Category: Health & Psychology

Why getting enough sleep reduces cardiovascular disease risk

Getting enough sleep is key to good health, and studies have shown that insufficient sleep increases the risk of serious problems, including cardiovascular disease. Now Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have discovered one way that sleep protects against the buildup of arterial plaques called atherosclerosis. In their paper receiving advance online publication in Nature, they describe the mechanism by which insufficient sleep increases production of inflammatory white blood cells known to be major contributors to atherosclerosis. Continue reading “Why getting enough sleep reduces cardiovascular disease risk” →

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Grief can hurt — in more ways than one

We tend to think of grieving as an emotional experience, and it is — fraught with intense sadness, profound loss, and psychological pain. But grief has a physical side that sets us up for a number of health risks. “Most of these side effects are the result of emotional distress responses,” explains Dr. Maureen Malin, a geriatric psychiatrist with Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. Whether you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, a job, a home, or a beloved pet, it’s important to understand how the process puts your health in jeopardy. Continue reading “Grief can hurt — in more ways than one” →

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Split and continuous sleep in teens impact cognition and glucose levels differently

Many adolescent students sleep less than the recommended duration of 8-10 hours a night. It is unclear; however, whether short night sleep combined with an afternoon nap is as good as having the same amount of sleep continuously during the night without a nap. Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School have demonstrated for the first time that different sleep schedules with the same total sleep opportunity over 24 hours may have dissimilar effects on cognition and glucose levels. This is the first study to gather experimental evidence on the notion that ‘what may be appropriate sleep for one health goal may not be for another’. Continue reading “Split and continuous sleep in teens impact cognition and glucose levels differently” →

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