A new study published by the University of Pennsylvania has shown that specific nutrients have a significant impact on your sleeping patterns, those who ate a wide variety of foods were more likely to have healthy sleeping patterns.

Tip: Those who didn’t intake a sufficient amount of water also had poorer sleeping patterns.

If you’re often sleep deprived and struggle to get the right amount of rest there’s a good chance you’re short on the following minerals.

Food for the sleep deprived

Vitamin C:
Good sources of vitamin C include strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, lemons. As well as aiding sleep vitamin C is essential for your immune system.

Selenium:

This is often found in meat; chicken, turkey, beef and eggs.

For the vegetarians it is also found in nuts, shellfish, tuna, sardines.

If you’re sleeping too long

Longer sleepers are associated with a lack of carbohydrates.

Theobromine: Found in tea, chocolate and many other cocoa products.

Decanoic Acid: Found in mother’s milk (we don’t recommend asking your mother if you’re an adult)
as well as dairy products, this nutrient helps fight gastritis.

Choline: This is found in eggs and fatty meat products such as crabs and liver.

The general consensus of the study was that individuals who consumed an extensive variety of foods slept for the appropriate amount of time and were less likely to be sleep deprived or oversleep.

A one-dimensional diet will certainly not do your sleeping pattern any favours.
By Richard Owen

In one of the studies the university tested the driving abilities of 133 patients with untreated sleep apnea as opposed to 89 people without the disorder.

Twice as many people with untreated sleep apnea failed the test, compared to just 12%.

The course was 56 miles (certainly a lengthy test) with the drivers assessed upon completion of the course. The kind of credentials that would fail the test were similar to that of a regular driving test.

Sleep apnea sufferers were more likely to crash and veer off in to the wrong lane, possibly caused by a reduced level of concentration.

In a separate survey 118 people with untreated sleep apnea completed a survey about their usual driving behaviour as well as a simulated driving test.

More than a third of sleep apnea sufferers admitted they had nodded off whilst driving, which is obviously very worrying. Only 11% of non-sleep apnea sufferers said they’d nodded off whilst at the wheel.

The study certainly illustrates the dangers of the disorder and symbolises the increasing amount of research in to the topic of sleep apnea.

Sleep experts have called for more resources to be devoted to treating the condition, as well as diagnosing the disorder at an early stage.

Disruption in your sleeping pattern leads to fatigue during the day and in turn an increased risk of accidents such as a car crash, sleep apnea also potentially leads to health issues such as high blood pressure.

It’s advisable for any individuals who suffer from sleep apnea (or know someone who does) to contact a medical professional for advice and treatment.
By Richard Owen

On average we sleep for a staggering 24 years of our life, yet there is a surprising amount of knowledge we are still lacking on the subject. It seems a lot of what we ‘think’ we know on the topic is largely the result of old wives tales or general gossiping.

The 8 hour sleep phenomenon

We’ve been told several times that eight hours is the optimum amount of sleep, there is a large amount of missing evidence surrounding this concept and there are many conflicting reports that debunk the eight hour myth.

Several studies have found that those who sleep between 6.5 and 7.5 hours each night live equally healthy (occasionally healthier) lives as opposed to those who have more than eight hours.

The ‘one size fits all’ method

There is also some speculation as to the consistency of the x amount for everyone idea. In reality the amount you sleep depends on the individual and his or her lifestyle. Those of us who expel a high amount of energy each day through exercising or through manual labour for example may need a higher amount than those who live a sedentary lifestyle.

As a result many of us can thrive on as little as 6.5 hours a sleep a night and still work efficiently.

What happens to our brains when we’re sleep deprived

In some cases we can function perfectly well whilst ‘running on fumes’ so to speak, but we’re unlikely to be able to do this on a consistent basis and this depends on the individual. There is an optimum amount of information we can take in as human beings, meaning that after we reach a certain time of the day we’ll find it difficult to absorb information.

This is why it can be immensely difficult to take in information (such as when you’re cramming information before exam) after 12 hours of revision. As we discussed in a recent blog, we need sleep to store and contemplate new information correctly.

If we’re sleep deprived we’re more likely to have our attention wander, it can also be difficult to monitor your own decrease in performance which may lead to potential errors and mistakes that are often noticed by others around you.

The benefits of napping

Studies have shown that napping for as little as twenty minutes each day can help restore a sufficient amount of concentration and can greatly improve our retention of new information.

This is why napping is vital for those who often work over-time or work late hours in the night, mothers of newborns are told to sleep when their baby is sleeping.
By Richard Owen

New research has suggested there are additional side effects to sleep deprivation that we were previously unaware of.

Sleep has a massive effect on our overall health and the benefits of keeping a regular, healthy night sleep have been covered extensively in the media, however having a poor sleeping pattern can have an adverse effect on many aspects of your life that many people may not be aware of.

Sleep Deprivation & Genes

Studies published in the PNAS Journal show that sleep deprivation can have a significant effect on the health of the human body. The research demonstrated that a huge percentage of gene activity was altered by sleep deprivation (when sleeping patterns were reduced to six hours each night for seven days)

Sleep has been shown to play a major part in the replenishing of cells, failure to get the optimum amount of sleep each night can have a damaging effect on our immune system leaving us prone to regular, everyday diseases such as cold, flu and many other common viruses.

Sleep and Immunity

Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in your T-cells (an important part of your immune system). Failing to get the adequate amount of sleep has been known to lower the strength of your immune system leaving us prone to viral attacks and susceptible to infection.

When we’re sleep deprived we often take a longer period to recover from these types of illnesses, so there may be some truth in the “sleep is a healer” idea.

To conclude:

Although it may seem harmless to feel tired every now and again, sleep deprivation is no laughing matter, that not only has a serious effect on the inner-workings of our biological system but also our sense of mental health.

Regularity is important in our day to day lives, without a regular sleeping pattern we’re often left vulnerabe to mental and physical health issues.
By Richard Owen

Unless you have a genuine sleeping condition that requires medical advice such as severe sleep apnea or insomnia, a few minor adjustments may be all you need to improve your sleeping pattern which in turn will improve your overall health and sense of well-being.

Tip 1:

Change your pillow, sometimes if you’re struggling to fall asleep a regular pillow simply won’t be up to the task, particularly if it’s flat and doesn’t support you sufficiently.

If you often feel flustered and warm when you sleep there are even pillows that automatically cool, so you won’t to keep flipping the pillow

For snorers or sleep apnea sufferers it’s often a good idea to get thicker pillows that elevate your neck and head.

Tip 2:

Sleeping with your dog may seem physically comforting but it can aggravate allergies and affect the quality of your sleep. Nasal stuffiness and air that’s polluted with animal fur and dust can cause breathing difficulties which hamper sleep.

Tip 3:

If you aren’t aware of the concept of circadian rhythms it essentially means that light will help you wake up and darkness has a relaxing effect on the body that makes us feel drowsy.

Try to block out as much light as possible if you don’t want to be disturbed in the morning, studies show that even the light from an alarm clock can be enough to wake us up.

Tip 4:

This is another tip that won’t surprise many of you, erratic loud noises can easily wake us up. Whereas silence or even a noise that’s constant will allow us to drop off.

This is also a helpful tip for those who struggle to wake up in time for work or school, devices are available that can mimic the effect of the sunrise in your room to help ease you in to full consciousness in the mornings.

Tip 5:

We sleep best when our core body temperature is low, there’s often been a misconception that the warmer the temperature the more comfortable our sleep will be.

So there we have some of the easiest and most effective tips to improve your sleeping pattern, make sure you put them to good use.
By Richard Owen

The study monitored the sleeping patters of 145 people between the ages of 45 and 75, who, at the beginning of the study were not considered to have any cognitive issues. When analyzing these patients spinal fluid researchers found that one third of them had the signs of preclinical Alzeihmers.

The participants kept a sleep diary, keeping track of their bedtimes, wake up times and naps. They also wore wrist sensors to detect movement as a way of figuring out when sleep had been disturbed.

Those with signs of preclinical Alzeihmers had worse sleep patterns than those who didn’t, those with signs of Alzeihmers spent less time actually sleeping even though the two groups of patients spent an equal amount of time in bed.

Scientists suggest that this type of research will help determine ways to battle the disease with pharmaceuticals and other treatments.

This is one of many reports published this month about the potential repercussions of sleep deprivation, although many of us are aware that not getting enough sleep isn’t good for our health it does have some side-effects that scientists were previously unaware of.

As a society we sometimes forget just how important having a regular sleeping pattern for both physical and psychological reasons.

By Richard Owen

According to a new study conducted by a university in Canada, missing out on the required amount of sleep each week can take a toll on your waistline.

Participants in the study lived for two weeks in a research facility whilst the failed to get the optimum amount of sleep and on average gained around two pounds in around five days. Upon returning to their regular sleeping pattern they were found to have a reduced and more satisfied appetite and therefore ate less.

Scientists suspect that this happens because even though more food is needed to sustain energy levels, people tend to overcompensate for their lack of sleep by significantly increasing their calorie intake.

Reducing the amount of sleep will not actually help you lose weight but when we deprive ourselves of sleep it can lead to a sharp increase in food consumption which increases weight gain.

The study demonstrated that those who missed on the proper rest often ate an increased amount of food late in the night, possibly to compensate for fatigue and tiredness.

Weight loss simply will not be as successful if our sleeping habits are irregular and if we aren’t getting the recommended amount each night.

This is certainly something to bear in mind for those looking to get in shape, cutting down on sleep isn’t likely to reduce your weight and if you’re feeling fatigued you’re unlikely to feel motivated and ready to get some exercise.

This is another study that links the importance of a healthy night’s sleep with weight loss and overall health.
By Richard Owen

Research has shown that those who are lacking the vitamin in their diet had a worse sleeping pattern than those who did.

The research showed that a diet that was high in saturated fat and the nutrient choline also disrupted sleep, unsurprisingly chocolate and alcohol had a negative effect too.

So if your diet is lacking vitamin C, (think oranges, peppers, broccoli and strawberries) then you may be missing out on valuable sleep. Similarly if you consume a high amount of eggs and fatty meat, this could also be having a negative effect.

Research surrounding nutrition and its relationship with food has been somewhat ambiguous, previously there hasn’t been any significant reputation in to what food really makes us stay awake at night.

The effects of alcohol should come as no surprise, even the most mis-informed individual should know that stumbling in to bed under the influence is not a good idea. If you’re drunk you’re far more likely to wake up throughout the night and you’re likely to wake up still feeling tired in the morning. This is because alcohol acts as a sedative and seemingly knocks us out, meaning we don’t get the appropriate rest.

What’s evident from this study (published in the journal Appetite) is that individuals with the most diverse diet with a wide range of nutrients got the appropriate amount of sleep each night. Those who had selective eating patterns (consisting of largely unhealthy and fatty foods) either did not sleep the required amount, or slept for an extended period of time.

It’s also worth noting that not getting the right amount of sleep can lead to health issues in itself such as weight gain and diabetes, so evidently the whole process is interlinked.

This is just one of the many reasons to look to improve your diet, it can bring health benefits you may not have been aware of!

By Richard Owen

Although many of us may be aware that a healthier diet will help us sleep there has been relatively little research in to the topic from a scientific perspective.

The study was performed by the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania. The results suggested that those who have between 7-8 hours each night are likely to lead healthier and more active lifestyle.

So how much sleep you get, what you eat habitually and your overall health are clearly interlinked.

The real question as far as the study was concerned is how does what you eat correlate with how long you sleep each night.

Perhaps one of the most important discoveries was that the results indicated that shorter sleepers consumed the most calories, this is another reason for all of us to really cut down on calorific foods as they can potentially lead to disruptions in your sleep cycle.

The shortest sleepers have been found to have decreased levels of a chemical called lycopene which is found in fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes and carrots.

This is certainly an important aspect of health and well-being that should be studied in further detail in the future, particularly as short sleep has potentially disruptive effects on your overall health including weight gain and cardiovascular disease.

By Richard Owen

This was a relatively short flight as far as most flights are concerned, passengers were unknowingly thousands of feet in the air with no one in charge in the cockpit. When the captain visited the bathroom he returned to find his first officer snoozing, after some panic and difficulty in getting access to the cockpit.

This worrying incident happened in September last year but it was only made public recently in a published report.

The reason for this pilot’s apparent drowsiness is due to the new flying hours imposed by the EU, some pilots are being forced to fly after being awake for a total of 22 hours!

Members of Parliament have warned that this is far too long to go without sleep particularly when flying in the night, the raised levels of fatigue at this point are supposedly similar to being drunk.

This raises some important questions on how a lack of sleep can have potentially devastating effects. There are numerous factors that can disrupt a sleep cycle.

• Unreasonable work hours
• Stress
• Insomnia
• Snoring & Sleep Apnea

Sufferers from snoring or sleep apnea actually risk disrupting their own sleep cycle, whether they’re being elbowed by their partners to stop the noise or waking themselves up inadvertently with the lack of oxygen as a result of sleep apnea.

Sleep is incredibly important to us, we simply can’t live without it, without sufficient rest the body simply struggles to cope with everyday tasks.

So make sure you get a proper night’s sleep whatever you do, sleep in your beds and not in the cockpit!

By Richard Owen