just a sleep disorder.

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By Phylis Campbell Dryden

Special to The Sleep-e Times

Back in December 2000, I boarded the auto train near Washington, D.C. with my infant grandson and daughter-in-law. Shortly after arriving in the Orlando, Florida area, I drove my rented car all the way from Cypress Gardens to the Panhandle section of the state, a trip of about ten hours.

Boston -- The rate of serious medical errors committed by first-year doctors in training (interns) in two intensive care units (ICUs) at a Boston hospital fell significantly when traditional 30-hour-in-a-row extended work shifts were eliminated and when interns’ continuous work schedule was limited to 16 hours, according to two complementary studies published in the October 28, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Durham, NC -- If adults stay up past their bedtime or do not get a good night’s sleep, they are usually worn out the next day.

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Brain's memory "storehouse" found

Durham, N,C. -- Neurobiologists have pinpointed the molecular storehouse that supplies the neurotransmitter receptor proteins used for learning-related changes in the brain.

Folks with high blood pressure may benefit from sleeping on their stomachs, according to a new study.

A quarter of Britain's bosses are likely to be in a bad mood at work because they don't get enough sleep, according to a study by Demos -- an independent British think tank. Half of sleep-deprived managers admitted to shouting at colleagues because of tiredness, and 19 percent said they were likely to make mistakes.

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There is new scientific evidence to support the time-honored advice to students cramming for exams to get themselves a good night's sleep after studying.

Chicago -- Vitamin E does not appear to have a beneficial effect on lower respiratory tract infections in elderly nursing home residents, but it may help them ward off upper respiratory tract infections, according to a study in the August 18 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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New York -- Officials at Ford Motor Co. said results of a comprehensive five-month study into drowsy driving has led to Volvo-developed safety technology that will be introduced later this decade.

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St. Paul, Minn. -- Imagine if you stopped breathing in the middle of the night. Now, imagine doing that hundreds of times a night, and according to statistics, that's what more than 12 million Americans suffer from each evening.

Researchers evaluated the cardiovascular changes that occur when people take modafinil (Provigil), a wakefulness-promoting drug that treats daytime sleepiness associated with sleep apnea, sleep disorders associated with working a night or rotating shift, and narcolepsy.

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By Phylis Campbell Dryden

Special to The Sleep-e Times

Back in December 2000, I boarded the auto train near Washington, D.C. with my infant grandson and daughter-in-law. Shortly after arriving in the Orlando, Florida area, I drove my rented car all the way from Cypress Gardens to the Panhandle section of the state, a trip of about ten hours.

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Carlsbad, Calif. -- Advanced Brain Monitoring, Inc., has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market it Apnea Risk Evaluation System (ARES).

As winter approaches, some will begin to feel sluggish and gloomy. Winter depression accounts for about 10% of cases of major depression. The November issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter examines this condition, referred to as seasonal affective disorder, and explores whether a little bright light can alter this dark mood.

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One in ten children snore regularly, and new research shows that risk factors for snoring may be different in boys and girls.

Nighttime administration of sodium oxybate, known in prescription form as Xyrem, reduces the need for anti-depressant drugs for the treatment of cataplexy and limits the dose of stimulant medication required during the day, according to a study published in the October issue of the journal Sleep.

New research about how alcohol affects sleep could lead to medications to address a common reason some alcoholics go back to drinking — disturbed sleep when they try to stop, according to investigators from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.

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Circadian rhythms are controls for lung function, study finds

Circadian rhythms, the body's biological processes that repeat in 24-hour cycles, may have a significant effect on a person's lung function and, ultimately, help determine the best time of day for exercise and the administration of medications and medical procedures.

Boston -- The rate of serious medical errors committed by first-year doctors in training (interns) in two intensive care units (ICUs) at a Boston hospital fell significantly when traditional 30-hour-in-a-row extended work shifts were eliminated and when interns’ continuous work schedule was limited to 16 hours, according to two complementary studies published in the October 28, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Awake In America launches;
two groups form

Philadelphia -- Awake In America, Inc., a national organization focused on sleep and sleep disorders, has officially launched.

Iron-deficient cells in the brain are mixing up central nervous system signals to the legs and arms causing the irresistible urges to move and creepy-crawly sensations that characterize restless legs syndrome (RLS), a Penn State College of Medicine study reports.

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Breathing problems during sleep
may impact mental development
in infants, young children

Bethesda, Md. -- Children who have problems breathing during sleep tend to score lower on tests of mental development and intelligence than do other children their age, according to two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both studies appear in the October issue of Journal of Pediatrics.

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NIH awards $7.9 million grant to study RLS

Washington -- A multi-institution research team recently was awarded a $7.9 million grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health to study the causes of restless legs syndrome and the effectiveness of iron therapies to treat it.

Book Review

By Michele Narcavage

Sleep-e Times Staff Writer

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) are two common movement disorders that prevent many people from getting a good night's sleep.

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In an effort to develop a simpler test to identify commercial truck drivers who suffer from severe sleep apnea and who might fall asleep at the wheel, medical investigators have developed a two-stage strategy combining questions about the symptoms of sleep apnea, with body weight data, plus a test for oxygen concentration in the blood when needed.

Although people with a high body mass index (BMI) are at increased risk of gastro-esophageal reflux (GER), diet and exercise patterns are not to blame, US study findings suggest.

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