Diseases & Conditions: Health Topics
10 Reasons Not to Skimp on Sleep
Too busy to go to bed? Having trouble getting quality sleep once you do? Your health may be at risk.
By Sarah Baldauf, U.S. News & World Report
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You may literally have to add it to your to-do list, but scheduling a good night’s sleep could be one of the smartest health priorities you set. It’s not just daytime drowsiness you risk when shortchanging yourself on your seven to eight hours. Possible health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep can involve the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune and nervous systems. In addition to letting life get in the way of good sleep, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder—insomnia or sleep apnea, say—that affects daily functioning and impinges on health. Consider the research:
1) Less may mean more. For people who sleep under seven hours a night, the fewer zzzz’s they get, the more obese they tend to be, according to a 2006 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report. This may relate to the discovery that insufficient sleep appears to tip hunger hormones out of whack. Leptin, which suppresses appetite, is lowered; ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, gets a boost.
2) You’re more apt to make bad food choices. A study published in the October 15, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with obstructive sleep apnea or other severely disordered breathing while asleep ate a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat, and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.
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 Nov 13 2008
Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", "DID YOU KNOW", Advice & Tips.
Tags: exercise, fat, food, life, man, woman
8 Ways to Knock Out Fat
Mario Lopez, author of Knockout Fitness (Rodale, 2008), answers readers’ questions about shaping up and slimming down.
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8 Ways to Knock Out Fat
Q: Should I eat a huge meal after working out to capitalize on my super-charged metabolism?
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Nov 10 2008
Posted: under Advice & Tips.
Tags: advice, America, anger, bar, beer, bliss, body, boss, challenge, champagne, cheerfulness, choice, dance, day, depression, diet, doctor, dog, environment, exercise, eyes, family, fat, food, friends, friendship, game, gin, happiness, health, heart, hope, hospital, importance, influence, joy, life, liquor, man, massage, meditation, music, quotes, romance, rum, scotch, smiles, sport, stress, teeth, tequila, thought, time, tips, traffic, vodka, whiskey, wine, woman
“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” -Arabian Proverb
1. Move More
Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it’s a stress buster. Think ‘move’ in small increments of time. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that’s great when you’re up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!
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Sep 15 2008
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