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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Study: Enough sleep means less sick days

A study shows that getting enough sleep can mean less sick days from school or work.

New research suggests that sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night is associated with the lowest risk of absence from work due to sickness. The results underscore the importance of the "Sleep Well, Be Well" campaign of the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society and other partners.

Results show that the risk of an extended absence from work due to sickness rose sharply among those who reported sleeping less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours per night. Further analysis found that the optimal sleep duration with the lowest risk of sickness absence from work was between 7 and 8 hours per night: 7 hours, 38 minutes for women and 7 hours, 46 minutes for men. Insomnia-related symptoms, early morning awakenings, feeling more tired than others, and using sleeping pills also were consistently associated with a significant increase in workdays lost due to sickness.

"Optimal sleep duration should be promoted, as very long and very short sleep indicate health problems and subsequent sickness absence," said principal investigator Tea Lallukka, PhD, specialized researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. "Those sleeping five hours or less, or 10 hours or more, were absent from work every year for 4.6 to 8.9 days more, as compared to those with the optimal sleep length."

The study results are published in the September issue of the journal Sleep.

"Insufficient sleep -- due to inadequate or mistimed sleep -- contributes to the risk for several of today's public health epidemics, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Getting at least seven hours of nightly sleep is a key to overall health, which translates to less sick time away from work," said American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, a national spokesperson for the Healthy Sleep Project. The "Sleep Well, Be Well" campaign was launched earlier this year to increase awareness of the importance of sleep as one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle.

The study involved a nationally representative survey of 3,760 men and women in Finland who had been working at any time in the prior year. Participants were 30-64 years old at baseline. Sleep characteristics were determined by questionnaire, and health measures were derived from physical examination conducted by field physicians. Data for work absences due to sickness were gathered from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, which tracks all sickness absences lasting more than 10 days. The average follow-up period was seven years.

A novel statistical method developed by study co-authors Tommi Härkänen, PhD, and Risto Kaikkonen, MSc, was used to predict adjusted average sickness absence days per working year. Additional statistical estimates found that the direct costs of sickness absence to the Finnish government and employers could decrease by up to 28 percent if sleep disturbances could be fully addressed.

"Insomnia symptoms should be detected early to help prevent sickness absence and deterioration in health, well-being and functioning," said Lallukka. "Successful prevention of insomnia not only promotes health and work ability among employees, but it can also lead to notable savings in reduced sickness absence costs."

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Sleep quality and obesity in children

A new study provides more evidence that sleep and sleep quality are linked to obesity in children.

Young children who get too little sleep are more likely than others to be obese by age 7, according to a new study.

Previous research has suggested insufficient sleep before age 4 raised the risk of obesity. But the new study, published online May 19 inPediatrics, observed the link from infancy to mid-childhood.

"Insufficient sleep is an independent and strong risk factor for childhood obesity and the accumulation of total fat and abdominal fat," said study researcher Dr. Elsie Taveras, chief of general pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston.

"The main strength of this study is we looked at sleep at multiple periods," she added.

Excess body fat in childhood sets the stage for serious health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Taveras and her team studied more than 1,000 children. Curtailed sleep was defined as fewer than 12 hours a day from ages 6 months to 2 years, fewer than 10 hours daily for ages 3 and 4, and fewer than nine hours a day for ages 5 to 7.

Kids who were most sleep deprived were about 2.5 times more likely to be obese than those who slept the most, the study found.

They were also 2.5 times more likely to have higher total fat, higher abdominal fat and a higher waist and hip circumference, said Taveras.

Many possible explanations exist for this association, Taveras said.

"If you sleep too little, it disrupts some of the hormones that regulate how hungry we are and how full we are," Taveras said.

In households with no consistent bedtime for children, there is likely to be chaos around regular mealtimes, too, and that can affect weight, she added.

Children who don't sleep enough may watch more television than kids who go to bed earlier, she said. Watching TV has long been linked with eating more, especially in response to food commercials, she said.

Or the children may have other "high-tech distractions," she said.

The new findings don't surprise Dr. William Muinos, director of the weight management program at Miami Children's Hospital in Florida, who was not involved in the study.

His advice for parents? Set a consistent bedtime. "Limit caffeinated beverages late in the day. Cut out all those electronic distractions; get them out of the bedroom," Taveras said.

Insist that children go to bed earlier, Muinos said. "Lack of sleep does change the physiology," he added. "It will put you in what is called stress mode. The body will read it as, 'I need to hold onto calories and accumulate fat.'"

The new research, Muinos said, "is very good because it studied a large group of children for a long period of time."

Ongoing studies are looking at whether improving sleep may directly improve weight control in children, Taveras said. And it's already known that good sleep has other benefits. "There's really good evidence that shows it improves schoolwork," she said.

For the study, mothers reported their children's usual sleep duration in a 24-hour period, beginning at age 6 months. They also reported it every year from age 1 to 7.

The children got a sleep score, ranging from zero (insufficient sleep) to 13 (consistent sufficient sleep). The average sleep score was 10.2. However, about 4 percent of kids were in the insufficient range, zero to 4. About 40 percent had a score of 12 or 13, termed enough sleep.

Those who slept less than average were more likely to be from poorer families with less educated mothers, the study found.

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Obesity and body fat in children are affected by chronic insufficient sleep

A study shows that chronic insufficient sleep can affect obesity and body fat in children.

One of the most comprehensive studies of the potential link between reduced sleep and childhood obesity finds compelling evidence that children who consistently received less than the recommended hours of sleep during infancy and early childhood had increases in both obesity and in adiposity or overall body fat at age 7. The study from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) investigators, published in the June issue of Pediatrics, also finds no evidence of a specific period during which insufficient sleep has greater influence on later obesity.

"Our study found convincing evidence that getting less than recommended amounts of sleep across early childhood is an independent and strong risk factor for obesity and adiposity," says Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, chief of General Pediatrics at MGHfC and lead author of the Pediatrics paper. "Contrary to some published studies, we did not find a particular 'critical period' for the influence of sleep duration on weight gain. Instead, insufficient sleep at any time in early childhood had adverse effects."

While several studies have found evidence of an association between sleep and obesity in young children, few have examined the effects of constant sleep deprivation across time or used measures other than body mass index (BMI), which determines obesity based solely on height and weight. The current study analyzed data from Project Viva, a long-term investigation of the health impacts of several factors during pregnancy and after birth. Information used in this study was gathered from mothers at in-person interviews when their children were around 6 months, 3 years and 7 years old, and from questionnaires completed when the children were ages 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.

Among other questions, the mothers were asked how much time their children slept, both at night and during daytime naps, during an average day. Measurements taken at the seven-year visit included not only height and weight but also total body fat, abdominal fat, lean body mass, and waist and hip circumferences -- measurements that may more accurately reflect cardio-metabolic health risks than BMI alone. Curtailed sleep was defined as less than 12 hours per day from ages 6 months to 2 years, less than 10 hours per day for ages 3 and 4, and less than 9 hours per day from age 5 to 7. Based on the mothers' reports at each age, individual children were assigned a sleep score covering the entire study period -- from 0, which represented the highest level of sleep curtailment, to 13, indicating no reports of insufficient sleep.

Overall, children with the lowest sleep scores had the highest levels of all body measurements reflecting obesity and adiposity, including abdominal fat which is considered to be particularly hazardous. The association was consistent at all ages, indicting there was no critical period for the interaction between sleep and weight. Lower sleep scores were more common in homes with lower incomes, less maternal education and among racial and ethnic minorities; but the association between sleep and obesity/adiposity was not changed by adjusting for those and other factors.

Facts and tips for healthy sleeping habits

While more research is needed to understand how sleep duration affects body composition, Taveras notes, potential mechanisms could include the influence of sleep on hormones that control hunger and satiety; the disruptions of circadian rhythms or possible common genetic pathways involved in both sleep and metabolism; poor ability to make good decisions on food choices and eating behaviors caused by sleep deprivation, or household routines that lead to both reduced sleep and increased food consumption. Insufficient sleep may also lead to increased opportunities to eat, especially if time is spent in sedentary activities, such as TV viewing, when snacking and exposure to ads for unhealthy foods are common.

"While we need more trials to determine if improving sleep leads to reduced obesity," she says, "right now we can recommend that clinicians teach young patients and their parents ways to get a better night's sleep -- including setting a consistent bedtime, limiting caffeinated beverages late in the day and cutting out high-tech distractions in the bedroom. All of these help promote good sleep habits, which also may boost alertness for school or work, improve mood and enhance the overall quality of life." Taveras is an associate professor of Pediatrics and Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS).

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Insufficient sleep epidemic

Insufficient sleep is a huge public health issue and is becoming an epidemic leading to negative health outcomes. This article tells you the possible negative health outcomes from insufficient sleep, how much sleep you should be getting, and general sleep hygiene tips.

Sleep is increasingly recognized as important to public health, with sleep insufficiency linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters and medical and other occupational errors. Unintentionally falling asleep, nodding off while driving, and having difficulty performing daily tasks because of sleepiness all may contribute to these hazardous outcomes. People experiencing sleep insufficiency also are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality and reduced quality of life and productivity. Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role. An estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder. Notably, snoring is a major indicator of obstructive sleep apnea.

In recognition of the importance of sleep to the nation's health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance of sleep-related behaviors has increased in recent years. Additionally, the Institute of Medicine encouraged collaboration between the CDC and the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research to support development and expansion of adequate surveillance of the U.S. population's sleep patterns and associated outcomes. Two new reports on the prevalence of unhealthy sleep behaviors and self-reported sleep-related difficulties among U.S. adults provide further evidence that insufficient sleep is an important public health concern.

Sleep-related unhealthy behaviors

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey included a core question regarding perceived insufficient rest or sleep in 2008 (included since 1995 on the Health Related Quality of Life module) and an optional module of four questions on sleep behavior in 2009. Data from the 2009 survey's Sleep module were used to assess the prevalence of unhealthy sleep behaviors by selected sociodemographic factors and geographic variations in 12 states. The analysis determined that among 74,571 adult respondents in 12 states, 35.3 percent reported fewer than seven hours of sleep during a typical 24-hour period, 48.0 percent reported snoring, 37.9 percent reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day at least once in the preceding month, and 4.7 percent reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving at least once in the preceding month. This is the first CDC surveillance report to include estimates of drowsy driving and unintentionally falling asleep during the day. The National Department of Transportation estimates drowsy driving to be responsible for 1,550 fatalities and 40,000 nonfatal injuries annually in the United States.

Self-reported sleep-related difficulties among adults

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey introduced the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire in 2005 for participants 16 years of age and older. This analysis was conducted using data from the last two survey cycles (2005 to 2006 and 2007 to 2008) to include 10,896 respondents aged older than or equal to 20 years. A short sleep duration was found to be more common among adults ages 20 to 39 years (37.0 percent) or 40 to 59 years (40.3 percent) than among adults aged older than or equal to 60 years (32.0 percent), and among non-Hispanic blacks (53.0 percent) compared to non-Hispanic whites (34.5 percent), Mexican-Americans (35.2 percent) or those of other race/ethnicity (41.7 percent). Adults who reported sleeping less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night were more likely to have difficulty performing many daily tasks.

How much sleep do we need? And how much sleep are we getting?

How much sleep we need varies among individuals but generally changes as we age. The National Institutes of Health suggests that school-age children need at least 10 hours of sleep daily, teens need nine to 10 hours, and adults need seven to eight hours. According to data from the National Health Interview Survey, nearly 30 percent of adults reported an average of less than or equal to six hours of sleep per day from 2005 to 2007. In 2009, only 31 percent of high school students reported getting at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night.

Sleep hygiene tips

The promotion of good sleep habits and regular sleep is known as sleep hygiene. The following sleep hygiene tips can be used to improve sleep:

* Go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning.

* Avoid large meals before bedtime.

* Avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime.

* Avoid nicotine.

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Study claims insufficient sleep is more likely in African Americans

A study shows that African Americans are more likely than whites to get insufficient sleep.

Black Americans are more likely than whites to get too little sleep and this disparity is greatest among people in professional occupations, a new study shows.

Lack of sleep has been linked with increased risk of health problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even death.

For the study, researchers analyzed data collected from nearly 137,000 American adults between 2004 and 2011, and found that 30 percent of them were short sleepers (getting less than seven hours of sleep a night), 31 percent were optimal sleepers (getting about seven hours of sleep a night), and 39 percent were long sleepers (getting more than seven hours of sleep a night).

Further analysis revealed that 37 percent of black participants were short sleepers, compared with 28 percent of white participants. Among people in professional or management positions, blacks were much more likely than whites to be short sleepers (42 percent versus 26 percent), according to the Harvard School of Public Health researchers.

Blacks working in support services or as laborers were also more likely than whites to be short sleepers, 37 percent versus 26 percent and 35 percent versus 32 percent, respectively. The only job sectors in which blacks and whites had similar rates of short sleep were the retail and food industries.

The findings were published online Sept. 9 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"With increasing numbers of blacks entering professional and management roles in numerous industries, it is important to investigate and address the social factors contributing to the short sleep disparities in blacks compared with whites in general, and particularly in professional settings," study author Chandra Jackson, a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of nutrition, said in a Harvard news release.

Possible sleep-disrupting factors that affect blacks more than whites include: job stress; workplace discrimination or harassment that can increase job stress; limited control over job demands or prestige; long work hours; stress at home; and limited access to professional and social networks that provide emotional or financial support.

In addition, blacks are more likely than whites to do shift work and are also more likely to live in city neighborhoods with high noise levels at night, the researchers noted.

And, the study authors pointed out, it's also possible that a high work ethic among blacks -- a strong desire to succeed against all odds -- could lead to stress, disrupted sleep and harmful health effects.

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