| Welcome to Insomnia Cure
— your comprehensive insomnia resource. Our
mission is to give you the facts you need about insomnia
— fast — so you can get on the road to taking
action right away`.
The Insomnia Cure website
provides a ton of information about insomnia.
In addition, you will find extensive information on leading
insomnia to help you on your way to success.
Please have a look at our insomnia articles,
products, resources, and additional information located
throughout Insomnia Cure.
We strive to provide only quality articles, so if there
is a specific topic related to insomnia that you
would like us to cover, please contact us at any time.
And again, thank you to those contributing daily to our
Insomnia website.
Sleep disorder may signal dementia, Parkinson's disease up to 50 years early
A new study shows that a sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed.
Our children aren't sleeping and we're medicating them, survey finds
A new survey of child psychiatrists indicates that insomnia is a major problem among children in mental health treatment and at least a quarter of these patients are given sleep medication. The results of the survey suggests that management of insomnia in this population is a common practice, although the clinical approach varies widely.
Exposure to early evening sunlight in spring creates teenage night owls
In the spring, later sunset and extended daylight exposure delay bedtimes in teenagers, according to new research.
Blind mice can 'see' thanks to special retinal cells
A new study shows mice without rods and cones function can still see -- and not just light, but also patterns and images -- thanks to a third kind of photosensitive cell in the retina.
Obstructive sleep apnea linked with later risk of heart disease
Severe obstructive sleep apnea may raise the risk of heart failure in middle-aged and older men. Obstructive sleep apnea significantly predicts the risk of coronary heart disease in men up to age 70. Researchers didn't find a link in women, but said further study is warranted.
Pain, dry mouth may play role in sleep quality of head and neck cancer patients
Head and neck cancer patients who reported poor sleep quality one year after diagnosis had more symptoms of chronic pain and complaints of dry mouth related to radiation treatments, according to a recent study.
Intoxicating fragrance: Jasmine as valium substitute
Instead of a sleeping pill or a mood enhancer, a nose full of jasmine from Gardenia jasminoides could also help, according to researchers in Germany. They have discovered that the two fragrances Vertacetal-coeur (VC) and the chemical variation (PI24513) have the same molecular mechanism of action and are as strong as the commonly prescribed barbiturates or propofol.
Delayed school start time associated with improvements in adolescent behaviors
A short delay in school start time appears to be associated with significant improvements in adolescent alertness, mood and health, according to a new study.
Brain's energy restored during sleep, suggests animal study
In the initial stages of sleep, energy levels increase dramatically in brain regions found to be active during waking hours, according to new research. These results suggest that a surge of cellular energy may replenish brain processes needed to function normally while awake.
System that controls sleep may be same for most mammals
In a novel mathematical model that reproduces sleep patterns for multiple species, an international team of researchers has demonstrated that the neural circuitry that controls the sleep/wake cycle in humans may also control the sleep patterns of 17 different mammalian species.
Breast milk transmits drugs and medicines to the baby
Give up smoking, do not drink more than three cups of coffee per day, do not take any kind of drug, or if you do, take it as long as possible before feeding your baby. These are some of the recommendations contained in a study produced by researchers on methods for detecting medicines and drugs in breast milk. The study shows that the risk from substances such as alcohol is still not well understood.
Jetting off without the jet lag
Everyone hates the jet lag that accompanies travel to locations in different time zones. The symptoms of jet lag are caused by misalignment of a person's internal body clock and external time. New research provides insight into the molecular mechanisms responsible for resetting the internal body clock in the mouse, data that point to potential therapies to overcome jet lag.
REM sleep deprivation plays a role in chronic migraine
New research shows that sleep deprivation leads to changes in the levels of key proteins that facilitate events involved in the underlying pathology of migraine.
Exercise may be an effective and nonpharmacologic treatment option for alcohol dependence
Alcohol abuse is highly disruptive of circadian rhythms, which refers to the timing of daily rhythms. A new animal study has used hamsters to test for the influence of wheel-running on alcohol intake. Results indicate that exercise, perhaps through stimulation of brain reward pathways, may be able to reduce alcohol intake in humans.
Sleep quality of soldiers with migraine is poor
Some 19 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq have migraine and migraine is suspected in another 17 percent, according to recent research. While prevalence of migraine among the US military is well documented, little is known about sleep quality in soldiers with chronic headaches including post-traumatic headache and migraine.
Puberty and sleep regulation can influence alcohol use during early adolescence
Alcohol is known to disrupt sleep, but little is known about alcohol use and sleep problems during adolescence. A new study has found that puberty is related to sleep problems and later bedtimes, which were in turn associated with alcohol use.
Lifestyle intervention reduces preschoolers' body fat, improves fitness
Migrant children are at increased risk of obesity, but a new study shows that a program teaching multiple lifestyle changes to predominantly migrant preschoolers and their parents helps the children reduce body fat and improve fitness.
New link between pollution, temperature and sleep-disordered breathing
Researchers have established the first link between air pollution and sleep-disordered breathing, a known cause of cardiovascular diseases.
Insomniacs have different brains, researcher says
The brains of older adults with chronic sleep problems look different from those of adults who have enjoyed enough sleep. Yet the older adults function well despite their lack of sleep. They switch to a continuous form of mild stress, as a result of which they sometimes even perform better than contemporaries who enjoy a good night's sleep, according to a Dutch researcher.
Bright light therapy improves sleep disturbances in soldiers with combat PTSD, research finds
Bright light therapy has significant effects on sleep disturbances associated with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, according to new research.
Long-term study links chronic insomnia to increased risk of death
The adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was three times higher in people with chronic insomnia (HR = 3.0) than in people without insomnia. When examining individual subtypes of insomnia, the risk of death was elevated, regardless of which subtype people reported. The risk of death was two to three times higher in individuals with one of the four insomnia subtypes. The study involved 2,242 participants.
Sleep preference can predict performance of Major League Baseball pitchers
In early games that started before 7 p.m., the earned run average (ERA) of pitchers who were morning types (3.06) was lower than the average ERA of pitchers who were evening types (3.49); however, in games that started at 7 p.m. or later, pitchers who were evening types performed slightly better (4.07 ERA) than morning types (4.15 ERA). The study involved 18 pitchers from five MLB teams, using the players' statistics from the 2009 season.
High-school seniors with excessive daytime sleepiness have an increased risk of depression
High school seniors were three times more likely to have strong depression symptoms (odds ratio = 3.04) if they had excessive daytime sleepiness. Fifty-two percent of participants had excessive daytime sleepiness, 30 percent had strong depression symptoms and 32 percent had some symptoms of depression. Students reported a mean total sleep time on school nights of only 6.1 hours. The study involved 262 high-school seniors.
CPAP therapy provides a memory boost for adults with sleep apnea
On an overnight picture memory consolidation task, OSA patients being treated with CPAP therapy outperformed both untreated OSA patients and a control group of people who did not have OSA, suggesting that CPAP is effective at recouping memory abilities that are impaired by OSA. CPAP patients correctly identified more photographs after one night of sleep. The study involved a preliminary sample of 135 adults between the ages of 33 and 65 years.
Childhood parasomnias such as sleepwalking and bedwetting may persist into adolescence
Although incident parasomnias are uncommon as children enter adolescence, parasomnias present in preadolescents may persist into the teen years, according to a new research.
Biologists isolate genes that regulate the sleep-feeding conflict: New insights into how brain chooses between critical survival behaviors
A team of biologists has isolated genes that regulate the sleep-feeding conflict. The study offers new insights into how the brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival.
Teen automobile crash rates are higher when school starts earlier
In 2008 the teen crash rate was about 41 percent higher in Virginia Beach, Va., where high school classes began at 7:20 a.m., than in adjacent Chesapeake, Va., where classes started more than an hour later at 8:40 a.m. There were 65.4 automobile crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers in Virginia Beach, and 46.2 crashes for every 1,000 teen drivers in Chesapeake. The two adjoining cities have similar demographics, including racial composition and per capita income.
Long sleep duration linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in older adults
Participants reporting a daily sleep duration of eight hours or more including naps were 15 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome. This relationship remained unchanged after full adjustment for potential confounders. Participants who reported a short sleep duration of less than six hours initially were 14 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome; this association disappeared after controlling for potential confounders. Participants were 29,310 people 50 years of age or older in Guangzhou, China.
Sleep colors your view of the world: Study suggests sleep may restore color perception
Prior wakefulness caused the color gray to be classified as having a slightly but significantly greenish tint. Overnight sleep restored perception to achromatic equilibrium so that gray was perceived as gray. The study involved five people who viewed a full-field, homogenous stimulus of either slightly reddish or greenish hue. The observers had to judge whether the stimulus was greener or redder than their internal perception of neutral gray.
Sleep may help you become a 'Guitar Hero'
The improvement in performance accuracy on "Guitar Hero III" was greater after a night of sleep than after a similar length of daytime wakefulness. At acquisition participants played about 61 percent of the notes correctly. Performance accuracy improved to 63 percent in the wake condition and 68 percent in the sleep condition. The study involved 15 college students -- 13 women and two men -- with a mean age of 20 years.
CPAP therapy restores brain tissue in adults with sleep apnea, study finds
Obstructive sleep apnea patients had reductions of grey-matter volume at baseline but showed significant grey-matter volume increase after three months of CPAP therapy, according to new research.
Sleep problems are common in US soldiers returning from wartime deployment
Study shows that 86 percent of participants had sleep disturbances upon return from deployment and 45 days later even though the majority of them had no signs of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Soldiers were more likely to have sleep disturbances if they had a personal history of sleep problems, symptoms of physical illness or mild traumatic brain injury. The study involved 58 US soldiers between the ages of 23 and 58 years.
More adults report excessive sleepiness in the US than in Europe
Results indicate that 19.5 percent of US adults reported having moderate to excessive sleepiness, which was comparable between men and women. Furthermore, 11 percent of participants reported severe sleepiness, which was more prevalent in women (13 percent) than in men (8.6 percent). The cross-sectional study involved a representative sample of 8,937 adults. In a previous study the author reported that the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness in five European countries was 15 percent.
Sleep apnea in children and teens to linked to lower academic grades
Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea was linked to lower academic grades and behavioral concerns expressed by parents and teachers. Students with moderate to severe OSA averaged a half-letter grade lower than those without sleep-disordered breathing, and none of the students with moderate to severe OSA had an "A" average. OSA was particularly associated with inattention and poor study skills in real-world situations. Participants were 163 children and adolescents, 10 to 17 years old.
Sleep-deprived nurses may struggle to remain vigilant during 12-hour shifts
Among nurses working successive 12-hour shifts, 39 percent had moderate lapses of attention on a vigilance test and seven percent had frequent lapses. Factors associated with lapses included sleep prior to shift, caffeine use and fatigue levels. Average total sleep time between 12-hours shifts was only 5.5 hours, and night-shift nurses averaged only about 5.2 hours of sleep. The study involved 80 registered nurses who were working three successive 12-hour shifts.
Planes, trains and automobiles: Traffic noise disturbs sleep, affects morning performance
Mean reaction time on a morning psychomotor vigilance task slowed significantly by 3.6 ms after exposure to recorded traffic noise during sleep, and slowed reactions were directly and significantly related to increases in both the frequency and sound-pressure level of the nightly noise events. The sound of passing trains caused the highest awakening and arousal probabilities followed by automobile traffic and airplane noise; however, each mode of noise caused a similar level of impairment.
Highly variable sleep schedules predict elevated suicide risk
In actively suicidal young adults, highly variable sleep schedules predicted an elevated risk for suicide at one week and three weeks independent of depression. Time of mean sleep onset varied by three hours, and time of sleep offset varied by 2.8 hours. Sleep irregularity also was the only sleep-related variable to predict greater mood lability, which in turn predicted elevated suicidal symptoms. Participants were 49 actively suicidal undergraduate students from 19-23 years old.
Seasonal variance in sleep-disordered breathing in young children, study finds
The prevalence of mild sleep-disordered breathing in young children may fluctuate seasonally, suggests new research.
'Sexsomnia' is common in sleep center patients, study finds
Sexsomnia -- initiating or engaging in sexual activity with a bed partner while asleep -- was reported by almost 8 percent of patients at a sleep disorders center and was nearly three times more common in men (11 percent) than in women (4 percent), according to a new study.
Questionnaires help dentists screen for sleep-disordered breathing in children
Questionnaires can help dentists screen for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in a pediatric population. SDB includes obstructive sleep apnea, upper-airway resistance syndrome, and snoring.
Tongue measurements may help dentists determine oral appliance therapy success for sleep apnea
The ratio between tongue volume and bony enclosure size in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may help dentists calculate oral appliance treatment success.
Sleep apnea patients using oral appliance therapy show high efficacy and compliance
Between 31 and 53 months after beginning oral appliance therapy, sleep apnea treatment remained effective, according to new research. Subjective daytime sleepiness, fatigue severity and quality of life also remained improved.
Nasendoscopy proves useful in predicting treatment success in sleep apnea patients
Japan-based research shows that nasendoscopy may help dentists predict oral appliance therapy success in sleep apnea patients.
Sleep-disordered breathing is common but hard to detect in pediatric patients
In a new study, an estimated 18 percent of pediatric patients were found to be at risk for sleep-related breathing disorders. Pediatric risk was not associated with any demographic or craniofacial characteristics, as it is in adults, making it difficult to detect.
US dental schools leave graduates unprepared to screen for sleep disorders, study suggests
The majority of US dental schools have not adequately prepared their graduates to screen for sleep disorders, which affect more than 70 million adults in the US, according to new research.
Brain injuries may result in trouble sleeping, study finds
People with brain injuries may produce low amounts of melatonin, which affects their sleep, according to a new study.
Popular autism diet does not demonstrate behavioral improvement
A popular belief that specific dietary changes can improve the symptoms of children with autism was not supported by a tightly controlled study, which found that eliminating gluten and casein from the diets of children with autism had no impact on their behavior, sleep or bowel patterns.
Poor children more vulnerable to effects of poor sleep
Researchers studying 140 children in third to fifth grades found that elementary-school-age children from poor families are more vulnerable to the effects of poor sleep than their peers. Researchers gathered information using parents' and children's reports, as well as motion sensors worn by the children at night to examine their sleep.
|