Lack of sleep has a potentially harmful effect on gene expression, according to a study out Tuesday that sheds light on the link between sleep deficits and a wide range of health conditions.
A sleep deficit -- even just a week's worth -- can have damaging effects on our genes, researchers said in a new study out Tuesday.
Lack of adequate shut-eye had already been linked to conditions from heart disease and cognitive impairment to obesity.
But sleep researcher Derk-Jan Dijk and his fellow researchers have delved into the molecular mechanisms behind the phenomenon, looking at how missed sleep leads to health problems.
They found that a week of sleeping six hours or less a night affects the expression of some 711 genes -- including those involved in inflammation, immunity, and stress responses.
Moreover, compared with test subjects who were allowed to sleep as long as 10 hours a night, those who lacked sleep had irregularities in their genes' circadian rhythms, experiencing a sharp reduction in the number of genes that wax and wane throughout the day and a dampened amplitude for many more.
At the end of the week, the test subjects were kept awake for 40 hours, with blood tests at regular intervals.
The research showed that, for those who had gotten adequate sleep previously, the affects of the sleep deprivation were seven times less than for those already operating under a sleep deficit.
Nearly a third of American workers -- some 40.6 million people -- average six hours or less of sleep a night, according to a 2010 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A normal night's sleep for healthy adults is considered to be between seven and eight hours.
AFP RELAXNEWS
Thu Feb 28 2013
Wanita warga emas ditemukan meninggal dunia dalam rumah dilanda banjir
Seorang wanita warga emas ditemukan meninggal dunia di sebuah rumah yang dilanda banjir di Kampung Temerlok, Trong dekat Taiping, pagi tadi.
Pemuda dipenjara lapan tahun sebabkan kematian bayi teman wanita
Seorang pemuda dijatuhi hukuman penjara lapan tahun atas pertuduhan menyebabkan kematian bayi lelaki yang baru dilahirkan teman wanitanya.
Hapuskan terus Jemaah Islamiyah
Bersama ditalian, Prof Dato Dr Muhammad Nu Manuty Pengerusi IKIM.
Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: ABIM gesa rakyat bertenang, serah siasatan kepada PDRM
ABIM menggesa rakyat untuk bertenang dan menyerahkan sepenuhnya siasatan serta tindakan kepada PDRM serta pihak berkuasa berkaitan.
[TERKINI] Kawalan ketat di semua balai polis dan individu berprofil tinggi
Kawalan keselamatan di balai polis dan kawasan yang melibatkan individu berprofil tinggi termasuk istana akan dipertingkatkan susulan kejadian serangan di Balai Polis Ulu Tiram awal pagi tadi.
Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Razarudin Husain berkata langkah itu turut merangkumi keselamatan anggota polis dan individu berprofil tinggi termasuk menteri besar.
Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Razarudin Husain berkata langkah itu turut merangkumi keselamatan anggota polis dan individu berprofil tinggi termasuk menteri besar.
Agong zahir ucapan takziah kepada keluarga mangsa
Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim menzahirkan rasa sedih dan merakamkan ucapan takziah kepada keluarga mangsa serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram, Johor.
Jemaah Islamiyah masih berakar umbi?
Bersama Pertahanan, Keselamatan dan Kajian Strategik UPNM, Prof Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam.
Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: Kawalan balai, kawasan profil tinggi dipertingkat - KPN
Kawalan keselamatan di balai polis dan kawasan yang melibatkan individu berprofil tinggi termasuk istana akan dipertingkatkan susulan kejadian serangan di Balai Polis Ulu Tiram awal pagi tadi.
Ambil serius luahan petugas kesihatan - Cuepacs
Cuepacs menggesa kerajaan supaya melakukan siasatan menyeluruh mengenai isu kekurangan doktor dan petugas kesihatan di beberapa hospital.
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: Kawalan balai, kawasan profil tinggi dipertingkat
Berita terkini berhubung kejadian jam 2.45 pagi tadi di mana dua anggota polis maut diserang suspek yang dipercayai anggota JI.