Melatonin Could Treat Eye Disease

The hormone melatonin is known to help in the regulation of sleep patterns and is used by some people to help overcome insomnia and jet lag. Now it seems that it may also have potential as a cure for a nasty eye disease that can lead to blindness

Uveitis is an opthalmic disorder that involves eye reddening, pain and deteroration of vision. In some cases it can result in blindness.

New research published in the American Journal of Pathology suggests that melatonin could help treat uveitis, reducing the inflammation and subsequent effects.

So far the research is in a very early stage - it was carried out on hamsters - however the team seem optimistic. They concluded:

"These results indicate that melatonin prevents the clinical, biochemical, histological, ultrastructural, and functional consequences of experimental uveitis, likely through a nuclear factor {kappa}B-dependent mechanism, and support the use of melatonin as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of uveitis."

As always, if you think you could be suffering from any medical condition you should consult your doctor.

Adkins Snoring Aid

Just as there are many different reasons people snore, so there are many different snoring cures to buy. A British company has just released a new one called the Adkins Snoring Aid.

Whereas as many snoring remedies on the market try to increase the flow of air through the nostrils, the Adkins Snoring Aid takes the opposite approach: it reduces the flow. Apparently this can help reduce snoring in those people the company describe as "nose snorers". The new product essentially consists of a pair of joined latex balls made from medical grade materials and is available to buy in different sizes to fit different people.

According to sleep deprivation expert Chris Grant, the man behind the product:

"The restricted airflow through the nose encourages mouth breathing which reduces the incidence of snoring in those whose snoring is caused by excess airflow across the soft tissues at the back of the nose."

Note: According to Adkins, this product "is not suitable for those under 18 years of age and those that suffer with nose bleeds, asthma, epilepsy, while suffering a cold, flu or Sleep Apnoea".

Sleep Yourself Thin?

The Journal Pediatrics reports that new research has found a link between childhood sleep patterns and obesity later in life.

The study conducted by the New Zealand Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit followed children born between 1972 and 1973. The Unit compared the subjects' sleep times as children with their adult Body Mass Index (BMI). According to the researchers:

"Shorter childhood sleep times were significantly associated with higher adult BMI values"

The reason for this correlation is unclear. One theory is that sleep deprivation may disrupt hormone regulation and thus affect appetite. Another idea is that children who don't get enough sleep are more tired the next day and hence less physically active.

They report concludes:

"Ensuring that children get adequate sleep may be a useful strategy for stemming the current obesity epidemic"

Note the word "adequate" - which is not the same as "excessive"!

Unfortunately the "sleep yourself thin" idea only applies if you're still a child. If you're already an adult then there's nothing in this new research to suggest that more sleep will help you lose weight.