Bad health has a link to sleep disorders, according to two new studies. One study shows that insomnia contributes to weight problems. This effect is especially strong in children. Rest may also help memories build and be stronger.

How sleep and being overweight link

Kids, ages 4 to 10, were studied by researchers when it came to the sleep habits of 300. There was a connection between weight problems and the kids who did not rest regularly. This was not necessarily kids who got too little sleep, but kids that slept more or less on various days of the week. The outcomes were explained by Dr. David Gozal who led the study saying, “We think that the direction of the arrow is you sleep less, you eat more, you exercise less because you’re tired, and therefore you gain more weight.”

Memory connecting with sleep

There was another rest study that was published within the Nature Neuroscience today. German scientists found that study subjects who took a nap immediately after studying retained 25 percent more than subjects who had not taken a nap. The information is at first only listed to the short-term part of the brain. It is believed that it then gets “downloaded” to the long term part of the brain during sleep. Memories become stronger in sleep. That is the basic idea.

Sufficient rest a problem

It can be really hard to get sufficient rest for those of almost any age. Younger children ought to be getting nine hrs of sleep at night. That is the recommended amount. Adults are really only supposed to get between 8 and 10 hrs. This is considered “enough” by most. It isn’t that hard to determine what sufficient is for body. You just have to sleep until you wake up. There is good news. It is possible to “catch up” on your rest too. Catching up on rest over the weekend can help reduce risk of weight problems between 280 percent and 400 percent.

Articles cited

AFP

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Fox News

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