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THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Getting too little or too much sleep may worsen asthma in adults, a new study finds. Researchers asked nearly 1,400 adults, 20 and older, with self-reported asthma about their sleep habits. About one-quarter said they slept five hours or less a night (short sleepers), 66% slept six to eight hours a night (normal sleepers), and 8% slept nine or more hours a night (long sleepers). Short sleepers were more likely to be younger and nonwhite, while long sleepers were more likely to be older, female and smokers, according to the study published recently in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. "Disturbed sleep in an asthma patient can be a red flag indicating their asthma isn't well-controlled," said Dr. Gailen Marshall, an allergist...

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If your doctor prescribes opioid painkillers such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine or morphine for you, there are a number of questions you should ask, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises. Opioids can be used to treat certain kinds of acute and chronic pain, but can have some serious side effects, most notably addiction. If you're prescribed opioids, the FDA says you should ask: Why do I need this medication? Is it right for me? Are there nonopioid pain medicines I could take instead? If your doctor thinks a prescription opioid is the best way to manage your pain, ask: to be prescribed the lowest dose and the smallest quantity you'll need; how to reduce the risk of potential side effects; when and how to stop or taper its use;...

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A new blood test might help doctors predict whether someone's multiple sclerosis may soon get worse. The test looks for a substance called neurofilament light chain. It's a nerve protein that can be detected when nerve cells die. People with higher levels of it were more likely to have worsening MS effects within the next year. "In a disease like MS that is so unpredictable and varies so much from one person to the next, having a noninvasive blood test like this could be very valuable, especially since treatments are most effective in the earliest stages of the disease," lead investigator Ali Manouchehrinia said in a news release from the journal Neurology, where the study was published online May 20. Manouchehrinia is an assistant...

THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Since marrying in 2002, Doug Behan and Lise Deguire have gone on safari in Tanzania, watched the sunset over the Santorini caldera in the Greek Islands and walked through the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. And those are just a few of their annual excursions. "It's on my bucket list that I want to visit every continent," Deguire said. Early this year, the Yardley, Pennsylvania, couple began planning a 12-day trip to Japan in March. But then news of COVID-19 began saturating the airwaves. By February, the couple made the difficult decision to cancel, instead booking a one-week trip to New Mexico. As the virus continued to spread even more, they nixed that, too, replacing it with a three-day retreat at a local spa. But on March...