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Tired teens at risk of breaking their hearts
Sleep-deprived teenagers are at greater risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks - and their mobile phones, computer games and iPods could be to blame, research suggests.
A study of teens aged 13 to 16 found those who slept less than 6½ hours a night were up to three times more likely to have elevated blood pressure.
Researchers said the "technological invasion of the bedroom" was responsible for creating a generation of sleep-starved youngsters.
The study, published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, looked at the sleeping patterns of 238 teenagers and found that the duration of sleep directly affected blood pressure.
Those who had trouble nodding off at night or waking up in the morning were also at increased risk.
It is the first study of its kind to look at the link between sleep and blood pressure in healthy teens.
The author of the research, Susan Redline from University Hospital's Sleep Disorders Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, said "sleep insufficiency" was often related to mobile phones, music and computers in the bedroom.
"There are teens who text message or listen to music all night, compounded by early school hours. Adolescents need nine hours of sleep," Professor Redline said.
"Parents should optimise sleep quality for their family with regular sleep and wake times and bedrooms should be quiet, dark and conducive to sleep."
High blood pressure in childhood is linked to heart disease in adulthood.
Professor Redline said the results could have huge public health implications. Sleep-deprived teenagers are at greater risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks - and their mobile phones, computer games and iP... more -
Birth weight 'sets future health'
Blood vessel changes linked to poor health later in life can be spotted within a few years in boys born small, say scientists.
Eight-year-olds who were smaller at birth were more likely to have "vascular resistance", reported the European Heart Journal.
The Southampton University team said this could contribute to high blood pressure decades later. However, no such problem was seen in low birth weight girls. Previous work has linked birth size to later heart disease and diabetes. Blood vessel changes linked to poor health later in life can be spotted within a few years in boys born small, say scientists. ... more -
Meditation ups your Intelligence
15 minutes of meditation alone can improve your mental wellbeing. By focusing on an image, a sound, or your breath, the goal is to trigger a state of mental stillness, where you're alert and aware yet free of active thoughts.
When people report achieving this state of being, they not only feel good, their brainwave patterns change in consistent ways. 15 minutes of meditation alone can improve your mental wellbeing. By focusing on an image, a sound, or your breath, the goal is to tri... more -
New Study Finds Link Between Food and High Blood Pressure
Who would have thought that studying urine would tell us something about high blood pressure? Apparently it has, according to a study published in the journal "Nature." Compounds found in 4,630 urine samples suggest that there's a link between your blood pressure and your metabolism, which is largely determinned where you're from, what you eat, and natural gut microorganisms. The study suggests that maybe high blood pressure is not linked so closely with genetics. Who would have thought that studying urine would tell us something about high blood pressure? Apparently it has, according to a study ... more
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High Blood Pressure
