A new study from the researchers at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has found evidence that there is a link between sleep and the immune system. Lack of sleep not only causes lack of concentration and moodiness, it can also reduce the effectiveness of vaccines. Their study’s link between the amount of sleep you get and the immune response to vaccines was analyzed by middle-aged participants in a sleep clinic who were monitored on a nightly basis to determine their sleep patterns than administered a three dose hepatitis B vaccine to see how strong their immune system responded. Read more »
Heat Exhaustion Treatments
It’s going to be a hot summer with temperatures already in the 90’s in June. The weatherchannel.com has predicted above-average warmth is expected from the Southwest to the portions of the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast this summer. Many athletes can’t wait for the warmer weather to start exercising outside, but I’ve already seen people running and riding their bikes as early as 6:30am to avoid the afternoon high temperatures. Extreme heat can cause heat exhaustion. What are the signs of heat exhaustion? Dizziness, nausea, headache, heavy perspiration and an accelerated heartbeat are some of the symptoms you need to look out for. Heat exhaustion comes on suddenly and without adequate fluids your internal temperature could go as high as 104°F! If you feel any of the signs here are a few heat exhaustion treatments and how to prevent it from happening. Read more »
New Research about Sleep Deprivation
On Friday, April 29, 2011, USA Today’s article Tired Brains May Enter Sleep Mode While Awake stated that researchers know that sleep deprivation impairs the ability of people and animals to function. Now new research about sleep deprivation has found that the brains of rats kept awake past their bedtime began turning certain cells off while they were still awake. Certain brain cells known as neurons that get used during the day are the ones that appear to go off-line. It is likely that sleep-deprived human brains react in the same way. “Long before we show signs of tiredness, such as yawns and trouble focusing, it is probably happening,” stated a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chiara Cirelli. Read more »
Good Friday is a Good Nights Sleep
Do you lose sleep at night because you dread going to work the next day? A study of 3,500 adults surveyed admitted calling in sick on Monday because Sunday night is the worst night to sleep easy. As many as 80% found that they slept the best on Friday night because they weren’t stressed about their bitchy boss or trying to finish that dreadful project. Sleep deprivation during the week can be blamed for lack of focus, increase frustration and falling asleep on the job. Not only are 60% of the people surveyed not sleeping well on Sunday night, they are trying to make up for lost sleep on Friday and Saturday night. This not only disrupts your sleep/wake cycle, but a sleep marathon will not make up for your sleep debt. What a body needs is a consistent sleep pattern of 7-9 hours every night, even on the weekends. Let’s look at an example to see if Good Friday is a good night’s sleep. Read more »
Sleep is a writer’s dream because sleep deprivation is big business
Everywhere you look these days; CNN, USA Today, MSNBC and even on the Dr. Oz Show, they are writing or talking about sleep or I should say the lack of it. Sleep deprivation can lead to many health problems like; obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and depression. BUT, sleep deprivation is a two edge sword because illnesses such as; epilepsy, lupus, fibromyalgia and even sleep related conditions; obstructive sleep apnea, night terrors, and sleepwalking are reasons many of us are getting less sleep than we need. Since we can’t fall asleep easy and stay asleep throughout the night (symptoms of insomnia) this can cause us to lose mental focus, become irritable and we may cause physical harm to ourselves as well as others by falling asleep during the day. Read more »
How to Sleep Easy on Daylight Savings Time
In 1919 Daylight saving time was established and the world was and still is dealing with DST effects such as heart attacks, suicides, sleep deprivation and general grouchiness. The problem is we are already sleep deprived as we are just barely getting through our daily activities. When DST comes along people can’t cope and losing another hour of sleep can be a shock to our system. How to sleep easy on daylight savings time? Read more »
Sleep Easy Tips and Techniques to Get More ZZZs
What are some the tell tale signs you are not getting enough sleep at night? Do you lay awake in bed more than 30 minutes? Do you get up during the night or wake up early in the morning? If you wake up, can you fall back to sleep easily? Are you tired during the day? Do you wake up refreshed or still sleepy? These are all symptoms of insomnia and you are suffering from sleep deprivation. Here are some sleep easy tips and techniques to get more zzz’s. Read more »
Lack of Sleep
With the holidays approaching, everyone has a lot more to do than there is time in the day and many of us find that we suffer from lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is common in today’s world and some believe that they can live on less sleep than they need. You need sleep to regenerate your body and brain in order to function normally during the time you are awake. Research has shown that sleep deprived subjects are less likely to pass verbal learning tests due the brain’s unregenerated neurons. Also they show signs of slurred speech, stuttering, speaking in a monotone voice and/or speak in a much slower pace than they do when fully rested. Lack of sleep impairs one’s ability to focus, reduces the speed to perform and lessens efficiency. One symptom of prolonged lack of sleep is hallucinations, when the brain is unable to perform optimally it creates images dissimilar from reality possibly resulting in temporary insanity. Read more »
Anorexia Nervosa Causes Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder and Sleep Deprivation
Many people who have the eating disorder anorexia nervosa also may suffer from a nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED) in which they binge eat night after night. Individuals with NS-RED usually have trouble falling asleep easy and/or staying asleep during the night that can lead to chronic sleep deprivation. What is anorexia nervosa? Anorexia nervosa [...] Read more »
Stop Smoking Can’t Sleep
Some people can’t sleep because they are trying to stop smoking. When your body craves nicotine due to a dependency, it may cause you to wake up periodically during the night with an increased heart rate, especially if you are trying to quit. If you decide to get up and have a cigarette you may find it hard to go back to sleep because nicotine is considered a stimulant even though many people feel the need to smoke as a way to calm themselves down and relax. The fact is smoking stimulates the mind and body that can initiate sleep problems and if you can’t sleep over a period of time it may result in sleep deprivation, in which you will find it more difficult to function normally during the day and eventually it may cause serious health issues; like heart disease and obesity. Read more »