If you were to be asked the number of hours a person should sleep, chances are you would say 6 to 8. And while this seems to be a common number for healthy sleep, a study seems to think otherwise.

This was after researchers reportedly put some people in darkness for 14 hours a day during a month-long period. After some weeks it found that some people were regularly sleeping for 4 hours, staying awake for an hour or two and then going to sleep for another four hours.

Apparently it has a “break” in the pattern which means that normally, there would be an interval of sorts in between sleeping spells.

Though sleep scientists were impressed by the study, among the general public the idea that we must sleep for eight consecutive hours persists

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Most people nowadays are busy trying to burn those excess calories solicited from the just concluded Holidays and while many feel that exercise and cutting down the food intake is all that it takes to do so, hold on a second.

While controlling food intake and exercise may do that, do not forget the most important factor of all – SLEEP. Studies have shown that people would need 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep to truly reap the benefits of dieting.

Studies have demonstrated that lack of sleep leads to an increase in the hormone ghrelin (which tells the body to eat) and a decrease in the hormone leptin (which tells your body to stop eating).

Paired with a reliable bed and doing away with the vices like TV, do not overlook the value of sleeping properly. It may play a big difference when it comes to dieting and your overall health of course.

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It seems that a lot of people have shown confidence on the SLEEPTRACKER, a device pegged to help people sleep better from Innovative Sleep Solutions. To date, the device has reportedly helped about 150,000 people worldwide, helping people wake up refreshed.

The SLEEPTRACKER Elite monitors a person’s sleep patterns to detect the possible waking time. Through this process, users no longer have to worry about losing or lacking sleep. They can sleep at the proper time, refreshed and totally good to go.

With SLEEPTRACKER Elite, users can upload 12 hours of sleep data via USB to the desktop – providing a look into personal sleeping habits. Users can compare data and see when, where and why they are getting the best nights of quality sleep.

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It looks like women don’t have to sleep like crazy to live longer. Apparently they will need only 5 to 6 hours of sleep to live longer, thanks to some research claims.

The study was made on 459 elderly women in America found that those who slept for between five and six and a half hours a night had the longest survival rates.

In their first study they worked out peoples’ sleeping habits using wrist activity monitors, which are able to tell whether a person is awake or asleep by how much they move and then count up the overall hours of sleep a night.

They established that those who had more than six and a half hours sleep a night or less than five were far less likely to be alive today. Long term studies show that those who drop down to five hours or fewer face a 70 per cent extra risk of dying from all causes.

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While most celebrities are trying to figure out how to manage their time and get some sleep, here is somebody who truly values sleep. Diva Mariah Carey makes sure she gets the proper amount of shuteye to make sure she takes care of her singing voice well.

This was revealed by husband Nick Cannon who on his part is content getting 2 to 4 hours of sleep.

The same holds true for Jennifer Lopez, investing heavily on sleep to make sure she doesn’t lose her voice quality. So for singers out there, sleep and you can bet you will continue singing tunes as well as these two pop stars.

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Not that this is a Woody Woodpecker type of an alarm clock, this unique gadget from Natalie Duckett helps enhance your sleep with the drumming sound of woodpeckers two times a day.

The clock is made of natural materials, mostly wood. The sound of the woodpecker drumming can be changed by what surface the clock is put up against or on top of. The evening alarm is automatically set to go off for when the sleeper should be in bed in order to get 8 hours of sleep.

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Sandra Bullock has been having less sleep these days, as can be seen by the dark glasses she has constantly donned. And while we are all aware of the celebrated marital issues that have beset the popular actress, it seems that she is leaving all that behind by embracing motherhood even if it means getting less sleep.

Bullock claims that she is only getting three hours of sleep after getting custody of her adopted son Louis earlier this year. Hence, Bullock doesn’t want to miss a beat of motherhood, sleeping less to enjoy the privilege all the more.

Sandra and husband Jesse James secretly adopted the baby from New Orleans in January. The pair split following revelations of his infidelities in March and she is continuing the adoption process as a single parent.

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For the elderly folks, valuing their way of living for the remaining years of their lives should be given focus. And if you think that surrendering them at Assisted-Living Facilities (ALFs) is the best alternative is the best solution, guess again. It seems that thanks to a study, their way of living is placed in jeopardy, especially if you talk about the value of sleep that they should be getting.

Elder people need longer hours of sleep and if this study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is consistent, this is one area that they are sorely lacking.

This study looked at the sleep habits of 121 older people living in ALFs in the Los Angeles area and found that on average they slept about six hours per night and for about one and a half hours during the day. The most commonly reported factors contributing to “trouble sleeping” included waking up in the middle of the night or early morning (60.3%) and the inability to fall asleep within 30 minutes (59.5%).

Now those are disturbing numbers and facts. So if you do plan to surrender your folks to a retirement home or ALF, make sure that they are getting the proper means of living, especially for the remaining years of their lives.

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Sleep would normally be contribute to weight gain but it seems that it can be a good way to stay slim as well. At least that is what some researchers found when normal-weight young men consumed extra calories when they had just four hours of sleep the night before compared to when they slept for eight hours.

Given the findings and the fact that people have been sleeping less and getting fatter over the past few decades, “sleep restriction could be one of the environmental factors that contribute to the obesity epidemic”, the researchers wrote in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition. Care to try it?

(Source) Asia One

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For any country or region, there will be a place that will solicit the tag of being the “Sleep Deprived Capital”. And as far as the United Kingdom is concerned, the unlikely tag is pointing to Aberdeen after a survey was conducted. According to the collected information, people over there slept just 5 hours and 23 minutes a night.

People in the UK at an average enjoy six hours and seven minutes, which is far lesser than the recommended eight hours of sleep every night. And like most of us, the main cause were identified as money problems, inappropriate environment at work, troubles in family, and relationship issues.

(Source) e Yugoslavia

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It seems that sleep loss is more serious that we thought. While we all know that chronic sleep loss does affect the memory, it seems that reflex action and other brain function can severely be affected as well. A study over at the Harvard Medical School can attest to that when they put nine volunteers on a specialized sleep-wake schedule made of 33 hours of wakefulness and 10 hours of sleep.

Using a series of tests, the researchers measured the subjects’ reflexes, motor skills, memory, decision making, and other brain functions. The results have yielded conclusions that may overturn commonly held misconceptions about sleep. Several weeks into the study, the subjects’ average reaction time at night had slowed from a quarter of a second to almost four seconds.

(Source) The Crimson

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You can add another issue to highlight among teens if they lack sleep. A study showed that lack of sleep could become a high risk issue for teens who lack sufficient shuteye. Teens who go to be after midnight are more likely to experience depression, especially the ones who get less than 5 hours of sleep. Worst, 50% of those sleep-deprived teens may even commit suicide!

Doctors recommended that parents remove television sets and video games from teenagers’ rooms to help them get nine hours of sleep each night. Make sure they get sufficient sleep to avoid falling into these sleep issues and trauma.

(Source) Foxreno

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The last thing you would think that could help people, especially the weight-gaining pregnant women would be sleep. We know that the reason for weight gain is linked to their added fetus inside and also the food intake as well as vitamins and minerals that help the mother and her unborn child healthy. But now, some people are saying that sleep can help them get back their actual frame.

A new study done by Kaiser Permanente in California finds sleep may be just as important as diet and exercise for shedding baby weight. One study has found that new moms who slept five or fewer hours a day, six months after giving birth, were three times as likely to hold onto those extra pounds as were women who got seven or more hours of sleep.

This seems interesting and should be a good guide for pregnant mommies out there. So if you are worried about getting back your original figure, this little study should more or less be a great reference and hope for you after you give birth.

(Source) ABC

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Sleep deprivation is common for people who have to work on shifts. There are a lot of factors contributing to it. But among them include that of the body clock. Normally, we are all used to standard sleep at night scenario but no thanks to the jobs that cater to different time zones, the need to earn a living despite this constraint has to be done.

The only bright note about it is that the pay is better. Companies provide night differential for taking on graveyard shift but you just have to ask yourself, is it worth it? Some say it is but other alter their body clocks which may become a health hazard if they are not careful.

There are there are 3 factors that affect employee sleep patterns:

1. Shift Length
2. Fixed vs. Rotating Shifts
3. Shift Start Times

Each have their own contributions to sleep deprivation and while many want to address the problem, it is a burden that some have to take. Shift changes practically assure you that you have to sacrifice some hours of sleep since the transition may not give the proper allowance.

As far as shift start times, it all takes getting used to. But you can be that once it is time to go to work, drowsy or sleepy employees are reporting for work which could take a while to normalize. In these cases, Coffee Anyone?

(Source) Press

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We know that most people today are dying to shed that excess calorie in the worst way and of all the things like jogging or hitting the fitness centers, would you believe sleep has its own line of slimming down? Apparently that is what sleep experts are trying to preach these days. Just check out this sleep diet by sleep expert Michael Breus, Ph.D.

The “Sleep Diet” calls for a minimum of seven and a half hours of sleep every night. Experts said some people may need more than that. The other rules include not consuming any caffeine after 2:30 p.m. and avoiding alcohol within three hours of going to bed. The final guideline is to go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.

The complete results of the “Sleep Diet” experiment are profiled in the March edition of Glamour Magazine, and they are encouraging. The participants lost 6 to 15 pounds in 10 weeks without making deliberate changes in what they ate or how much they exercised.

Would you buy it? Well for one, you have nothing to lose. Just try it out for a while and see if there was indeed a difference. Do share the result with us.

(Source) ClickonDetroit

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When it comes to colds or coughs, the first thing that people would do is look for a paracetamol to help aid you in that irritating state. But there are some people who also have reservations when it comes to medications. In fact, some would even just drink water and sleep it out.

It does make sense. When you have colds, the feeling of being drained of fluids is the common scenario. Drinking either water or orange juice can really be soothing. But all of these are nothing without rest. The best way to regenerate you body to full strength is through proper rest or better yet sleep.

Researchers found that those who got less than seven hours of sleep a night were almost three times as likely to have clinical symptoms as those who got eight or more. Those with a sleep efficiency score of 85 percent or less were more than five times as likely to be infected as those with higher efficiency.

(Source) International Herald Tribune

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Some people make do with 6 hours while others can go over 8 hours. Depending on your lifestyle, it has been said that you may need an average of 6 to 8 hours. Going over 8 hours makes you groggy and may eventually ruin your sleep cycle. So how do you go about it?

For one, make sure your metabolism is running smoothly. Jog, walk or attend some gym classes. Get the blood vessels flowing to pry you away from that lazy life that people may classify as bums or people who are too lazy to even lift a finger.

At times when you are in bed, you cannot help but want to snooze a bit. Try to correct that habit since snoozing may lead to eventual sleep once again. Before you know it, a couple of hours have passed and once you get up, you ruin your sleep cycle.

Discipline yourself even if it is hard. Getting up is the hardest things people who lack sleep can do. Fight it and try to regulate your sleep pattern. It is bound to be a point that will work to your benefit.

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Also, add to the fact that some stores have extended their shopping hours until midnight to allow shoppers to complete their shopping. So with that in mind, you can imagine how much sleep is lost. Anyone would be lucky to get more than 6 hours of sleep for the next couple of days.

While it is evident that some people are bound to lose sleep for the next couple of days, they can always normalize it after the holidays. But then again, you can always have a choice of foregoing shopping for now to avoid the cramped malls and stores. But if you do, it is doubtful if you can sleep through it, considering you just will not stop until your Christmas list is completed.

(Source) Central Illinois

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Sleep Deprived Medical Interns

While most of the world may be seeking treatment for their various sleep issues, the growing number of patients may soon include interns who look after these medical seeking individuals. Just like the patients diagnosed with various sleeping irregularities like sleep apnea and insomnia, if the proper volume of patients to be handled is not normalized, chances are these medical interns may also need sleep solutions similar to this post two months ago for doctors.

The relationship is quite similar. People cure people but in the process, while most of them want to help as many people as they can, it still remains that they have to consider the fact that these interns have to look after themselves as well.

Interns were on-call for about 30 hours, getting an average of 2.8 hours of sleep. Early in the academic year, every patient admitted while they were on-call reduced their sleep by an average of about 10 min and increased shift duration by about 13 min. Being on-call at night and early in the academic year was linked with the most sleep deprivation and longest work hours. The higher the number of previously admitted patients in the interns’ care during a shift, the less likely they were to participate in educational activities.

(Source) Insider Medicine

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We all know that thinking too much may eventually result into sleepless nights. At the rate that everything is going up these days, the only thing that perhaps is remaining is to see our salaries and daily pay go up. Now that is something to ponder on. But while we can wait all we want, thinking and even dreaming of when that would be, sleeping better is the least thing we can do.

Another thing that contributes to the growing number of insomniacs is that more people are now trying to get a second job. There is the traditional 8 to 5 job and hence getting another one will surely penetrate our required number of sleep. So if you get a second job for income, chances are you may not be close to the usual 8 hours of sleep.

With coffee to keep you awake, you may say it is a temporary setup. But once you finally get your back to normal (assuming inflation is out), your next step would be to see a specialist. Now you have to address you sleep problem and likewise get yourself sleeping back to normal.

It seems all these things will never cease. You just have to address them one step at a time.

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As far as getting the proper number of hours of sleep is concerned, you would rarely find anyone having the usual 8 hours of sleep. Some turn to the dreaded sleeping pills, which are claimed to be a lot safer these days since they are not as addicting as the olden days but it remains that they are still not the natural means of sleeping.

At risk is our health, making our bodies prone to heart problems and obesity. At a certain age where we are perhaps in the prime of our lives, this will not matter. But the real toll will set in once we age. In time, our bodies will start to show these problems and we will feel that for sure since we will get weaker which will become the opening that these diseases will need to flourish.

So with these in mind, should we turn to sleeping pills to get that much needed sleep? There are still risks and to date, the only thing that they will tell you is that it is not as addictive as the ones we used to take.

On whether that statement will make you feel comfortably depends on how you look at it.

(Source) Yahoo News

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She says, “Sleep as much as you can because you don’t get any sleep. It’s a year later and I still haven’t gotten a whole eight hours of sleep yet – I’m still reeling from winning last year.” And when asked by People magazine who she wanted to be crowned as the winner of this year’s hit U.S. talent show, Sparks remained diplomatic, claiming she had voted for both finalists.

(Source) Hiphop Elements

Apparently this is something that most of us may find similar in our case. Being excited with a high adrenalin rush in our heads will surely make us hyperactive. But while that is true, do consider your health. You may have won something for your troubles but apparently you may be losing a health battle if you are not careful.

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We have heard of kids not getting enough sleep but no thanks to some problems for this 3 year old child, he is lucky to get more than 3 hours of sleep. Many of us are aware that sleeping problems are only normal but in this child’s case, he is not getting enough sleep. And again, he is only 3 years old so you can you imagine the problems that will ensue from thereon.

Surgery has become an option and hopefully this rare sleep problem will be addressed and resolved. Kids are the last people we would want to see suffering from such problems and in this case, this little boy deserves to be cured and given the proper sleeping patterns due for infants to grow healthily.

Video courtesy of Yahoo Videos.

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