From Your Health Journal…..”A great article from The Herald by Elizabeth Lopatto entitled Lack Of Sleep Tied To Altered Genes. Through the months, we have discussed how sleep is critical for good health. We touched upon how sleep gives the body a chance to rest / recharge to help us achieve optimal performance. We discussed how sleep gives our vital organs a chance to rest, strengthen our immune system, keeps hormones related to appetite stable, improves memory, reduces stress, and keeps many chemicals in our bodies regulated. Sadly today, many adults and children do not get enough sleep. Once major contributor to the lack of sleep is the advancements in technology – as there are so many ways for us to communicate and be entertained. Now, a new report states that just a week of inadequate sleep can alter the activity of hundreds of genes, which may help scientists explain how wakeful nights can lead to ailments such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. This was a very interesting article, offering great information. I encourage all of you to visit The Herald web site (link provided below) to read the complete article.”
From the article…..
Just a week of inadequate sleep can alter the activity of hundreds of genes, which may help scientists explain how wakeful nights can lead to ailments such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
Blood samples taken from patients revealed genetic changes that, with further research, may help answer why sleepless nights are so harmful to health, according to the study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. While not all of the altered genes have known functions, some are involved in metabolism and stress response.
More than one-third of Americans sleep fewer than seven hours a night, affecting their ability to concentrate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When people don’t get enough sleep, have poor-quality rest, or sleep at the wrong times of day, they are at a higher risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and depression, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“These pathways are ones investigators can pursue,” said Louis Ptacek, a neurologist at UC San Francisco, who wasn’t affiliated with the research. “These genes are interesting, why is the rhythm dampened?”
Most adults need seven hours to nine hours of rest each night.
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