Sleep Matters!
Lack of sleep among the U.S. working population is costing 2.28% of the GDP because of lower productivity levels and a higher risk of mortality. Each year employees lose 1.2 million working days a year, and experience 13% increased risk of mortality. Researchers estimated that increasing nightly sleep by 1-1-1/2 hours per night could add…
Read MoreSleep Deprivation Associated with Excess Weight
Increasing evidence demonstrates inadequate sleep may significantly influence obesity rates. Researchers with the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study found participants with short sleep (less than 8 hours per night) experienced changes in the appetite regulatory hormones. Leptin (tends to suppress appetite) levels were reduced and ghrelin (tends to increase appetite) levels were increased. Chronic sleep restriction combined with…
Read MoreKids, Smartphones and Sleep
Two-thirds of high schoolers sleep next to a phone or tablet--and 47% awake at least once per night to respond to messages! A meta-analysis of 17 studies finds the use of smartphones and tablets at night are a significant problem for the amount and quality of sleep kids get. These studies were not randomized, so…
Read More84 Million U.S. Adults Don’t Get Enough Sleep
One third of U.S. adults get less than the recommended 7 hours or more of sleep each day. The U.S. Centers for Disease control analyzed the sleep habits of almost 450,000 participants. Those aged 25-44 were the most likely to report inadequate sleep while those over 65 were most likely to be getting enough. Residents of South Dakota…
Read MoreVideo: What if You Didn’t Sleep?
In spite of growing evidence that adequate sleep is essential to every aspect of healthful living, estimates suggest that in the U.S. 66 percent of teens and 30% of adults are sleep-deprived. This short video animation provides an excellent summary of the importance of sleep. (Take a moment to complete the quiz that follows to test you…
Read MoreJust One Night of Sleep Deprivation?
When thinking about treating obesity, most of us think of diet and exercise. However, sleep loss increasingly appears to be an important factor. Dogs deprived of sleep for one night suffered a 33% drop in insulin sensitivity. The same 8 dogs had a 21% drop when fed a high-fat diet for 6 months. These results cannot be…
Read MoreShort Sleeping Equals More Colds
Your mother may have told you that if you don't get enough sleep you will get a cold. Now researchers have found that sleeping less than 6 hours per night does increase your risk of developing a cold when exposed to rhinovirus (the virus responsible for most colds). After adjusting for confounders, those who slept less…
Read MoreSmart Napping
German researchers have found that napping for less than an hour helps the brain consolidate newly learned information. Forty-one participants were tested on their memorization of individual words and word pairs. Then half were allowed to sleep and the others could watch DVD's. Immediately after the break they were tested again. The nappers essentially forgot nothing,…
Read More“Eveningness” and Diabetes Risk
If you tend to be a night owl, you may be at higher risk for diabetes. Korean researchers found middle-age adults with a preference for going to bed late were 1.73 times as likely to have diabetes and metabolic syndrome. These differences persisted after adjusting for sleep length and other lifestyle factors. This early study did…
Read MoreImprove Your Game with Optimal Sleep!
When crunch time comes sleep is often sacrificed first. Athletes are no exception! Stanford University researchers found basketball players who got at least an extra hour of sleep each night for 5-7 weeks experienced increased shooting accuracy and sprint times by almost 10%. They also reported increased vigor. less fatigue along with better physical and mental well-being…
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