Health Briefs

Sleeping Under 5 Hours When Over 50 Adds to Health Risks, Study Warns

Are you over 50 and getting five hours or less sleep a night? This could be a problem for your long-term health, warns a study published this week.

Researchers in Europe found that getting five or less hours sleep per night could put individuals at a higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases such as heart disease, depression, cancer or diabetes.

The peer-reviewed study looked at almost 8,000 British civil service workers over an average 25-year period, at the ages of 50, 60 and 70, and found “short sleep duration to be associated with the onset of chronic disease and multimorbidity,” that is, two or more chronic diseases at the same time.

It found that at age 50, those who slept five hours or less were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with multiple chronic diseases over time, compared with their peers who slept seven hours, lead author Severine Sabia, an epidemiology and public health researcher told The Washington Post.

At age 60, those who slept five hours or less had a 32 percent greater risk, and at age 70 a 40 percent greater risk, compared with those sleeping seven hours, she added.

“As people get older, their sleep habits and sleep structure change. However, it is recommended to sleep for 7 to 8 hours a night,” Sabia said in a separate statement.

“More than half of older adults now have at least two chronic diseases. This is proving to be a major challenge for public health, as multimorbidity is associated with high healthcare service use, hospitalizations and disability,” she said.

Quality is important, too, with our brains needing to enter the deep, restorative stage of sleep known as slow-wave sleep. It aids cognitive processes such as consolidating memory, problem-solving and removing toxins that can lead to Alzheimer’s or dementia.

(Washington Post )

Can Wet Hair Make You Sick?

Your mom may have warned you that going outside with wet hair will make you sick. But is this just a superstition or can damp hair outdoors make you ill?

Sorry, mom, but the short answer is no.

Wet hair in a cold environment can make you feel cold and uncomfortable. But it will not give you a cold.

Viruses transmitted through bodily fluids cause colds, influenza and COVID-19. You need to come into contact with the fluids to be infected by the viruses. This usually happens when people who are sick sneeze, cough or blow their noses.

Wet hair won’t make you more attractive to viruses and doesn’t increase your chances of getting sick.

Follow these six tips to protect you and your family from catching a cold:

1. Wash your hands.

Clean your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

2. Disinfect your stuff.

Clean kitchen and bathroom countertops with disinfectant, especially when someone in your household has a cold.

3. Use tissues.

Sneeze and cough into tissues. Discard used tissues right away and then thoroughly wash your hands.

4. Don’t share.

This is one time that it’s best to keep to yourself. Don’t share drinking glasses or utensils with other family members. Use your own glass or disposable cups when you or someone else is sick. Label the cup or glass with the name of the person with the cold.

5. Steer clear of people who are sick.

Practice social distancing by avoiding close contact with anyone who has a cold.

6. Take care of yourself.

Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep and manage stress levels to keep illness at bay.

(Mayo Clinic News Network/TNS)

It’s Never ‘Just’ a Concussion. Your Brain Is Vulnerable and Hurting.

Our brain is soft and squishy akin to the consistency of warm Jell-O.

Though cushioned by our skull (and sometimes a helmet), our brain will still feel the effects of a strong-enough impact.

After a bad blow to the head, “inside your skull, your brain sloshes around,” said John Leddy, a clinical professor of orthopedics and the director of the Concussion Management Clinic at the University at Buffalo. A concussion is labeled a mild traumatic brain injury but “the word ‘mild’ is a misnomer,” Leddy said.

As a type of traumatic brain injury, concussions are designated mild because, through the images of a standard MRI or CT scan, the brain generally looks normal because there is no obvious large-scale damage. (A visible brain bleed would bump the injury to moderate or severe traumatic brain injury.)

With advanced brain imaging, however, it is easier to see the microstructural damage to the brain’s white matter, or nerve fibers, caused by a concussion. This type of physical damage is known as diffuse axonal injury, for the harm done to axons, which are the long, thin cablelike neuronal offshoots that connect neurons and brain regions.

Emerging research suggests that diffuse axonal injury can cause immediate and persistent disruption of brain networks and may be a key contributor to the short-term and long-term consequences of concussions.

We still do not completely understand what causes a concussion, but we do know that its effects can cause widespread disruption to the brain and its normal functioning.

As our brain moves, twists and rotates, the neurons shear and stretch, which causes them to indiscriminately release neurotransmitters, the molecules neurons use to communicate with one another.

This uninhibited chemical release occasionally occurs in the part of the brainstem controlling the hands and arms, and can cause muscles there to involuntarily flex and extend in what is called a “fencing response.”

This primitive motor reflex is “almost like a traumatically induced seizure,” said Steve Broglio, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan and director of the Michigan Concussion Center.

At the same time, the metabolism of the brain is thrown out of whack as it tries to fix the delicate balance of ions that neurons need to properly generate electrical signals. The brain now needs more glucose to help recover, but the concussion also decreases its baseline cerebral blood flow, causing an energy mismatch between what the brain needs and how much fuel it gets, which may contribute to fatigue symptoms.

Soon after a concussive event, people may have amnesia about the impact, headaches, confusion or unconsciousness. They may experience ringing in the ears, nausea, disorientation, fatigue or blurred vision.

Other symptoms may crop up in the days or weeks following the injury, such as a lack of concentration, mood changes, sleep disturbances, balance problems, or sensitivities to light and sound.

Just as diagnosing a concussion is challenging, predicting how long it takes to recover from one is equally tricky.

The brain is likely to compensate for the damage by reorganizing itself and its connections. For 80 to 90 percent of adolescents and adults, it takes about two weeks to recover to clinically normal levels of functioning spontaneously. Younger children, on average, take longer to recover, usually within four weeks. But a sizable minority of people — at least 15 percent — with concussion experience persisting neurocognitive dysfunction, though some studies suggest this percentage is an underestimation.

(Washington Post)

Treating Dupuytren’s Contracture Without Surgery

Dupuytren’s (DOO-puh-trenz) contracture is a disorder that can cause the fingers to curl in, primarily the ring and small fingers.

It’s a genetic condition mostly affecting men over 60 of Northern European descent. Others at risk include those with diabetes and those with a family history of the condition.

Dr. Shelley Noland, a Mayo Clinic hand and peripheral nerve surgeon, says there is help for patients who suffer from Dupuytren’s disease.

“What happens in Dupuytren’s disease is the layer of fascia that is underneath the skin in the palm gets thickened and contracted,” says Dr. Noland.

That can make your fingers curl in. It’s not painful, but Dr. Noland says, “It can cause significant functional limitations because the patients are unable to fully straighten out their fingers.”

Patients with advanced Dupuytren’s will need an intervention to relieve the contracture. There are several treatment options. An enzyme injection is a newer, less invasive treatment.

“It actually dissolves the thickened Palmer cords and fascia, allowing the fingers to straighten,” she says.

So, how do you know if you need to see a specialist for your condition? Here’s a tabletop test.

As Dr. Noland explains, “Lay your hand flat on the table. If you’re able to lay it flat, then you probably will not require any intervention. But if you’re unable to lay it flat because of the contractures in the fingers, then you would want to seek care with a hand surgeon specializing in Dupuytren’s disease.”

(Mayo Clinic News Network/TNS)

Nighttime Urination

Nighttime urination, also known as nocturia, can affect men and women at any age. The more common causes are entirely benign, though nocturia can also be triggered by certain health conditions and medications.

Sleep apnea — a condition that affects breathing during sleep — can lead to lower oxygen levels in the bloodstream. When blood oxygen levels drop due to sleep apnea, the heart can experience a false signal of fluid overload and release a hormone called type B natriuretic peptide (BNP). BNP is a very potent diuretic that tells the body to get rid of sodium and water. It then causes an overproduction of urine.

Treatment of sleep apnea has been shown to decrease production of BNP, thus reducing nocturia.

Nocturia can also be a warning sign for other health conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, urinary tract infections and an overactive bladder, as well as a reaction to some medications, including those used to treat hypertension and kidney conditions. Sometimes, it’s linked to other sleep issues, such as insomnia.

The more common causes usually aren’t anything to worry about. Here are some of them, as well as other medical conditions linked to nocturia.

– Fluid intake

In adults, a common cause of nighttime urination is fluid intake before bedtime. By restricting fluids after dinnertime, these urges might be reduced.

– Bladder irritants and diuretics

There are many foods and drinks whose byproducts are passed into the urine and can irritate or “tickle” the bladder. This includes teas (green, white and black), spicy foods and artificial sweeteners, such as the calorie-free sweeteners you might add to your drinks or those that come inside diet or sugar-free foods.

Caffeine is another common culprit, whether it’s in coffee, tea or soda, and so is alcohol. Both are known diuretics.

– Medical conditions

For men over age 50, the most likely cause is other medical conditions. A doctor should be consulted.

(Washington Post)

Genes Link Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Once Thought Unrelated

A growing body of research shows that bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and the in-between diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder share common genetic underpinnings as well as overlapping symptoms and signs.

“They can be considered as part of a spectrum,” said Dr. Morgan Sheng, who co-directs a psychiatric research center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Bipolar disorder is known for causing extreme mood swings. Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking. Schizoaffective disorder includes symptoms of both.

The theory that they exist on a continuum has gained ground as more and more studies have found that variations in some of the same genes influence how susceptible people are to these conditions. One of the latest examples is the AKAP11 gene, which scientists at Broad and elsewhere pinpointed as a strong risk factor for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in research published in the journal Nature Genetics this year.

Experts say these insights will help doctors better understand what drives the illnesses, how they affect the body’s most notoriously bewildering organ and what more can be done to help people. Down the road, experts envision the research could help guide treatment and lead to better drugs. For now, they hope it reinforces the idea that such disorders are biologically rooted and not moral failings or mysterious, unknowable conditions.

“That’s what the science is giving us — a clear indication that there are genetic markers and risk factors,” said Dr. Ken Duckworth, chief medical officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Experts say other illnesses along what some call the “psychosis continuum” are also more likely. “When you look at a family, if you have one person with schizophrenia, you’re more likely to have schizophrenia yourself, but you’re also more likely to have bipolar,” said Dr. Fernando Goes, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University.

The same is true for schizoaffective disorder, studies show.

There are no tests for these conditions — which together affect around 9 million U.S. adults — so diagnosis is based on history and the sometimes overlapping symptoms. For instance, psychosis can happen in all three illnesses.

Someday, experts said genetic insights might allow doctors to intervene earlier in the disease process. While few people get genetic testing now — except perhaps to see how they might react to a particular drug — scientists said that could change in the future. If people knew their genetic risk and family history, Sheng said, they could seek help if something didn’t seem quite right, before an illness caused major problems.

Some scientists, while acknowledging common genetic underpinnings of bipolar, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, are skeptical about framing them as on a psychosis continuum, particularly if that leads to changing categories doctors use to diagnose people with each disorder. They say the current criteria are useful in deciding treatment and care.

NAMI’s Duckworth said it might be “5 to 50 years” before genetic findings translate into changes in clinical practice. “It’s a very long journey.”

(Associated Press)