early 30 surveys by France's INSERM, a public organization dedicated to biological, medical and public health research, have established a link between lack of sleep and obesity in both children and adults.

Sleep loss caused a 23 to 24 percent increase in hunger, translating into an extra 350 to 500 kilocalories a day, "which for a young sedentary adult of normal weight could lead to a major amount of added weight," Spiegel said according to Agency France Presse

In an effort to ensure high road safety among American motorists and commuters, the medical review board of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will come out by April 7 its recommendations for truckers with obstructive sleep apnea. Under the proposed recommendations, truck drivers must secure treatment to get a certification.

The range of treatment modules available for OSA patients include surgery or putting on a mask while sleeping to allow air into the body's airway

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday issued a safety alert on the use of a prescription cough medicine, saying its incorrect usage can result in serious health risks.

The FDA said Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension, which contains hydrocodone and the antihistamine chlorpheniramine, leads to serious adverse events including deaths. The medicine was improperly prescribed for children younger than six and/or at a dosing frequency of less than every 12 hours

The pre-school motto "early to bed, early to rise" could help adults cope with the extra stress brought about by switching to daylight time, sleep experts say. Canada and the United States made the switch in the early morning hours on Sunday.

Dr. Ralph Downey, chief of sleep medicine at the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California warns that while adults look forward to the extra hour of daylight, they often overlook that daylight time could also cause sleep deprivation

The House on Wednesday passed a bill requiring most group health plans to provide require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses when policies cover both. Forty-seven Republicans joined 221 Democrats in voting for the bill. Three Democrats voted against it. The vote was 268 to 148.

Current federal law now allows insurers to discriminate by setting higher co-payments or stricter limits on mental health benefits. Advocates of the bill say the measure would help end the stigma of mental illness and would be beneficial to cater needs of people needing mental health and addiction treatment