A new study suggests there’s more to sleep than how long you snooze each night. Your overall sleep pattern could shape your mood, brain function and even long-term health. Researchers from Concordia University in Montreal identified five distinct sleep profiles that may help explain why some people feel well-rested while others struggle with fatigue, poor focus or emotional ups and downs. The findings, published Oct. 7 in PLOS Biology, show that these “sleep-biopsychosocial profiles” reflect a mix of biological, mental and environmental factors — from stress and emotions to bedroom comfort — that all affect how well you sleep. “People should treat their sleep seriously,” study co-author Valeria Kebets, a manager at Concordia’s Applied AI Institute, told NBC News. “It affects everything in their daily functioning.” The researchers identified five sleep profiles: 1. Poor sleep and mental health People in this group reported the worst sleep quality and higher levels of stress, fear and anger. They also had a greater risk of anxiety and depression. 2. Sleep resilience These individuals had poor mental health or attention issues but said their sleep felt fine, suggesting “sleep misperception,” or being unaware of underlying sleep problems, researchers said. 3. Sleep aids and sociability This group used sleep aids, but also reported strong social support and fewer feelings of rejection. However, they showed lower emotional awareness and weaker memory.…  read on >  read on >

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been considered a potential cause of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But a new study argues the association might be the other way around, with concussions providing an early warning sign among folks already in the early stages of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The loss of muscle control that comes with early ALS might increase people’s risk for a concussion-causing fall or accident, researchers write in JAMA Network Open. If that’s so, then “TBI in some individuals perhaps (reflects) a consequence of early, subclinical ALS,” concluded the research team led by Dr. William Stewart, a neuropathologist at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, U.K. For the study, researchers compared around 85,700 patients who’d had a traumatic brain injury with more than 257,000 matched people with no history of TBI. During nearly six years of follow up, 150 cases of ALS occurred among all the study’s participants. Traumatic brain injures were associated with a more than doubled risk of ALS, results showed. However, that higher risk only lasts for two years following the concussion, researchers found. In addition, there was no difference in age at diagnosis or death for ALS patients who’d sustained a concussion, compared to those who hadn’t. “In this context, it seems plausible that the high ALS risk we observe in the years immediately…  read on >  read on >

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been considered a potential cause of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. But a new study argues the association might be the other way around, with concussions providing an early warning sign among folks already in the early stages of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The loss of muscle control that comes with early ALS might increase people’s risk for a concussion-causing fall or accident, researchers write in JAMA Network Open. If that’s so, then “TBI in some individuals perhaps (reflects) a consequence of early, subclinical ALS,” concluded the research team led by Dr. William Stewart, a neuropathologist at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, U.K. For the study, researchers compared around 85,700 patients who’d had a traumatic brain injury with more than 257,000 matched people with no history of TBI. During nearly six years of follow up, 150 cases of ALS occurred among all the study’s participants. Traumatic brain injures were associated with a more than doubled risk of ALS, results showed. However, that higher risk only lasts for two years following the concussion, researchers found. In addition, there was no difference in age at diagnosis or death for ALS patients who’d sustained a concussion, compared to those who hadn’t. “In this context, it seems plausible that the high ALS risk we observe in the years immediately…  read on >  read on >

Seniors who get a concussion are more likely to develop dementia or falter as they age, a new study says. Older folks who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) had a higher risk of dementia, requiring home care services or admission to a long-term care facility, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. “One of the most common reasons for TBI in older adulthood is sustaining a fall, which is often preventable,” wrote the research team led by Dr. Jenny Yu Qing Huang, a geriatrician and doctoral student at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. “By targeting fall-related TBIs, we can potentially reduce TBI-associated dementia in this population,” researchers wrote. TBIs occur when a person either whacks their head or is violently jerked by whiplash, causing the brain to hit the inside of the skull and sustain damage, researchers said in background notes. More than 50% of TBIs in older adults result from falls, researchers said. For the new study, researchers analyzed data on more than 260,000 people 65 and older living in Ontario, Canada, comparing the health outcomes of those who’d sustained a TBI against those who hadn’t. The data ran between April 2004 and March 2020. New cases of TBI were associated with a 69% increased risk of dementia developing within five years, and a…  read on >  read on >

Seniors who get a concussion are more likely to develop dementia or falter as they age, a new study says. Older folks who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) had a higher risk of dementia, requiring home care services or admission to a long-term care facility, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. “One of the most common reasons for TBI in older adulthood is sustaining a fall, which is often preventable,” wrote the research team led by Dr. Jenny Yu Qing Huang, a geriatrician and doctoral student at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. “By targeting fall-related TBIs, we can potentially reduce TBI-associated dementia in this population,” researchers wrote. TBIs occur when a person either whacks their head or is violently jerked by whiplash, causing the brain to hit the inside of the skull and sustain damage, researchers said in background notes. More than 50% of TBIs in older adults result from falls, researchers said. For the new study, researchers analyzed data on more than 260,000 people 65 and older living in Ontario, Canada, comparing the health outcomes of those who’d sustained a TBI against those who hadn’t. The data ran between April 2004 and March 2020. New cases of TBI were associated with a 69% increased risk of dementia developing within five years, and a…  read on >  read on >

Fighting cancer can leave patients tired to their bones and researchers now think they might know why. Inflammation was linked to fatigue among nearly 200 women with early-stage breast cancer during and after treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the journal Cancer. Specifically, inflammation appeared to promote general and physical fatigue among the women, but not emotional or mental fatigue. “Our findings indicate that inflammation plays a role in some aspects of cancer-related fatigue, but not others, and that these effects persist well after treatment,” lead researcher Julienne Bower, chair of health psychology at UCLA, said in a news release. “This is critical for developing targeted treatments for this common and disabling symptom,” she added. For the study, researchers studied blood levels of proteins associated with inflammation in 192 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Blood tests were done prior to treatment, and for 18 months following treatment. The women also reported on their different types of fatigue: General, physical, mental and emotional. Higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were linked to greater general fatigue, which involves feelings of tiredness and exhaustion, researchers found.  This association held even after accounting for other factors like cancer stage, age, race, education and body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. These inflammation-controlling biochemicals also were tied…  read on >  read on >

Fighting cancer can leave patients tired to their bones and researchers now think they might know why. Inflammation was linked to fatigue among nearly 200 women with early-stage breast cancer during and after treatment with radiation or chemotherapy, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the journal Cancer. Specifically, inflammation appeared to promote general and physical fatigue among the women, but not emotional or mental fatigue. “Our findings indicate that inflammation plays a role in some aspects of cancer-related fatigue, but not others, and that these effects persist well after treatment,” lead researcher Julienne Bower, chair of health psychology at UCLA, said in a news release. “This is critical for developing targeted treatments for this common and disabling symptom,” she added. For the study, researchers studied blood levels of proteins associated with inflammation in 192 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Blood tests were done prior to treatment, and for 18 months following treatment. The women also reported on their different types of fatigue: General, physical, mental and emotional. Higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were linked to greater general fatigue, which involves feelings of tiredness and exhaustion, researchers found.  This association held even after accounting for other factors like cancer stage, age, race, education and body mass index (BMI). BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. These inflammation-controlling biochemicals also were tied…  read on >  read on >

Costco shoppers will be able fill prescriptions for Ozempic and Wegovy — two of the most popular weight loss and diabetes drugs — at a discount. Novo Nordisk, the maker of both medications, announced Friday that the warehouse retailer will sell a four-week supply of the injections for $499 out of pocket at its more than 600 U.S. Costco pharmacies. The same price is already available on Novo Nordisk’s direct-to-consumer website, as well as at Walmart and CVS pharmacies. “We want to make sure we offer the real, authentic Wegovy and Ozempic where patients seek care,” David “Dave” Moore, president of Novo Nordisk U.S., told NBC News. “We know that Costco is a trusted brand.” The move is part of Novo Nordisk’s effort to expand legitimate access to its medications and compete with compounding pharmacies and medical spas that sell unapproved versions. Costco members with a valid prescription can pay the $499 self-pay price, while insurance coverage will vary by plan. Executive members and Costco credit card holders may also earn cash back through the retailer’s pharmacy rewards program. Ozempic and Wegovy are part of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. Originally developed to treat diabetes, they’ve become popular for weight loss and have shown promise in lowering stroke and heart…  read on >  read on >

The same price is already available on Novo Nordisk’s direct-to-consumer website, as well as at Walmart and CVS  read on >

People with aching knees might receive relief from a course of low-dose radiation therapy, a new study suggests. People with mild to moderate wear-and-tear knee arthritis felt less pain and had better mobility after radiation treatment, researchers reported Sunday at a meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in San Francisco. “People with painful knee osteoarthritis often face a difficult choice between the risks of side effects from pain medications and the risks of joint replacement surgery,” said principal investigator Dr. Byoung Hyuck Kim, an assistant professor of radiation oncology at Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea. “There’s a clinical need for moderate interventions between weak pain medications and aggressive surgery, and we think radiation may be a suitable option for those patients especially when drugs and injections are poorly tolerated,” he added in a news release. Knee osteoarthritis affects more than 32 million U.S. adults, researchers noted. It occurs when the cartilage that provides cushioning in the joint wears down over time, eventually allowing the ends of bones to rub against each other. Low-dose radiation is regularly used for joint pain in European countries like Germany and Spain, but there haven’t been enough high-quality trials to prove the approach’s effectiveness, researchers said. For the new study, researchers recruited 114 patients with mild to moderate knee arthritis at three academic hospitals…  read on >  read on >