Washington Post: Sleeping

[ibneko]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/08/AR2005100801405.html

...The analysis of a nationally representative sample of nearly 10,000 adults found that those between the ages of 32 and 49 who sleep less than seven hours a night are significantly more likely to be obese....

...Scientists have long known that sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy and chronic insomnia, can lead to serious health problems, and that difficulty sleeping may be a red flag for a serious illness. But the first clues that otherwise healthy people who do not get enough sleep or who shift their sleep schedules because of work, family or lifestyle may be endangering their health emerged from large epidemiological studies that found people who slept the least appeared to be significantly more likely to die....

Hm, yeah. Damn time.

Comments

[jaiwithani.livejournal.com]

!!!

/me takes a nap.

[gamesiplay.livejournal.com]

Hmm. What if you get more than seven hours over the course of a day, just not at night? Heh.

[ibneko.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, they did say After several studies found that people who work at night appear unusually prone to breast and colon cancer, researchers investigating the possible explanation for this association found exposure to light at night reduces levels of the hormone melatonin. Melatonin is believed to protect against cancer by affecting levels of other hormones, such as estrogen.

"Melatonin can prevent tumor cells from growing -- it's cancer-protective," said Eva S. Schernhammer of Harvard Medical School, who has conducted a series of studies on volunteers in sleep laboratories. "The theory is, if you are exposed to light at night, on average you will produce less melatonin, increasing your cancer risk."

So, no, it doesn't help. :-\

[contrasedative.livejournal.com]

The theory is, if you are exposed to light at night, on average you will produce less melatonin, increasing your cancer risk."
Everyone I know (myself included) will die of cancer? o_o;

[tinkleneko.livejournal.com]

I didn't read the article. But sleeping at night does help your memory. That is, sleeping early- not at midnight- helps your memory (?) because of the REM you have when you're sleeping.