Lack of Sleep may be Deadly

[Highwaycode]

ASIAONE / HEALTH / NEWS / STORY

 

Ben Hirschler

Tue, Sep 25, 2007

Reuters

 

 

 

 

Lack of sleep may be deadly

 

LONDON (Reuters) - People who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease, according to a large British study released on Monday.

 

Although the reasons are unclear, researchers said lack of sleep appeared to be linked to increased blood pressure, which is known to raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

 

A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers showed those who cut their sleeping from seven hours a night to five or less faced a 1.7-fold increased risk in mortality from all causes and more than double the risk of cardiovascular death.

 

The findings highlight a danger in busy modern lifestyles, Francesco Cappuccio, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Warwick's medical school, told the annual conference of the British Sleep Society in Cambridge.

 

"A third of the population of the UK and over 40 percent in the U.S. regularly sleep less than five hours a night, so it is not a trivial problem," he said in a telephone interview.

 

"The current pressures in society to cut out sleep, in order to squeeze in more, may not be a good idea -- particularly if you go below five hours."

 

Previous research has highlighted the potential health risks of shift work and disrupted sleep. But the study by Cappuccio and colleagues, which was supported by British government and U.S. funding, is the first to link duration of sleep and mortality rates.

 

The study looked at sleep patterns of participants aged 35-55 years at two points in their lives -- 1985-88 and 1992-93 -- and then tracked their mortality rates until 2004.

 

The results were adjusted to take account of other possible risk factors such as initial age, sex, smoking and alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol.

 

The correlation with cardiovascular risk in those who slept less in the 1990s than in the 1980s was clear but, curiously, there was also a higher mortality rate in people who increased their sleeping to more than nine hours.

 

In this case, however, there was no cardiovascular link and Cappuccio said it was possible that longer sleeping could be related to other health problems such as depression or cancer-related fatigue.

 

"In terms of prevention, our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health," he said.

[Tunge]

I always read abt such research in the papers n wonder why are they wasting money doing research on the obvious. u don't need to gather a team of docters and scientist to prove that the lack of sleep is bad for health lah. wah lao... everyone knows that what, when u don't get sufficient sleep, u don't feel well, get headaches, fall sick easily, etc.

[Mzrmazda3]

For me, i jus know that if one do not have enough sleep sure temper will fly man

[Highwaycode]

In summary there is correlation between not sleep enough ZZzzz and CVS (not cancer huh):

 

ZZZZZzz << 7/8 hrs per day = double risk CVS disease leh!.

[Highwaycode]

ASIAONE / HEALTH / NEWS / STORY

 

Judy Chapman

Sat, Sep 01, 2007

The Straits Times

 

 

 

 

Snooze your way to health

 

It's mid-afternoon in New York and on the 24th floor of the Empire State building, several executives are taking a power nap during their work hour. Over in Sydney, office workers are dragging themselves away from the desk for a required 20-minute snooze. In Asia, the first sleep spa opened a few months ago in Singapore.

 

Rest and relax: At a hip new spa in New York called Yelo, executives slip into secluded sleeping cabins during work hours.

 

When it comes to health, sleeping pods and sleep programmes are the new emerging trend.

 

Just in time too. According to the National Sleep Foundation, at least half of us aren't getting enough good quality sleep. There are reportedly millions of us who suffer sleep disorders and in many countries there's a sleep epidemic. Not enough sleep can affect our concentration at work and productivity, safety and add to health issues like heart disease, blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

 

'Sleep is the new story,' confirms Susie Ellis, president of Spa Finder (www.spafinder.com), an International Spa Marketing company, who has included sleep as one of her top 10 spa predictions for 2007. She says that over the past year she has noticed a huge trend in sleep programmes at some of the world's leading spas. 'There are now on-site specialists at spas who will help educate, diagnose and treat sleep apnea through insomniac treatment programmes, workshops and even sleep retreats.'

 

At the newly opened Medical Sleep Spa in Singapore, medical director Dr Kenny Pang spends his days evaluating and diagnosing patients with sleeping problems, creating treatments specific to their needs. He reports that the incidence of insomnia is also increasing in Singapore, possibly due to increased stress and our 'pressure cooker' lifestyle.

 

'Sleep disorders come in different forms; however, the main two types are: 'the patients who cannot fall asleep (insomniacs) and the patients who cannot keep awake (patients with obstructive sleep apnea/poor quality sleep/low oxygen at night)'.' He believes the increase in obstructive sleep apnea is due to the increase in obesity and affects as much as 15 per cent of the population in Singapore.

 

Little wonder about the return of the power nap. At a hip new spa in New York called Yelo, for example, executives slip into secluded 'YelowCabs' - sleeping cabins - during work hours, where they are covered in a soft cashmere blanket and customised colour, aromatherapy and lighting are designed to suit and relax their mood.

 

Good for bottom line

 

According to Dr Sara Mednick, a research scientist at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies in California, a power nap will benefit the body to include better heart functioning, hormonal maintenance and cell repair. She says a nap affects one's mental health, including improving mood, lowering stress, and giving greater psychological balance as well as helping one stay more active and younger looking. According to a recent Harvard study released in February, a 20-minute power nap has been medically proven to increase alertness and productivity as well as information retention - making it also beneficial for the bottom line.

 

Corporations are taking note of this trend. EnergyPods, designed by MetroNaps (www.metronaps.com), a company dedicated to sleeping solutions, are being installed in businesses, universities, spas and airports around the world. Looking like something out of a science fiction movie, these two-metre-long cocoons block out 65 per cent of light and sound. Occupants recline with their legs elevated to promote blood circulation and reduce blood pressure that in turn promotes overall relaxation. After 20 minutes of shrouded silence, a gentle vibration and increased light slowly awakens them from a light sleep.

 

'We designed the EnergyPod specifically for employees who work long, erratic hours,' explains Janet Rhew from MetroNaps. 'Rather than decrease the amount of time one spends at the office desk, regular sessions actually improve mental clarity, productivity and quality of life.' Predictions are that EnergyPods will become as 'common as photocopiers' and so far, have been purchased by Procter & Gamble, Cisco Systems and the Stanford Medical Center, to name a few.

 

The sleep industry is now a staggering multi-billion dollar industry. Spa Finder's Ms Ellis reports there are now between 50 and 70 million Americans experiencing chronic sleep disorders and global sales of sleeping pills will top US$5 billion over the next several years.

 

According to the New York Times, more than 25 million prescriptions for Ambien were written last year. Added to the dozen or so other commonly used sleep aids, doctors dashed off almost 50 million prescriptions for sleeping pills in 2006.

 

Dozing off in spas

 

But there are holistic alternatives. At The Medical Sleep Spa in Singapore, programmes are managed by sleep specialists who blend diagnosis, consultations and remedies with exercise like Pilates and yoga together with upper body/back massage and radio frequency de-stress therapy to help relax the patient.

 

'The basics of good sleep habits need to be taught and cultivated,' says Dr Pang. 'No two patients are the same so programmes need to be tailored.'

 

Meanwhile, spas from the United States to Bangkok - such as the Canyon Ranch and Miraval Life in Balance in the US, and Chiva Som and S Medical Spa in Thailand - have introduced sleep enhancement and insomniac programmes. Other health spas are following suit.

 

'This sleep trend is just beginning,' says Ms Ellis. She reports the trend was fast-tracked late last year when several sleep-medicine scientists shared research showing healthy sleep can help one lose weight, look more beautiful and have better sex. 'In the future we will see a great deal more attention paid to sleep hygiene in spas. It will become a pillar of the spa experience just like nutrition, fitness and spa therapies.'

 

Chiva Som International Resort is already seeing extra demand for sleep enhancement programmes and has introduced treatments for the increasing number of people with insomnia. A spokesman explained that disturbed or inadequate sleep can be a chronic problem or occur occasionally. However, it will invariably be linked to factors including stress, anxiety, lifestyle, diet and possibly medical conditions.

 

------

Edited September 25, 2007 by Highwaycode

[Zniper]

i only noe a hungry man is an angry man... a sleepy man is .........?

[Mzrmazda3]

Then many of us would be in this risk sector liao

[Mzrmazda3]

 

A sleepy man is a sex hunger man

[Weichien]

there's 2 thing for me.

not enough sleep and not enough money. temper will be hot.

and heart beat very fast. lol

[Zniper]

u may be rite... sleepy man is a hor*y man...??

[Weichien]

i didn't know u are so weird.

sleepy still can get h0rni?

[Mzrmazda3]

Bro, yours sounds better

 

A sleepy man is a horny man

 

Yeah

[Zniper]

muz find a sleepy gf...

[Mzrmazda3]

[Comfy]

sleepy gf later like dead fish how??

[Watwheels]

I always read abt such research in the papers n wonder why are they wasting money doing research on the obvious. u don't need to gather a team of docters and scientist to prove that the lack of sleep is bad for health lah. wah lao... everyone knows that what, when u don't get sufficient sleep, u don't feel well, get headaches, fall sick easily, etc.

 

The researchers obviously are loosing a lot of sleep cos of their work. That's why they do research on the topic so that indirectly their immediate boss knows about their problem.

[Tunge]

The researchers obviously are loosing a lot of sleep cos of their work. That's why they do research on the topic so that indirectly their immediate boss knows about their problem.

[Chocobelle]

gOSh, i'm so screwed!!

 

i've less than 5hrs sleep every nite