Health briefs: Sleep walking more common

Sleepwalkers on TV and in movies are often played for drama or laughs, but the phenomenon is surprisingly common in American households, a new study suggests. In what they said is the first research in three decades on sleepwalking prevalence in the United States, scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine found that about 3.6 percent of U.S. adults are prone to sleepwalking, a higher proportion than previously thought. Nocturnal wandering is also tied to certain psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. -- HealthDay

Young people smoke less, but . . .

Smoking rates among American teens and young adults fell between 2004 and 2010, but too many of them still light up, a new federal government report reveals. The rate of current cigarette use among U.S. teens decreased from nearly 12 percent in 2004 to about 8 percent in 2010, and dropped from nearly 40 percent to about 34 percent among young adults, according to the analysis released last week from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. -- HealthDay

Remove foil after baking

Don't leave baked potatoes in the foil after baking, especially if they are standing at room temperature. Potatoes can harbor Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium naturally found in soil that causes botulism. Though cooking kills the bacteria, their spores -- which produce a deadly toxin -- can survive, germinate and multiply in the oxygen-poor environment within the foil. Scrub potatoes before cooking. Serve them right away, and store leftovers immediately, unwrapped, in the refrigerator. -- Berkley Wellness Letter