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Want to lose weight? Make sure you get your sleep. A new study has found that one night of poor sleep could equal six months on a high-fat diet, according to newswise.com.  OMG.  New research finds that one night of sleep deprivation and six months on a high-fat diet could both impair insulin sensitivity to a similar degree, demonstrating the importance of a good night’s sleep on health. When the body becomes less sensitive to insulin (i.e., “insulin-resistant”), it needs to produce more insulin to keep blood sugar stable. This may eventually lead to Type 2 diabetes, a disease where the body’s insulin response doesn’t work properly and there is too much sugar in the blood. Diabetes is associated with a number of serious complications, including heart disease. Individuals with obesity are more likely to develop insulin resistance and subsequently, diabetes. “Research has shown that sleep deficiency and a high-fat diet both lead to impaired insulin sensitivit...

We all know sleep deprivation  (SD) can lead to fuzzy thinking, traffic accidents, even weight gain.  But did you know scientists are now finding that it can cause us to age, and maybe even develop diabetes and other serious diseases, as well? A new study has looked at how our organs are affected by SD, which sometimes may even lead to Alzheimer's or Parkinson's in the elderly, who often suffer from disrupted sleep.   The findings suggest that " inadequate sleep in the elderly, who normally experience sleep disturbances, could exacerbate an already-impaired protective response to protein misfolding that happens in aging cells," according to newswise.com. Protein misfolding -- a process where proteins get degraded -- and clumping is what is associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, along with many other diseases, the Web site reports.  “The combined effect of aging and sleep deprivation resulted in a loss of control of blood sugar reminiscent of pre-...