Latest news in sleep research

• Restless nights

Snoring, difficulty falling asleep and unrefreshing sleep are problems for people with metabolic syndrome – excess abdominal fat, high triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. This condition can lead to cardiovascular disease.

• Family ties

There is a familial link to insomnia. The Woolcock Institute says there isn’t a genetic cause of insomnia; rather, sleeplessness is learnt behaviour.

• Too stressed to sleep

For most people, the stress hormones adrenocortico-tropin (ACTH) and cortisol peak early morning and drop off during the day. But in people with insomnia, they start to rise again from 8pm to 2am.

• Bounce back

About 30% of us have a common gene that determines how well we deal with sleep deprivation. The people who have this gene are sleepier and more fatigued after a bad night than the rest of us.

• On the diet path

A small study by researchers at the University of Chicago has revealed that dieters who have trouble losing weight may succeed if they sleep more, compounding the argument that sleep habits have a direct impact on weight regulation.