Monday, March 28, 2011

Prevent colon cancer with sleep By Dr. Richard Beliveau, Special to QMI Agency Last Updated: March 28, 2011 2:00am The risk of colorectal cancer is strongly influenced by lifestyle habits, particularly diet and physical activity. However, recently obtained data suggests that the length and quality of one's sleep could also play a significant role in the development of this cancer. In our busy society, sleeping is often seen as a waste of time, to the point that sleep deprivation has become normal, rather than an exception. For example, while people at the beginning of the 1960s got an average of seven hours to 8.5 hours of sleep per night, nearly 50% of people today sleep less than seven hours per night. Spread out over a year, this lack of sleep robs us of, on average, the equivalent of a month-and-a-half of sleep, based on our needs. However, sleep is without a doubt the part of our life with the most underestimated impact on our health: * It allows us to recharge the body's energy reserves. * It is critical for growth in children, as it is during the night that the secretion of growth hormones is at its highest. * It allows for the development of memory. "Take advice of your pillow," is a saying that has a biochemical and neurological origin. * It is important for the stabilization of emotions and mental balance. Read the rest of the article here.

No comments: