Hot MedFax

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...

I absolutely hate this.  My husband is right.  Not enough sleep can lead to colds. We've fought for years over this, mostly because our son seems to get sick every time he misses a couple of hours of sleep.  I've always felt that it was mostly myth, or just Larry's crazy view of just about everything (he also believes lack of exercise makes you sick and that tomatoes will stop prostate cancer in its tracks -- and meanwhile, never goes to the doctor). But anyway, now that Phillip's in high school, missing a day here and there is a serious thing.  No longer can he have the three-day stretches where he recovers from strep throat, or a cold.  (I admit, I'm a little scared, too.) But a new study has found that "short" sleepers are four times more likely to get a cold. Makes sense, I guess. People who sleep less than six hours a night are the ones most likely to have this happen to them. This is the first study to use objective sleep measures to conne...