How Does Missed Sleep Affect Your Appetite?

FRIDAY, Jan. 3, 2020 -- If you need yet another health reason to get enough sleep, here's one that may wake you up: Science shows that a loss of sleep can make you eat more. And that doesn't mean healthful salads and green veggies.

Studies have shown that total sleep deprivation can trigger a reward system in the brain in response to food stimuli. But until recently researchers didn't know if there was a similar relationship between everyday sleep loss and the brain's reaction to food.

AHA News: Sleep Should Be Another Measure of Heart Health, Study Says

FRIDAY, March 6, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Adding sleep to seven established metrics could create a stronger tool for predicting heart disease risk among middle-aged and older adults, new research shows.

The preliminary findings, presented Thursday at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions in Phoenix, recommend changing the AHA's Life's Simple 7 measure of cardiovascular health to the "Simple 8 or Essential 8" to incorporate sleep metrics.

Untreated Sleep Apnea Puts Your Heart at High Risk

MONDAY, Feb. 3, 2020 -- Nearly 30 million Americans have a chronic health problem that more than doubles their risk of death due to heart disease.

The culprit is obstructive sleep apnea, a disease in which the upper airway collapses during sleep, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Many of America's Most Critical Workers Are Short on Their Zzzs

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2020 -- More than one-third of working Americans don't get enough sleep, and the problem is greatest among the police, the military, health care workers and truckers, researchers report.

Their analysis of data from more than 150,000 employed adults between 2010 and 2018 also found that the rate of inadequate sleep (7 hours or less) rose from about 31% to nearly 36% during that time.

Using Pot to Help With Sleep? Benefits May Not Last

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 -- Medical marijuana may not provide long-term relief of sleep issues in people battling chronic pain, a new study finds, mainly because users may develop a tolerance to the drug.

The finding is important "considering the aging of the population, the relatively high prevalence of sleep problems in this population, along with the increasing use of medicinal cannabis," said an Israeli team led by Sharon Sznitman, from the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa.