If you hear a bump in the night, it just might be someone sleepwalking.
Turns out, about 1 out of 3 of us sleepwalk. That's what new research is showing, that it might be more common than we thought.
A new study out of the Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center not only found that 30% of us have had a sleepwalking episode sometime in our lives, but that around 4% of us have done it recently. And the sticky part is that people that sleepwalk usually don't even know they did it. It's the others in the house that let them know. And although sleepwalking runs in families, according to these researchers, if you have depression or obsessive compulsive disorder than your chances of sleepwalking go up. On top of that, those taking sleeping pills or antidepressants also had a higher chance of sleepwalking. But part of that could be because of the depression and not necessarily the antidepressant medications.
So, if you do hear that "bump" in the night and notice someone sleepwalking the best thing to do is to slowly and gently guide them back to bed. Keeping them safe, since oftentimes they don't really know what they are doing is important.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Jogging Health
Are you a jogger? If so, great! If not, you might want to start running, at least a little bit.
It really doesn't get any simpler than this... joggers live longer!
At least that's the result from a newly released long-term study. Researchers looked at nearly 20,000 people from 1976 to today. They were 20-79 years old. Researchers found that those who jogged ended up living around 6 years longer than those who didn't. And we aren't talking about running yourself into the ground to get this benefit. Even light joggers lived longer.
This study found that jogging at a slow to average pace for 1-2 1/2 hours per meek was what worked the best. And putting in the time over 2-3 sessions during that week also seemed to be the way to do it. That means that one secret to living longer is a slow to average job for 30 minutes just 3 times a week.
Now this doesn't mean that running faster won't get you in better shape, but we are almost looking at apples and oranges here. Running faster will get you in better racing shape and might help you lose pounds faster, but for living longer, the slower jogging seemed to work the best.
The researchers also didn't look at other types of exercise, like cycling, which can also help you stay healthy. The important point is that exercise is important and although many of us don't think we have time for a good exercise program, this study shows it really doesn't take all that much time. And it might help keep you around a bit longer too!
It really doesn't get any simpler than this... joggers live longer!
At least that's the result from a newly released long-term study. Researchers looked at nearly 20,000 people from 1976 to today. They were 20-79 years old. Researchers found that those who jogged ended up living around 6 years longer than those who didn't. And we aren't talking about running yourself into the ground to get this benefit. Even light joggers lived longer.
This study found that jogging at a slow to average pace for 1-2 1/2 hours per meek was what worked the best. And putting in the time over 2-3 sessions during that week also seemed to be the way to do it. That means that one secret to living longer is a slow to average job for 30 minutes just 3 times a week.
Now this doesn't mean that running faster won't get you in better shape, but we are almost looking at apples and oranges here. Running faster will get you in better racing shape and might help you lose pounds faster, but for living longer, the slower jogging seemed to work the best.
The researchers also didn't look at other types of exercise, like cycling, which can also help you stay healthy. The important point is that exercise is important and although many of us don't think we have time for a good exercise program, this study shows it really doesn't take all that much time. And it might help keep you around a bit longer too!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Healthy Commute
Do you commute to work? Then listen up, because that drive might be doing more than just aggravating you.
It looks like that commute might be taking its toll on your heart. But there is a way to help you fight back.
Researchers have found that the longer you drive into work, the more likely you are to have problems with your overall health. And more specifically those who commuted the longest, in a recent study, also had the most problems with high blood pressure and even ended up having bigger waistlines.
The reason behind this seems to be exercise. In this study those who had the longest drives to work also ended up being less likely to exercise the days they commuted. They had lower levels of overall fitness, a higher body mass index, bigger waistlines and higher blood pressure than those that didn't drive as far.
Now, you can't fix this by simply getting a job closer to home, but there are some things you can do to help yourself out if do commute to work. Sneaking in little amounts of exercise during the day can go a long way towards reversing the bad effects of a long drive. So, park at the far end of the lot and walk further to get into work, take stairs instead of elevators, stand up as much as you can when you're at work. You get the point. Doing these little things can do more than you think to counter all that sitting during a long commute and help get your health back on track.
It looks like that commute might be taking its toll on your heart. But there is a way to help you fight back.
Researchers have found that the longer you drive into work, the more likely you are to have problems with your overall health. And more specifically those who commuted the longest, in a recent study, also had the most problems with high blood pressure and even ended up having bigger waistlines.
The reason behind this seems to be exercise. In this study those who had the longest drives to work also ended up being less likely to exercise the days they commuted. They had lower levels of overall fitness, a higher body mass index, bigger waistlines and higher blood pressure than those that didn't drive as far.
Now, you can't fix this by simply getting a job closer to home, but there are some things you can do to help yourself out if do commute to work. Sneaking in little amounts of exercise during the day can go a long way towards reversing the bad effects of a long drive. So, park at the far end of the lot and walk further to get into work, take stairs instead of elevators, stand up as much as you can when you're at work. You get the point. Doing these little things can do more than you think to counter all that sitting during a long commute and help get your health back on track.
Sitting & Diabetes
Do you spend most of your day sitting around? If so, you might be at risk for diabetes.
This particularly applies to women. A new study looking at how much we sit and what that does to us, found out some bad news. Women who spend only four to seven hours a day sitting were more likely to start showing signs of type 2 diabetes. For some reason, we can't quite figure out, the same didn't apply to men.
But that doesn't let guys off the hook. Studies released earlier this year found that for both men and women, sitting more than 8 hours a day also meant you were more likely to die over the next three years than if you didn't sit that much.
Here's what we think is happening. Although you might exercise, which is still good for you and important for your health, if you spend a lot of time sitting during the day then you don't burn those little calories that add up to a lot. Just by standing or walking around you burn little bits of calories here and there and those add up. Plus you exercise you muscles by just standing or walking and that adds up too.
And we are finding that it's these little things, standing and walking about, that add up to great health benefits. So when you can, get up and stretch or better yet walk the halls and get those little snippets of exercise that could save your health.
This particularly applies to women. A new study looking at how much we sit and what that does to us, found out some bad news. Women who spend only four to seven hours a day sitting were more likely to start showing signs of type 2 diabetes. For some reason, we can't quite figure out, the same didn't apply to men.
But that doesn't let guys off the hook. Studies released earlier this year found that for both men and women, sitting more than 8 hours a day also meant you were more likely to die over the next three years than if you didn't sit that much.
Here's what we think is happening. Although you might exercise, which is still good for you and important for your health, if you spend a lot of time sitting during the day then you don't burn those little calories that add up to a lot. Just by standing or walking around you burn little bits of calories here and there and those add up. Plus you exercise you muscles by just standing or walking and that adds up too.
And we are finding that it's these little things, standing and walking about, that add up to great health benefits. So when you can, get up and stretch or better yet walk the halls and get those little snippets of exercise that could save your health.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Sleep & Weight Loss
We can all use a little more sleep, right? Well it seems getting more sleep might also mean losing a bit more weight.
We can call it the big win-win. Sleep more and drop a few pounds.
But that's exactly what it looks like, at least when it comes to fighting the genes our parents gave us that can be part of the reason it's tough to shed a pound or two. As a country overall, we simply don't get enough sleep. A recent study showed that 40% of us actually get less than 6 hours a night. And not getting enough sleep can take its toll on your body and your health. But other research has hinted that getting too much sleep, more than 9 hours a night, might also be taking its toll, mainly by increasing your risk for heart disease.
But when it comes to weight loss, the story has been a little confusing. Some studies have hinted that sleeping too much can make it tougher to lose weight. This newest study shows the opposite. At least when it comes to how our genes affect how we pack on the pounds.
Researchers at the University of Washington found that those sleeping longer at night, more than 9 hours, also had lower BMIs, especially genetically similar twins. So, they figure that sleeping longer might help overcome those gene's tendencies in some to help them carry around a few unwanted pounds. And as an added benefit, you won't be joining the rest of us yawning all day long.
We can call it the big win-win. Sleep more and drop a few pounds.
But that's exactly what it looks like, at least when it comes to fighting the genes our parents gave us that can be part of the reason it's tough to shed a pound or two. As a country overall, we simply don't get enough sleep. A recent study showed that 40% of us actually get less than 6 hours a night. And not getting enough sleep can take its toll on your body and your health. But other research has hinted that getting too much sleep, more than 9 hours a night, might also be taking its toll, mainly by increasing your risk for heart disease.
But when it comes to weight loss, the story has been a little confusing. Some studies have hinted that sleeping too much can make it tougher to lose weight. This newest study shows the opposite. At least when it comes to how our genes affect how we pack on the pounds.
Researchers at the University of Washington found that those sleeping longer at night, more than 9 hours, also had lower BMIs, especially genetically similar twins. So, they figure that sleeping longer might help overcome those gene's tendencies in some to help them carry around a few unwanted pounds. And as an added benefit, you won't be joining the rest of us yawning all day long.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Sleep & Your Job
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.
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.
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.
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