Foods that can help you get better sleep

This article gives seven different foods that can help you sleep better at night.

The CDC calls insufficient sleep a public health epidemic, those who suffer from insomnia know it more as an awful vexing nuisance that hampers quality of life and taxes productivity. Not only that, it is linked to everything from car crashes and occupational errors to chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as cancer and increased mortality. Oh, elusive sleep!

An estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder, and about 4 percent of American adults use a prescription sleep aid, not to mention over-the-counter medications. But both families of sleep aids have their host of problems and side effects, from allergic reactions to “complex sleep-related behavior,” in which a person taking sleep-inducing sedatives might get up at night, eat, make phone calls, have sex, and even get in the car and go for a drive, all while not really quite awake. To sleep, perchance to get up and sleep-call an ex – ay, there's the rub.

In the meantime, there has been ample research looking into foods that can help you sleep better. While they may not conk you out as forcefully as a sleeping pill, they can definitely have an effect. So in an effort to steer clear of pharmaceuticals and avoid a potentially embarrassing “complex sleep-related behavior," here are some of the foods that experts say can inspire some Zs.

1. Tart cherry juice
Research out of Louisiana State University found that adults with insomnia who drank 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day for two weeks had an average of 84 more minutes of sleep time nightly compared to two-week periods in which they drank no juice or a placebo. It is thought that cherry juice’s natural supply of the sleep-wake cycle hormone melatonin and the sleep-friendly amino acid tryptophan are behind the magic. Study co-author Frank L. Greenway, says, “Proanthocyanidins, or the ruby red pigments in tart cherry juice, contain an enzyme that reduces inflammation and decreases the breakdown of tryptophan, letting it go to work longer in your body."

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2. Kiwi
A study from Taiwan’s Taipei Medical University found that eating two kiwi fruits around an hour before bedtime had surprising results. Psychology Today reports that study participants fell asleep more quickly, with a decrease in falling-asleep time of 35.4 percent. They also slept 28.9 percent more soundly and slept better, with a 42.4 percent improvement on a standardized sleep quality questionnaire. Overall, total sleep time for the study subjects increased by 13.4 percent.

3. Seaweed 
A University of Oxford study found that higher blood levels of omega-3 DHA (the fatty acids found in algae and seafood) were linked to better sleep. In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, the researchers examined if 16 weeks of taking 600 mg of algae supplement would improve the sleep of 362 children. Indeed, they found the children experienced better sleep, including less bedtime resistance, parasomnias and total sleep disturbance.

4. Walnuts
University of Texas researchers found that walnuts are a great source of melatonin and that eating them can lead to higher blood levels of this internal-clock controlling hormone, resulting in improved sleep.

5. Almonds
A study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that if the body is suffering from low levels of magnesium, sleep problems often ensue. The National Institutes of Health lists almonds as the number one source of magnesium; adding almonds to your diet is good all around, but may be especially good for boosting some shut-eye.

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6. Chamomile tea
Here's one from grandma's natural remedy playbook. According to the National Institutes of Health, chamomile tea is a traditional remedy to treat insomnia and induce calm. Widely regarded as a mild tranquilizer and sleep-inducer, studies confirm its calming effect. One Japanese study found that chamomile extract helped rats fall asleep as effectively as rats that got a dose of the tranquilizer, benzodiazepine! Use two or three tea bags for best effect, and make sure to cover the cup while steeping.

7. Peanut butter sandwich
Researchers say that a spike of insulin can change our circadian rhythms and can induce sleep. A good dose of carbs and sugars can make people feel sluggish and so eating carbs at dinner can help slow your body down and prepare it for sleep. The National Sleep Foundation suggests a mix of protein and carbohydrates to induce slumber – peanut butter, or better yet, almond butter, on whole grain toast may be all you need to bring out your inner Morpheus.

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How sleep impacts a person's health

This article explains how sleep can impact many factors of a person's overall health, such as dietary choices.

The mechanisms of sleep are only partially clear and remain the subject of intense research according to the National Sleep Foundation.

"Determining the specific amount of sleep that is sufficient for optimal health is difficult since it may vary depending on age of the individual, performance, co-existing health problems and life-style and environmental factors," said Dr. Lydia Kaume, nutrition and health education specialist, University of Missouri Extension.

As a guideline, Kaume says studies indicate getting enough sleep — 8 to 10 hours for adults — may provide significant long-term health benefits. About two-thirds of Americans lack enough sleep.

A 2011 National Sleep Foundation poll found that 43 percent of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 say they rarely or never get a good night's sleep during the week. In addition, more than 60 percent report a sleep problem every night, including: snoring, waking in the night or waking up too early.

Researchers are also searching for links that demonstrate a relationship between sleep and its influence on individual dietary choices.

"Some studies have demonstrated that those who sleep less are more likely to consume energy-dense foods, including fats or refined carbohydrates, more likely to have more irregular meal patterns, and less likely to consume adequate amounts of vegetables," said Kaume.

A review published in Nutrition Research (April of 2012) shows these relationships. The studies show that foods most helpful in promoting sleep increased bioavailability of tryptophan and production of serotonin.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid (the body cannot make it and has to be consumed in the diet), and is found in cheese, chicken, eggs, milk, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy and tofu, turkey.

"Our bodies' body uses tryptophan to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter, a chemical that is thought to promote sleep and balanced mood, and multiple functions including effects on appetite and memory," said Kaume.

With regard to health, several studies support the link between sleep disturbances and immune function, and inflammation. Although these relationships are complex and unclear, sleep deprivation is known to result in increased levels of inflammatory markers, which then lead to further activation of the inflammatory cascade.

Studies have also shown associations between sleep disorders and in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

"As more of such studies are published, it is becoming apparent that individuals need to consider taking action to ensure they sleep better to prevent health problems associated with sleep disturbances," said Kaume.

Most researchers agree that eliminating habits or foods that interfere with sleep would be a great way to deal with sleep problems. Here are some tips from several tips that may help you sleep better according to Kaume.

Avoid caffeine at least four-hours before bed time. Caffeine typically stays in the body for four to six hours and may decrease melatonin levels in the body.

Avoid alcohol before bed, although it may make individuals doze off easier, the sleep is shallow causes one to awake later in the night.

Avoid nicotine, and spicy meals may also be helpful as they interfere with sleep.

Keep a regular schedule and to your best to sleep at the same time every night.

Light sleepers may wear ear plugs.

Avoid liquids near bed time to avoid getting up needing to use the bathroom.

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Cutting calories can help sleep apnea

Obese adults eating fewer calories can have positive effects on sleep apnea and blood pressure.

A recent study conducted by Brazilian researchers reported that consuming fewer calories could improve sleep apnea and lower blood pressure in obese adults.

Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing stops and starts during sleep. Additionally, the disorder is associated with high blood pressure, heart problems, and stroke.

The Brazilian study involved 21 obese adults, between 20 and 55 years old, with sleep apnea. Some of the 21 adults reduced their caloric intake by 800 calories over a 16-week period, while the remaining made no changes to their diet.

At the study’s end, investigators found that those who reduced calories had lower blood pressure, had lost more weight, had fewer breathing issues during sleep, and had higher amounts of oxygen in their blood.

Findings of the study were announced at the American Heart Association high blood pressure meeting in San Francisco last week. Data and research presented at medical seminars is deemed inconclusive unit it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Marcia Klein, study co-author and adjunct professor at the University of Rio de Janero State University in Brazil, said the study’s findings reveal that moderate energy restriction in obese adults can improve sleep apnea, as well as blood pressure and heart rate.

Even a slight energy restriction, said Klein, can improve an obese adult’s entire cardiovascular system.

Klein also said that losing weight through dieting and exercise should remain the number one combative against sleep apnea. As a result, systolic blood pressure is often lowered by weight reduction.

Systolic blood pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading that reflects the force of blood in the arteries when the heart beats. The bottom number in a reading, diastolic blood pressure, measures pressures in the arteries between heart beats. A good blood pressure reading is considered to be below 120/80 mm Hg.

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Headaches in children

This article discusses headaches in children, which is becoming more prevalent as the school year begins.

As the school year approaches and begins, many parents may start to hear their children complain about headaches.

According to Nick DeBlasio, MD, a pediatrician in Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's Pediatric Primary Care Clinic, about 10% of school-aged children and 15-27% of teens experience them from time to time.

Headaches can be triggered by a number of different things. Here are the most common causes of occasional headaches in children:

Inadequate hydration. Not drinking enough fluids is one of the biggest causes of headaches. This is especially true when the weather gets warmer and kids become more active outside and lose fluid through sweating. If this is the case, the cure might be as simple as having your child drink more water.

Diet. Does your child eat regular meals? Skipping one meal, like breakfast, can trigger a headache. It's also important to make sure that your child is eating a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Too much caffeine and certain foods can cause a headache as well.

Sleep. Kids in middle and high school typically need at least 10-12 hours of sleep a night. Not sleeping enough at night can cause a headache. And getting less than 10 hours isn't enough to feel well-rested.

Stress. We all experience stress from time to time, and children and teens are no exception. If your child is under a lot of pressure from school, or experiencing big changes at home like a divorce or a big move, a headache can result.

Vision problems. If your child is unable to see what's happening at the front of the classroom, he might be straining his eyes to see far away, which can result in a headache. A vision test can give you a better understanding of whether or not your child's headaches are being caused by vision problems.

Family history. Your child is more likely to have headaches if a parent gets them as well.

If your child has a headache, try giving her water and over-the-counter ibuprofen. Follow the instructions on the package for the appropriate dosage and do not give it to your child more than three times in a week. If it persists for a few days or worsens, call your child's pediatrician.

Fortunately the majority of headaches in children are not a cause for alarm. However, there are a few instances which require a little more investigation. If your child's headaches have become more frequent or severe, if he wakes up in the morning of the middle of the night from it, or if the headache causes vomiting, it's best to have your child evaluated by your pediatrician.

He or she will perform a physical exam and decide if any tests need to be done. Brain MRIs and CT scans are rarely needed. If your pediatrician suspects a migraine, she might refer your child to a neurologist who is familiar with medications to help prevent and treat them.

And if your child or teen is suffering from chronic headaches and migraines, recent research by Cincinnati Children's found that adding cognitive behavioral therapy to treatment of pediatric migraines improves relief.

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Common issues that hurt your sleep

This article discusses common issues that hurt people's sleep, and tells you what to do about them.

You might remember a time when you could drift off to sleep in an instant and remain in a state of blissful slumber well past lunchtime the next day. Now your sleep is more likely to be lighter and more fitful, and when you wake up in the morning you don't always feel refreshed.

A lack of good-quality sleep could be a natural consequence of changing sleep-wake patterns after menopause. It's also likely that the issue is physical--and fixable. Many conditions can disrupt your rest, and they can be treated. It's important to address these issues. Lack of sleep does more than make you drowsy. Chronic insomnia has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and depression.

Go through this list to see whether you might have one of these sleep-stealing conditions. Also check your medicine cabinet. Some medications, including corticosteroids, beta blockers, cold and flu remedies, and certain antidepressants also can interfere with sleep.

1. Sleep apnea

The conventional image of sleep apnea is of the overweight man who snores, but women of any size can also develop these repeated pauses in breathing while they sleep.

"A woman who has a narrow jaw or a change in muscle tone can get apnea," says Dr. Julia Schlam Edelman, clinical instructor in obstetrics and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and author of "Successful Sleep Strategies for Women and Menopause Matters: Your Guide to a Long and Healthy Life." Either of these anatomical issues can block oxygen from reaching your lungs (and subsequently the rest of your body) while you sleep. Snoring might not be your main symptom if you do have sleep apnea, but you will notice that you're especially sleepy during the day.

Solution: See a specialist for a sleep study. You may be able to relieve apnea with a few lifestyle adjustments, such as sleeping on your side or losing weight. Your doctor might also suggest an oral appliance or a CPAP machine that blows air into your airways to keep them open at night.

2. Diet

What you eat can affect your sleep. Spicy foods can contribute to painful heartburn. Big meals leave you uncomfortably full, and over time can contribute to obesity--a well-known risk factor for sleep apnea. Too much caffeine could keep you wide awake, even if you finish your coffee in the morning.

"It takes six hours to clear half of the caffeine from your body. If you have enough caffeine, it's still in your body at 4 in the morning," says Dr. Edelman. And though a glass of wine or two with dinner will make you feel relaxed or even sleepy, it won't help you sleep. "You can fall asleep, but once you're asleep you can't sleep deeply," she says.

Solution: Eat dinner at least a couple of hours before bedtime, and keep the meal light. Avoid spicy, fatty foods, as well as alcohol and caffeine. Also, don't drink too many fluids before bed. Having to constantly get up to go to the bathroom can disrupt your sleep, too.

3. Lack of exercise

Sleep and exercise complement each other. Working out regularly can help you sleep better, and conversely, you're more likely to exercise if you get a good night's rest.

Solution: Exercise every day if you can, ideally in the morning. Doing a high-energy aerobic routine too close to bedtime can have the opposite of the intended effect, making you too energized to sleep. A gentle yoga stretch before bed probably won't hurt, though. It might even help you relax.

4. Pain

Arthritis aches or any other kinds of pain don't make for restful slumber. Conversely, a lack of sleep can increase your pain. Researchers believe that a lack of sleep may activate inflammatory pathways that exacerbate arthritis pain. Poor sleep can also make you more sensitive to the feeling of pain.

Solution: In addition to the pain remedies your doctor recommends, try using a heating pad or taking a warm bath before bed to soothe achy joints or muscles. Lying against a body pillow can put you in a more comfortable position while you sleep.

5. Restless legs syndrome

Women are twice as likely as men to have restless legs syndrome (RLS)--a condition that causes a creepy, crawly feeling and uncontrollable movements in the legs at night. It's often linked to hormonal changes early in life and during pregnancy, but RLS can continue as you get older. RLS isn't just miserably uncomfortable--researchers at Harvard have linked this condition to an increased risk for heart disease and depression in women.

Solution: Try simple interventions first. Exercise every day, take a hot bath before bed, massage your legs, and cut back on things that can make you jittery--like caffeine and tobacco. If these measures don't work, your doctor may recommend one of several medicines that reduce RLS symptoms--including ropinirole (Requip), pramipexole (Mirapex), rotigotine (Neupro), or gabapentin enacarbil (Horizant).

6. Depression

"Depression is a common compromiser of sleep, and it's much more common in women than in men," Dr. Edelman says. Women who are depressed may sleep more than usual, but their sleep isn't restful. Some of the antidepressants meant to counteract depression, particularly SSRIs, can also interfere with sleep.

Solution: See your primary care doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist for help, which may include medications, talk therapy, or both. If your antidepressant seems to be keeping you awake, ask your doctor to switch you to another drug.

7. Stress

It's impossible to sleep when the weight of the day is pressing on you. Finding a sense of calm before bed isn't easy, especially when you can't unplug from the demands of your day.

Solution: Establish wind-down time. Do a quiet, relaxing activity before bed that doesn't involve a screen. Talk to a friend or family member, sew, or read a real book--not one on a backlit tablet device.

"Just allow yourself to have quiet time," Dr. Edelman adds. And don't sleep with your smartphone on your bedside table.

8. Poor sleep habits

Sometimes insomnia stems from long-ingrained behaviors, like staying up too late or engaging in stimulating activities before bed.

Solution: Follow a few basic sleep hygiene strategies. Go to bed and wake up at the same times each day. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and comfortable. Use your bed for sleep and sex only. If you can't fall asleep within 15 minutes, get up and leave the bedroom. Read or do another quiet activity for 15 to 20 minutes until you get sleepy.

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Study: Genes link circadian clock to eating schedule

A study found that specific genes link a person's circadian clock to their eating schedule.

For most people, the urge to eat a meal or snack comes at a few, predictable times during the waking part of the day. But for those with a rare syndrome, hunger comes at unwanted hours, interrupts sleep and causes overeating.

Now, Salk scientists have discovered a pair of genes that normally keeps eating schedules in sync with daily sleep rhythms, and, when mutated, may play a role in so-called night eating syndrome. In mice with mutations in one of the genes, eating patterns are shifted, leading to unusual mealtimes and weight gain. The results were published in this month's Cell Reports.

"We really never expected that we would be able to decouple the sleep-wake cycle and the eating cycle, especially with a simple mutation," says senior study author Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor in Salk's Regulatory Biology Laboratory. "It opens up a whole lot of future questions about how these cycles are regulated."

More than a decade ago, researchers discovered that individuals with an inherited sleep disorder often carry a particular mutation in a protein called PER2. The mutation is in an area of the protein that can be phosphorylated -- the ability to bond with a phosphate chemical that changes the protein's function. Humans have three PER, or period, genes, all thought to play a role in the daily circadian clock and all containing the same phosphorylation spot.

The Salk scientists joined forces with a Chinese team led by Ying Xu of Nanjing University to test whether mutations in the equivalent area of PER1 would have the same effect as those in PER2 that caused the sleep disorder. So they bred mice to lack the mouse period genes, and added in a human PER1 or PER2 with a mutation in the phosphorylation site. As expected, mice with a mutated PER2 had sleep defects, dozing off earlier than usual. The same wasn't true for PER1 mutations though.

"In the mice without PER1, there was no obvious defect in their sleep-wake cycles," says Panda. "Instead, when we looked at their metabolism, we suddenly saw drastic changes."

Mice with the PER1 phosphorylation defects ate earlier than other mice -- causing them to wake up and snack before their sleep cycle was over -- and ate more food throughout their normal waking period. When the researchers looked at the molecular details of the PER1 protein, they found that the mutated PER1 led to lower protein levels during the sleeping period, higher levels during the waking period, and a faster degradation of protein whenever it was produced by cells.

Panda and his colleagues hypothesize that normally, PER1 and PER2 are kept synchronized since they have identical phosphorylation sites -- they are turned on and off at the same times, keeping sleep and eating cycles aligned. But a mutation in one of the genes could break this link, and cause off-cycle eating or sleeping.

"For a long time, people discounted night eating syndrome as not real," says Panda. "These results in mice suggest that it could actually be a genetic basis for the syndrome." The researchers haven't yet tested, however, whether any humans with night eating syndrome have mutations in PER1.

When Panda and Xu's team restricted access to food, providing it only at the mice's normal meal times, they found that even with a genetic mutation in PER1, mice could maintain a normal weight. Over a 10-week follow-up, these mice -- with a PER1 mutation but timed access to food -- showed no differences to control animals. This tells the researchers that the weight gain caused by PER1 is entirely caused by meal mistiming, not other metabolic defects.

Next, they hope to study exactly how PER1 controls appetite and eating behavior -- whether its molecular actions work through the liver, fat cells, brain or other organs.

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Study: People who sleep less eat more

A new study in children show that those who sleep less are more likely to be overeaters.

Young children who sleep less eat more, which can lead to obesity and related health problems later in life, reports a new study by UCL researchers.

The study found that 16 month-old children who slept for less than 10 hours each day consumed on average 105kcal more per day than children who slept for more than 13 hours. This is an increase of around 10% from 982kcal to 1087kcal.

Associations between eating, weight and sleep have been reported previously in older children and adults, but the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, is the first to directly link sleep to energy intake in children under the age of 3 years. The association was observed before differences in weight emerged, strongly suggesting that energy intake is a key pathway through which sleep contributes to weight gain in early childhood. While the exact causes remain unclear, the regulation of appetite hormones may become disrupted by shorter sleeping patterns.

The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, involved 1303 UK families in the Gemini birth cohort, monitoring sleep when children were 16 months old and diet at 21 months old.

"We know that shorter sleep in early life increases the risk of obesity, so we wanted to understand whether shorter sleeping children consume more calories" explains Dr Abi Fisher of the Health Behaviour Research Centre at UCL. "Previous studies in adults and older children have shown that sleep loss causes people to eat more, but in early life parents make most of the decisions about when and how much their children eat, so young children cannot be assumed to show the same patterns.

"The key message here is that shorter sleeping children may prone to consume too many calories," says Dr Fisher. "Although more research is needed to understand why this might be, it is something parents should be made aware of."

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Common migraine triggers to avoid

This article discusses seven common migraine triggers that those prone to migraines should avoid.

It’s estimated that 28 million americans suffer from migraines. Migraines are intense headaches that are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. They don’t simply come and go; each migraine can last between four hours and three days. Most migraine sufferers know to avoid certain things like dairy, alcohol and food with excessive additives, but there are other external factors that could trigger a migraine. Here are some to watch out for.

1. Change in Routine

For some migraine sufferers, routine is key to keeping the headaches at bay.  Change in sleep patterns, work hours or even holidays can create stress and lead to migraines.

2. Stress

As mentioned above, migraines and stress are strongly linked. Some people report migraines start when stress reduces, sometimes leading to “weekend headaches” after a stressful work week.

3. The Environment 

High altitude, weather changes and humidity can all trigger migraines.

4. Computer Screens

Both the posture you take when sitting in front of a computer and the glare from the screen can lead to migraine pain. Be sure to sit comfortably to avoid muscle tension and use an anti-glare screen.

5. Lack of Food

Insufficient food is one of the main dietary triggers of migraines. Avoid missing meals or snacking on treats high in sugar. Eating small, nutritious snacks throughout the day can help control migraine attacks.

6. Hormonal Change (In Women)

Fluctuation in estrogen may cause headaches in women who suffer from migraines. These women often report an increase in migraines immediately before or during their menstrual cycle, when there is a major drop in estrogen levels.

7. Sensory Overstimulation

Bright lights, loud noises and unusual smells, including perfume and secondhand smoke can trigger migraines. 

Migraine triggers are unique to every individual, and can happen as early as 6 to 8 hours prior to a migraine attack.

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Food purchasing is increased after sleep deprivation

A study links sleep deprivation to purchasing more food the following day which could influence weight gain and obesity over time.

People who were deprived of one night's sleep purchased more calories and grams of food in a mock supermarket on the following day in a new study published in the journal Obesity, the official journal of The Obesity Society. Sleep deprivation also led to increased blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, on the following morning; however, there was no correlation between individual ghrelin levels and food purchasing, suggesting that other mechanisms -- such as impulsive decision making -- may be more responsible for increased purchasing.

Researchers in Sweden were curious as to whether sleep deprivation may impair or alter an individual's food purchasing choices based on its established tendency to impair higher-level thinking and to increase hunger.

"We hypothesized that sleep deprivation's impact on hunger and decision making would make for the 'perfect storm' with regard to shopping and food purchasing -- leaving individuals hungrier and less capable of employing self-control and higher-level decision-making processes to avoid making impulsive, calorie-driven purchases," said first author Colin Chapman, MSc, of Uppsala University.

On the morning after one night of total sleep deprivation, as well as after one night of sleep, Chapman, along with Christian Benedict, PhD, and their colleagues, gave 14 normal-weight men a fixed budget (approximately $50). The men were instructed to purchase as much as they could out of a possible 40 items, including 20 high-caloric foods and 20 low-calorie foods. The prices of the high-caloric foods were then varied to determine if total sleep deprivation affects the flexibility of food purchasing. Before the task, participants received a standardized breakfast to minimize the effect of hunger on their purchases.

Sleep-deprived men purchased significantly more calories (+9%) and grams (+18%) of food than they did after one night of sleep. The researchers also measured blood levels of ghrelin, finding that the hormone's concentrations were higher after total sleep deprivation; however, this increase did not correlate with food purchasing behavior.

"Our finding provides a strong rationale for suggesting that patients with concerns regarding caloric intake and weight gain maintain a healthy, normal sleep schedule," said Chapman.

Follow up studies are needed to address whether these sleep deprivation-induced changes in food purchasing behavior also exist under partial sleep deprivation, though. Additional research should also look into sleep deprivation's potential impact on purchasing behavior in general, as it may lead to impaired or impulsive purchasing in a variety of other contexts.

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Most common migraine trigger is stress

General practitioners in the UK claim that stress is the most common trigger for migraines.

Stress has been blamed as the most common trigger for Migraines, according to GPs.

Certain foods like cheese and chocolate, excess caffeine intake or withdrawal and drinks containing Alcohol are also common triggers for migraines too. 

What’s more, 37 per cent of GPs believe that prevalence of migraine is probably on the rise, according to the research from Imigran Recovery.

Classed as among the most disabling illnesses by the World Health Organization, migraine is likened to the pain of childbirth by 44 per cent of GPs.

Despite this, almost half of GPs report that people often struggle with migraine for too long before seeking advice or taking action. This also applies to diagnosis, with at least 50 per cent of patients estimated to be undiagnosed.

Media medic and practising GP, Dr Sarah Jarvis said: “The impact of stress on our Health can never be underestimated. Where there’s a migraine attack, then for a lot of my patients, there’s normally stress involved. Certainly, there are a number of reasons stress may have increased over the years, including the economic downturn to name but one. As a result, migraine prevalence may be increasing and I have seen this among my own patients."

More than half of GPs agree that sufferers are not doing enough to avoid migraine triggers and, as a result, some migraine sufferers can go their whole life without getting their condition under control. Without changes in lifestyle, avoiding triggers and taking medication, migraine cannot be fully controlled, according to 46 per cent of GPs.

Dr Sarah Jarvis continued: “Avoiding stress can be difficult, but it is only through sustained lifestyle changes, alongside medication, that migraine can be controlled. Treatments, such as sumatriptan-based products, can relieve symptoms of a migraine attack, but it’s also important that patients take preventative steps between Migraines.

"I often suggest starting with a migraine diary to help pinpoint the triggers. Almost always small lifestyle changes will help, for example taking regular exercise, regular sleeping habits, eating a healthy Diet and avoiding caffeine.”

GPs also report a lack of patient awareness about treatments, with 77 per cent believing that migraine sufferers are unaware of the range of treatments available. Often sufferers have misplaced faith in painkillers, unsuccessfully trying to control the condition. Analgesics, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin, are overused by some migraine sufferers, according to 87 per cent of GPs. As a result, three quarters agree Medication Overuse Headache can be common amongst sufferers.

Despite their overuse, nearly three quarters of GPs believe analgesics provide insufficient relief for some migraine sufferers. As a result, treating and diagnosing migraine can be frustrating, according to 65 per cent of GPs, and 35 per cent believe it is still a poorly understood condition.

According to a separate study of 3,000 migraine sufferers by Imigran Recovery, 86 per cent of sufferers take no preventative action between migraine attacks. This could explain why nearly half of migraine sufferers feel helpless, believing that migraine is untreatable.

It’s no wonder then that more than a quarter of migraine sufferers believe their life would be happier if they could get control of migraine and more than a fifth believe their life would be significantly improved.

Experts believe that the widening of blood vessels in the brain causes the throbbing pain of migraine.  

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Link between poor sleep and obesity

This article discusses how poor sleep can lead to obesity as well as other sleep issues.

Could lack of sleep lead to obesity?

Yes, it is true. We generally overlook disturbed sleeping pattern, relish ourselves with a mug of coffee snug inside a balmy chair and just convince ourselves saying it is normal sometimes. But, don’t ignore it if sleep problems are a regular occurrence in your daily life as it may eventually contribute as a factor to your increasing waistline.

Researchers have suggested that major changes in sleep pattern can alter brain activity, sparking cravings for high-calorie food. If a person does not take adequate amount of sleep, this process impacts secretion of the signal hormones ghrelin, which increases appetite, and leptin, which indicates when the body is satiated. Now, this can trigger in excessive and undue eating without the compensating energy outflow and eventually pave way for obesity.

Studies have also shown that poor sleep or irregular sleep patterns can also play havoc on your hormones thereby increasing their levels abnormally which eventually leads to weight gain. It has also been observed that sleep deprived people crave for junk and sugary foods and even suffer dizziness, tiredness and lack of concentration. 

Further, people who work in late-night shifts are more prone to erratic sleep and are at a risk of developing diabetes. 

Symptoms of sleep disorder: 

- Lack of concentration.

- Feeling tired most of the time.

- Developing a need to drink caffeinated beverages for some instant energy.

- Slow reactions.

- Facing trouble in controlling one’s emotions.

How to cope up with poor sleep and check weight gain: 

If you are facing any of these symptoms, then pay notice to these warning signs and start looking for options to lose weight and pave your way to a better night’s sleep. 

For a start, you can try below mentioned options to improve your sleep and keep weight gain at check.

- Say no to junk food: Yes, the problem of sleeping disorder starts on an innocent note as whenever you feel sleep deprived, you crave for fatty food like potato chips, pastries, something that uplifts your mood instantly. So, fast foods are a big no-no.


- Exercise regularly: According to experts, exercise can help a lot in improving the quality of one’s sleep as it speeds up the metabolism of the body and leaves you feeling a lot more energetic which helps in keeping a check on one’s weight and also aids in proper sleep. But, avoid exercising before bedtime as it may have an adverse effect.


- Take ample amount of sleep: Sleeping for at least 7-8 hours in a day is a must as proper sleep will make one feel energetic, put a check on cravings for high-calorie food and hence save one from being a victim of obesity.

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Healthy diet and sleep help children learn

For children, success at school is influenced by a healthy diet and getting enough sleep.

Backing what many parents already believe, experts say that healthy eating and good sleep habits can help youngsters do well at school.

"Your brain can't work if you're not consuming enough calories, and in general that's not a problem," Krista Casazza, an assistant professor in the nutrition sciences department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a university news release. "But when kids go to school without eating breakfast, their [thinking and learning skills] can be affected."

Children should start the day with fruits, proteins and whole grains. They should avoid sugary cereals because they cause a sugar high followed by a crash.

"A balanced breakfast will fuel the body for a long period and help sustain their attention level through lunch, when they need to eat well again," Casazza said. "This will hold them until dinner, and they won't snack ravenously after school."

If their kids do need to eat something before dinner, parents can offer healthy choices such as yogurt, fruits and vegetables. Baked chips, in moderation, can be an option if children want "kid stuff." For a drink, give them water instead of soda.

Sleep is another important part of success at school.

"Children need a good night's sleep for their overall school performance," Kristin Avis, an associate professor in the pulmonary and sleep medicine division in the pediatrics department at UAB, said in the news release.

"Lack of sleep can lead to problems with attention and memory in the classroom, affect impulse control and mood regulation [and] lead to anxiety and even depression," she explained.

Children aged 6 to 12 should get nine hours sleep per night, as should teens aged 13 to 18. However, they typically average little more than seven hours per night, Avis said.

"Often parents think one night of sleep loss won't matter, but that's all it takes to affect them the next day," she said. "If they are chronically deprived, it can snowball and make matters worse."

Trying to catch up on lost sleep on the weekend can compound the problem.

"If kids sleep in Saturday, they have a hard time going to bed Saturday night; so they sleep in Sunday and have a hard time going to bed Sunday night. Monday morning they are tired, and it's hard to wake up for school. They struggle to get back on a good sleep schedule," Avis said.

Children and teens need a consistent bedtime seven days a week.

"It keeps their clock set so they can go to bed at a certain time, sleep well through night and wake up well rested the next morning," Avis said.

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Junk food cravings could be due to sleep deprivation

A study claims that sleep deprivation makes a person more likely to crave junk food which could explain the link between sleep deprivation and obesity.

A sleepless night makes us more likely to reach for doughnuts or pizza than for whole grains and leafy green vegetables, suggests a new study from UC Berkeley that examines the brain regions that control food choices. The findings shed new light on the link between poor sleep and obesity

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), UC Berkeley researchers scanned the brains of 23 healthy young adults, first after a normal night's sleep and next, after a sleepless night. They found impaired activity in the sleep-deprived brain's frontal lobe, which governs complex decision-making, but increased activity in deeper brain centers that respond to rewards. Moreover, the participants favored unhealthy snack and junk foods when they were sleep deprived.

"What we have discovered is that high-level brain regions required for complex judgments and decisions become blunted by a lack of sleep, while more primal brain structures that control motivation and desire are amplified," said Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience and senior author of the study published Aug. 6 in the journal Nature Communications.

Moreover, he added, "high-calorie foods also became significantly more desirable when participants were sleep-deprived. This combination of altered brain activity and decision-making may help explain why people who sleep less also tend to be overweight or obese."

Previous studies have linked poor sleep to greater appetites, particularly for sweet and salty foods, but the latest findings provide a specific brain mechanism explaining why food choices change for the worse following a sleepless night, Walker said.

"These results shed light on how the brain becomes impaired by sleep deprivation, leading to the selection of more unhealthy foods and, ultimately, higher rates of obesity," said Stephanie Greer, a doctoral student in Walker's Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory and lead author of the paper. Another co-author of the study is Andrea Goldstein, also a doctoral student in Walker's lab.

In this newest study, researchers measured brain activity as participants viewed a series of 80 food images that ranged from high-to low-calorie and healthy and unhealthy, and rated their desire for each of the items. As an incentive, they were given the food they most craved after the MRI scan.

Food choices presented in the experiment ranged from fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, apples and carrots, to high-calorie burgers, pizza and doughnuts. The latter are examples of the more popular choices following a sleepless night.

On a positive note, Walker said, the findings indicate that "getting enough sleep is one factor that can help promote weight control by priming the brain mechanisms governing appropriate food choices."

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Why night owls gain weight

This article looks at why night owls tend to gain more weight than those to go to sleep early.

Night owls are more likely to gain weight than people who get good sleep because they tend to graze the kitchen for junk food in the wee hours of the morning, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who were kept up until 4 a.m. in a sleep lab ate more than 550 additional calories during the late-night hours.

"People consumed a substantial amount of calories during those late-night hours when they would normally be in bed," said study author Andrea Spaeth, a doctoral candidate in the psychology department at the University of Pennsylvania. "Those calories also were higher in fat compared to the calories consumed at other times of day."

As a result, subjects kept up late gained more weight during five days of sleep deprivation than people in a control group who were allowed to get good sleep, Spaeth said.

Late-night overeating is likely the result of hormonal changes that occur in people who are sleep-deprived, said Dr. W. Christopher Winter, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Va.

They tend to experience an increase in their levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger cravings, and a decrease in levels of leptin, a hormone that makes people feel full.

"Now you're in a situation where you are craving bad food and more of it, and your body feels less full when it gets that bad food," Winter said.

The research team monitored the eating habits of about 200 people who, for five days straight, were kept up until 4 a.m. and then allowed only four hours of sleep. They remained in the lab the whole time, going through in groups of four or five at a time.

Subjects were allowed to eat whenever they liked, and trained monitors in the sleep lab maintained a running tally of the amount consumed and the times at which they ate.

Researchers then compared their calorie intake and weight gain to that of a control group allowed a good night's sleep in the same lab with the same food availability.

"The only difference between the two groups was sleep," Spaeth said. "They lived in a suite, and in the suite there was a kitchen with a fridge and microwave."

The eating habits of the control group remained unchanged. The sleep-deprived group began eating additional calories between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., and they tended to eat fattier foods during that time period. "That does kind of mimic the real world, when you're up late at night and you drift over to your fridge," Spaeth said.

There was one key difference between the lab and the real world. Since the study took place in a hospital, the suite's kitchen was stocked with hospital food. "I'm wondering if the effect would be stronger in the real world, where you have access to more calorically dense foods," Spaeth said.

The findings are published in the July issue of the journal Sleep.

Previous studies have shown a link between inadequate sleep and weight gain, Winter said, but this research is valuable because it provides precise observations in a laboratory setting.

"Anytime you're dealing with studies in the field, you're often relying on some sort of food diary or the recall of the patient," Winter said. "It's amazing how much food a person can eat and not remember. It's hard to keep track of people in terms of their eating and in terms of their sleep. When people are in a lab, they can perfectly control conditions and report them."

Blacks gained more weight than whites, and males gained more weight than females. Researchers currently are undertaking follow-up research involving detailed calorie counting to try to explain these differences, Spaeth said.

The study adds more weight to the growing mound of evidence suggesting that people who want to control their weight need to get seven to eight hours' sleep a night, Winter said.

People who can't get a good night's sleep -- such as people who are traveling or working late to meet a deadline -- need to pay extra attention to their food cravings, he added.

"God knows I'm aware of it," Winter said. "I'm usually traveling a lot, and I can feel myself craving food I don't really need and didn't know I wanted. I know when I'm going through an airport late at night and I see chocolate-covered pretzels, I know I'm not craving them because I'm hungry. I think if patients are more aware of those things, they're going to say, 'I'm not going to eat this because I'm not hungry, and it's not going to do me any good.'"

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Tips to help headache and migraine pain

This article gives tips that can help lessen pain from headaches and migraines.

Migraines, considered to be the most debilitating of all headaches, affect 12% of the population worldwide and approximately 28 million people in the U.S.  Sufferers frequently live in fear of the next headache onset, experience a disrupted sense of well-being, have a restricted ability to work and can develop family and other relationship problems.

For relief, most turn to over-the-counter pain medication, including Tylenol, Excedrin and prescription medication. However, if taken too often - or incorrectly - for prolonged periods of time, these medications can lead to ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, medication-overuse headaches and even death. 

During June, which is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, Accelerated Physical Therapy is encouraging headache sufferers to visit their physician and consider physical therapy as an integral part of treatment.

"We see many headache patients in our centers," explains Denise Schneider, PT, head of the Accelerated headache program.  "As specially-trained physical therapists, we are very successful in evaluating and treating headaches and, in some cases, reducing the pain to a point where medical intervention is no longer required."

Pharmaceuticals can play a role in treatment, but physical therapy can enhance and prolong their pain-reducing effects.  Medication sometimes does not resolve headaches caused by mechanical or soft tissue dysfunction or postural deficits.

"There are specific techniques we use, including soft tissue massage, head/space orientation exercises, deep neck muscle exercises, manual traction and joint-specific mobilizations that are highly beneficial," Schneider explains. 

Schneider offers these tips for migraine and other headache sufferers to try at home:

• Eat regular meals
• Get regular sleep
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid known triggers such as food and smells
• Use a good pillow
• Try hot showers or heating pad
• Try cold pack or ice
• Watch your posture
• Drink plenty of water

Schneider recognizes that physical therapy can't treat all headaches.  "It has to have a musculo-skeletal or mechanical component," she explains.  This is also why she recommends a medical evaluation first to rule out causes that may require medical intervention, such as a tumor, vascular disease of infection.

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