RadioMD News... I'm John Byrd.

More than half the patients prescribed opioid painkillers received more than they needed and many shared the drugs, a new survey indicates. These patterns are contributing to the nation's epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse and overdose deaths, researchers said.

Eating more whole grains can help you live longer, finds a new study. The higher the grain intake, the lower the death rate, especially deaths from cardiovascular disease. Whole-grain foods include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, brown rice and whole cornmeal.

And... your kids may need more sleep than you realize. Too little sleep has been linked to health problems in children and teens, including impacting learning and memory. Infants need 12-16 hours of sleep per day, children 1-2 years old 11-14 hours, children 3-5 years old 10-13, children 6-12 years old 9-12 and teenagers 13-18 years of age need between 8-10 hours of sleep per day. Turns out sleeping in may not be their laziness after all.

For RadioMD News, this is John Byrd. Hear health talk interviews with top experts at RadioMD dot com.