Sleep loss could result in weight gain

Did you know! Lack of sleep may contribute to adverse weight gain, finds a study.

Health news : Researchers at Uppsala University have demonstrated that one night of sleep loss has a tissue-specific impact on the regulation of gene expression and metabolism in humans.

This may explain how shift work and chronic sleep loss impairs our metabolism and adversely affects our body composition.

Sleep Loss

In the new study, the researchers studied 15 healthy normal-weight individuals who participated in two in-lab sessions in which activity and meal patterns were highly standardised. In randomised order, the participants slept a normal night of sleep (over eight hours) during one session and were instead kept awake the entire night during the other session.

The morning after each night-time intervention, small tissue samples (biopsies) were taken from the participants’ subcutaneous fat and skeletal muscle. These two tissues often exhibit disrupted metabolism in conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

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Sleep medication: Use and abuse

Insomnia or sleep disturbance is the most common of all sleep disorders. Insomnia is the difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person can sleep in.

According to a report by the National Institutes of Health, it is estimated that around 30 per cent of the total general population complains about sleep disruption and over 10 per cent have been associated with symptoms of daytime functional impairment consistently, with the diagnosis of insomnia.

Treatment of insomnia depends on the severity of symptoms and underlying cause. Sleep medications are not the first line of treatment, and various other methods such as behavioural therapy or sleep hygiene must be tried first. Sleeping pills have a potential to make a person dependent on it when he/she takes those pills for a prolonged period.

Dr Mohammed Shakeel of Fortis Hospital, Kalyan, said the risks and benefits of various prescriptions for sleeping pills can differ.

Side effects of taking sleeping pills- Depending on the type, sleeping pills with prescription-might include the following:

• Frustration, fatigue, low energy, difficulty in concentrating, mood disturbances

• Severe headache

• Gastrointestinal problems, (E.g. Diarrhea and Nausea)

• Persistent drowsiness (due to consuming drugs that may help you stay asleep)

• Allergic reaction to certain things

• Behavioural changes in sleep (E.g. driving or eating when you’re not fully awake)

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Eyes can provide early sign of Parkinson’s disease

Turns out, eyes play a crucial role for people with Parkinson’s disease.

People with the disease gradually lose brain cells that produce dopamine, a substance that helps control movement. Now, a new study has found that the thinning of the retina, the lining of nerve cells in the back of the eye, is linked to the loss of such brain cells.

Study author Jee-Young Lee said, “Our study is the first to show a link between the thinning of the retina and a known sign of the progression of the disease — the loss of brain cells that produce dopamine.”

Lee added, “We also found the thinner the retina, the greater the severity of the disease. These discoveries may mean that neurologists may eventually be able to use a simple eye scan to detect Parkinson’s disease in its earliest stages before problems with movement begin.”

The study involved 49 people with an average age of 69 who have diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease an average of two years earlier but who had not yet started medication. They were compared to 54 people without the disease who were matched for age.

Researchers evaluated each study participant with a complete eye exam as well as high-resolution eye scans that use light waves to take pictures of each layer of the retina. Researchers found retina thinning, most notably in the two inner layers of the five layers of the retina, in those with Parkinson’s disease.

Article Source : BS

Broadband internet can cause sleep deprivation

Did you know! Having access to the broadband internet can cause sleep deprivation.

According to a recent study conducted by Bocconi University, access to high-speed internet reduces sleep duration and sleep satisfaction in individuals that face time constraints in the morning for work or family reasons.

“Individuals with DSL access tend to sleep 25 minutes less than their counterparts without DSL Internet. They are significantly less likely to sleep between 7 and 9 hours, the amount recommended by the scientific community, and are less likely to be satisfied with their sleep,” Francesco Billari, principal investigator of the study, said.

The effect that the authors find is largely driven by individuals that face time constraints in the morning and by the use of electronic devices in the evening (not by their use throughout the day).

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