Why do we need to get enough sleep? Well, there are many ways to get too much sleep in the United States, but unfortunately there are few truths about them

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the country, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every 34 seconds, someone in the US dies from cardiovascular disease.

Many other studies conclude that the optimal amount of sleep is between seven and eight hours. One recent study reinforced this finding, recommending that seven hours was ideal for individuals aged 38 to 73. Getting too much or too little sleep was linked with worse health outcomes. Remarkably, this study—and many reaching a similar conclusion—fails to take into account the health status of participants, blatantly ignoring the fact that poor health is likely the cause of too much or too little sleep in the first place.

The eight items: Quit tobacco, eat better, get active, manage weight, manage blood pressure, control cholesterol, reduce blood sugar and get healthy sleep.

Participants took part in sleep research. They filled out sleep surveys, wore a device that measured their sleep for seven days and did an overnight study in which scientists could observe the way they slept.

The study says that poor sleep habits are not a new phenomenon among Americans. About 63% of them were found to sleep less than seven hours a night, and 30% slept less than six hours. Optimum sleep duration for an adult is between seven and nine hours a night, according to the CDC.

People who don’t sleep enough often have a bad diet, according to Makarem. The process of sleep can make you feel full or hungry and it may be because of it. When the hormones get out of whack, you will want to eat a lot more calories to get a good night’s rest.

Although a poor diet and lack of exercise are risk factors, they are not the only ones. A lot of cardiovascular disease risk factors are related to sleep.

The director of prelicensure nursing programs and an associate professor said that it is important for health- care providers to consider sleep when evaluating someone.

She wants future studies to show a connection between good health and good sleep, and for more providers to ask questions.

The worst thing is that much of that advice is actually wrong. The myth that there is only one way to get good sleep has been perpetuated by the misinterpretation of scientific findings, poor methodologies, and the need for a good story to sell to the public.

Some people might reach for a supplement or sleep aid. A 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that one in eight adults with trouble sleeping reported using sleep aids. The book by Dr. Prather will be released on November 1 from Penguin Life and it contains simple steps to get better rest. He said it wasn’t something you do. It’s something that comes to you.

“No one ever says, ‘I was awake in the middle of the night, and I was only thinking of good things,’” Dr. Prather said. We might be too busy to linger on our thoughts but at night when we try to take a break, our thoughts can get very loud.

To beat back nightime rumination and anxiety, Dr. Prather recommended in an interview devoting part of your day to worry. Block out 10 to 20 minutes to write down what you’re anxious about, or just think about it, without searching for a solution. He told us that if we did that consistently, our worries wouldn’t stick into the night and we could remind ourselves to address them the next day.

The constant bombardment of advice from the media about what constitutes a good sleep, like the need to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, or to wake up at 7 a.m. everyday, causes a lot of that anxiety.

Consider, for instance, the advice that we must at all costs avoid light from screens before sleep. Individuals were exposed to four hours of use on the bright light setting before going to sleep on five consecutive nights. The result was that sleep onset was delayed by only two minutes a day. Although the results were statistically significant, the biological impact was essentially meaningless.

In 2023, this scientific understanding will replace the popular assumption that there’s only one way to sleep properly. Instead, we will learn how to personalize our sleep in a way that’s optimal for our bodies and lifestyles. The younger generations will be among the first to pioneer this new approach to sleep. According to a senior economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a study shows that young people are getting more sleep than older people. As we age, our preferred sleep times and wake times change, and so do how long we sleep. In 2023, we will begin to embrace the sleep that works for each of us.

Twelve Weeks to a Sharper You: A Guided Program for Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease, Your Blood Pressure, Oral Health, and Vision Impairment

This is an editor’s note. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Gupta is the author of a new book, called “12 Weeks to a Sharper”. You: A Guided Program.”

As of 2022, scientists have documented a total of about 75 genes connected to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, but carrying these genes is not a one-way ticket to decline. How those genes express themselves and behave may depend largely on your daily habits. Remember that a disease like Alzheimer’s is multifactorial, made up of different pathological features. Which is why prevention and treatments are becoming more and more individualized, from a person’s cholesterol levels, blood pressure and sugar balance, to the state of their oral health, and even how well they can see. To that end, it helps to keep your numbers in check. You should not let your blood pressure or cholesterol go up. You can do that for your vision and hearing. In recent years, hearing and vision impairment have been added to the list of modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/health/12-weeks-to-a-sharper-you-sanjay-gupta-wellness/index.html

S.H.A.R.P. to hydrate: 12 weeks to a sharpen you, healthy you, and well-being

Skip the crash diet and simply work on following the S.H.A.R.P. protocol: Slash the sugar and salt; Hydrate smartly; Add more omega-3 fatty acids from dietary sources; Reduce portions; and Plan ahead. The S.H.A.R.P. protocol is the easiest way to gravitate toward healthier foods in general and minimize the amount of processed, brain-busting junk. If you need only one thing to focus on, start with the sugar. The average American consumes nearly 20 teaspoons of added sugar daily, most of that in the highly processed form of fructose, derived from high-fructose corn syrup. I guess most of the sugar intake comes in the form of liquid such as soda, energy drinks, juices and flavored teas. Swap sugar-laden drinks with water and you’ll take on two steps. That is the best way to hydration.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/health/12-weeks-to-a-sharper-you-sanjay-gupta-wellness/index.html

What do you do when you are stressed? It’s important to spend time with a good hippocampus and a pet before you go to bed

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most extreme, how would you rate your stress level? If I told you that stress can cause silent neurodegeneration, what would you think? Scores of well-designed studies routinely show that chronic stress can impair your ability to learn and adapt to new situations, and subtly erode your cognition. The hippocampus is the brain site that stores and retrieves memories. Reducing stress helps preserve cells vital to memory. You increase focus, concentration and productivity. Don’t let toxic stress get in the way of keeping sharp. Take a break during the day in order to engage in an activity that reduces stress and makes you feel good. It can be done in many ways, from walking in nature to spending time with a pet. Download an app today that will give you a guided tour through a deep breathing exercise you can practice daily. In 90 seconds or less, I have a routine that calms me down. I close my eyes, pay attention to my breath, and picture my worries floating in the air directly in front of me that float easily up and away.

Are you getting restorative sleep? Contrary to popular belief, sleep is not a state of neural idleness. During this critical period, the body needs to replenish itself in different ways in order to maintain its health and well-being. You can think of sleep as your brain’s rinse cycle for clearing out junk that could contribute to decline and disease. If you’re looking for anything else, prioritize sleep over everything else. And start with your bedtime routine. Prepare for a good night of sleep by not looking at screens until about an hour before bed. I bumped my pre-sleep prep time from 30 minutes to an hour and it has made all the difference in my energy and productivity the next day.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/27/health/12-weeks-to-a-sharper-you-sanjay-gupta-wellness/index.html

Building Cognitive Resilience in the Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Social Cognitive Tool to Support Cognitive Function and Brain Health

Are you learning something new every day that’s cognitively stimulating? Staying mentally challenged is vital, so much so that studies show that someone who retires at age 65 has about a 15% lower risk of developing dementia compared with someone retiring at 60, even after other factors are taken into account. Retire late or never at all. You can choose to go somewhere familiar. Brush your teeth with the non-dominant hand. Pick up a new hobby that involves others and skip the solitary games and crossword puzzles. Which brings me to the final key …

We are social creatures who need social connection to thrive, especially when it comes to brain health. Call a friend today. A neighbor will be invited over for dinner. Talk about your problems while you walk with a friend. Cherish those relationships. Our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and brains over time. Good relationships help us. They are a secret sauce to a long, sharp life.

The ultimate goal is to build cognitive reserve, which is called brain resilience. With more cognitive reserve, you support cognitive function and can lower your risk of neurodegenerative issues. It’s like having a backup set of networks in your brain when one fails or, worse, dies and is no longer functional. In many aspects of life, the more backup plans we have, the more chances for success, right? The same is true of our brain. And perhaps the most important key to establishing that reserve is to do so over time – years or even decades – before your risk for decline increases with advanced age.

Always remember this: Cognitive decline is not necessarily inevitable. Research suggests healthy habits you can incorporate into your daily life can help protect your brain health for the long term. Think of health as a “top-down” project. Everything else will follow you if you concentrate on your brain. Wishing you a Happy New Year!