Studies connect insomnia to being overweight and reduced memory

In 2 separate tests published this week, sleep disorders has been linked to negative health outcomes. One study shows that sleep disorders contributes to obesity. This impact is especially strong in children. By getting enough rest, adults can also improve their memory function significantly. Source for this article – Studies connect lack of sleep to obesity and impaired memory by Newsytype.com.

The ways rest and weight problems link together

Researchers studied the rest habits of 300 children, ages 4 to 10 years old. There was a link between obesity and the children who didn't rest regularly. The amount of rest the kids got didn't correlate. It was just the change in resting patterns from day to day. Dr. David Gozal, who was a lead researcher on the study, explained the results by saying “We think that the direction of the arrow is you sleep less, you eat more, you exercise less because you’re tired, and therefore you gain more weight.”

Memory connecting with rest

Nature Neuroscience today is a journal. Another rest study was published in it. It was found by German scientists that about 25 percent more information was retained by subjects who took a nap right after studying than the others. The theory is that memories, which are first stored within the short-term hippocampus region of the brain, “download” during sleep and are stored within the long-term portions of the brain. Memories become stronger in rest. That is the basic idea.

Getting more rest

It does not matter what age you are. Getting enough sleep is difficult for most. Younger kids should be getting nine hrs of sleep at night. That is the recommended amount. "Enough" rest is between 8 and 10 hrs for adults. Sleeping until you naturally wake up is what enough sleep really is. There is good news. It’s possible to "catch up" on your sleep too. You should certainly catch up on rest during the weekend. It can reduce weight problems risk from 280 to 400 percent.

Articles cited

AFP

google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ir9Aq3KpWK1wbwDG1A9sqQLxq0nQ?docId=CNG.3d70bb040bdfdd29691ee978be81fc1a.2e1

Fox News

foxnews.com/health/2011/01/24/study-sleep-extra-pounds-kids/