People are known to walk, talk and eat while sleeping. Now, there is sleep texting.

A study from Villanova University found that the habit of using smartphones to message friends while still asleep — and having no memory of doing it — is a growing technology trend adolescents and young adults. "They are intimately attached to their phones," said Elizabeth B. Dowdell, professor of nursing at Villanova. Members of that age group can average 60 to 100 text messages a day, she said.

Researchers interviewed 372 college students — 75 percent women, 25 men. One-third reported that they answered a call while asleep and 25 percent said texted while asleep.

Youngest get earlier ADHD diagnoses

The youngest children in kindergarten are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosed in early grades, a study showed.

The study found younger students, especially boys, are more likely to be started on medications for ADHD and kept on them longer than the oldest children. About 6 million U.S. children have ADHD diagnoses, which causes inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

"Doctors and therapists need to factor that into their decisionmaking," said Dr. Anupam Jena of Harvard Medical School. They should ask, "Does he really have ADHD, or is it because he needs six more months to mature? That extra year makes a big difference."

Immigrants help fuel U.S. medical care

The U.S. health care system is highly dependent on professionals born in other countries, said a census data analysis. In 2016, roughly 17 percent of professionals in 24 medical fields — from optometrists to chiropractors to veterinarians — were foreign-born, and almost 5 percent were not U.S. citizens. About one in five pharmacists, one in four dentists, and 29 percent of physicians — approaching one in three — were foreign-born. Among one of the biggest occupational groups — psychiatric, nursing and home health aides — 23 percent were foreign-born.

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