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Time Spent Outdoors Associated wtih Reduced Myopia Risk

BBC-News reports, "The time children spend outdoors could be linked to a reduced risk of being short-sighted," according to research presented at an ophthalmology meeting.  "An analysis of eight previous studies by University of Cambridge researchers found that for each additional hour spent outside per week, the rish of myopia " was decreased by two percent.  "Exposure to natural light and time spent looking at distant objects could be key factors, they said."  The study authors "concluded that short-sighted children spent on average 3.7 fewer hours per week outdoors than those who either had normal vision or were long-sighted."

Chronic Insomnia May Raise Heart Attack Risk

WebMD  reports that according to a Norwegian study published in the Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, chronic insomnia may increase "the risk of heart attacks."  Researchers found, "aftertaking into account known heart attack risk factors like age, blood pressure, cholesterol, and obesity...people with insomnia had more heart attacks than people who rarely had trouble sleeping."  However, the study authors noted "that findings may be unique to high-latitude regions like Norway, where the sun rarely sets in the spring and summer and does not rise in the winter.  The incidence of sleep apnea among the study population was also not known."

Taking Blood Pressure Drugs at Bedtime may be Optimal

HealthDay  reports that according to a study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, taking blood pressure "pills at bedtime may be best."  The study involved "661 patients with chronic kidney disease and hypertension.  Half of them took their prescribed blood pressue-lowering drugs at bedtime and half took their medications first thing in the morning."  Notably, "after an average follow-up of 5.4 years, the researchers found that patients who took at least one blood pressure-lowering drug at bedtime had better control of their blood pressure and were about one-third as likely to suffer a heart-related event such as heart attack, heart failure or stroke."