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TUESDAY, Aug. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Americans living in big cities have relatively low rates of depression, despite the hustle and bustle -- or maybe because of it, a new study suggests.Researchers found that compared with smaller U.S. cities, big urban hubs generally had lower rates of depression among residents. And they think the pattern can be explained, in part, by the wide range of social interactions that busy cities provide.On the surface, the findings may sound surprising, said researcher Marc Berman, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.People often think of places like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago as stressful and lonely places, plagued by noise, pollution and crime, he noted.But past research by Berman's colleague Luis Bettencourt has...

TUESDAY, Aug. 3, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- With apologies to William Shakespeare, this is the stuff bad dreams are made of: Sleep apnea may double your risk for sudden death.The condition — in which a person's airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep, causing pauses in breathing — may also increase the risk for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure, new research shows."This [study] adds to the growing body of evidence that highlights the importance of screening, diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea," said Dr. Kannan Ramar, immediate past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).Ramar, who reviewed the findings, said they underscore the importance of recognizing a widespread and often underdiagnosed condition that has become a...

TUESDAY, Aug. 3, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- When actor Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the set of "Better Call Saul" last week in New Mexico, fans held their breath – and obsessively checked for updates on social media – until word came that he was expected to be OK."I had a small heart attack," he tweeted on Friday, thanking the doctors who "knew how to fix the blockage without surgery."Few other details about his health were available early this week, but a small heart attack is still a big deal, said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, president of the American Heart Association."All heart attacks are important and have the potential to be big and possibly fatal," he said. "So, we don't mess around. It's not a small heart attack until we turn it into a small heart attack by...

TUESDAY, Aug. 3, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- At-home schooling was no vacation for Francis Huang and her 11-year-old daughter, Cheyenne Kuo.The COVID-19 pandemic thrust remote learning upon their family in spring 2020. With it came the stresses now familiar to millions of families. "I think the whole year, we just tried to survive," said Huang, who lives in suburban Dallas.In August, they finally leave all that behind, when Cheyenne starts sixth grade in person. But this year, that means a whole new set of stresses. Cheyenne feels both excitement and worry. "I think I'm half and half."Experts say heading back to school will be anything but routine this year. Which means parents and teachers will need to take extra steps to protect children's mental health."There is...