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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How important is sleep to a person's health?

This article discusses why sleep is so critical to having good health. It also provides recommended sleep times dependent on a person's age.

Most people know when they don't get enough sleep: They're grumpier, have trouble concentrating and may even eat more. But too little shut-eye does more than affect your mood. It can wreak havoc on your health, research shows.

Sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of many serious health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, heart attacks and strokes, as well as premature death and reduced quality of life and productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Add to those an increased risk of automobile crashes, industrial disasters and medical and other occupational errors. A recent mouse study found that chronic sleep loss can lead to the irreversible damage and loss of brain cells.

CDC data show that 28% of U.S. adults report sleeping six hours or less each night, and that's just not enough for most people, experts say. It's no wonder that the CDC calls insufficient sleep "a public health epidemic."

Sleep is so critical to good health that it should be thought of "as one of the components of a three-legged stool of wellness: nutrition, exercise and sleep," says Safwan Badr, a past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a sleep expert with Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University.

"The three are synergistic," he says. "It's hard to lose weight if you are sleep deprived. It's hard to eat healthy if you are sleep deprived. It is hard to exercise if you're tired."

Although people's sleep needs vary, the sleep medicine group recommends that adults get about seven to nine hours a night for optimal health, productivity and daytime alertness.

But that's difficult for many people to do. An estimated 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, shift-work sleep disorder or narcolepsy, as well as sleep disturbances associated with many diseases, mental illnesses and addictions, according to the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

"That's a conservative estimate when it comes to the number of people with sleep disorders or those who have difficulty sleeping," says Michael Twery, director of the center. "There are more than 70 sleep disorders."

Sleep-deprived people may have schedules that don't fit well with the body's natural sleep cycle, such as shift workers or high school students who have to get up early but whose bodies are wired to get up late, Badr says.

They may have insomnia and not be able to fall or stay asleep at night. They may have sleep apnea, which is characterized by frequent pauses in breathing and brief interruptions in sleep.

Or people getting insufficient shut-eye simply may not value sleep. This is a culture where not sleeping very much or pulling an all-nighter is considered a "badge of honor," he says.

Anne Wheaton, a CDC epidemiologist, agrees that people just don't make it a priority. Many people think taking the time to get sufficient sleep is being lazy and a waste of time, but they could be performing so much better if they were well-rested, she says.

There are a lot of physiological changes that occur with sleep, says Timothy Morgenthaler, a consultant at the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Rochester, Minn. "One of the main hypotheses is that one primary function of sleep is to help eliminate metabolic waste products of the mental processes in your brain. Sleep clears those waste products out and replenishes the energy inside brain cells."

There is a recent study that showed that "when we don't get enough sleep, we actually injure brain cells. The research was done in mice, but I think there is very little doubt that our cognition suffers, and our brain does not function as well when we don't get enough sleep."

New research shows that "another significant function of sleep is to prune out less important things we learn every day and solidify those signals that are more important to remember. This occurs every night," Morgenthaler says.

"When you miss out on sleep, you take out a loan from the sleep bank," he says. "You can never completely repay the debt — and decreased health is the interest on your loan."

Adds Twery: "Sleep is not only important for brain health, it's part of the biology of virtually every tissue and organ in our body. A lifestyle that doesn't provide for sleeping long enough on a regular schedule each night with good-quality sleep doesn't support the body's natural biological rhythm. Then the chemistry of these tissues and organs works inefficiently.

"The amount of sleep needed to support human biological rhythm is typically seven to eight hours during the night. Like naps, shorter periods of sleep at other times of day may reduce the feeling of sleepiness but do not help the biological rhythms associated with long-term health," he says.

Twery encourages individuals who frequently feel excessively sleepy during the day to discuss their symptoms with a physician.

New treatments for sleep disorders have been developed based on these research advances, and more are in the development pipeline, he says.

Badr says there are some steps you can take to get a better night's sleep: Go to bed at about the same time every night, get up at the same time in the morning, don't drink caffeine at all or in the afternoon, limit alcohol consumption, and exercise regularly.

"Sleep well, live well," he says.

Daily sleep needs vary by ages and individuals but here are some general guidelines:

Newborns (up to 2 months), 12-18 hours
Infants (3-11 months), 14-15 hours
Toddlers (1-3 years), 12-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years), 11-13 hours
School-age children (5-10 years), 10-11 hours
Teens (11-17 years) 8.5-9.5 hours
Adults (18 and older), 7-9 hours

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What causes poor sleep, and how do I get better sleep?

This article discusses health conditions that cause a person to get poor sleep, and discusses things everyone can do to get better sleep.

With any illness, injury or sniffle, you'll hear one common suggestion: Get plenty of rest. Whether we're nursing a broken bone or trying to recover from the flu, we are led to believe that adequate sleep will put us right on the path to recovery. But just how important is sleep, and what about those of us who can't seem to get quality sleep?

Lack of sleep is linked to several health concerns:

Colds, flu, viruses and infections. One of the first systems to be adversely affected by lack of quality sleep is immune function. When you're tired, you feel worn down -– and that's not just a feeling. Your body is using all energy reserves to fight off the viruses and exposure to germs that might not affect a person with a thriving immune system. Also, if you receive vaccines, the sleep-deprived are slow to respond to the immunity the vaccines are designed to build.

Heart disease. According to Donna Arand, clinical director of the Kettering Sleep Disorder Centers in Dayton, Ohio, lack of sleep causes an inflammatory response to the cardiovascular system. Rises in C-reactive protein due to impaired sleep are warning signs that the body is responding to a perceived injury, infection or disease. In this case, lack of sleep is that perceived threat that results in inflammation. Poor sleep also causes the body to produce more stress hormones, which may contribute to cardiovascular disease. Chronic stress coupled with lack of quality sleep causes double trouble for the heart, arteries and ventricles.

Diabetes. In the past decade, there has been growing evidence that too little sleep can affect hormones and metabolism in ways that promote diabetes. According to a study published in the Lancet in 1999, healthy men with a week of impaired sleep –- only four hours a night –- showed dramatic changes in glucose tolerance. They also had higher-than-normal glucose levels after just one week. This study involved healthy people with no previous record of insulin resistance or history of diabetes.

For those already diagnosed with diabetes, sleep deprivation leads to extremely poor blood sugar control. These studies do not include control factors of the snowball effect that often starts with losing a night's sleep. Sleepy people don't usually reach for healthy foods as snacks and meals. They don't usually choose to walk during their lunch break -– or head to the weight room after work. Tight glucose control involves nutrition and exercise parameters, and both of those are adversely affected by just one night of impaired sleep.

How Can We Improve Our Sleeping Patterns? 
1. Keep the bedroom for sleep and sex. Don't let the bedroom become the home office. Keep the clutter and distraction of that quickly approaching timeline out of the bedroom. Keep a cool temperature, and design the room for its purpose. Walking into your bedroom should be a clear change from the rest of the house.

2. Put down the screens. An hour or more before bedtime, put down the computer, smartphone and TV. Dim the lights throughout the house, and start getting your mind ready to wind down. Some people use blackout shades in the bedroom during the summer months. Before electricity, people stayed awake two or three hours past dusk with candlelight, and their natural circadian rhythms prompted them to sleep. There's a lot of research that links artificial light –- including blue-light from screens -– with interrupted sleep patterns. If we're staying up six or more hours past dusk with fluorescent light glowing, our bodies don't know when it’s time to sleep.

3. Pay attention to what you eat and drink before bedtime. Try not to go to bed ravenous or stuffed. Be aware that a glass of wine might help calm the nerves, but metabolizing alcohol keeps the body in an alert mode while the mind is trying to snooze. Have that glass of wine earlier in the evening. And yes, eating bad pizza right before bed can cause nightmares. So can stuffing yourself with any food minutes before trying to sleep. Your body is trying to do two things: metabolize food and sleep. The food is going to win, and that's a cause for dreams and other disruptions to quality sleep.

4. Move your body. There is substantial evidence that exercise helps you sleep. Even moderate exercise like a daily walk promotes better sleep -– in terms of quality and quantity. Be careful with your exercise timing, so you're not too energized with endorphins to sleep. There's also a direct link between exercise and stress, and stress is a big factor in sleep-deprived people. Move your body. Manage your stress. Get quality sleep.

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Autism in adults leads to many health problems

This article discusses how autism in adults can result in many other health problems.

Autism apparently isn't a stand-alone disorder, with new research revealing that adults with autism often face a host of mental and physical illnesses.

Kaiser Permanente researchers found that nearly all medical conditions are significantly more common in adults with autism spectrum disorders than those without, ranging from depression to gastrointestinal problems to obesity. Notably, however, adults with autism are much less likely to smoke or use alcohol than other adults, and cancer rates are similar.

"Some of these conditions we've seen in children with autism, so we expected higher rates of anxiety and depression, and some of the medical disorders, such as gastrointestinal disturbances, in adults," said study author Lisa Croen, director of the Kaiser Permanente Autism Research Program in Oakland, Calif.

"That's been reported for a long time in children, so we're not surprised to see those continue to be elevated," she added. "But we were surprised by the magnitude of what we found."

The study is scheduled to be presented Thursday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta. Research presented at scientific conferences typically has not been peer-reviewed or published and results are considered preliminary.

Diagnosed in about 1 in 68 American children, autism spectrum disorder is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States, according to the advocacy and research organization Autism Speaks.

The disorder can be mild or severe, but symptoms typically include social and communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors.

Croen and her colleagues examined medical records from 2008 to 2012, and compared the prevalence of psychiatric, behavioral and medical diagnoses among 2,100 adults with an autism spectrum disorder to 21,000 adults without the disorder.

Adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder had markedly higher rates of mental health problems than the other adults:

• Depression (38 percent versus 17 percent)
• Anxiety (39 percent versus 18 percent)
• Bipolar disorder (30 percent versus 9 percent)
• Suicide attempts (1.6 percent versus 0.3 percent)

People with autism spectrum disorders were also more likely than adults without the disorder to have physical ailments, such as:

• Diabetes (6 percent versus 4 percent)
• Gastrointestinal disorders (47 percent versus 38 percent)
• Epilepsy (12 percent versus 1 percent)
• Sleep disorders (19 percent versus 10 percent)
• High cholesterol (26 percent versus 18 percent)
• High blood pressure (27 percent versus 19 percent)
• Obesity (27 percent versus 16 percent)

"What the data show is really an extension of what we've learned already of children and adolescents with autism," said Dr. Paul Wang, senior vice president and head of medical research for Autism Speaks, who wasn't involved in the study. "It's not just a brain disorder -- it's really a disorder that affects the whole body. And this shows that these problems don't go away."

Croen said that many possible reasons exist for the wide gap in mental and physical ailments suffered by adults with autism, including a potential genetic basis. But the "core impairments" of those with autism -- such as communication problems and heightened sensitivity to touch -- can also make it difficult for them to be properly examined by clinicians, she said.

"People with autism often have very selective eating and their nutrition suffers," Croen added. "Their social impairments can lead to isolation, which leads to a lack of exercise. So some lifestyle factors can create more unhealthy lifestyles."

Social isolation may also explain why adults with autism are less likely to drink alcohol or smoke, noted Croen, also a senior research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

"Smoking and drinking are more social behaviors, especially in young people," she said. "Or, that's how it gets started. These young people with autism are out of the mainstream."

Croen and Wang agreed that autism researchers should extend their focus beyond the brain to multiple bodily systems as well as examine the transition from pediatric to adult health care.

"I hope these findings raise awareness among the medical community and others that adults with autism have a really high burden of medical and psychiatric conditions, much more than people think," Croen said. "There's a real need for doctors to be educated about autism and the characteristics of these adults so they can provide adequate and effective care."

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Not getting enough sleep adds to health problems in teens

A study shows that teenagers increase their risk of developing health issues due to  getting too little sleep (6 hours or less). Electronics in the bedroom are blamed for getting too little sleep.

Many teens from lower- and middle-income homes get too little sleep, potentially adding to the problems of kids already at risk for health issues, new research finds.

The study of 250 high school students found they slept an average of six hours a night, far less than the recommended amount -- about nine hours.

Kids who skimp on sleep are more likely to report feeling hopeless, as well as smoke, drink alcohol and use marijuana, according to background information in the report, published online April 21 in Pediatrics.

"Many teenagers, especially blacks, do not get enough sleep, which may contribute to their risk for poor health," said lead researcher Karen Matthews, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

"Inadequate sleep can result in academic underachievement, health-damaging behaviors and negative mood," she said.

Matthews said sleep deprivation isn't confined to the poor. "Many kids who come from upper class families also do not get enough sleep, but our study focused on poorer children because of a lack of data available in those [upper class] students," she said.

The researchers wondered if the challenges of living in disadvantaged circumstances would affect sleep patterns. In their sample, 60 percent of the kids lived in single-family homes. Overall, the kids were heavier than national average, the researchers said.

Matthews isn't sure why these teens aren't sleeping enough. "However, factors that determine bedtime play a key role for sleep duration because of mandatory school start times," she said.

"Bedtimes can be quite late if students are using electronic devices late into the evening, and bright light exposure [from these devices] can keep them up," she said.

Late-night studying was not a factor in this sample, Matthews said.

Dr. Metee Comkornruecha, an adolescent medicine specialist at Miami Children's Hospital, said the study shows "what a lot of us are thinking -- that adolescents aren't getting enough sleep."

Kids are prone to a lot of distractions, he said. "Cell phones are used not only for texting but to look on the Internet and for various types of social media. That frequent stimulation can keep these kids up."

Comkornruecha recommended removing electronic distractions from the bedroom. "Take the phones, computer and TVs away from the bedroom. If they're there, kids are going to use them. But if the bedroom is a safe haven for sleeping, then that's what it is going to be used for," he said.

Among the students whose sleep patterns were monitored, 57 percent were black and 54 percent were girls. All came from low- to middle-class families.

Matthews said besides looking at kids from poorer families, they wanted to look at any differences by race because two studies of middle-aged adults suggested that blacks had worse sleep than whites. "Thus, we conducted our study at an integrated high school that had black and white students of similar economic backgrounds," Matthews added.

The researchers had the students complete questionnaires and keep a diary of the length and quality of their sleep. At night, the teens were hooked up to an electronic device that monitored their sleep.

On school nights, the teens slept about six hours, and on the weekend, about seven hours. Matthews' team found that blacks and males slept less than other kids, and their sleep was more fragmented. Girls reported poorer quality of sleep and said they were often tired during the day.

The researchers previously reported that insufficient sleep is linked to higher blood pressure and insulin resistance, a risk factor for diabetes.

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What changes quality of life in a child with epilepsy? An action plan for families and neurologists.

This study looks at children recently diagnosed with epilepsy and determines their health-related quality of life which can be changed by medications, cognitive problems or behavior, parental depression and family demands.

The objectives of this study were to document trajectories of health–related quality of life (HRQL) and to identify predictors of the trajectory group in children with new–onset epilepsy. Results suggested that children with epilepsy are not homogenous but rather consist of groups with different trajectories and unique predictors of HRQL. Problems associated with child behavior and cognition were the strongest predictors identified. Given that several risk factors are modifiable, it is important to examine these as potential targets within a family–centered framework to improve HRQL of children with new–onset epilepsy.

Methods

• Data were obtained from the Health Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study, a prospective multisite study of children 4–12 years old with new–onset epilepsy followed for 24 months.
• Health–related quality of life was measured using the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy questionnaire.
• Trajectories of HRQL were investigated using latent class trajectory modeling.
• Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify child, parent, and family predictors of HRQL trajectories.

Results

• A total of 374 families responded at baseline and 283 (76%) completed the study.
• Five HRQL trajectories were observed: low–increasing (4%), moderate–decreasing (12%), moderate–increasing (22%), high–increasing (32%), and high–stable (30%).
• Many children in the low–increasing, moderate–increasing, high–increasing, and high–stable had clinically meaningful improvements in HRQL: 82%, 47%, 63%, and 44%, respectively.
• In contrast, the majority of children in the moderate–decreasing group (56%) experienced clinically meaningful declines in their HRQL.
• Factors predicting trajectories were number of antiepileptic drugs prescribed, presence of comorbid behavior or cognitive problems, parent depression, and family functioning and demands.

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Children who get more sleep weigh less

A study claims that children who sleep more weigh less than their sleepier counterparts. This shows how important getting enough sleep is to children and their health.

Getting a good night's rest is an essential part of our every-day health. It's as simple as that.

The American Psychological Association shows that as many as 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders, and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Not enough sleep can greatly interfere with daily activities, create moodiness and instability in an individual's life and can also be a contributor to weight gain, among other health problems.

A recent study shows that more than ever, sleep is particularly important for children-and this can play a major contribution to losing weight.

"Achieving a good night's sleep during childhood should be explored as an important strategy to enhance prevention and intervention approaches for obesity," said associate professor of public health at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia, Chantelle Hart. She is also the lead study author of the research.

While looking at a three-week study involving 37 children ages 8 to 11, findings suggest that increasing sleep could help decrease food intake over time and improve weight regulation in this age group.

The children who added sleep tended to eat less, with an average of 134 calories a day. They also shed about half a pound on average and had lower morning levels of the hormone leptin-a 16-kDa adipokin that plays a key role in weight regulation.

Researchers are hoping to determine if sleep over a longer period may help prevent weight loss, as well.

"The evidence is incredibly strong and consistent that a short list of lifestyle factors has a phenomenal influence on weight, health and even gene expression," Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in New Haven, Conn. said, via Health.

Combined with a good night's rest, physical activity, eating a healthy diet, not smoking and stress reduction, these all play an important role in helping lose or maintain a healthy weight.

While adults can scrap by with eight hours a night, the National Sleep Foundation suggests that children and teens may need more.

For instance, school-aged children should get 10 to 11 hours a night while teens need around 9.25 hours of sleep, according to the organization.

At the end of their research, study authors note that while there is not a solid link between more sleep and weight loss, it potentially opens the door for greater research regarding the topic.

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Treating sleep apnea helps you look younger

This article discusses the benefits to treating sleep apnea, including helping you look younger.

There’s no shortage of reasons to treat obstructive sleep apnea, including your overall health, your ability to function well during the daytime, and even your sex life. Here’s another: treating your sleep apnea will likely improve your appearance. New research indicates that effectively treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy results in patients looking younger and more attractive.

Researchers at the University of Michigan examined the impact of CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea on patients’ facial appearance, and found noticeable—and measurable—improvements after consistent use of CPAP. The study included 20 adults, 14 men and 6 women, all of whom had obstructive sleep apnea. Researchers took highly detailed 3-dimensional imagesof participants’ faces, both before CPAP treatment began and again after 2 months of regular use of CPAP. Researchers then asked a group of 22 volunteers to assess both the before and after-treatment images. For each sleep apnea patient, volunteers were asked to identify what they believed was the post-treatment image, as well as to compare and rate the before and after pictures for alertness, youthfulness, and attractiveness. Researchers also used 3-D imaging to measure several aspects of appearance, including facial redness and forehead surface volume. They found significant differences to appearance after treatment, according both to volunteers’ impressions and objective measurements:

• In a significant majority of instances, volunteers were able to correctly identify the post-treatment images of sleep apnea patients
• Volunteers also were 2 times as likely to rate the post-treatment images as more youthful, more attractive, and more alert looking
• Image analysis showed that after 2 months of CPAP treatment, facial redness around the eyes and cheeks had diminished
• Forehead surface area had also decreased after 2 months of CPAP, a finding that researchers suggested may be attributed to changes in fluid circulation at night.

These results illustrate what most of us already know from looking in the mirror, or at the faces of those familiar to us: when we sleep well, we look better. Other recent research has also explored the relationship between sleeping well and looking good, with similar findings:

• Scientists at the University of Stockholm studied the impact of sleep deprivation on facial appearance. They found sleep-deprived people were observed to have redder and more swollen eyes, hanging eyelids, and darker circles under the eyes, as well as more wrinkles and paler skin. According to the study’s findings, sleep-deprived people also looked sadder than those who were well rested.
• An earlier Swedish study by some of the same research team also found sleep-deprived people to be perceived by others as less healthy and less attractive than well-rested people.
• A study commissioned by the cosmetics manufacturer Estée Lauder and conducted by scientists at Cleveland’s University Hospital’s Case Medical Center found that people who slept poorly showed greater signs of skin aging, including more fine lines, uneven pigmentation, and diminished skin elasticity. Poor sleepers also took longer to recover from sunburns and other environmental and stress-related skin damage.

Sufficient amounts of high-quality sleep are critical for cell rejuvenation as well as for healthy immune function, so it’s not surprising that we’re seeing the effects of poor sleep in aging skin and less youthful appearances. One important way that sleep promotes cell restoration and provides boost to the immune system is through the release of the body’s own natural growth hormones. During phases of deep sleep, levels of human growth hormone in the body rise. These hormones play a powerful role in stimulating the immune system and in promoting cellular repair as well as new cell growth.  Poor sleep, and sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, diminish both sleep quantity and sleep quality, and can interfere with the body’s ability to rejuvenate cells and bolster immune function. This can result in a less attractive, less youthful appearance.

But the most serious consequences of poor sleep and untreated sleep disorders are more than skin deep. Obstructive sleep apnea, left untreated, is associated with significant risks for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, heart attack and congestive heart failure. Sleep apnea is also linked to type 2 diabetes and to greater incidence of depression. Patients with sleep apnea are at greater risk foraccident and injury.

CPAP therapy is effective in diminishing and even eliminating sleep apnea symptoms, decreasing these health risks significantly. But many patients who are prescribed CPAP don’t always use the device consistently. For people who are reluctant to use CPAP therapy on a regular basis, these results provide yet another incentive to stick with the treatment. You won’t just feel a difference in your sleep—you’ll see a difference in the way you look.

Our appearance is in so many ways a reflection of our general health and well-being. Sleeping well, and following recommendations made by our doctors for treating sleep disorders can help us look good and feel good.

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Why is sleep so important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

This article discusses three studies, all which show how important sleep is in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Three new studies show just how critical it is for adults to seek treatment for a sleep illness and aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

One study of 2,240 adults is the first to examine the link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and mortality in Asians. Results show that all-cause mortality risk was 2.5 times higher and cardiovascular mortality risk was more than 4 times higher among people with severe OSA. The results are consistent with previous studies in the U.S. and other countries.

Another study of 2,673 patients in Australia found that untreated OSA is associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes in very sleepy men as well as near-misses in men and women. Participants with untreated OSA reported crashes at a rate three times higher than the general community.

That last study examined the relationship between sleep duration and self-rated health in Korean adults. Results show that short sleep duration of 5 hours or less per day and long sleep duration of 9 hours or more per day was associated with poor self-rated health. The results add weight to recent data emphasizing the importance of adequate sleep in physical and mental health.

All three of the studies are in the Oct. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, which is published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

The AASM reports that at least 12 to 18 million adults in the U.S. have untreated obstructive sleep apnea, which involves the repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep. OSA is a serious sleep illness that is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression and stroke. The most effective treatment option for OSA is CPAP therapy, which helps keep the airway open by providing a stream of air through a mask that is worn during sleep.

Most adults need about seven to eight hours of nightly sleep to feel alert and well rested. However, 30 percent of adults in the U.S. regularly get insufficient sleep.

Help for people who have OSA or another sleep problem is available from board certified sleep medicine physicians at more than 2,500 AASM accredited sleep disorders centers.

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Sleeping issues in children with epilepsy

This study shows that children with epilepsy get significantly worse sleep than children
without epilepsy.

The purposes of this study were to explore the prevalence of sleep disturbances in a large cohort of school–aged children with partial epilepsy, to compare the findings with those in children without epilepsy of the same age and gender, and to evaluate the relationship between sleep disturbances and health–related quality of life (HRQoL). This study confirms the high prevalence of disturbed sleep, as well as its effect on quality of life, in a large group of children with partial epilepsy. The abnormalities are both more prevalent and more severe than in children without epilepsy.

Methods

• One hundred thirty children with partial epilepsy aged 4 to 10 years, who were treated in the outpatient setting of a Dutch epilepsy clinic, and 161 age- and sex-matched controls participated in this study.
• In addition to providing information about their child's demography and health, parents of both groups of children completed three questionnaires to measure their child's sleep [Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), Medical Outcomes Study-Sleep Scale (MOSS-S), and Groningen Sleep Quality Scale (GSQS)] and one questionnaire to measure quality of life (Kidscreen-27).
• Parents of children with epilepsy also completed the Hague Scales to measure the severity of epilepsy.
• The prevalence of sleep disturbances and scores on HRQoL in children with and without epilepsy were compared.
• Additionally, the HRQoL scores were compared between children with and without sleep disturbances in children both with and without epilepsy.

Results

• The answers for all three questionnaires suggested worse sleep in children with epilepsy than in children of the same age and gender without epilepsy.
• Pathological scores (T-value > 70) for total SDSC were seen twelve times more frequently in children with epilepsy (36.92% vs. 3.01%, p < 0.001).
• Children with epilepsy also scored significantly lower for all dimensions of HRQoL.
• Between subgroups of children with and without disturbed sleep, insignificant differences in quality of life were found, with the lowest scores in children with sleep disturbances in both groups.

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Keeping the brain healthy with exercise

New research shows that an active lifestyle can help keep the brain healthy in addition to the body.

An active lifestyle has long been promoted as a way to keep the heart pumping strong. Now new research shows that physical activity may help to keep the brain robust as well, preserving areas critical for thinking and memory and possibly even helping to ward off Alzheimer’s disease in old age.

Earlier studies have linked activities like walking and ballroom dancing to a lower risk for dementia. Exercise is known to boost cardiovascular health, and what’s good for the heart is good for the brain, the thinking goes.

Now scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, have examined the effects of remaining active directly on the brain. For the report, they looked at detailed records of 876 older adults, average age 78, over decades. Some had Alzheimer’s disease or serious memory problems, while others were cognitively alert. Along with medical reports, the records included information on how often each participant engaged in activities like gardening and yard work, bicycling or riding an exercise bike, dancing, and recreational activities like golfing, walking or tennis.

"We had 20 years of clinical data on this group, including body mass index and lifestyle habits," said Dr. Cyrus Raji, a radiology resident at U.C.L.A, one of the study leaders. "We drew our patients from four sites across the country, and we were able to assess energy output in the form of kilocalories per week." The findings were reported at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Using specialized brain scans, the researchers created 3-D maps of the brain, including areas of gray matter critical for thinking and memory. "Gray matter volume is a key marker of brain health. Larger gray matter volume means a healthier brain. Shrinking volume is seen in Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Raji said.

The researchers found that those men and women who were most active had more gray matter in parts of the brain critical for memory and thinking. They took into account such factors as age, head size, body mass index, and education, which can influence Alzheimer’s risk.

"The areas of the brain that benefited from an active lifestyle are the ones that consume the most energy and are very sensitive to damage," Dr. Raji said. "What struck me most about the study results is that it is not one but a combination of lifestyle choices and activities that benefit the brain."

Dr. Raji said the benefits of an active lifestyle on the brain were likely due to improved blood vessel health. "Virtually all of the physical activities examined in this study are some variation of aerobic physical activity, which we know from other work can improve cerebral blood flow and strengthen neuronal connections," he said. Although more research is needed in this area, “our initial results show that brain aging can be alleviated through an active lifestyle," he said.

In a separate study also presented at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting, scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston reported that men and women with Alzheimer’s disease had different patterns of gray matter loss, or atrophy.

"We found that the extent and distribution of regional gray matter volume loss in the brain was strongly influenced by gender," said lead researcher Dr. Maria Vittoria Spampinato. "The female patients in our study initially had more gray matter atrophy than the male patients, but over time, the men caught up. In the men, the disease developed more aggressively in a shorter period of time."

The findings could have implications for monitoring the effects of new Alzheimer’s drugs on the brain. "Knowing the difference between the male and female patterns of atrophy will help researchers better decipher a patient's response to drug therapy," Dr. Spampinato said.

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What Immediate Health Problems are Linked to Childhood Obesity

Researchers at UCLA shows that childhood obesity has negative immediate health effects in addition to the well-studied long-term health issues.

While a great deal of research on childhood obesity has spotlighted the long-term health problems that emerge in adulthood, a new UCLA study focuses on the condition's immediate consequences and shows that obese youngsters are at far greater risk than had been supposed.

Compared to kids who are not overweight, obese children are at nearly twice the risk of having three or more reported medical, mental or developmental conditions, the UCLA researchers found. Overweight children had a 1.3 times higher risk.

"This study paints a comprehensive picture of childhood obesity, and we were surprised to see just how many conditions were associated with childhood obesity," said lead author Dr. Neal Halfon, a professor of pediatrics, public health and public policy at UCLA, where he directs the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities. "The findings should serve as a wake-up call to physicians, parents and teachers, who should be better informed of the risk for other health conditions associated with childhood obesity so that they can target interventions that can result in better health outcomes."

With the dramatic rise in childhood obesity over the past two decades, there has been a parallel rise in the prevalence of other childhood-onset health conditions, such as attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, asthma and learning disabilities. But previous studies on the topic have been limited due to a narrow focus on a specific region of the county, a small sample size or a single condition.

The new UCLA research, a large population-based study of children in the United States, provides the first comprehensive national profile of associations between weight status and a broad set of associated health conditions, or co-morbidities, that kids suffer from during childhood.

Overall, the researchers found, obese children were more likely than those who were classified as not overweight to have reported poorer health; more disability; a greater tendency toward emotional and behavioral problems; higher rates of grade repetition, missed school days and other school problems; ADHD; conduct disorder; depression; learning disabilities; developmental delays; bone, joint and muscle problems; asthma; allergies; headaches; and ear infections.

For the study, the researchers used the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, analyzing data on nearly 43,300 children between the ages 10 and 17. They assessed associations between weight status and 21 indicators of general health, psychosocial functioning and specific health disorders, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Of the children in the study, 15 percent were considered overweight (a body mass index between the 85th and 95th percentiles), and 16 percent were obese (a BMI in the 95th percentile or higher).

The study, which is currently available online, will be published in the January-February print issue of the journal Academic Pediatrics.

The UCLA researchers speculate that the ongoing shift in chronic childhood conditions is likely related to decades of underappreciated changes in the social and physical environments in which children live, learn and play. They propose that obesity-prevention efforts should target these social and environmental influences and that kids should be screened and managed for the co-morbid conditions.

The researchers add that while the strength of the current study lies in its large population base, future studies need to examine better longitudinal data to tease out causal relationships that cannot be inferred from a cross-sectional study.

"Obesity might be causing the co-morbidity, or perhaps the co-morbidity is causing obesity -- or both might be caused by some other unmeasured third factor," Halfon said. "For example, exposure to toxic stress might change the neuroregulatory processes that affect impulse control seen in ADHD, as well as leptin sensitivity, which can contribute to weight gain. An understanding of the association of obesity with other co-morbidities may provide important information about causal pathways to obesity and more effective ways to prevent it."

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