Latest Health News

MONDAY, Dec. 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Finally, more than two years into the pandemic, Americans are sleeping better. A new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) found that 31% of people have had insomnia since the pandemic began. That was much lower — a 25% decrease — compared to the 2021 survey that found 56% of people were experiencing pandemic-linked insomnia.“The stress and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic led to an increase in disruptions in our sleep quality and quantity,” Jennifer Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist and president of the AASM, said in an academy news release. “While some people continue to experience subpar sleep, the good news is that the population is feeling the impact of ‘COVID-somnia’ less now than last year....

MONDAY, Dec. 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors give men and women different advice to head off heart disease, even though guidelines for both are the same.Men were 20% more likely to be prescribed statins to lower blood levels of bad cholesterol compared with women, a new study found. Women, meanwhile, were 27% more likely to be advised to lose weight or reduce their salt intake, and 38% more likely to receive recommendations to exercise.Women were also 11% more likely to be advised to cut fat and calories.The study findings were presented Saturday at a meeting in Singapore organized by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology and the Asean Federation of Cardiology. "Following our analysis, we conducted a review of the literature to find...

MONDAY, Dec. 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Firearm injuries traumatize children, saddling them with mental health issues that include stress disorders and drug or alcohol use, according to a new study.In all, 35% of kids injured by firearms receive a new mental health diagnosis in the following year, the research found.That compares to a 26% rate of mental health diagnoses that follows a car crash, investigators said."We know that trauma exposure, such as that experienced with a firearm injury, is a well-established risk factor for child mental health conditions, but until recently we knew very little of about the mental health consequences following a firearm injury," said Dr. Peter Ehrlich, director of pediatric trauma care at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children's...