Sleep Deprivation Reactions May Differ Due to Family Genes

In the June 24 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, a new imaging study that helps explain why sleep deprivation affects some people more than others is featured. Two test groups were selected based on their genetic makeup and were asked to work on memory tasks the night before and morning after a good night’s sleep and then again the night before and morning after a sleepless night. After a night of no sleep, those who are genetically vulnerable to sleep loss showed reduced brain activity, while those who are genetically resilient showed expanded brain activity. The findings help explain why we all differ in our abilities to compensate for lack of sleep. To read the article in full and learn about other sleep-related findings, go to sciencedaily.com.

Long-Term Sleeplessness May Affect Your Blood Pressure

It’s bad enough that sleeplessness can negatively affect your ability to think clearly and perform optimally, but a recent University of Chicago study has shown that sleeplessness also can have a detrimental effect on your blood pressure as you age.

Researchers at the University of Chicago followed 578 adults whose average age was 40 over the course of five years, to measure their blood pressure and calculate their sleep duration by using a combination of surveys and wrist monitors that distinguished between periods of rest and activity.

The study, which was recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that participants who slept the fewest hours were significantly more likely to have higher blood pressure readings than participants who slept longer. In addition, it found that those who slept less were 37 percent are more likely to develop high blood pressure over time and that risk grew with each additional hour of lost sleep.

According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and other issues, and plays a significant role in millions of deaths each year. The study’s researchers are hopeful that their findings may open the door to new treatment approaches for high blood pressure that include helping patients get more sleep.

Is Your Pillow Good for Your Health – Part 2

Pillow Talk: While you think pillows are merely stuff and feathers, your body begs to differ

The SBA staff continues to find more studies and articles about the health impacts of sleeping on old, worn-out pillows. Reporter Robin Wright wrote an article titled (insert title) that recently ran in the Washington Post and The Saturday Evening Post In her article, Robin talks about the importance of clean, appropriate shaped pillows.

Wright explains the original purpose of a pillow was to keep our spines aligned and our necks supported while we slept. People who are using multiple pillows or the wrong type for their bodies can develop spine problems and sore neck muscles. She also notes it doesn’t help that our computer-driven world, has us constantly leaning our necks and spines towards our screens. By night our bodies need to relax and realign themselves, so avoid multiple pillows to prevent back problems later in life.

For Wright’s full article, including different pillow options, the history of pillows and what could be breeding in your pillow click here.

Night Terrors Can be Hazardous to Your Health

Dr. Drake defines “Night Terrors” (also called “sleep terrors”) as awakenings from a deep slow-wave sleep. They occur in children most often, but can wake adults too.

Night Terrors typically happen during the first half of the night and start with a loud scream or cry, awakening you from sleep. Many times these night terrors are accompanied by intense fear, heavy breathing and increased heart rate. Someone who suffers from night terrors is difficult to wake-up and often tends to be confused upon waking.

Two Surveys, Similar Results: Why are Americans struggling to sleep

Whether it is stress and worry or you’re on the road, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and AmericInn Hotels have the results on why there is an increase of insomnia in America.

The National Sleep Foundation’s ‘Sleep in America’ poll revealed that the number of people reporting sleep issues has increased by 13% since 2001. In the past eight years, the number of Americans who sleep less than six hours a night jumped from 13% to 20%, and those who reported sleeping eight hours or more dropped from 38% to 28%.

The findings also indicated that 27% of Americans have been losing a few nights a week due to stress and worry over the economy and their own personal financial concerns. Other concerns found: the war in Iraq, healthcare, global warming and terrorist attacks.

We found that AmericInn Hotel conducted it’s own sleep survey in 2008, the National Sleep Quality Survey. It was conducted online in 2008, surveying 1,000 men and women ages 18-55+ across the United States. (More)

A Cure for Insomnia May Be Under Your Nose

If you’re having difficulty settling down to a good night’s sleep because of stress, the answer may be as close as your nose. For years, alternative health practitioners have touted the benefits of essential oils such as lavender for helping with relaxation, but there wasn’t much scientific evidence out there to back up the claim. Now studies have been released in recent years that may reinforce what aromatherapy proponents have been saying all along.

For one study, researchers at Meikai University in Japan had 22 voluntary participants inhale rosemary and lavender oils for five minutes, after which they tested participants’ saliva for “free radical scavenging activity.” This activity helps the body remove harmful agents that can cause damage to cells. Researchers found both oils enhanced saliva’s ability to remove free radicals—and as an added benefit—they also lowered levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in the saliva. (More)-

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Sleep Awareness Week & 2009 “Sleep in America” Poll Findings

This week, March 1-8, marks national Sleep Awareness Week. This initiative by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) aims to educate and inform Americans about the importance of sleep. It also coincides with Daylight Saving Time on March 8. While most of us welcome more natural sunlight into our lives after the long winter months, the annual “springing forward” of our clocks can cause us to lose an hour of sleep, which can greatly impact our alertness and productivity when starting off a new workweek.

The NSF also released preliminary results from its new 2009 “Sleep in America” poll this week. A few key findings from the poll published by USA Today and United Press International (UPI) include (More)