Health Blog

A healthy body and a sound mind

Oversleeping Can Increase Risk Of Stroke


Are you a woman who is between 50 and 79 years of age? Do you like to sleep a lot? Well, if you are, you might want to examine your sleeping patterns. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill reveals that too much sleep can increase the risk of stroke in middle-aged women.

A report by Reuters states:

The greatest increase in stroke risk — 70 percent — was noted among women who slept 9 hours or more per night, according to their report in the medical journal Stroke.

After following the group for an average of 7.5 years, the researchers found that 1,166 women experienced an ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked. This prevents oxygen from reaching the brain and the brain’s tissue begins to die.

Upon further analysis, Chen’s group found that women with a sleep duration of 6 hours or less, 8 hours, or 9 hours or more increased the risk of stroke by 14 percent, 24 percent, and 70 percent, respectively, compared with sleeping 7 hours.

However, the study does not conclusively state that if women lessen their sleeping hours, their risk of stroke will be lower. Chen further states:

Our data do not imply that if women with long sleep cut their sleep hours they would be at a lower risk….Further studies are needed to help us understand the possible mechanisms involved in the associations found in this study.

Sometimes I wish that they would conduct further studies to give more conclusive information before releasing the results to the general public!

Photo courtesy of erin watson

Originally posted on July 23, 2008 @ 11:26 am

Good Munchies For Bedtime

sleeping man
Who said that eating before going to bed is bad? Well, actually, it depends on what you eat. I don’t know about you but I usually grab a bite before hitting the sack. I guess this is because I am usually up till past midnight and my tummy just can’t help but rumble in the depths of the night.

Did you know that eating the wrong food before going to bed can keep you from sleeping? Maybe that’s why I have trouble sleeping sometimes…Well, nutrition expert Joy Bauer gives us some tips on how to snack late at night:

Bedtime Snacks for Adults
–6-8 oz container of non-fat, flavored yogurt topped with 2 tablespoons low-fat granola cereal
–Sliced apple with 1-2 teaspoons natural peanut butter
–3 cups low-fat popcorn – sprinkled with optional 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Bedtime Snacks for Teens
–One cup healthy cereal with skim milk
–Low-fat granola bar
–Scoop of vanilla or strawberry low-fat ice cream

Bedtime Snacks for Children
–1/2 cup low-fat vanilla pudding
–1/2 banana with 1-2 teaspoons peanut butter
–One cup skim milk with a bunch of grapes (or other fruit)

The choices do not look so bad, huh? I personally like the apple with peanut butter a lot. In fact, they are staples in my pantry. It seems that these suggestions are being taken seriously by other bloggers – why don’t you too?

Originally posted on February 26, 2008 @ 12:53 pm

Are You Sleep Deprived?

sleep deprived man
Lately I have been sleeping in later and later but I still feel tired and drowsy during the day. Perhaps this is why I can’t seem to get the topic of sleep off my head and, consequently, in this blog. Hopefully, in my quest to find out more about sleep, I will also provide information to those who need it. 

So, how do you know if you are sleep deprived? If you always feel sleepy – like I do – does it automatically mean that you are sleep deprived? According to Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler, you may be sleep deprived if you answer yes to the following:

1. Do you often feel drowsy during the day?
2. Do you usually fall asleep within the first five minutes after lying down in bed?

Then again, she says it is either you are sleep deprived or you have a sleeping disorder. She goes on to say:

Other than daytime drowsiness and rapidly falling asleep at night, short episodes called microsleeps are another hallmark of sleep deprivation. Microsleeps are short bursts of sleep that occur during the waking hours. These may be so transient that you may not even be aware that they are occurring.

It’s not possible to fight sleep deprivation with caffeine or other stimulant drugs. Developing and maintaining a healthy sleep cycle is the only way to overcome the effects of sleep deprivation.

Maybe that’s why even 5 cups of coffee do not really help me during the day. Maybe I am sleep deprived…what do you think, how about you?

Originally posted on March 13, 2008 @ 11:13 pm

Do You Have Sleep Debt?

sleep debt
We’ve been on the subject of sleep for quite some time now and I am sure you have come across the term sleep debt. What is it exactly? Remember in one of my posts, I mentioned that for every person, there is a certain amount of sleep that you need every night? Well, if you do not get this amount of sleep, then you incur sleep debt. Just like financial debt, sleep debt accumulates over time.

So, take my example – I am used to sleeping at least 10 hours a day. For the past 3 weeks, I have been sleeping 2 to 3 hours. That gives me sleep debt of 7 to 8 hours every day. This adds up to 49 to 56 hours per week! And just like financial debt, we all have to pay back sleep debt or otherwise pay the consequences.

What happens when you have sleep debt? The more hours you “owe,” the more tired you will be during the day and the more chances that you will fall asleep when you are not supposed to. This is why, for the past few days, I have been falling asleep at odd times during the day. More so, when the body cannot handle it anymore, you will simply sleep in later – there is nothing you can do about it. Of course, we can drink as much coffee and other stimulants as we want. They will help keep us awake. However, this simply means that we are not treating our bodies right.

The solution to sleep debt? Catch up on this weekend.

Originally posted on March 15, 2008 @ 11:22 pm