Sleep
Adequate length and depth of sleep appears to be important for optimal wellbeing and general health. The factors that affect sleep are many and varied, but centre stage here is the hormone melatonin, which is secreted by a structure called the pineal gland in the brain and essentially puts us to sleep at night (and […]
Sleep
As Christmas approaches, the bods at the British Medical Journal have a tradition of publishing an edition filled with more lighted-hearted fare than is usual. Perusing today’s copy my eye was caught by an article entitled ‘Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people’ [1]. In this study, 23 […]
Sleep
Many individuals contend that weight control is all about diet and exercise. Of these, the research suggests that dietary change is likely to bring the lion’s share of benefits. However, body weight and fatness are not determined only by these lifestyle factors. Hormonal issues can play a part too. For example, if the thyroid gland […]
Sleep
In my blog yesterday I mentioned how a carbohydrate-rich diet can drive some people to overeat. High-carb foods tend to disrupt blood sugar levels in a way that can lead to episodes of low blood sugar that itself can trigger cravings for further carb-rich fare. Also, carbohydrate has relatively limited capacity to sate the appetite […]
Sleep
Sleep has important benefits for health and wellbeing, but not everyone is able to get as much sleep as they’d like. For some individuals, sleep does not come easy. One particular problem encountered by a few unfortunates is what is termed ‘delayed sleep phase syndrome’ (DSPS). Here, individuals can take hours (literally, hours) to get […]
Brain and Behaviour
I believe that sleep is a much under-rated past-time. Two years ago, I wrote a blog post which punted getting more sleep as a worthwhile New Year resolution. And my recent post of 10 potential New Year resolutions also included one on getting adequate sleep. So, I was interested to see a recent study getting […]
Exercise and Activity
I read a report in the last week regarding New Year resolutions, the thrust of which was that setting the bar too high is more likely to lead to us not keeping to whatever resolutions we have made. In other words, opting for smaller, more manageable changes might be a better long-term strategy. I agree […]
Healthy Eating
Last month I reported on a study which linked shorter sleep duration with an increased risk of diabetes. Other research has found an association between relatively curtailed sleep and an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Some of this research has found a potential explanation for this observation in the form of changes in appetite […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
I believe that lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise have potentially profound impact on health and wellbeing, and this is certainly reflected in the voluminous recommendations that come at us regarding what we should and shouldn’t be doing in these areas. However, I also take the view that another key lifestyle factor ” sleep […]
Diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome
I noticed a few reports last week (an example here) regarding a study that was presented at a diabetes conference. Apparently, the research shows that individuals taking naps in the afternoon is associated with a significantly enhanced risk of developing diabetes. When such studies are reported there’s a tendency for journalists (and sometimes the originators […]