Women's Wake Up Call: Little Sleep, Bigger Blood Pressure

You exercise regularly and maintain an ideal weight. You eat well and would call yourself a health nut. You have never smoked. Now you learn that you have high blood pressure and there's no apparent reason. What gives?

If you were to ask me, I'd question your sleep habits. How much are you getting? Be honest.

Reuters reported on a new study last weekend about women who get fewer than seven hours a night on a normal basis. It's news that should remind us all of the value of sleep and getting enough as a vital sign of health.

According to the latest study, so-called "short sleepers" are more likely to develop high blood pressure (which of course further ups one's risk for cardiovascular disease).

What's "new" about this study, though, is that it's among the first to show a link between poor sleep and high blood pressure in the absence of any sleep disorder and regardless of other factors like smoking, being overweight, or living a sedentary lifestyle. Numerous studies have linked poor sleep quality to an increased risk of not only high blood pressure, but also obesity, diabetes, and heart disease -- most of which have focused on underlying sleep disorders to blame for the bad sleep. We know, for example, that people with the breathing sleep disorder sleep apnea are at a higher risk for health problems. But to see an independent link between sleep deprivation in general and hiked blood pressure is tremendous. A wake up call?

I think so. I hope so. It doesn't seem fair, but the study also pointed to this relationship being predominantly specific to women. We haven't seen such a powerful association between sleep deprivation and blood pressure in men. That said, men are not immune to the health-damaging effects of bad sleep. It's just that there was no clear relationship between amount of sleep and blood pressure in men in this particular study.

The researchers think that lack of sufficient sleep contributes to high blood pressure by keeping the nervous system in a state of hyperactivity. This in turn affects other bodily systems, including the heart and blood vessels.

The take-home lesson is clear: you can't call yourself a health nut if you skimp on sleep. Sure, it'd be nice to get more done each day by staying up late or getting up in those pre-dawn hours. But evicting precious sleepytime just might come back to bite you in your blood.

So here's my challenge to you for the week: knock off the last three things on your To Do list each day. Get to bed a little earlier. And take some of the pressure off your heart and soul.

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Technorati Tags: sleep, high blood pressure, hypertension, healthy living, health, wellness

What Do Sleep and Baseball Have in Common this Week?

Aside from the exciting Sox vs. Indians baseball that went on last week leading up to the World Series, the drama surrounding Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd caught my attention in particular. Byrd acknowledged using human growth hormone for a medical condition, but what got my eye wasn't related to the fact HGH is a banned drug in professional baseball (since 2005) without a doctor's prescription. It's about something else I read that I bet most people didn't stop to think about.

For starters, Byrd admits he took the substance on the advice of three different doctors treating him for a deficiency in this hormone. His pituitary, the gland responsible for making human growth hormone in the body, allegedly isn't up to speed. But I'm not going to comment on any of that; don't look to me to speculate on his medical records, needs, or the fact his taking HGH is under fire in a sport constantly scrutinized for illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. No, I'll leave that to the sports journalists, news commentators, and pundits.

It was what Byrd wrote about unwittingly that pricked my ears right up: "the sporadic periods of fatigue and lack of sleep have really bothered me on the baseball field.". Clearly, Byrd is under-slept and his pituitary is under-performing. A connection?

I can't imagine what it must be like to be a top professional athlete or under the pressure of a baseball player like Byrd who can make or break an entire season -- not to mention a chance to win the World Series -- for teammates and fans. It doesn't surprise me that sleep gets thrown out the window. But here's a friendly reminder: human growth hormone, a key ingredient we all need routinely to grow new cells, repair tissues, recover our bodies from the daily grinds, and essentially be (and feel) rejuvenated, gets released naturally by the body during sleep. It's not so easy to herald this secret ingredient to youth and vitality during our waking hours.

In my latest book, Beauty Sleep, I refer to human growth hormone as " Dr. GH" because it's as close to having a cosmetic surgeon on call (and in your pocket) as you're going to get in your life -- without any cutting, nipping, or real tucking necessary. A free asset in all of our bodies that can truly work wonders when we nourish and supports its functions. Which starts and ends with a good night's sleep.

I think we tend to forget about Dr. GH in our daily lives as we check off our To Dos and sacrifice sleep for seemingly getting more done. We resort to countless (need I mention pricey) beauty products, fad diets, day spas, drugs, and over-the-counter lotions and potions. We down too much caffeine, too, as we chase the next source of high energy. All in pursuit of youth. In pursuit of vibrant health. In pursuit of home runs.

My message is clear: You've got home runs lying in wait deep inside. Byrd's latest media frenzy should be a reminder to us all to get our shut-eye. Youth and performance is not about injections, pills, and potions. It's about tapping our inner source of endurance that's already in circulation when we surrender to good sleep. Too bad not all game plans call for sound sleep.

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Technorati Tags: baseball, Paul Byrd, HGH, sleep, Sleep Doctor

NyQuil and Nighty-Night Don't Mix for Kids

As a parent myself, I understand the frustration with trying to get kids to bed. My kids are a little older now, but I remember the days when they were infants and rumor had it you could help them fall asleep and stay asleep by giving them a little bit of cough and cold medicine. These over-the-counter meds are famous for the antihistamine diphenhydramine, a prime ingredient marketed for making people drowsy.

But it appears drugs based on this antihistamine don't affect children the same way they affect adults. New evidence shows that such drugs actually have no effect on sleep or even cold-related symptoms in children. A 2006 study found that diphenhydramine does not facilitate sleep in infants and that it may actually keep them awake. When researchers also looked at whether the drugs were even helping to alleviate cold symptoms, they found no improvements.

So what can a parent do? Try another drug? Double up on the dose? Not so fast. While I empathize with moms and dads who struggle to get their own good night's sleep, let alone have to deal with restless, crying kids in the middle of the night, I think the time has come to focus on what you can do naturally to lull them to sleep. If you think your child has an underlying condition that's preventing them from falling asleep, then by all means get your pediatrician to chime in with an examination.

But for the vast majority of parents who are over-worked and over-stressed (ahem: looking for the quick fix), I'd venture to guess a lot could be achieved if you just help them develop good sleep practices and maintain a consistent sleep schedule.

And maybe, just maybe, a reading of Goodnight Moon will help do the trick, too.

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Technorati Tags: childrens sleep, infants sleep, parents sleep, cold medicine

Pop Quiz: Who Sleeps Better, the Man or the Woman in a Couple?

I was amused last week when the media summarized new findings about how well men and women sleep when they share the same bed. If you're a woman, let me guess: you'd say your partner sleeps better. You have to contend with his snoring and abrupt shifting around, which awakens you easily. Now there's proof in the pudding. Men are indeed more likely to sleep better than you in the same bed. And here's the kicker: they also are more likely to be snoozing soundly because of your nearby warmth.

There were two items in the particular to read in between the lines from the study and that every woman should heed:

1. It's not abnormal to have fragmented sleep during the night; and


2. seeking solutions to living with a bad bed partner -- without having to vacate --can be key to keeping the love. (As an aside, why is it the woman is always the one to entertain such a move? A topic for another day.)

First, it's not surprising that women are more likely to be "light" sleepers and experience fragmented sleep throughout the night as a result. Researchers speculate that brain wiring differences can be the cause. Which could be rooted in evolution --ahem: historically, women are the caretakers tending to middle-of-the-night emergencies and cries coming from the children's dens. Okay, so I know there are some men out there who've taken on these roles, too. But in mainstream family circles, women often carry the caretaker's torch and feel obligated to stay semi-awake even while their teens, for example, are out on a Saturday night.

The new findings highlight something else that's worthy of lively conversation: how much we value our literal "bedtime" with our partners. Contrary to popular stereotypes, studies show that men are very dependent on close relationships, and men show much clearer benefits from committed relationships. Studies and anecdotal evidence also say that married men are happier and healthier than their unmarried counterparts. But this isn't necessarily the case for women. (I won't comment on that today.)

Granted, we all can agree that the quality of our sleep factors into the quality of our lives in general. But who knew we'd be able to say that unattached men could be taking on bigger health risks than married men (whose wives of course still bunk with them)?

I'd venture to guess that women who do have less-than-perfect bed partners would love to find solutions to getting a restful night's sleep without moving out. You shouldn't have to simply give up and become a member of the 23 percent club who sleep apart from their partner.

Sleep docs like me recommend conquering the sleep problems before taking desperate measures that can put a crimp in your romantic -- and dare I say -- sexual life. At the end of the day, there's something primal-y comforting about snuggling next to a beloved partner. Whether or not this behavior translates to better health for women or not, I think women can admit that sharing a restful night's sleep is an ideal to live up to. Don't you think?

PS: If you need help finding the right solution for your snoring partner, click here. (Yes, shameless advertising for my own site, but there's just too much info to replicate it here.)

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Technorati Tags: men, women, relationships, sleep, sleep disorders, the sleep doctor

Is There an Anti-Aging Doctor in the House?

I don't have to give you a ton of statistics to prove how hard we try to stay young, energetic, and beautiful. Just consider the number of energy drinks on store shelves, the popularity of Starbucks (which, just this week announced plans to add new drinks or drink sizes that better meet the needs of kids or teens), dramas like Nip/Tuck, and reality TV shows like Extreme Makeover and the newer Dr. 90210, which definitely fulfills a few stereotypes about women seeking the perfect, buxom body in a city like L.A.

In a new book I scanned last week called Microtrends by Mark J. Penn, I read some incredible reports on the extent of plastic surgery going on today. The author devotes an entire chapter to "Surgery Lovers," claiming that "Cosmetic procedures, both invasive and noninvasive, have become so popular in America lately that between liposuction, Lasik, nose jobs, and tummy tucks - and the latest favorite, eyelash transplant surgery [what is that?!] - it seems like it's the rare American who hasn't volunteered to go under the knife."

Well, I'm happy to report that I keep the carving knives on my food plate and am not one of the one million men who seek the help of a surgeon. Ten years ago, a man wouldn't be caught dead sitting in the waiting room of a cosmetic surgeon for purely vanity reasons. But today, the tides apparently have changed. Penn predicts a boom in so-called Aesthetic Medicine, as well as some mighty turf wars among doctors who want to practice it.

I wish the same could be said for Sleep Medicine. I'd welcome the turf war and more opportunities to expound the benefits of sleep - that free asset we all have an opportunity to capture every night sans the sharp edges and bruising. Let me repeat: it's free; there are no risks involved; and it can potentially benefit you in more ways than one. Clearly, a breast augmentation targets one area; sleep can cover an array of areas by virtue of the hormones it releases to repair and rejuvenate the entire body.

Restful sleep can support weight loss; it can sharpen our minds (help us be "insightful") so our craniums can consolidate our memories and learn new skills; and it can even help us slow down the aging process.

This is all in addition to sleep's positive effects on mood, cellular renewal, productivity, energy levels, and sense of well being. I don't know about you, but I can't think of any surgical procedure that can cover all these bases. (Full disclosure: sleep won't make you go from a AA to a DDD in bra size. It also won't give you perfect vision if you are near- or short-sighted; I have had Lasik eye surgery. But sleep keeps my eyes feeling refreshed and ready to focus all day long.)

Cosmetic surgery might be on the rise, but guess what: quality sleep is on the downslide for the vast majority of Americans. (In fact, in his book Penn also devotes a chapter to the unhealthy trend of "30-Winkers" - Americans who don't get enough sleep.)

Can a chemical peel equate with high-quality sleep for 30 days? Can the results from a procedure like LipoZap, the newest craze in reducing fat bulges, last as long as the benefits that come with getting a good night's sleep? I'd like to put this to the test. I challenge you to try this at home: spend a month focusing on sleep and see how it transforms you from the inside out. If you need a specific program to follow - especially if sleep doesn't come easily to you or you'd call yourself an "insomniac" - follow along my simple four-week program outlined in my book Good Night.

Looking and feeling your best doesn't have to be that ever-elusive grail. And neither does achieving high-quality sleep. If we just stop looking elsewhere for that grail - in the surgeon, in surfing the Internet late at night, in answering every phone call that rings through 24-7, in our cosmetics, and in our daily grinds, we can find what we're seeking really close to home. The anti-age doc is within all of us. And he's waiting for you to acknowledge him.

Sleep tight.

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Technorati Tags: sleep, anti-aging, health and wellness

Can Smoking During Breastfeeding Affect an Infant's Sleep Patterns?

Photo Credit: Gabriel Herrera

An article I read online relating a study about nicotine in breast milk and how it can affect sleep patterns in a baby really got me thinking: how much do our parents' habits after we are born affect our internal programming for life?

As a non-smoker, I can't sympathize with the mother who feels the need to smoke during those critical breastfeeding months. Many are successful at quitting during the pregnancy, but then fall back into the habit of lighting up once the baby is born. The same thing happens when it comes to drinking alcohol.

But the difference is people are more aware of alcohol's negative effects on breast milk, so new moms continue to ban it from their diets. I was stunned to read what the study's main author said:

"Because nicotine is not contraindicated during lactation, mothers may believe that smoking while breastfeeding will not harm their child as long as the child is not exposed to passive smoke. However, there has been very little research on either short- or long-term effects of nicotine delivered through breast milk."

Nicotine is not "contraindicated" when a mother is breastfeeding? Given all that we know about the health consequences of smoking as well as a mother's passing of nutrients to her infant through breast milk, it surprises me to hear that some would assume smoking wouldn't also be harmful to a baby. It also would seem obvious (at least to me) that sleep patterns would get disrupted much in the same way smoking can affect an adult's sleep.

It never ceases to amaze me how people view smoking as a "relaxing" habit. In reality, nicotine is a stimulant that can infringe on getting restful sleep. So when I read that babies whose mothers smoked in the study had a reduction in sleep time of about 37 percent (and that level of sleep disruption was directly related to the dose of nicotine infants received from their mothers' milk), I wasn't shocked out of my seat. Not in the least.

Which brings me back to this question: if our sleep patterns as developing babies are routinely disrupted (ahem, while our brains are forming and setting certain things in stone for life), how much does this then affect our sleeping patterns for life? Now that's a study I'd like to read about!

In the meantime, I encourage all new moms to do as follows: snuff out the cig to snooze out soundly (both you and your baby).

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Technorati Tags: sleep, cigarettes, breastfeeding, health and wellness