The condition of sleep apnoea can be accurately diagnosed by measuring the sound of a patient’s snoring, according to researchers trialling a new process that achieved a success rate of more than 90%. Scientists at Australia’s University of Queensland and nearby Princess Alexandra Hospital designed a software programme that analyses snoring levels and determines the presence of the illness.

Of the 86 participants in the study, 94% were accurately diagnosed as sleep apnoea sufferers.

The results of the investigation were presented at the Australasian Sleep Association Conference in Melbourne. It is hoped that the process will simplify the diagnosis of the condition, which is currently determined through intensive tests at sleep research centres. It is also likely that the snoring analysis method will enable doctors to more easily test for the condition and offer treatment more readily.

The disorder, which briefly closes the throat during sleep and causes sufferers to suddenly wake up, can lead to long-term exhaustion and general degradation of wellbeing.

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Insomnia sufferers face a risk of high blood pressure and hypertension according to new US research, further increasing the medical importance of the sleep condition.

While recent sleep problem column inches have been dedicated to sleep apnea, insomnia is a far more common condition, occurring in around 1 in 10 people to some level. Previous quantifiable medical side effects of insomnia include stress, anxiety and depression. It is also known that people with insomnia produce more of the stress hormone cortisol.

The investigation at the Sleep Research and Treatment Center at the Penn State College of Medicine looked at the sleeping patterns of 1741 participants over a night. It was found that the insomnia patients who slept less than 5 hours faced a 50% greater risk of high blood pressure, along with massive increased risks of hypertension compared to those categorised as normal sleepers.

An Israeli woman has inadvertently sparked a treasure hunt by throwing away a mattress that contained around $1m (£700,000), according to a report on BBC.co.uk. The woman reportedly bought a new mattress as a surprise for her mother, throwing away the old one as she was unaware of its cash contents. Once the mistake was revealed the woman embarked on a desperate search of Tel Aviv’s municipal landfill sites to no avail, and the mega-rich mattress remains lost amongst the 3000 tonnes of daily rubbish at this moment in time.

A director of one of the sites told local agencies that he had employed guards to stay overnight to dissuade members of the public from getting into the dump and searching for the mattress themselves.

Despite the loss, the woman took an admirably composed view of the situation, reportedly saying; “People have to take everything in proportion and thank God for the good and the bad.”

Had the woman’s mother invested a fraction of her fortune on an Ergo Flex visco elastic layed composition memory foam mattress, then they’d both be a lot better off by now!

New research by the University of Birmingham has claimed a link between daytime napping and developing diabetes. The studies found that regular naps could increase the likelihood of type 2 diabetes by as much as 26%, due to the disrupting effects that napping has on regular night-time sleep patterns.

Previous research had placed frequently disturbed sleep patterns as a potential contributor towards the disease, along with being overweight and in particular age brackets.

“This new research could be another step towards explaining the possible link between disturbed sleep patterns and type 2 diabetes,” Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at Diabetes UK told The Edinburgh Journal. “In terms of being major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, disturbed sleep or napping are likely to remain less significant that already established risk factors such as being overweight, being over the age of forty or having a history of diabetes in the family.”

The brain undergoes ‘rewiring’ during sleep that produces new synapses which connect brain cells, according to new US research. The process, say neurologists, enables the brain to store memories and is a key factor in our capacity for learning. The Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis research team found that if synapses aren’t renewed then the ability to take on new information is lessened.

“There are a number of reasons why the brain can’t indefinitely add synapses – including the finite spatial constraints of the skull,” said Neurobiologist Dr. Paul Shaw, in the Daily Telegraph. “We were able to track the creation of new synapses in fruit flies during learning experiences and to show that sleep pushed that number back down.”

“Right now a lot of people are worried about their jobs and the economy, and some are no doubt losing sleep over these concerns,” added Dr. Shaw. “But these data suggest the best thing you can do to make sure you stay sharp and increase your chances of keeping your job is to make getting enough sleep a top priority.”

March 20th 2009 is World Sleep Day, the international event where the value and benefits of sleeping are celebrated around the world. The 2009 event is based around the slogan of “Drive alert, arrive safe”, focusing on the safety issues of travelling and driving alertness. Sleep-related topics covered by the event include medicine, education and social aspects.

World Sleep Day was launched last year, and has been successful in raising awareness of the issues.

The World Sleep Day ‘declaration’ is;

• Whereas, sleepiness and sleeplessness constitute a global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life,
• Whereas, much can be done to prevent and treat sleepiness and sleeplessness,
• Whereas, professional and public awareness are the firsts steps to action,
• We hereby DECLARE that the disorders of sleep are preventable and treatable medical conditions in every country of the world.

New research has found that insomnia is a more persistent condition that previously thought.

The Canadian study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, reveals that 75% of insomnia sufferers have the condition for at least a year, while almost half of those continue to experience symptoms for up to three years. The investigation involved 388 sufferers, with an average age of 45.

Insomnia is believed to be linked to issues such as depression and hypertension, with effects causing problems such as absenteeism.

New studies have suggested that dreams can offer a host of psychological and physical benefits, reports MSNBC. The research, out of the University of Alberta, claims that the areas of the brain that responsible for memories and emotions are the same regions that are particularly active when dreaming – making an emotional connection between the waking and sleeping self.

It is thought, according to the studies, that dreaming helps people to sub-consciously understand emotional events in their lives that would remain unresolved with normal waking thought processes.

“The latest brain research suggests that dreams are part of a healthy emotional coping process,” dream researcher Robert Hoss, author of Dream Language, told MSNBC.

New draft proposals for US Army service personnel in combat zones will recommend between 7 and 8 hours of sleep per night in order to avoid accidental incidents such as friendly fire, as well as cases of “ethical misconduct”. The existing guidelines recommend a minimum of 4 hours sleep.

The document, obtained from the US Army Medical Command, claims that 7-8 hours sleep per 24 hours is required to maintain “operational readiness”, while less sleep can lead to performance degradation.

Interestingly, the guidelines state that sleep should be viewed as a standard resupply item, in the same way as food, water, fuel and ammunitions.

A clinical trial of an implantable device that aims to help sleep obstructive apnea sufferers with low levels of electricity has begun in the US. The Inspire Medical Systems Inc device uses neurostimulation, which is a new approach in the treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea causes a lack of oxygen during sleeping, which results in regular waking up.

The device, known at this stage as the Inspire II, monitors a patient’s breathing patterns and delivers bursts of electricity to open up restricted airways.

It is estimated that between 30m and 40m suffer from obstructive sleep apnea in the US alone, with millions more undiagnosed. The condition is notoriously difficult to diagnose as symptoms can appear harmless, such as drowsiness and snoring, however severe cases causing obesity, high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Mattresses are being used as an evocative symbol in a homelessness campaign in France, in response to comments by a minister on the “winter truce”. The winter truce is an agreement that tenants cannot be evicted from their homes during the coldest months if they don’t have a suitable place to stay.

However, promises from Housing Minister Christine Boutin on the issue haven’t been well-received by members of Emmaus and Droit au Logement, who have orchestrated the mattress campaign.

Two “mountains of mattresses” were created by campaigners in Paris and Toulouse, and it is estimated that up to 5000 people joined in the protest in Paris alone.

A new study released this week has revealed that “self medicating” insomnia with alcohol is becoming an increasingly common practice in Canada.

Of respondents suffering from insomnia, some 28% admitted to drinking in an attempt to get to sleep, while 8% of the overall group reported the same habit. The costs associated with buying alcohol, said the research, far outweighed that of traditional over the counter sleep aids.

"We were very surprised to see that so many people use alcohol as a way to promote sleep, particularly because it has more detrimental than beneficial effects on sleep," said Charles Morin, a professor of psychology at Laval University and one of the authors of the study, published in the journal Sleep. "Why do people do that? Is it because they're scared of using prescribed sleeping pills because of the stigma associated with it, or because they don't know there are other treatment options available?" he added.

The study is believed to be one of the first of its kind to assess the “costs” of sleep loss to the economy, and puts the annual cost to Quebec alone at a massive $6.5bn.

A new survey has found that millions of Americans continue to suffer restless nights and disturbed sleep patterns due to economic worries, it has been revealed this week. The National Sleep Foundation’s study for National Sleep Awareness Week showed that a third of Americans – around 100m people – are reporting sleep problems and just 28% are sleeping the recommended eight hours or more per night, with the recession and financial strife topping the list of worries.

The Emory Clinic Sleep Disorders lab has reported a massive 20% jump in clients over the last five months, as the economic crisis tightened its grip, with similar clinics claiming comparable rises in people getting touch.

A growing number of UK married couples are leaving their bedrooms to get a good night’s sleep, according to the results of a new survey. Around 20% of 100 respondents claimed that they were often forced to go into a spare bedroom to get away from disruptive sleeping partners.

Common nocturnal complaints included partners snoring, “stealing” the duvet and sleep talking, but some respondents reported accidental physical hitting by unconscious spouses, unaware of their actions whilst asleep.

“As the spouse gets less and less sleep they get more and more touchy,” commented Dr George Lewkovitz from the Centre for Snoring and Sleep Disorders at Bondi Junction. “If there are other difficulties in the marriage or the relationship, this is a severe aggravation.”

A study at the Federal University of Sao Paulo has found that exercise such as aerobics can help to combat insomnia, but only when done moderately. The research team, led by Giselle S. Passos, looked at 36 ‘chronic’ insomnia sufferers and found that stress levels, anxiety states and sleep quality were markedly improved.

The results included a reduction in sleep onset latency (54%) and wake time (36%), as well as increases in sleep time in 37% of the participants.

It was found that heavy aerobics and moderate strength exercises didn’t have the same positive effects.

“These findings indicate that there is a way to diminish the symptoms of insomnia without using medication,” said Passos. “This study is the first to look at the importance of using physical exercise to treat insomnia, and may contribute to increased quality of life in people with one of the most important kind of sleep disorders around the world.”

A new study by specialists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has found a link between disrupted sleep patterns and potentially serious health issues from people who work regular night shifts.

Ten night shift working volunteers were tested during the research, and found that three of the participants experienced variations in their blood sugar levels consistent with pre-diabetes, while all volunteers suffered changes in their stress levels and appetite hormones.

A suggested resolution for the problem, according to researchers, lay in eating healthy foods and getting regular exercise.

A study into healthy lifestyles for teenagers in Australia has found that an overwhelming majority of the test subjects were suffering from at least one kind of sleep problem. The investigation at Flinders University in Adelaide found that 95% of the 81 participants reported taking a long time to fall asleep, not getting enough sleep regularly or having inconsistent bedtimes. The students were put on a 4 week healthy education class, which resulted in briefly lessening the discrepancy between week-day and weekend wake-up times.

“It seems the Sunday morning sleep-in is something they don’t want to give up,” said research leader Dr. Michael Gradisar.

However, after an “intervention” experiment with half of the group, the researchers found that students were willing to change their sleep habits as part of a bid to stay healthy.

A long-term scientific study that has recently been concluded has added weight to the consensus that sleep quality has a direct link with health issues, with a particular connection to Type 2 diabetes. The University of Buffalo study, which was carried out over a six-year period, was presented this week at the American Heart Association conference.

The main findings included that those who slept on average for less than six hours a night during the working week were over 4.5 times more likely to develop blood sugar problems compared to people who slept the recommended eight hours a night.

“This study supports growing evidence of the association of inadequate sleep with adverse health issues,” said Dr. Lisa Rafalson, lead researcher on the study. “Our findings will hopefully spur additional research into this very complex area of sleep and illness.”