Study also finds spinal anesthesia doesn't worsen pre-existing RLS. Spinal anesthesia won't cause or worsen restless legs syndrome. That's the conclusion of a new study published as a letter to the editor in the Nov. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Trees, parks get inner city kids moving, study finds. Greener neighborhoods, with lots of trees, help inner city kids keep excess pounds at bay, according to a U.S. study.

Suggestions for a good night's rest  Insomnia -- the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep -- can occur once in a while, or become chronic. It affects more women than men.

Elderly who don't get 7.5 hours of shut-eye a night at higher death risk, study suggests. Getting less than 7.5 hours of sleep a night may increase the risk of heart disease in elderly people with high blood pressure, say Japanese researchers.

Finding suggests complaint of a 'racing mind' is not just in patient's head. Adults with primary insomnia have a specific neurochemical imbalance that makes it more difficult for their brains to settle down for sleep, a new study says.

Finding may help evaluate infants, as well as psychiatric, movement disorders. The mind functions essentially the same when asleep as when awake, a new study shows.

Swedish researchers say heart attack rates change when clocks are adjusted. The end of daylight saving time is just about here, and it may pose problems more serious than adjusting sleep patterns.

It can lead to stiffening of arteries, study says. Even mild sleep apnea may boost the risk of cardiovascular disease by harming endothelial function and increasing arterial stiffness, a new British study says.

With family duties, second jobs, many say lack of rest impairs lessons, study finds.  That snoring in the classroom may be from the teacher, not the students, a new study suggests.

Hamsters deprived of body's sleep-wake system 'can't remember anything,' study says. Your body clock may do more than help guide your daily sleep/wake cycle -- it may also play a vital role in learning and memory, say Stanford University researchers.

Blood pressure, brain oxygen levels might modify severity of some deficits, study says. Brain oxygen levels and blood pressure may play a role in the complex relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cognitive problems in children, a U.S. study finds.

Experts seeing more cases of sleeplessness, anxiety, but they offer tips for coping. Wall Street's roller coaster ride is costing Americans more than money: It's costing them sleepless nights and a heap of emotional distress, experts say.

Signs that say yes Children need plenty of sleep to keep them healthy and happy. Take note of these warning signs that your child may need a daily nap, courtesy of the Nemours Foundation

Odors can affect the emotional tone of dreams, study finds.  German researchers are reporting that when people smelled the scent of rotten eggs while sleeping, the nature of their dreams turned decidedly negative, while those who got a whiff of the scent of roses had more positive dreams.

Disrupted rest lasting more than 2 weeks should be brought up with doctor, expert says.  While it's normal for older people to have occasional sleep problems, seniors who experience sleep pattern changes that last for longer than two weeks should see a doctor, says Dr. Charles Cefalu, a member of the American Geriatrics Society.

Condition may persist, but mouse research shows drug restores oxygen, sexual functioning.  Men with sleep apnea may suffer from a treatable form of erectile dysfunction caused by regular deprivation of oxygen experienced during these episodes of obstructed breathing, a new report says.

And medications do little to influence the link, study finds. Getting five hours or less of sleep a night increases the risk of falls among women aged 70 and older, says a U.S. study.

Brain imaging suggests it could be a non-pharmacological intervention for the disorder. Insomnia compromises brain functions that affect verbal fluency but may not hurt one's speaking ability, a new study says.

Study found it predicted outcome months after patient went home. Older patients who sleep during the day while in rehabilitation have less functional recovery, new research shows.

On holiday weekend, experts note vision problems, fatigue as deadly as bad road conditions, drunk driving. This Labor Day weekend, the Vision Council and National Sleep Foundation are warning people of the dangers of driving with poor vision or while drowsy.

Overnight stays with person with dementia led to daytime tiredness, symptoms of depression. Older adults who live with and provide direct care during the night for someone with dementia have significantly worse sleep than other older adults, U.S. researchers say.

Ear infections, dogs in the home, and large families all contribute, study finds. Suffering respiratory or ear infections in early childhood, having a dog in the house as a newborn, and even being raised in a large family all appear to increase the risk of snoring later in life, new research suggests.

Similar results have been found in studies of adults. Teens who don't get enough sleep or have poor-quality sleep run the risk of elevated blood pressure, a new study finds.

Suggestions for more comfortable rest, As your pregnancy progresses, sleeping may become a little more uncomfortable each month. The American Pregnancy Association offers these suggestions to help you sleep more comfortably during pregnancy.

When elderly patients complain they have a lack of energy, doctors shouldn't dismiss it as a normal part of aging, say researchers who found that lack of energy (anergia) is associated with several health problems and higher rates of hospitalization and death.

Many factors, both physical and emotional, may keep you awake while you're expecting. But it's important to get plenty of quality sleep while you're pregnant. Here are suggestions to help alleviate insomnia during pregnancy, courtesy of the American Pregnancy Association.

People almost 4 times groggier than those awakened during day rest, study finds. People are groggier and think less clearly when woken up during their night-time sleep than during than an afternoon nap, a new study shows.

Before classes start, reset those summer sleep times to soften the transition. Mention back-to-school preparations, and most parents and their teens think about buying clothes, getting school supplies, and picking up their class schedules.

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, it's important to understand the reasons for your insomnia. Here's a list of possible reasons for your sleepless nights, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Mouse study suggests threat of starvation triggers the switch. New animal research suggests the body's biological clock, which regulates sleep cycles based on the rise and fall of the sun, can be overridden in extreme situations by an internal "food clock."

Getting too little sleep or not spending enough time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is associated with being overweight among children and teens, a new U.S. study. For three consecutive nights, researchers assessed the sleep patterns of 335 youngsters, aged 7 to 17. They looked at total sleep time, time spent in REM, and time it took to fall asleep. Body-mass index was checked at the start of the study.

The interrupted nighttime breathing of sleep apnea appears to increase the risk of dying, Australian researchers report. Earlier studies have linked sleep apnea to increased risk for death.

Aging hinders the consolidation of memories during sleep, a process that's crucial for the conversion of fresh memories into long-term ones, say University of Arizona researchers. The researchers recorded activity in the hippocampus -- a brain region involved in learning and memory.

Large-scale studies should be conducted to determine the exact link between sleep apnea and heart disease, says a joint statement from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. The statement was published in the journal Circulation.

New molecular clock component ties all three together, researchers say. Researchers report today the identification of a new cog in the machinery of the molecular clock that controls mammalian circadian rhythms.

Study suggests what some think is insomnia is really natural part of getting older. The reason healthy adults sleep less in their 60s than they did in their 20s might simply be because people need less sleep as they age, new research suggests.

Prevent drowsy driving, People who work the third shift, drive great distances each day, and those who don't get enough sleep or take sedating medications are at greatest risk of drowsy driving.

Breathing problem often goes undetected, researcher notes. A study links night-time heart attacks with the breathing disorder sleep apnea, which makes people gasp for breath every few minutes.

Jet lag can dampen the fun of any trip when your body struggles to adjust to a new time zone. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to prevent jet lag.

Postmenopausal women who slept more than nine hours a night had up to 70% higher risk. Sleeping either too much or too little appears to heighten the risk of stroke, a new study finds.

Signs that you're not getting enough. Teenagers need to get plenty of sleep -- between 8 1/2 and nine hours every night -- to feel good and keep their bodies healthy.

Expert says sticking to routine will keep those extra pounds off while school's out. Even though it's summertime, children shouldn't be allowed to take a vacation from healthy eating habits, advises Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a pediatrician at Duke University Medical Center.