Doctors Orders

Yawning helps keep the brain cool, and the sinuses play a role in that process by acting as bellows, a new report suggests.

Yawning isn’t triggered because you’re bored, tired or need oxygen. Rather, yawning helps regulate the brain’s temperature, according to Gary Hack, of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and Andrew Gallup, of Princeton University.

“The brain is exquisitely sensitive to temperature changes and therefore must be protected from overheating,” they said in a University of Maryland news release. ...

Diabetes is one of the most serious health problems in the United States and around the world. According to Centers for Disease Control estimates, 1 in 10 American adults currently has diabetes. And, if the CDC projections are correct, those numbers will double or even triple over the next 40 years.

There are well-established links between disrupted sleep and risk of type 2 diabetes. But the exact relationship between the two is not fully understood. In the ongoing effort to better ...

There’s more news about complications that can arise from prescription sleep medication: Side effects from a common prescription sleep aid are sending increasing numbers of people to emergency departments.

The number of people seeking emergency medical treatment for the adverse effects of sleep medications containing zolpidem has risen dramatically in recent years, according to a new federal report. Zolpidem is the active ingredient in several of the most commonly prescribed sleep medications, including Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, and Zolpimist.

The report was ...

Calories in, calories out. We’ve all heard this basic, fundamental calculation regarding weight loss and weight gain. To lose weight, we must expend more calories than we take in. Consume more than you need, and the result? The pounds go on. Turns out, lack of sleep may increase daily calorie consumption, and contribute to weight gain.

There is a tremendous amount of evidence that sleep plays an important role in weight management. Insufficient sleep is strongly linked to obesity and metabolic ...

It is well-known that people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty with sleep. One of the areas the disease attacks is the sleep/wake center of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This results in severe problems with the timing of falling asleep and waking up – thus the link between Alzheimer’s and the sleep cycle. This can become maddening for family members and caregivers trying to cope with nighttime wanderings and people who sleep most of the day.

Interestingly, several recent ...

I don’t know about you, but when my sinuses are bothering me it’s tough to fall asleep. You lay your head back and it almost feels like you are drowning. Plus, there’s all that pressure in your head. Even propped up, you know you’ll just be waking up in a little while, coughing up the post-nasal drip! What can you do to get some rest? Here are four tips to help you sleep a little easier.

1. While sinus issues and ...

“You need to quit smoking!” If you’re a smoker, you’re probably sick of hearing people tell you that – but what if the message was coming from you, and more specifically your sinuses? If you’re a smoker and have sinus problems, cigarettes may be the culprit. Here are a few reasons why your sinuses could use a break from the smoke.

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your lungs and throat, and studies have linked smoking to various forms of ...

Was it lack of REM sleep, induced by a drug, that killed Michael Jackson?

In the wrongful death case filed by Michael Jackson’s family, it has been hypothesized that death may have occurred due to the medication Propofol, which decreases REM sleep.

REM sleep is also known as paradoxical sleep because, of all the stages of sleep, it most resembles wakefulness. We know that most, but not all, dreaming occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Many theories abound as ...

But parents should still try to correct bad sleep habits, expert says.

A new study of twins suggests that genes may play a big role in how long babies and toddlers sleep at night, while environment is key during nap time.

Researchers found that among nearly 1,000 twins they followed to age 4, genes seemed to explain much of the difference among youngsters’ nighttime sleep habits. In contrast, napping seemed mainly dependent on the environmental setting — especially for toddlers and preschoolers.

So ...

Study finds association between more shuteye, healthier weight.

The more sleep teens get, the less likely they are to be overweight, a new study finds.

Researchers followed more than 1,000 Philadelphia-area teenagers from their freshman through senior years of high school. Every six months, the teens reported their sleep patterns.

The results showed that each additional hour of sleep per night was associated with reduced body-mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The reduction was greatest in ...