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Shortened Sleep Can Make People Fatter

Brian Yalung — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:34:13 +0000

Sleeping less could make you bulge more. This is one finding that a study in Japan showed, owing it to a hormonal imbalance within males who tend to sleep less but eat more in the process. Worst, it can even lead to serious health risks as well concerning the heart and other key areas of the human body.

Contrary to what people believe that shorter sleep is good for the body since it allows us to burn more calories, we tend to make up for it by digesting food to serve as energy sources of our body. But while you are satisfying one aspect of the picture, do remember that you are also putting another area at risk which is the overall health of our bodies.

Lack of sleep triggers a hormone in the blood which stimulates the appetite, said the study’s lead author, Nihon University medical department associate professor Yoshitaka Kaneita.

“It increases a sense of hunger as well as an appetite for high-calorie food,” he said Thursday, calling for people to pay due attention to how much they sleep.

(Source) AFP

Studying the Science in Sleep

Brian Yalung — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:35:53 +0000

Most of us encounter some problems associated with sleep. While we often shrug them off and never mind them, they can develop into potential risks that can totally become serious health risks and problems if we let them get out of hand. Normally, we only pay attention to sleep disorders once they become irritating and disturbing. But the thing is sleep problems should be treated in the same way we would have any problems with our health.

To be able to understand what is truly wrong with us, such problems should be brought to the attention of the specialists. Sleep disorders are not as simple today and if we want to avoid complications in the end as far as health is concerned, it would be best to seek the advice of certified sleep specialists to diagnose them properly.

“Few are aware that sleep talking, teeth-clenching and snoring are diseases,” said Han Jin-kyu, a sleep specialist and director of the Seoul Sleep Center in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “Those symptoms are directly linked to myocardial infarction, hypertension, diabetes, heart attack and even stroke.”

(Source) The Korea Times

Sleep Away from Mobile Phones

Brian Yalung — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:16:09 +0000

Normally, we would have our mobile phones nearby. Possible calls while we are sleeping are a given and we just don’t want to miss them even if it means waking us up from a deep slumber.

But while this is a common practice, the radiation that these mobile phones is something to worry about. There are health risks that include headaches, confusion and depression which may be solicited so it is best to read on this.

Radiation from mobile phones delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches and confusion, according to a new study.

The research, sponsored by the mobile phone companies themselves, shows that using the handsets before bed causes people to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them, interfering with the body’s ability to repair damage suffered during the day.

The findings are especially alarming for children and teenagers, most of whom – surveys suggest – use their phones late at night and who especially need sleep. Their failure to get enough can lead to mood and personality changes, ADHD-like symptoms, depression, lack of concentration and poor academic performance.

(Source) The Independent on Sunday

Sleep Apnea Leads to Hypercapnia

Brian Yalung — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 08:15:02 +0000

Breathing problems were found to become a problem for people who suffer from chronic sleep apnea. Hypercapnia seems to be found in people since most would resort to either curing or dealing with sleep apnea through excessive eating to replace the lost energy due to sleepless nights.

Discovering the high level of carbon dioxide from such sleep apnea problems is only normal. This abnormal sleeping disorder is bound to point towards other areas of health risks such as obesity and such should not be surprising.

(Source) People who suffer from the nighttime breathing disorder known as sleep apnea may develop high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood during the daytime — a condition known as hypercapnia, Japanese researchers have found.

Dr. Koichiro Tatsumi from Chiba University and colleagues studied 1,227 patients with obstructive sleep apnea — a common problem in which people stop breathing for short periods during sleep. It occurs when soft tissues in the back of the throat collapses, temporarily block the airway.

Tests showed that 168 of the patients, or 14 percent, suffered from daytime hypercapnia. These patients weighed significantly more and had worse sleep apnea than patients with normal blood levels of carbon dioxide.

Baby Safety Requires Wise Sleeping Positions

Brian Yalung — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:40:24 +0000

Normally, babies would want to sleep in the position to which they can be comfortable on. Babies would normally sleep facing down which is quite dangerous since it may lead to suffocation at times or more commonly known as SIDS.

Indeed, training your infant to sleep flat on his or her back is hard as it is. For sure, they will be crying out loud for the awkward sleeping position they may find themselves in. However, it should be noted that most of the right things we have to do in order to be safe will always be uncomfortable.

For a sleeping child, addressing the best sleep position to disregard various sleeping issues is a good way to prevent potential deaths and health risks for unknowing infants today.

Source: Safe sleep is focus at CHC during baby safety month

Female Hypertension due to Lack of Sleep

Brian Yalung — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:38:23 +0000

Bypassing the need for the usual quality sleeping hours among women may more or less be a prime cause for health risk problems. Hypertension and rising blood pressures are the leading contenders for providing health risks to the female species and if women are not careful, they may find themselves more at risk rather than being proactive and helpful.

“Sustained sleep curtailment, ensuing excessive daytime sleepiness and the higher cardiovascular risk are causes for concern,” study leader Francesco Cappuccio, of the University of Warwick’s Warwick Medical School, said in a statement. “Emerging evidence also suggests a potential role for sleep deprivation as a predictor or risk factor for conditions like obesity and diabetes.”

Source: Sleep-deprived women at hypertension risk

Being a Workaholic is NOT All Good

Brian Yalung — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:16:16 +0000

While most people feel that the road towards career success is through working tirelessly, it will come to a point where loss of sleep will catch up on them. Loss of sleep is synonymous to health abuse and thinking that bodies can withstand and take the added fatigue and stress without proper respite is entirely dangerous and risky.

A lot of workers use this workaholic attitude to speed up their promotion with their respective companies. Although in the real world this is true, it also speeds up their prone towards different health risks such as obesity and heart disease. It will reach a point where over-fatigue will lead towards needing medical aids and supplements to withstand the loss of proper care for the human body. Hence, the need to re-evaluate the rate of living among people is something that should be looked upon twice.

Here is a good article to read upon for superficial understanding of this issue on the Herald Sun: Heavy Price of Lost Sleep

Menopause may Lead to Sleep Apnea

Brian Yalung — Sun, 27 May 2007 10:51:24 +0000

Menopause is a common disorder that is immediately associated with women who go past their prime of reproductive proceedings. Usually, women who hit the age of 50 to 51 would be susceptible to mood swings, hot flashes and fatigue. Overall, these would be immediate symptoms of sleeping disorders. Hence, menopause having most of these symptoms would most likely be a clear state that will lead to the same sleeping disorder that women would encounter today.

Snoring among women at this age is a sign of abnormalities in breathing. While they can be immediately associated with fatigue, the fact remains that it is part of the stage and process. For women who may find themselves in such a state, it would be better to seek medical evaluation. The health risks involved in such should be thoroughly evaluated and at that prime age, anything of the medical aspect may be key towards continuous healthy living.

Further reading: Menopause may cause Sleep Disorders

Breathing Cycles during Sleep

Brian Yalung — Mon, 21 May 2007 15:02:52 +0000

Many people are not aware that even in their unconscious state of sleep, there are various factors to consider such as that of breathing and the state of the heart. Most will be unaware that the impact that such factors would have on the human body are very much important. For some, it may become a difference between determining the overall well-being of a person and that of potential health risks which may come up when they are supposedly resting their laurels.

To date, the only way to be able to determine if something is indeed wrong with a person is by resorting to medical attention. There are gadgets that can help determine the overall healthy state of a person through them and it would be wise to be alert of such. In some cases, taking such health concerns for granted may eventually become vying factors that can spell the difference between life and death.

Coffee Keeps you awake for a Specified Period

Brian Yalung — Thu, 17 May 2007 20:29:34 +0000

Many have been educated that coffee can be able to keep them up, but not entirely since caffeine can only take effect for a certain period of time. Caffeine intake may be good for the human body but will have its usual limitations. Too much caffeine will have its effects on the body and people may find themselves being too hooked on to it that it will go as far as affecting their usual health habits.

Coffee has been a known stimulant to keep people awake. Coffee does get the job done, but it also depends on the people taking it. There are some people who cannot even understand the impact that it would give in some cases. Some use it as a psychological effect and nothing else.

The question perhaps running in the minds of many is on why some people want to stay awake. Some need to be awake most of the time to carry out their duties. While health risks may be involved, it is not bad to be up most of the time. But continuous abuse will take its toll at some point in their lives.

People need to consider their internal human systems to be able to function well and carry out the expected work from them. That is a reality that elements such as coffee cannot even make up for once they have been damaged.

Here is a good reference article to read on further: Caffeine – The Stay-Awake Drug

Photo courtesy of Koffee Korner.