Sleep Health
In the news: New research from Dr. Victoria Garfield and her team is showing that short daytime naps may help in keeping our brains from shrinking as we get older! The idea here is that these findings could provide more insights into the management and prevention of dementia.
There have been many studies that look at daytime napping and its effects on brain function. This study is unique in that it's looking at brain volume. Though, you should know that the results from this study are very preliminary/early findings.
You should know: There's quite a bit you can learn about your body's health if you find that you need to sleep a lot during the day.
Doctor's Expert Insights about Sleep Health and Day Time Napping in Texas
Know this: "The good news here is that this study is showing that short daytime naps could be beneficial to our brain health. But, you should know that if you find that you need a lot of sleep during the day--there could be a few things that you need to have ruled out. For example, low levels of vitamin B-12 or untreated anemia can cause you to feel groggy and sleepy throughout the day. A simple blood test can provide us with the answers!" Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine.
Next steps to take if you or someone in your life sleeps a lot during the day: Undiagnosed sleep apnea is another reason why people can feel sleepy during the day. If you find that you're not sleeping well, and are excessively drowsy during the day, a sleep study could help in ruling out sleep apnea. Talk to your healthcare team!
You should know that unmanaged sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and even strokes.
The STOP-Bang questionnaire is a tool you can use to further your conversation with your healthcare team about your sleep. (Visit Resource Here)
Sleep Apnea can cause damage to your heart!
The Health Standard Newswire
Living in Odessa, the following health facts impact your sleep health directly!
Did you know there were 50584.0 deaths from heart disease in Texas in 2021?
36.3% of you in Ector County are sleeping less than 7 hours per night.
6.2% of you in Ector County have coronary heart disease.
31.8% of you in Ector County have high blood pressure.
All of these variables play an important role in your overall health and sleep health.
Health Standard Newswire: Sleep Health. June 2023. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2023.05.002
What they're saying:
"Daytime napping has been associated with cognitive function and brain health in observational studies. However, it remains elusive whether these associations are causal. Using Mendelian randomization, we studied the relationship between habitual daytime napping and cognition and brain structure... (o)ur findings suggest a modest causal association between habitual daytime napping and larger total brain volume. Future studies could focus on the associations between napping and other cognitive or brain outcomes and replication of these findings using other datasets and methods." (Study Source)
Sources:
The Journal Sleep Health published the findings: Is there an association between daytime napping, cognitive function, and brain volume? A Mendelian randomization study in the UK Biobank (Read it Here)
The Health Standard Newswire
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