Drugs May Help Relieve Restless Legs Syndrome

Review found two types of approved medications helped most patients with moderate to severe symptoms.

People suffering from restless legs syndrome may find some relief by taking one of several drugs approved to treat the condition, a new review confirms.

The medications, which include Requip (ropinirole), levodopa, Neurontin (gabapentin) and Lyrica (pregabalin), appear to reduce symptoms of the syndrome in more than 60 percent of patients, researchers report. The first two drugs raise dopamine levels in the body, and the last two ...

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15
DEC
0

Restless Legs Syndrome

Don’t Bother With Ultrasonic Bedbug Devices

Study of 4 products on market found emitted sounds don’t keep insects away.

Ultrasonic devices sold to repel bedbugs are ineffective, a new study finds.

Many such devices have been marketed in recent years as ways to control insects such as mosquitoes, cockroaches and ants. Few of those products, however, have been demonstrated as being effective. New versions that are supposed to target bedbugs are now available.

The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology.

Researchers K.M. Yturralde and ...

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1
DEC
0

Tips and Tricks

Daylight-Saving Time and Sleep

Daylight-saving time doesn’t have to disrupt your sleep schedule. A few simple tips help ensure sound sleep during daylight-saving time and beyond.

For most of us, the springtime switch from standard to daylight-saving time is merely an inconvenience. It might be the cause of skipped appointments if we manage to miss all those reminders telling us to move our clocks forward one hour on the second Sunday in March.

But for others, the first few days of daylight saving time can mean ...

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15
NOV
0

Sleep 101

Daydreaming Leads to Insomnia, Study Finds

Daydreamers may have trouble turning off the part of their brain linked to a wandering mind, which could put them at risk for insomnia, according to a new study.

Daydreaming may keep you up at night, according to a new study published in the journal Sleep. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego found that people who daydream may be unable to stop thoughts from appearing in their head, which can keep them up at night and cause trouble concentrating ...

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1
NOV
0

Sleep 101

Could a Full Moon Keep You Up at Night?

Study finds it’s a time when people get less shut-eye, have shorter periods of deep sleep.

Many myths have told of the powers of a full moon, from werewolves to sudden madness to unexplained seizures, but new research suggests an impact close to home: Sound sleep may be harder to come by when the moon is in its full glory.

The study suggests that the human body is cued not only to the daily rising and setting of the sun, which regulates ...

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15
OCT
0

Sleep 101

Consider a Nap for Better Workday Focus

Some American workplaces are embracing the concept of an afternoon siesta, but plan carefully to wake well rested and feel more productive.

Ready for a midday snooze? Don’t feel guilty about it. Napping may just be the answer to a more productive workday.

More companies in the United States are starting to offer on-the-job sleep options for employees, ranging from special napping rooms to expensive sleep pods. Progressive, well-known companies like Google, Zappos, and Ben & Jerry’s are “nap friendly.” Yet can ...

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1
OCT
0

Doctors Orders

Cause, Treatment Found for Excessive Sleepiness

Primary hypersomnia is defined by excessive daytime sleepiness in the absence of known causes of sleepiness.

An abnormal protein in cerebrospinal fluid appears to cause hypersomnia, a form of excessive daytime sleepiness, and an off-the-shelf drug effectively treated it, researchers said.

Extracted from patients with primary hypersomnia, the elusive substance, which was not fully isolated in the study, enhanced the sensitivity of subtype A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, reported David Rye, MD, PhD, of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues.

Moreover, seven patients ...

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15
SEP
0

Doctors Orders

Can Changing Your Sleep Position Alter Your Dreams?

Research has found that changing your sleep position can influence your dreams, but sleeping in a position that’s unnatural for you may not be a good idea.

Do you sleep on your side, your back, or your stomach? There’s new evidence that changing your sleep position could influence your dreams, but this kind of change might not be the best idea for your health.

Experts say there is no perfect sleep position. The first rule for sweet dreams and a restful night ...

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1
SEP
0

World of Dreams

Caffeine Really Does Help Truck Drivers Avoid Crashes, Study Finds

A study of Australian truck drivers has found that caffeine greatly reduced the number of car accidents caused by fatigue.

Some people skip caffeine because it causes them to “crash.” But for truck drivers, a new study suggests caffeine may be the secret to steering clear of a crash.

Truck drivers who typically consumed caffeine were far less likely than other drivers to be involved in traffic accidents, according to an Australian study in the British Medical Journal that controlled for ...

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15
AUG
0

Sleepless Dangers

Burn Belly Fat for a Better Night’s Sleep

Weight loss, particularly abdominal fat loss, improves sleep quality in people who are overweight or obese, new research finds.

Losing weight — through diet alone or diet and exercise combined — might be the ticket to sounder sleep in people who are overweight or obese, researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine report at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Los Angeles.

A loss of belly fat in particular was associated with better sleep quality in the study’s 77 participants, ...

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1
AUG
0

Doctors Orders

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