Living with children may mean less sleep for women, but not for men

New research backs up what many women already know: They're sleep deprived. Unlike men, a good night's sleep for women is affected by having children in the house, according to a preliminary study.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170226212745.htm

Dietary prebiotics improve sleep, buffer impacts of stress, says study

New research suggests that lesser-known gut-health promoters called prebiotics -- which serve as food for good bacteria inside the gut -- can also have an impact, improving sleep and buffering the physiological impacts of stress.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170225102123.htm

How your brain could be KILLING you

The organ converts it's own energy supply into fructose - known to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to the first study of its kind from Yale University.

Read the rest at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4256390/How-brain-KILLING-you.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Tired teens 4.5 times more likely to commit crimes as adults

Teenagers who experience sleep problems and exhibit anti-social behavior are more likely to commit violent crimes as adults, new research concludes.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170223092143.htm

Once a day slimming jab that can cut diabetes risk by 80%

A weight loss drug could help thousands of people avoid diabetes in the same way statins are used to ward off heart disease, according to a landmark trial, British scientists have found.

Read the rest at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4251158/Once-day-slimming-jab-cut-diabetes-risk-80.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Meat-eaters twice as likely to get diabetes

It only takes less than a tablespoon of butter each day to develop type 2 diabetes, according to researchers from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona.

Read the rest at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4235608/Could-good-reason-turn-vegan.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

People far from urban lights, bright screens still skimp on sleep

Screen time before bed can mess with your sleep. But people without TV and laptops skimp on sleep too, researchers say. A study of people living without electricity or artificial light in a remote farming village in Madagascar finds they get shorter, poorer sleep than people in the US or Europe. But they seem to make up for lost shuteye with a more regular sleep routine, the researchers report.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170217012515.htm

Using an air conditioner in summer may affect sleep quality

Using an air conditioner helps people sleep better on sweltering nights. However, researchers found that when airflow is directed at a human body, even at an insensible velocity, it impacts on sleep conditions causing sleeping positions and affects the depth of sleep.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170216094523.htm

Melatonin content of supplements varies widely, study finds

The melatonin content of dietary supplements often varies widely from what is listed on the label, a new study has found. Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps regulate the daily cycle of sleep and wakefulness, with melatonin production increasing at night and decreasing in the morning. It also is widely available as a dietary supplement.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170214162728.htm

Diabetes patch ends the pain of finger-prick tests

The £96-a-month Freestyle Libre system has been available privately in the UK for a year, with around 20,000 people already using it and negotiations to make it free on the NHS are ongoing.

Read the rest at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4225676/Diabetes-patch-ends-pain-finger-prick-tests.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Apple shapes have higher risk of diabetes than pears

Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital found 'apples' - people who are rounder around the middle - have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes

Read the rest at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4224070/Apple-shapes-higher-risk-diabetes-pears.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Prebiotics may help to cope with stress

Probiotics are well known to benefit digestive health, but prebiotics are less well understood. Recent study in rats shows that prebiotic fibers may help to protect beneficial gut bacteria and restore healthy sleep patterns after a stressful event.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170210130951.htm

Bacteria 'sleep', then rapidly evolve, to survive antibiotic treatments

Using quantitative approaches from physics, biophysicists discovered a surprising way that bacteria can evolve resistance to antibiotics. After evolving a sleeping mechanism, the bacteria can then wake up and evolve resistance 20 times faster than normal -- at which point continuing to administer antibiotics won't kill the bacteria. The results indicate that tolerance may play a crucial role in the evolution of resistance in bacterial populations under cyclic exposures to high antibiotic concentrations.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170209142558.htm

Exercise, sleep are key to keeping employees from bringing home work frustrations, study shows

A brisk walk or a long swim may be the key to preventing a bad day at the office from spilling over into the home. A study tracked participants' sleep patterns and daytime physical movements found employees who recorded more than 10,900 steps each day were less likely to perpetuate abuse at home.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170207191902.htm

Putting on just half a stone can raise diabetes risk

Scientists at Cambridge University say that if everyone aged 30 to 60 maintained their weight, one in five cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented.

Read the rest at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4198170/Putting-just-half-stone-raise-diabetes-risk.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Sleep deprivation handicaps the brain's ability to form new memories, mouse study shows

Studying mice, scientists have fortified evidence that a key purpose of sleep is to recalibrate the brain cells responsible for learning and memory so the animals can 'solidify' lessons learned and use them when they awaken -- in the case of nocturnal mice, the next evening.

Originally published at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170202141916.htm