The Health Benefits of Sleeping on Your Side

THURSDAY, June 20, 2019 -- You know how important getting enough restorative sleep is for facing each new day refreshed and ready to take on the world. Now research suggests that your sleep position may have an impact on brain health, too.

For a study done on animals, researchers used dynamic contrast magnetic resonance imaging to see the brain's glymphatic pathway. That's the system that clears waste and other harmful chemicals from the brain, much like the way the lymphatic system clears waste from organs.

Women With Sleep Apnea May Have Higher Cancer Odds Than Men

WEDNESDAY, May 22, 2019 -- Some people with sleep apnea have an increased risk of cancer, and the odds may be higher for women than men, researchers say.

"Recent studies have shown that low blood oxygen levels during the night and disrupted sleep, which are both common in [obstructive sleep apnea], may play an important role in the biology of different types of cancers," said study leader Athanasia Pataka.

FDA Puts Tough Warning Label on Ambien, Lunesta, Other Sleep Aids

TUESDAY, April 30, 2019 -- Many Americans use prescription sleep meds such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata to get good shut-eye. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday slapped a tough new warning label on this class of drugs, due to dangers from daytime drowsiness the day after their use.

The move was spurred by 66 cases in which patients engaged in what are called "complex sleep behaviors" after taking the insomnia medications.

Snoring Not Just a Male Problem

MONDAY, April 29, 2019 -- New research shows that snoring is not the sole domain of men.

"We found that although no difference in snoring intensity was found between genders, women tend to underreport the fact that they snore and to underestimate the loudness of their snoring," said lead investigator Dr. Nimrod Maimon. He is head of internal medicine at Soroka University Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, Israel.