Short Sleep Duration Significantly Decreases Heart Disease Risk

A startling number of people take a good night sleep for granted, despite the mounting body of evidence to support a restful sleep between six and eight hours every evening. In the past, studies have made a loose correlation between the numbers of hours of sleep each night and risk of diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease and dementia. Researchers from the University of Chicago are presenting the result of a study to the American College of Cardiology that explains a direct link between sleeping a minimum of six hours each night and dramatically increased risk of stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure.

The study team found that individuals sleeping much more than eight hours each night had a significantly higher prevalence of chest pain or angina and coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the heart with blood and oxygen. The bottom line is simple: controlling the duration of restful sleep in a totally darkened room is a modifiable risk factor that can significantly reduce risk of heart diseases and related chronic illnesses.

Sleeping Less Than Six Hours Each Night Doubles Heart Attack Risk
Researchers examined 3,019 patients, aged 45 years or older participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, designed to assess a broad range of health issues. The study showed that people getting less than six hours of sleep each night were two times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack and 1.6 times more likely to have congestive heart failure. Conversely, those individuals that slept more than eight hours a night were two times more likely to have angina and 1.1 times more likely to have coronary artery disease.

Clearly the duration and quality of sleep is an identifiable risk factor for heart disease, robbing your health in a similar manner to poor dietary choices and lack of physical activity. The principal study investigator, Dr. Rohit Arora commented “We now have an indication that sleep can impact heart health, and it should be a priority… based on these findings, it seems getting six to eight hours of sleep everyday probably confers the least risk for cardiovascular disease over the long term.”

Sleep Seven to Nine Hours Each Night in a Fully Darkened Room to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk
While this research did not directly determine how sleep duration affects heart health, past studies have implicated hyper-activation of the sympathetic nervous system, glucose intolerance, diabetes, increased cortisone levels, blood pressure, resting heart rate and inflammatory markers, all known risk factors for increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As researchers continue to determine the link between sleep and heart disease, the message is clear: ensure a restful sleep between six and eight hours each night in a fully darkened room to dramatically lower heart disease risk.

A Sound Sleep Helps Defend against Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease presently ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the US, as the number of new cases is projected to triple by the year 2050 and affect as many of sixteen million people. The result of a new study presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting has found that the level and duration of quality sleep may later affect memory function and the risk of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

Researchers determined that poor quality sleep is associated with the build-up of neural tangles between synapses that is associated with the loss of ability to form new memories and progression of Alzheimer’s dementia. Making time for seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep each night may be a crucial factor to Alzheimer’s risk reduction as we age.

A Good Night’s Sleep Dramatically Lowers Risk of Developing Brain Plaques and Alzheimer’s Disease

The lead study author, Dr. Yo-El Ju from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis noted “Disrupted sleep appears to be associated with the build-up of amyloid plaques, a hallmark marker of Alzheimer’s disease, in the brains of people without memory problems”. In an effort to determine the link between poor sleep habits and cognitive decline, researchers tested the sleep patterns of 100 people between the ages of 45 and 80 who were free of dementia.

Half of the participants tested had a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, while a second control group had no familial history of the disease. A special device used to measure sleep patterns was placed on all participants for a period of two weeks to assess quality and depth of sleep time. Additionally, sleep diaries and questionnaires were employed to further analyze sleep cycles.

Eight Hours of Sleep Necessary for Optimal Brain Function and Health

The study found that 25% of the subjects tested showed signs of amyloid plaques, a consistent marker of Alzheimer’s disease progression. Although the participant’s averaged 8 hours of sleep each night, this was reduced to 6.5 hours due to sleep disruptions during the night that affected the total sleep time and quality of deep sleep required by the brain to perform repair functions.

Those who did not wake up frequently during the night were 5 times less likely to possess the amyloid plaque build-up compared to those who slept poorly or less than 7 total hours. Participants who did not sleep well were significantly more likely to exhibit the amyloid markers associated with cognitive decline resulting in Alzheimer’s disease.

Although this study did not provide a direct reason for the finding, scientists believe that the amyloid protein clumps and tangles that occur as a normal process of metabolism in the brain are only cleared during quality sleep time and duration of 7 to 9 hours each night. In addition to the myriad of lifestyle and dietary patterns presently known to help prevent most chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s, a good night’s sleep in a totally dark room with no interruptions should now be added to the top of the risk reduction list.

Light During Sleep Increases Cancer Risk

A wealth of research is pointing to an ever increasing problem that is shown to increase our risk of cancer, as well as a host of other genetically influenced illnesses. The problem is with light sources in the bedroom at night when most people are asleep.

Many of the critical biological functions carried out by our body during sleep are dependent on circadian rhythms and are disturbed by the smallest amount of light from devices such as iPods, laptops, electronic readers and television. Information provided by the journal Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics shines a light on the importance of sleeping in a totally dark room to lower cancer risk.

Small Amounts of Light During Sleep Alters Gene Expression and Cellular Repair Cycle

Researchers have been able to show that a single light emission during sleep is enough to disrupt the circadian rhythm of the sleep cycle and alter normal cellular division. The body requires 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep with no light distraction each night to complete the repair and regeneration functions essential to maintain optimal health.

The study author, Dr. Ben-Shlomo noted "damage to cell division is characteristic of cancer, and it is therefore important to understand the causes of this damage." Changes in gene expression were identified after exposure to artificial light for a period of one hour during normal sleep hours. The cellular ‘biological clock’ was altered and normal gene transcription and repair processes harmed.

This research clearly provides proof that minimal exposure to an artificial light source is sufficient to alter the expression of genes that are connected to the formation of cancer as well as genes that assist in the fight against cancer. Alteration of genetic expression is a precursor to cancer initiation, and disruption of nighttime circadian rhythm with a light source can be a trigger for carcinogenesis.

Natural Melatonin Levels Disturbed by Unnatural Light Sources

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reports that exposure to electrical light sources between dusk and bedtime disrupts the physiological processes that are regulated by the hormone melatonin. This affects sleepiness, thermoregulation, blood pressure and glucose homeostasis, all essential for healthy cellular repair and maintenance functions.

Melatonin secretion controls the normal sleep-wake cycle in the body and influences blood pressure, body temperature and insulin sensitivity. Levels of the hormone begin to increase 30 minutes before bedtime. Researchers found that exposing test participants to dim light for 8 hours before bedtime delayed the release of melatonin by 90 minutes. Exposure to room light during sleep cut production of the hormone by half.

When melatonin production is delayed or halted by artificial light sources, our nighttime rhythms are disturbed and normal metabolic activity required for cellular repair are disrupted. Lead study researcher, Dr. Joshua Gooley of Harvard Medical School commented, "Our study shows that this exposure to indoor light has a strong suppressive effect on the hormone melatonin. This could, in turn, have effects on sleep quality and the body`s ability to regulate body temperature, blood pressure and glucose levels."

The numbers of artificial light-producing electrical gadgets that are part of our daily life have exploded over the past decade. Many people keep these devices in close proximity during night hours and are continually exposed to light emissions that influence melatonin production. Melatonin dysfunction increases the health risks associated with high blood pressure, temperature regulation, and insulin resistance. Dim all artificial light sources in preparation for bed and sleep in a totally dark room to lower cancer risk and maximize the rejuvenating effect of a good night sleep.

Drink Water to Drive Weight Loss Results

(Article first published as Top Tips Can Deliver Weight Loss Results on Technorati.)

You may be surprised to find out that successful weight loss is better achieved by controlling the balance and timing of when you eat, and less about counting calories and working out at the gym. That’s not to say that overeating and developing couch potato characteristics will promote weight loss. It’s important to eat healthy proteins and fats, limit carbohydrates and avoid between meal snacks.

Food choices and meal timing have a major impact on our metabolism and the hormones that are in control of how fat is stored or burned for energy. You’ve made the decision to begin your weight loss journey, and that’s an important first step. The following tips will help you to work in concert with your body to naturally shed excess pounds.

Tip 1: Drink Water Before Meals

Drinking water right before eating can help you avoid overeating and provide your body with essential hydration to stimulate weight loss. The results of a study published by the American Chemical Association demonstrates that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before eating allowed aging participants to lose 44% more weight than those who didn’t follow the regimen. The study authors concluded that the results were due to the stomach filling effect of water that resulted in lower calories eaten at each meal.

In addition, research has shown that drinking water takes the place of other high calorie alternatives such as soft drinks and other sweetened beverages. And there’s another reason that water is so important to weight loss. Our body cells are more than 70% water and this critical fluid provides the primary means of removing toxins. Less water means more toxic buildup and the body responds by creating more fat cells to store our extra calories.

Tip 2: Eat 3 Balanced Meals a Day

Many people make the mistake of restricting calories too much when trying to lose weight. While watching calories is important, restricting calories below your survival threshold will make your best efforts futile. By supplying your body with 3 protein-balanced meals each day you keep your base metabolic rate high so you continue to burn calories evenly throughout the day. Restrict sugar and refined carbs and include a healthy protein option with each meal. And no between meal snacks, as this provides a source of energy between meals that will shut off the fat burning cycle.

Tip 3: Get Enough Sleep

One of the most difficult concepts to understand is how sleep can stimulate the release of body fat. Our body remains metabolically active during the overnight hours and needs a constant supply of energy to perform a wide variety of tasks. Anything that interrupts our sleep will slow or halt this critical process and leads to weight gain and disease. The two keys are to sleep in a totally dark room and stop eating at least 3 hours before retiring for the night.

People with the desire to lose weight will need to incorporate an arsenal of tools that will help them to reach their goal. Including water before each meal, making the right food choices and planning to get a restful sleep are important tips that will allow you to reach your permanent weight loss goal.

Light During Sleep Hinders Weight Loss Efforts

(Article first published as Light Exposure While Sleeping May Effect Body Weight on Technorati.)

The human body is acutely sensitive to all forms of stimulation we receive from the environment around us, and this can have a profound effect on how we metabolize and store body fat. In addition to our surroundings, the type of food we eat and the timing of when we eat affect our natural circadian rhythms that also impact our ability to lose weight. You can control many environmental and dietary factors to assist in your weight loss efforts.

Light at Night Affects Hormonal Balance

We are creatures of evolution, and rely on the function of hormones in our body to survive. Metabolism is controlled by a delicate balance that is influenced by environmental cues and gives us the ability to adapt to different stimuli. Melatonin is the hormone that our body uses to signal when we’re tired and when it’s time to wake up. Any light when we’re trying to sleep will disrupt the release of melatonin and affect our sleep. This in turn influences the way fat is metabolized overnight and can halt natural weight management.

Study Demonstrates Negative Effects of Light During Sleep

The results of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates that by increasing the amount of light exposure during the overnight hours, changes in body mass could be measured after just a week. More importantly, it was noted that after 30 days of light exposure during sleep the test subjects were found to be glucose intolerant, a known risk factor for diabetes and weight gain. An author of the study performed at Ohio State University concluded, "Light at night is an environmental factor that may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in ways that people don't expect".

Meal Timing Critical to Fat Metabolism

The timing and size of meals is important when considering a weight loss goal. Circadian rhythms are in control of our metabolic rate and change during the day to meet our energy needs. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that food eaten earlier in the day generated more energy than food eaten later in the day. This information provides evidence that our metabolic rate is much higher when we first rise and calories are used for energy to fuel our body. Larger meals eaten during evening hours are much more likely to be converted to stored body fat.

Use Darkness to Your Weight Loss Advantage

The results of this study as well as many others confirm that natural weight loss and maintenance is much more than simply reducing calories and exercising more. It’s important to control the environment around you as this influences the hormonal balance that improves fat metabolism. Be certain that your room is totally dark when sleeping. Cover any light sources such as alarm clocks, cell phones or cable boxes. Working with your body’s natural circadian rhythms and eating your largest meal earlier in the day will set the stage to achieve your weight loss objective.

Sleep Linked to Weight Loss Efforts

(Article first published as Good Night’s Sleep Essential to Weight Loss Efforts on Technorati.)

The importance of a good night’s sleep on overall health and weight loss efforts cannot be underestimated. Humans have evolved over countless generations to sleep at least 8 hours each day as our body requires a daily rhythmic cycle involving sleep to perform many essential repair and maintenance functions. When this rhythm is disturbed by eating late at night or when we don’t sleep enough, hormonal balance is disturbed and fat is stored rather than burned during the nighttime hours.

Sleep More to Burn More Fat

The results of a study performed by the University of Chicago Medical Center and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrates that a sound sleep of 7 to 8 hours helps to burn twice as much fat compared with 5 to 6 hours of sleep. The study participants were on a reduced calorie diet with a goal of losing weight by reducing body fat.

In the normal sleep group, 55% of the weight loss was found to be body fat while only a quarter of the weight lost in the deprived sleep subjects was due to fat loss. In addition to a reduced calorie diet and regular exercise, you can compliment your weight loss efforts by making essential lifestyle changes that work in concert with your body’s natural rhythms.

Sleep Controls Your Appetite Hormones

Leptin and ghrelin are the hormones your body uses to switch the hunger sensation on or off. Ghrelin is secreted in the digestive tract to signal hunger, and leptin is produced in your fat cells and alerts the brain that you’ve had enough to eat. Insufficient sleep lowers levels of leptin so you don’t feel satisfied after eating and are much more apt to overeat. Poor sleep also raises ghrelin secretion, making you feel hungry upon waking.

Inadequate sleep also causes leptin resistance, where the hormone is present but not effectively read by the brain and eating becomes uncontrolled. Leptin resistant people have been shown to increase their desire for calorie-laden, high carbohydrate foods by 45%. Studies confirm that 7 to 9 hours of sleep are required to keep our hunger hormones properly balanced and functional.

Stop Eating 3 Hours Before Sleep

We require about 3 hours to complete the initial stages of digestion after eating. During this time, our body expends a considerable amount of energy processing our food and extracting the nutrients and calories we need to live. The body is in a state of burning calories for energy and storing the excess for future use. We want our body to release fat to fuel our metabolic engine as we sleep, and this natural process is disrupted when eating too close to bedtime. Fat is stored instead of being burned as a result and weight loss efforts are diminished.

We normally take sleep for granted and don’t think to consider how improper sleep patterns can affect our health and weight loss efforts. Restful sleep influences our appetite signaling hormones and has been shown to burn more stored fat during the overnight hours. In addition to a low calorie diet with healthy physical activity, a good night’s sleep should be a priority to drive your weight loss efforts.

Sleep Essential to Permanent Weight Loss

(Article first published as Sleep May be the Key to Successful Weight Loss on Technorati.)

Amazing as it may sound, sleep may be the missing link to achieving your weight loss goal. The importance of a good night’s sleep is discounted by many people, yet the impact on overall health and body weight cannot be underestimated. The body performs many critical functions while we sleep that assist our immune response, guide cellular restructuring as well as fat metabolism and weight loss maintenance.

Sleep Essential to Burn Fat

Insufficient sleep causes a disruption of the appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin which direct fat metabolism. When these hormones become resistant to cues from the brain due to dietary abuse or lack of deep sleep, fat is not released efficiently and remains stored as excess weight in the body.

The results of a study published in the journal Sleep, reveal that teenagers who received less than 8 hours of sleep per night consumed 2.2% more dietary fat on average. Since fat is densely packed with calories, this leads to weight gain over time.

Young Children at Risk for Obesity with Insufficient Sleep

Young children require even more sleep than teens and adults, and may be increasing their risk for weight problems and obesity in later life when they average less than 10 hours a night. This is according to a study published in the American Journal of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine which studied adolescents who received fewer than 10 hours of sleep each night, and found they were more than twice as likely to be overweight five years later, with some becoming obese as well.

Poor Sleep Disrupts Appetite Hormones in Adults

Insufficient or disrupted sleep causes levels of the critical appetite hormones, leptin and ghrelin to fluctuate leading to increased hunger. Normally, leptin signals the brain when you’ve had enough and it’s time to stop eating. Conversely, ghrelin sends the cue that you’re hungry and ready to eat. In studies where sleep was deprived and subjects received less than 7 hours per night, leptin levels dropped and ghrelin rose, resulting in the urge to overeat.

There was a direct correlation between the number of hours slept and the desire to eat too much. Those who were most sleep deprived had an overwhelming desire to eat, and didn’t know when to stop. More importantly, these participants desired high carbohydrate, calorie rich foods nearly twice as much as those who slept at least 8 hours. Lack of sleep causes metabolic disruption affecting how body fat is stored and influences our hormones causing us to overeat.

Plan 7 to 9 Hours of Sleep Every Night

The best way to avoid weight gain from sleep deprivation is to plan a minimum of 7 hours and no more than 9 hours of sleep each night. Extensive research concludes that this is the proper zone to ensure optimal health and avoid weight gain from hormonal imbalance. Additionally, you can help by making a conscious effort to limit or eliminate refined carbohydrates and sugar from your diet. This will become easier to do as you normalize your sleep patterns since your desire for excessive carbohydrates will subside.

We have evolved to sleep one-third of our lives, a critical process that has served us well for generations. The body performs many essential repair functions while we sleep which lead to improved immune function and a disease free life. By ensuring the proper hours of sleep every night, you’ll feel energized during the day as you attain and maintain your naturally healthy weight.