ClockNews #33

Getting enough sleep

Contrary to the idea that more sleep is better, an editorial in the journal Sleep by Daniel Kripke, a professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego, cites data from Japan and the United States showing that the ideal sleep duration is between 61⁄2 and 71⁄2 hours. Across large numbers of subjects, longevity rates actually decrease as sleep duration shifts beyond this range. Those who slept less than four hours or more than nine or 10 hours were found to have mortality rates greater than those in the middle range.

I wanna be sedated

The insomnia epidemic is now affecting kids

Morning Exercise Provides Top Benefits

When is the best time to exercise? Most experts would say that any time you can find to exercise is the best time. For some people, it’s nearly impossible to find the time to exercise at all, and for others there’s no way they can break a sweat until the evening. But if a.m. exercise may be an option, we’ve got a few reasons why working out in the morning is best…

Darkness unveils vital metabolic fuel switch 5-AMP

Constant darkness throws a molecular switch in mammals that shifts the body's fuel consumption from glucose to fat and induces a state of torpor in mice, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston reports in the Jan. 19 edition of Nature.

Don't be SAD...get out there!

Getting outdoors and then getting active is one of the most effective ways to lessen the symptoms of the winter blues.

The month of no-sun days

It's not the rain that disrupts the body's circadian rhythms, potentially leading to depression; it's the latitude and the amount of daylight someone is exposed to, he said.