Extend Your Life: Sleep
Sleep
It was a factor in the Exxon Valdez oil spill, as well as the Chernobyl accident, and it contributes to an estimated 100,000 roadway crashes -- and 1,400 deaths -- in the U.S. each year. But now researchers are discovering another potential consequence of sleep deficit: It may increase your risk of obesity. A recent study of thirty- and forty-somethings in the medical journal Sleep found that those snoozing only two to four hours a night were 235% more likely to be obese than those getting seven hours of sleep. In fact, one study found, just a 16-minute loss per night may also increase the risk. (Story is continued below photo inset.)
Sleeping Aids
These are booming times for the sleep-medication industry, with 43 million prescriptions filled for sleeping pills in the past year alone. The reigning king, Ambien, accounts for more than half the market. But this newfound popularity has prompted concerns from doctors about its usage.
Here's a capsule summary of the issues:
The older sleep medications, known as benzodiazepines, were essentially tranquilizers. Indeed, they doubled as muscle relaxants, were often addictive and often abused. But 13 years ago Ambien hit the market, part of a new wave of medications with the ingenious name of nonbenzodiazepines. They not only improved the quality of sleep but shortened the time it takes to get there.
The side effects: Recently, news reports surfaced of people bingeing or getting behind the wheel of a car in the middle of the night after taking Ambien. The sleep-eating phenomenon was documented four years ago in the journal Sleep Medicine, but only in five patients. There have been more cases, but specialists say this occurrence is exceedingly rare. Although the new medications are believed to be less addictive, doctors don't know their long-term effects.
What should you do? Doctors say it's important to treat insomnia. And changing your lifestyle can help: That means not working on your computer or snacking late at night. It also means waking up at the same time every day, exercising more and, most important, trying to resolve the problems that are keeping you up at night, from too much work stress to family strife. If that fails, then medication may be the solution.
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