You know you need it, SLEEP…………but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it ALL. So you’ll sleep when you’re dead, in the mean time you apply a little more make up to hide the “frackenstein meets the wolfman” look and slurp a mega dose of caffeine, to get you going.

The focus of BEING HEALTHY, is to eat “right” and exercise enough. Getting sufficient sleep is often regarded as an optional extra. Its NOT.

The human body was not designed to run 24 / 7.

Sleep deprivation contributes to ….

• Metabolic problems which lead to bigger bellies and heart attacks
• Thinking problems
• Behaviour problems, including the grouch syndrome and the “FEED ME, SYMORE, FEED ME” syndrome
• Bedroom problems and now…..

BONE PROBLEMS.

This is the finding of research carried out by scientists at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Bone diving

The researchers stopped “adolescent” rats from getting their 40 winks, by allowing them to play video games and surf the net for hours.

Unfortunately sleep deprivation experiences aren’t quite as FUN for animals, as they are for humans. Although sleep deprivation is NOT ALWAYS FUN – think tests and overdue assignments.

The state of the sleep deprived animals bones was then investigated. The team did not only look at the bones from the outside, but also drilled deep into the bone – looking at the state of play of cells within the bones.

These bone marrow cells are responsible for blood formation – they churn out the oxygen carrying red blood cells, as well as the body’s defence system i.e. the white blood cells.

Sleepy bones are weak

On the outside, the sleep deprived bones were not as robust.

The spit and polish part of bone building , was happening as usual, but the actual formation of new bone, was on the slow side. An imbalance in this process is bad news for bone density……. you need both cleaning and building, to be equal. Too much cleaning, will erode the bone over time.

Diminished bone density equals TROUBLE. If it gets bad enough, you’re diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Sleepy bones were going forth and multiplying

When the team looked inside the bone – they observed changes in the marrow.

There was more of some cells and less of others.

Overall, the changes suggested that the sleepy bones were in overdrive. The sleep deprived state was causing an increased demand for cells to leave the blood and head into the circulation.

A run on the bone marrow cells ……….. implies that the body is experiencing an inflammatory response.

A smoldering fire equals TROUBLE. This time the trouble ends in metabolic syndrome, which ups the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Let sleeping bones lie

Bad bones are a big deal.

Bad bones KILL, especially older folks – probably why it doesn’t get quite as much publicity as heart attacks or stroke. Old people have to die of something – right.

But here is a sobering statistic….. 25 % of people who break a hip, die within a year of the event.

Your bones need more than adequate amounts of calcium, to be strong. They need adequate sleep, NOW. (Even if you’re still a spring chicken, you don’t want to enter the twighlight years disadvantaged).

Let sleeping bones lie in.

Chronically inadequate sleep results in abnormal bone formation and abnormal bone marrow in rats. Experimental Biology and Medicine (2012) 237 (9): 1101 C. A. Everson, A. E. Folley, J. M. Toth.   

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Further reading

Soy is so-so when it comes to estrogen replacement therapy	Did you know skin wrinkles are a sign of bone wrinkles ?	Your body’s beauty therapists  are only active at night

The 7 Big Spoons™…. are master switches that turn health on.

Balance Eicosanoids	Rein in insulin	Dial down stress	Sleep !	Increase Vit D	Culivate microflora	Think champion

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