We all want to get a good night's sleep, but many of us don't. It could be because of our jobs, or at least the time of day we work.
The current recommendations are to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep most nights. Getting less than that can lead to heart and other health problems. But even getting too much sleep, more than 9 hours on average, can increase your chance of heart disease.
Most of us, though, don't have to worry about getting too much sleep. As a matter of fact, a new study, just published by the CDC found that 30% of us get fewer than 6 hours of sleep per night.
They also found that our jobs seem to be part of the reason why. Those working in manufacturing type jobs got less sleep than other workers. Those working night shifts had an even bigger problem putting in the right amount of shut eye. Nearly half of night shift workers had trouble sleeping enough. And depending on where you worked your night shifts, the problem could be even worse. Nearly 70% of warehouse and transportation workers and over half of health care workers didn't get enough sleep on a regular basis. The same was true for those working more than one job or more than 40 hours a week.
So, although you can't do much about the hows and wheres you need to work, realizing you might not be getting enough sleep can hopefully help you get more shut eye in the future.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Playground Equipment Warning
Playgrounds are fun, especially for young children. But there is a new warning out about one piece of equipment, and it's a very common site at playgrounds.
We're talking about the slide. For one set of children, it can cause a leg fracture.
A new study looked into children who had broken their tibia, that's the big bone in the bottom half of the leg. The researcher doing this study found that for those under 3 years of age, 14% of the tibia fractures happened when the child went down a slide sitting in their parent's lap.
When you think about it, it seems to make sense to hold a child this young in your lap for a trip down the slide. They are usually too young to hold themselves up and slide down without getting hurt. So, going down sitting on mom's or dad's lap should help. But what happens is that the young child's foot often gets caught on the side of the slide while they are going down together and it gets twisted. This twisting causes the tibia fracture. Often times the parent doesn't even realize this has happened. They just notice their child is crying and won't put any weight on the fractured leg.
For the most part, these types of fracture just require a few weeks in a cast and heal well. But for the parent, it can leave some lasting guilt feelings. So your best bet, is to wait on the slide until your child is old enough to go it on their own.
We're talking about the slide. For one set of children, it can cause a leg fracture.
A new study looked into children who had broken their tibia, that's the big bone in the bottom half of the leg. The researcher doing this study found that for those under 3 years of age, 14% of the tibia fractures happened when the child went down a slide sitting in their parent's lap.
When you think about it, it seems to make sense to hold a child this young in your lap for a trip down the slide. They are usually too young to hold themselves up and slide down without getting hurt. So, going down sitting on mom's or dad's lap should help. But what happens is that the young child's foot often gets caught on the side of the slide while they are going down together and it gets twisted. This twisting causes the tibia fracture. Often times the parent doesn't even realize this has happened. They just notice their child is crying and won't put any weight on the fractured leg.
For the most part, these types of fracture just require a few weeks in a cast and heal well. But for the parent, it can leave some lasting guilt feelings. So your best bet, is to wait on the slide until your child is old enough to go it on their own.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Neighborhoods & Child Obesity
Picking the right place to live could make a big difference in your child's weight.
It turns out that certain things in your neighborhood, or more importantly, certain things that aren't there may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in children.
A new study, just published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, looked at which characteristics in neighborhoods were best at helping you help your child keep a healthy weight.
Researchers found that having a neighborhood that lent itself to a lot of physical activity as well as one near good food were the most important factors. In other words, having places to walk to, like stores or libraries can mean getting more exercise. So to can having what are known as "recreation areas", parks that children can play and run in on a regular basis.
On top of this having a neighborhood near supermarkets and stores with healthy food also meant having kids with lower weight. And just the opposite was true if kids lived near convenience stores instead of grocery stores.
So the next time you plan to move take a look around the new neighborhood and see if it's a place that might help you help you kids stay healthy.
It turns out that certain things in your neighborhood, or more importantly, certain things that aren't there may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in children.
A new study, just published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, looked at which characteristics in neighborhoods were best at helping you help your child keep a healthy weight.
Researchers found that having a neighborhood that lent itself to a lot of physical activity as well as one near good food were the most important factors. In other words, having places to walk to, like stores or libraries can mean getting more exercise. So to can having what are known as "recreation areas", parks that children can play and run in on a regular basis.
On top of this having a neighborhood near supermarkets and stores with healthy food also meant having kids with lower weight. And just the opposite was true if kids lived near convenience stores instead of grocery stores.
So the next time you plan to move take a look around the new neighborhood and see if it's a place that might help you help you kids stay healthy.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Losing Weight
When it comes to diets and losing weight, there is one tried and true way that works best.
It's definitely one of those "I think we all knew this" studies. But it still gives us a lot of answers about which weight loss techniques work best. And it does reinforce the fact that eating healthy and exercising is by far the best way to lose weight.
This new study, out of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, looked into what it took for over 4,000 obese individuals to lose weight. Researchers wanted to find out what methods worked the best. First off, they found that a great portion of obese individuals can and do lose weight. That's great news. They also found that people were more likely to lose weight by doing what might seem obvious. The best results came from eating less fat, exercising, joining a weight loss program and even using prescription weight loss medications. On the flip side of the coin they also found that popular fad diets, liquid diets, non-prescription weight loss pills along with diet foods and products didn't really work.
So, the bottom line is that when it comes to weight loss, doing the usual tried and true methods of exercise and eating well simply works the best. And to help out a bit, joining a weight loss program might help provide that extra motivation.
It's definitely one of those "I think we all knew this" studies. But it still gives us a lot of answers about which weight loss techniques work best. And it does reinforce the fact that eating healthy and exercising is by far the best way to lose weight.
This new study, out of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, looked into what it took for over 4,000 obese individuals to lose weight. Researchers wanted to find out what methods worked the best. First off, they found that a great portion of obese individuals can and do lose weight. That's great news. They also found that people were more likely to lose weight by doing what might seem obvious. The best results came from eating less fat, exercising, joining a weight loss program and even using prescription weight loss medications. On the flip side of the coin they also found that popular fad diets, liquid diets, non-prescription weight loss pills along with diet foods and products didn't really work.
So, the bottom line is that when it comes to weight loss, doing the usual tried and true methods of exercise and eating well simply works the best. And to help out a bit, joining a weight loss program might help provide that extra motivation.
Cancer Survivors & Non-Cancer Deaths
Nearly half of all cancer survivors die from non-cancer causes. Turns out that's actually good news.
The fact that just about half of cancer survivors today die from other causes is good news because it means they are surviving their cancers longer than before. But it's also a bit of a wake up call for them to take care of other things as well.
A new study looked at cancer survivors over the last decade. Researchers found that those participating in the national health and nutrition examination survey most commonly had breast, prostate, lung and colorectal types of cancers. They also found that although 51% of them died from their cancers over a 7-year period, 49%, or almost half, died from some other cause.
And the number one thing they did die from was heart disease. That's not a big surprise since it's also the number one overall killer in the U.S., but what was surprising was that it itself was responsible for over 2/3 of cancer survivors' non-cancer deaths.
Since more are surviving their cancers for longer periods of time, this means that they also need to remember to concentrate on other aspects of their health. That means continuing to eat right and avoid the deadly things like smoking to ensure that once they survive their cancer, they are around for as many years as possible.
The fact that just about half of cancer survivors today die from other causes is good news because it means they are surviving their cancers longer than before. But it's also a bit of a wake up call for them to take care of other things as well.
A new study looked at cancer survivors over the last decade. Researchers found that those participating in the national health and nutrition examination survey most commonly had breast, prostate, lung and colorectal types of cancers. They also found that although 51% of them died from their cancers over a 7-year period, 49%, or almost half, died from some other cause.
And the number one thing they did die from was heart disease. That's not a big surprise since it's also the number one overall killer in the U.S., but what was surprising was that it itself was responsible for over 2/3 of cancer survivors' non-cancer deaths.
Since more are surviving their cancers for longer periods of time, this means that they also need to remember to concentrate on other aspects of their health. That means continuing to eat right and avoid the deadly things like smoking to ensure that once they survive their cancer, they are around for as many years as possible.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Kids Need To Get Outside
When it comes to keeping our kids healthy, it looks like we might need to spend a little more time with them outside.
It's for a couple of reasons. Number one, getting kids outside, especially the young ones, is a great way to get them some exercise. And number two, not many parents are doing this, or at least doing this enough.
Children get a lot of health benefits from playing outside including keeping them from developing obesity and giving them a lifelong habit of getting regular exercise. But over the years children have been getting out less and less. and this new study, published in the Journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that when it comes to preschool children in particular, not that many are getting outside to play as often as they should.
Researchers found that less then half the moms and only about 1 in 4 of the dads in this study took their kids outside every day to play around or even just go on a little walk. Surprisingly, these same parents said they though their neighborhoods were safe so that wasn't keeping them from going outside. Most likely it was more of a time factor since the majority of moms and dads in this study also worked outside the home.
So to help get kids outside to play more, setting up a play group with other parents might help out. That way everyone takes turns getting them that much needed outdoor time. In this case, it seems like it truly does that a village to raise a child, at least to help raise them to be as healthy as possible.
It's for a couple of reasons. Number one, getting kids outside, especially the young ones, is a great way to get them some exercise. And number two, not many parents are doing this, or at least doing this enough.
Children get a lot of health benefits from playing outside including keeping them from developing obesity and giving them a lifelong habit of getting regular exercise. But over the years children have been getting out less and less. and this new study, published in the Journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that when it comes to preschool children in particular, not that many are getting outside to play as often as they should.
Researchers found that less then half the moms and only about 1 in 4 of the dads in this study took their kids outside every day to play around or even just go on a little walk. Surprisingly, these same parents said they though their neighborhoods were safe so that wasn't keeping them from going outside. Most likely it was more of a time factor since the majority of moms and dads in this study also worked outside the home.
So to help get kids outside to play more, setting up a play group with other parents might help out. That way everyone takes turns getting them that much needed outdoor time. In this case, it seems like it truly does that a village to raise a child, at least to help raise them to be as healthy as possible.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Urine Smell & Infection
When it comes to young children, a certain smell could mean a certain type of infection.
We're talking about a simple way that might alert parents to urinary tract infections in their young children. Bad smelling urine.
Young ones can't always tell us how they are feeling, so that means that sometimes we miss things that are making them sick until their condition gets really bad. A urine infection is one of those things. And it's important to catch these infections as early as possible so it doesn't spread to their kidneys. But since children can't always tell us about symptoms they may be having, often times the urine infection is missed until it does get worse.
But a new study is finding that something as simple as a change in the smell of their urine could be a big clue. Researchers found that this change in smell in children 3 years old and younger was the strongest clue that they might have a urine infection.
Other things besides an infection can cause a change in the way their urine smells, particularly certain foods. And although just noticing a change in smell doesn't automatically mean they have a urine infection, it gives you and their doctor a good indication that they should at least be tested just to make sure.
We're talking about a simple way that might alert parents to urinary tract infections in their young children. Bad smelling urine.
Young ones can't always tell us how they are feeling, so that means that sometimes we miss things that are making them sick until their condition gets really bad. A urine infection is one of those things. And it's important to catch these infections as early as possible so it doesn't spread to their kidneys. But since children can't always tell us about symptoms they may be having, often times the urine infection is missed until it does get worse.
But a new study is finding that something as simple as a change in the smell of their urine could be a big clue. Researchers found that this change in smell in children 3 years old and younger was the strongest clue that they might have a urine infection.
Other things besides an infection can cause a change in the way their urine smells, particularly certain foods. And although just noticing a change in smell doesn't automatically mean they have a urine infection, it gives you and their doctor a good indication that they should at least be tested just to make sure.
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