From Your Health Journal…..”A very interesting article from IOL-Lifestyle that I wanted to promote here entitled Lack Of Sleep Leads To Groggy Genes. Often on this site, we have discussed the importance of sleep, and how many of us do not get adequate amounts of it. Sleep plays an important role in our health. Let’s examine this:

* Sleep helps us rest and recharge to perform at peak levels
* Sleep gives many of our vital organs a chance to rest
* Sleep strengthens our immune system allow our body to renew cells
* Sleep keeps hormones related to appetite stable
* Sleep improves memory, focus, and concentration
* Sleep helps reduce stress
* Sleep helps keep many chemicals/hormones in the body regulated
* Sleep helps us look and feel better

Now, today’s article points to the fact that lack of sleep has a potentially harmful effect on gene expression, according to a new study that sheds light on the link between sleep deficits and a wide range of health conditions. A sleep deficit – even just a week’s worth – can have damaging effects on our genes. As science grows and learns, many of the basic functions of life – sleeping, eating, exercise are all critical to healthy lifestyle. Please visit the IOL-Lifestyle web site (link provided below) to learn more.”

From the article…..

Lack of sleep has a potentially harmful effect on gene expression, according to a study out on Tuesday that sheds light on the link between sleep deficits and a wide range of health conditions.

A sleep deficit – even just a week’s worth – can have damaging effects on our genes, researchers said in a new study out Tuesday.

Lack of adequate shut-eye had already been linked to conditions from heart disease and cognitive impairment to obesity.

But sleep researcher Derk-Jan Dijk and his fellow researchers have delved into the molecular mechanisms behind the phenomenon, looking at how missed sleep leads to health problems.

They found that a week of sleeping six hours or less a night affects the expression of some 711 genes – including those involved in inflammation, immunity, and stress responses.

Moreover, compared with test subjects who were allowed to sleep as long as 10 hours a night, those who lacked sleep had irregularities in their genes’ circadian rhythms, experiencing a sharp reduction in the number of genes that wax and wane throughout the day and a dampened amplitude for many more.

At the end of the week, the test subjects were kept awake for 40 hours, with blood tests at regular intervals.

To read the full article…..Click here