Body News.(sleeping, at-home wrinkle treatment and a new diet drug)

Byline: Kristin Sainani

Sleeping Smoothly

Insufficient sleep is known to have adverse health effects, but poor sleep quality may be just as detrimental. In a study of 43 women who all slept at least six hours per night, those who reported more sleep problemssuch as taking a long time to fall asleep or waking up during the nighthad higher levels of CRP, a blood marker of inflammation that has been linked to heart disease, certain cancers, and aging. Stress from disrupted sleep may affect the immune system and lead to inflammation, explains Michele L. Okun, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She advises avoiding late-day caffeine, always waking up at a regular time, getting out of bed if you can't fall asleep after 20 to 30 minutes, and spending 15 minutes before bed writing down anything that's bothering you to "get it out of your head."

At-Home Wrinkle Treatment

An at-home LED-phototherapy device is almost as effective at reducing wrinkles and improving skin tone and smoothness as the versions at spas and doctors' offices. That's what Neil S. Sadick, clinical professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College, reports after studying 19 people who used the handheld Omnilux New-U on facial skin ...