Sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including a higher incidence of gestational diabetes and early preterm birth, suggests a research abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011. Few past studies have examined the relationship between sleep apnea in pregnancy and adverse obstetrical outcomes.

Sleep duration has a significant association with feelings of external pressure to obtain or maintain a thin body among adolescent girls, especially those who are white, suggests a research abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011.

Study shows that preschool-age children who got less sleep were more likely to be hyperactive and inattentive in kindergarten. According to the authors of the abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011, the findings suggest that some children who do not get adequete sleep may be at risk for developing behavioral problems.

Sleeping less at night may increase the genetic risks for obesity, while getting plenty of sleep may suppress genetic influences on body weight. Results show that among twins with shared environmental influences, longer sleep duration was associated with decreased body mass index.

Performance deteriorates when sleep is restricted to six hours per night for a week and does not improve after two nights of recovery sleep. However, women may be less affected than men by this workweek pattern of sleep loss, suggests a research abstract that will be presented at SLEEP 2011.

Sleepier college students are more likely to think about what others could have done to make things better, even to the extent of planning revenge, suggests a research abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011. Sleepiness was positively correlated with counterfactual thinking, which involves thoughts about how events in the past could have been different.

Getting six to nine hours of sleep per night is associated with higher ratings for quality of life and lower ratings for depression. A research abstract that will be presented at SLEEP 2011 reports that short and long sleepers had lower scores for quality of life and depression than normal sleepers.

Declines in sleep hygiene across the college years are associated with declines in grade-point average. Although students who are "evening types" initially experience the greatest decline in GPA from high school to college, their grades improve as they shift towards a morning chronotype, suggests new research to be presented at SLEEP 2011.

Although a class schedule with later start times allows college students to get more sleep, it also gives them more time to stay out drinking at night. A new research abstract at SLEEP 2011 shows that later class times were associated with a delayed sleep schedule, which led to poorer sleep, more daytime sleepiness and a lower grade-point average.

Treating sleep problems with cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia can reduce suicidal ideation. A growing body of evidence shows that self-reported insomnia and poor sleep quality constitute modifiable risk factors for suicide. A research abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011 found that a group cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia produced a statistically significant post-treatment reduction in suicidal ideation.

Sleep can help college students retain and integrate new information to solve problems on a classroom exam. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, MO found that performance on a microeconomics test was preserved after a 12-hour period that included sleep. When the 12 hour period did not include sleep, students' test performance declined.

Sleepy teens are more likely to have a strong craving for carbohydrates, suggests a research abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011. The study is one of the first in a high school population to show a relationship between sleep deprivation, depression and carbohydrate craving.

People with primary insomnia may be able to find relief by wearing a cap that cools the brain during sleep, suggests a research abstract that will be presented at SLEEP 2011. A reduction in metabolism in the brain's frontal cortex occurs while falling asleep and is associated with restorative sleep. Insomnia is associated with increased metabolism in the region. Researchers found that the cap reduced metabolic activity and improved sleep latency and sleep efficiency.

Perceived racial discrimination is associated with an increased risk of sleep disturbance, which may have a negative impact on mental and physical health. The authors of an abstract to be presented at SLEEP 2011 report that individuals who perceived racial discrimination were more likely to experience sleep difficult, no matter their race, sex or income.