by AntiDiets on February 5, 2012
A recent study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that people who don’t get enough sleep or suffer from insomnia could be at risk for a number of serious health concerns. This goes way beyond the standard grogginess and tired eyes to include anxiety, depression and heart attacks, according to the study findings.
Study participants who suffered from insomnia were found to be more likely to also suffer a heart attack. According to the results, those who merely experience difficulty falling asleep are 45% more likely to experience a heart attack, while those who find it tough to remain asleep are 30% more likely to experience a heart attack, and those who regularly wake up feeling tired are 27% more likely to experience cardiac arrest than those who sleep well and awake feeling refreshed.
“If the association is confirmed, addressing sleep problems could prove to be an important intervention to lower heart attack risk,” said study researcher Lars Erik Laugsand, MD. “Insomnia is quite common and it is fairly easy to treat.”
This most recent study merely seems to confirm what earlier research has already shown: That insomnia has a detrimental effect on the body’s cardiovascular system and can lead to heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. So how do you know if you are experiencing insomnia, or just the occasional difficulty sleeping? Insomnia can actually mean that a person has trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, or trouble sleeping at all. Furthermore, chronic insomnia can last for months or even years, and generally does not include just a few sleepless nights here and there.
According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, roughly 63% of those who participated said they regularly do not get enough sleep, while 43% reported regularly missing significant amounts of sleep on the weekend. Reasons for trouble sleeping include stress, medication, poor diet and inadequate exercise, so be sure to check with your doctor to regulate your sleeping patterns if insomnia becomes an issue.
The Norwegian study included direct participation from more than 50,000 adults between 1995 and 1997, as well as follow-up over the next eleven years. During that time, 2,386 of the study participants experienced first-time heart attacks and many of those affected also suffered from insomnia.
“Evaluation of insomnia might provide additional information in clinical risk assessment that could be useful in cardiovascular prevention,” stated study authors.
Study authors have acknowledged that more research is necessary before any definite conclusions can be drawn regarding the connection between insomnia and the increased potential for cardiac arrest. In addition, it is important for researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of sleep apnea on heart disease and heart attacks, as well as how to accurately define “insomnia.” For example, it is still necessary to determine if the occasional sleepless night can also have an effect on heart health, or if only those who regularly experience sleep-related issues are at an increased risk for heart attacks.
Sources: SELF Magazine, WebMD
Photo Copyright CarbonNYC, Flickr
by AntiDiets on January 28, 2012
In an accidental discovery that could prove to be groundbreaking in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers at the Case Western University School of Medicine have revealed that a widely used skin cancer drug actually reverse the effects of the disease in mice. This discovery could lead to new hope for the millions of people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease around the world, given more research and development.
In a recent study, which was published late last week in Science journal, the skin cancer drug bexarotene (also known as Targetrin) was found to be very effective on mice, quickly reversing signs of the disease. The mice were given large doses of the drug, which is specifically used to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and within a short 72-hour time span they were already displaying marked improvement. The positive early signs involved major boosts to memory and also the removal of more than 50 percent of the amyloid plaque present in the brain. Amyloid plaque is responsible for many of the detrimental effects associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.
“It’s really exciting,” said Maria Carillo, who is the senior director for medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer’s Association, in a recent interview with CNN. “They saw very positive and robust behavior effects in the mice.”
Both mice and humans suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease have large amounts of the amyloid beta substance present in the brain. The bexarotene was shown in pathology tests to significantly lower the levels of amyloid beta, while substantially increasing the levels of apolipoprotein E, which helps to keep amyloid plaque at an acceptable level. Although it is commonly found in healthy human brains, when not properly cleared the plaque builds up, blocking synapses and killing nerve cells.
“No one, ourselves included, would have ever imagined that any drug would have worked with this speed,” stated neuroscientist Gary Landreth, who is also the lead researcher at Case Western University. “It’s stunning.”
The next step is to test the effects of the cancer drug on humans, because it is not certain that it will have the same positive effect on reversing Alzheimer’s. Landreth is hoping to begin trials involving humans later this year.
“I want to say as loudly and clearly as possible that this was a study in mice, not in humans,’ Landreth stated. “We’ve fixed Alzheimer’s in mice lots of times, so we need to move forward expeditiously but cautiously.”
This new development in the fight against this debilitating disease is promising for a number of reasons, including the fact that it could provide an early treatment option, which is something that has been lacking until now. In fact, one of the main challenges with treating Alzheimer’s Disease is that fact that once the nerve endings die they cannot be revived. Therefore, attacking the root of the problem early on is key to improving long-term results and preventing substantial memory loss.
“We’re not sure that this is going to actually show the desired clinical benefits,” stated Carillo. “But we owe it to ourselves and our constituents to follow every lead that we have.”
Sources: CNN, Dispatch.com
Photo Copyright Vince Alongi, Flickr
