Sleep Disturbances

Fruit flies with Restless Legs Syndrome point to a genetic cause

When flies are made to lose a gene with links to Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), they suffer the same sleep disturbances and restlessness that human patients do. The findings reported online on May 31 in Current Biology strong ...

Genetics created May 31, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

New discovery could lead to treatment for Angelman syndrome

Results of a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may help pave the way to a treatment for a neurogenetic disorder often misdiagnosed as cerebral palsy or autism.

Genetics created Dec 21, 2011 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

'Strikingly similar' brains of man and fly may aid mental health research

A new study by scientists at King's College London and the University of Arizona (UA) published in Science reveals the deep similarities in how the brain regulates behaviour in arthropods (such as flies ...

Neuroscience created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Study reveals potential target to better treat, cure anxiety disorders

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, identified a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the regulation ...

Neuroscience created Mar 05, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

What predicts distress after episodes of sleep paralysis?

(Medical Xpress)—Ever find yourself briefly paralyzed as you're falling asleep or just waking up? It's a phenomenon is called sleep paralysis, and it's often accompanied by vivid sensory or perceptual experiences, which ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 04, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Nursing research suggests mild electrical pulses may aid fibromyalgia sufferers

(Medical Xpress)—If mild cranial electrical stimulation helps lessen fibromyalgia pain, as studies seem to suggest, does it do this by changing activity in certain brain regions?

Neuroscience created Mar 04, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Fibromyalgia prevalence at 2.1 percent of general German population

Researchers have determined that fibromyalgia prevalence is 2.1% of the general population in Germany. Results appearing in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Rhe ...

Arthritis & Rheumatism created Feb 19, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers zero in on cognitive difficulties associated with menopause

The memory problems that many women experience in their 40s and 50s as they approach and go through menopause are both real and appear to be most acute during the early period of post menopause. That is the conclusion of ...

Other created Jan 03, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protected 'power naps' prove helpful for doctors in training to fight fatigue

New research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center indicates that the implementation of protected sleep periods for residents who are assigned to overnight ...

Health created Dec 04, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Could poor sleep contribute to symptoms of schizophrenia?

Neuroscientists studying the link between poor sleep and schizophrenia have found that irregular sleep patterns and desynchronised brain activity during sleep could trigger some of the disease's symptoms. The findings, published ...

Neuroscience created Nov 14, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Drug offers new pain management therapy for diabetics

A study from the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute shows there is evidence to support a new drug therapy called nabilone to treat diabetic neuropathy, or nerve pain. Researchers enrolled 60 patients with diabetic ...

Diabetes created Oct 30, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Poor sleep in adolescents may increase risk of heart disease

Adolescents who sleep poorly may be at risk of cardiovascular disease in later life, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Cardiology created Oct 01, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Light from self-luminous tablet computers can affect evening melatonin, delaying sleep

(Medical Xpress)—A new study from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that a two-hour exposure to electronic devices with self-luminous "backlit" displays causes ...

Medical research created Aug 27, 2012 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Study: Moms can be stressed when certain children care for them

(Medical Xpress)— Older mothers are more likely to be stressed when they receive help from an adult child who is not their preferred caretaker, according to new research from Purdue University.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Aug 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Violent TV shows keep young kids awake: study

(HealthDay) -- There's more evidence that watching violent or age-inappropriate images on TV, in movies or on computers can significantly disrupt children's sleep.

Pediatrics created Aug 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast


A sleep disorder, or somnipathy, is a medical disorder of the sleep patterns of a person or animal. Some sleep disorders are serious enough to interfere with normal physical, mental and emotional functioning. Polysomnography is a test commonly ordered for some sleep disorders.

Disruptions in sleep can be caused by a variety of issues, from teeth grinding (bruxism) to night terrors. When a person suffers from difficulty in sleeping with no obvious cause, it is referred to as insomnia. In addition, sleep disorders may also cause sufferers to sleep excessively, a condition known as hypersomnia. Management of sleep disturbances that are secondary to mental, medical, or substance abuse disorders should focus on the underlying conditions.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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