Sleep News – New Research in the World of Sleep

From birth, our sleep health influences everything in our lives. Thanks to a growing body of research, we’re beginning to understand how we can sleep better and live longer!

A hundred years ago, we thought living to 54 years old was a long, healthy life. We’re now living more than 20 years longer (on average) thanks to better healthcare, better access to clean water and healthy food as well as public schooling.

Clearly, we’ve learned the importance of investing in healthy habits.

But is there more you can do to control how long you’ll live? There’s a lot of truth that your genetics provide the roadmap of your life but what if how you live your life determined which diseases you get – and which ones you take a hard pass on?

Thanks to new research this week, you can change the course of your life – for the better. From giving your youth-promoting genes a better chance of thriving to knowing which sleep tracker will help you get a better night’s sleep, there’s lots to dig into. Enjoy!

A longer life comes down to making (mostly) better choices as you as you age

By the time you turn 60, your overall health (more than 75%) is controlled by your lifestyle choices. Every healthy choice you make helps turn off genes that cause you to age and turns on “youth-promoting” genes. Turning off bad genes and turning on good genes causes more bad genes to switch off and good genes to switch on – circular reasoning at its best. You are what you are, but you can become more of what you want to be as you age. Read more on inc.com

If you’re sleeping less than 5 hours a night, you’re at greater risk for developing multiple health problems

You know sleep is important but did you know a good night’s sleep can protect you from health issues like cancer, heart disease, stroke, dementia and liver disease (to mention just a few) as you age? If you’re 50 or older and sleep less than 5 hours a night, a new study suggests you may be putting yourself on a fast track to developing multiple chronic diseases. Read more on cnn.com

A child’s brain growth and development are deeply affected by sleep – especially naps!

Children are not only learning their alphabet but also that the sky is blue and bunnies are furry – things that adult brains take for granted. And experts think their brains need to naps to make room for all that incoming information. Recent research has found that children who nap soon after learning new words, for example, remember the words 80% of the time, as opposed to 30% for those who don’t nap. Children who don’t nap also score an average of 10% lower on word retention tests compared to children who do nap. Read more on harvard.edu

The best sleep trackers can help you better understand your habits

Will a sleep tracker help you sleep better? Maybe – if you use the data to adjust your sleep habits. Worn every night, a sleep tracker can provide an overall mapping of your sleep habits through heart rate, breathing patterns and sleep time. And that data will provide you with personalized recommendations to help you make educated decisions to improve your sleep habits. Read more on menshealth.com

Separation anxiety? Here’s how to sleep better when you and your partner can’t be together

Separation anxiety is common in children but we rarely talk about adult separation anxiety – even though it’s just as common. It can be difficult to sleep if one of you is traveling or has to be away because of work, health or family issues. But sleeping well without your partner is possible with a few adjustments to your bedtime routine. Read more on cnet.com

Rest well & wake up ready to go!

Better sleep gives rise to better mornings, bringing your goals into focus and dreams within reach. Hungry for more sleep info? Dig into these posts:

• How to live a longer, healthy life
• The absolute worst foods to eat in bed
• 10 slow-cooker breakfast recipes you’ll dream about all night long