Sleep Deprivation | featured news

Researchers say a lack of sleep affects the function of genes related to stress and cell renewal, possibly contributing to poor health. Doctors know that being chronically sleep-deprived can be hazardous to your health.

A 4-year-old girl in Washington state pulled her little sister from the wreckage of a car crash that killed their mother, then kept the two of them warm under a blanket in the chilly rain for six hours until a passing driver found them. State troopers said that the girls probably only survived because the older sister had the wherewithal to get them out of the car and cover them. The younger girl is 2. Both were hurt, NBC affiliate KING5 in Seattle reported.

Even a few nights of sleep deprivation, according to a new study, can make your fat cells behave like they're much older and less responsive to the hormone that controls metabolism.

The findings are the first to link insufficient sleep to stroke; they're also the first to apply even to adults who keep off extra pounds and have no other risk factors for stroke, says Megan Ruiter, lead author of the report. It will be presented Monday at the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston.

As if you weren't already sleep deprived, you'll get an hour less shuteye Saturday night no matter what time you turn out the lights. Daylight saving time goes into effect at 2 am Sunday.

Sleep deprivation, "insult slaps," water dousing and "walling," or slamming a detainee's head against a wall, were techniques used by CIA interrogators to break high-value detainees, according to an agency memo.