Sleep

[Curt]

Scientist are evaluating a relationship between the body's circadian rhythm and BiPolar disease. Sleep, we know is a major part of the body's capability to maintain it's daily cycle. It is experienced that persons with mental disorders are much calmer after being re-hydrated (water or saline drips) or after a good sleep.

The article below explains how the body's clock gene maintains the circadian rhythm.

*****************************************  

A New Clue to Bipolar Disorder

June 25, 2007

By Michael Craig Miller, M.D.
Harvard Medical School

   * Biological Clocks, Genes and Bipolar Disorder
   * Correcting Faulty Genes
   * Applying This to Humans

Mice may be teaching us about the genetic basis of bipolar disorder. This mood disorder, which is often called by its older name, manic-depressive illness, is characterized by wide mood swings that range from high (manic) to low (depressed).

Scientists, who published their research in the April 10 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), studied mice that have a variation or mutation in a gene called the Clock gene. The Clock gene helps regulate the body's daily circadian rhythm — the ups and downs of biological functions that occur over a 24-hour period.

Mice with this variant gene show signs similar to human mania. When the scientists gave these mice lithium, the oldest drug treatment for mania, they became more like typical mice.

The Extremes of Bipolar Disorder

People with bipolar disorder can have both manic (high) and depressive (low) episodes. The word bipolar, in fact, refers to these two poles or opposite moods.

The dominant mood in the manic phase of bipolar disorder is extreme elation or irritability. In addition to the dramatic mood change, a person with bipolar disorder may have an exaggerated or grandiose sense of self. He or she may talk or think rapidly and may get involved in a lot of scattered and unproductive activity that sometimes leads to painful or embarrassing consequences.

According to the researchers, this new animal model of mania may help scientists develop better treatments for people with bipolar disorder. Here's a closer look at the possible role of this gene in bipolar disorder.

Biological Clocks, Genes and Bipolar Disorder

An internal clock system is so basic to life, that it's found throughout nature. The human version is quite similar to the ones found in mice, fruit flies and even bread mold!

Scientists have known about these internal biological clocks for almost 200 years. Only recently have they begun to understand how genes control those clocks through a feedback system or loop.

When a gene is turned on or "expressed," it begins to produce specific proteins. As protein concentrations in the organism increase, the genes recognize this and turn off. Protein levels then drop again, signaling the gene to turn back on and restart production. This cycle takes about 24 hours in humans.

Mammals have a biological clock in the brain that consists of a pair of small nerve-cell clusters called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Each cell in the SCN is a tiny clock. The cells stay in synch by sending chemical signals to one another. But they also need to know what's going on out in the world. So specialized cells in the eyes detect the intensity of light and that information is sent to the SCN over a nerve circuit. Thus, the SCN keeps in step with the light-dark cycle brought on by the earth's rotation. The SCN also sends signals to key areas of the brain that control daily body rhythms, such as variations in temperature and hormone production.

What does this have to do with bipolar disorder? One variety of human clock genes is seen in people who have symptoms of bipolar disorder. These individuals appear to have more manic episodes. Even when not manic, they sleep less and wake earlier than average. Similar fluctuations have been observed in the mutant mice.

There's ample evidence that bipolar disorder is associated with an irregular circadian cycle. The symptoms of mania involve disturbances of the daily patterns of sleeping and waking, energy, appetite and hormone production. In some people with bipolar disorder, moods change with the seasons. The shorter days of winter bring depression. Long summer days trigger mania. Clinicians often tell bipolar patients to get enough sleep and stay on a regular schedule to reduce the risk of a manic or depressive episode.

Correcting Faulty Genes

The researchers involved in the PNAS study found that mice with the Clock gene variant were more active and more likely to seek out rewards or try out new situations than mice with the more common or "wild-type" Clock gene. The mice with the variant gene also had stronger responses to pleasurable stimuli than the wild-type mice and showed fewer signs of the behavior that looks like depression and anxiety. They were more likely to take risks or be impulsive, too.

Researchers were able to change the mouse behavior in two ways. They gave the mice a low dose of lithium and noticed that they behaved more normally. The researchers also went right to the source of the problem: They fixed the faulty gene that participates in the brain's reward center. They used a virus to insert a properly functioning protein. After the procedure, the mice showed levels of activity and anxiety-like behavior that were more like normal mice.

Applying This to Humans

Unfortunately, we are nowhere near being able to correct genetic variations to cure human bipolar disorder. And the mice in this mutant strain don't appear to get depressed, so they can only teach us about mania. But this research is very promising, because it demonstrates in principle that such changes are possible. The study also shows how important it is to study the connection between circadian rhythms, the brain's reward system and mood disorders. It's a good beginning, though. What we learn from these mice increases the chance that scientists will find ways to correct a major cause of human distress.

[Wendy]

Recent research shows that a good night's sleep helps prevent cancer by producing more melatonin (an antioxidant) and cortisol (a hormone that helps regulate the immune system.

Once again, Ellen White was right.

To read more...Good night sleep May Keep Cancer at Bay

[Suzanne]

I recently read an article that said we should change our pillows if we are having trouble sleeping. Indeed, it wouldn't hurt and might help. Many use their pillows for years without changing them, which brings me to my next point:

Bugs Can Lurk in Your Pillows

Your pillow may be filled with harmful fungi! Researchers at the University of Manchester in England examined both synthetic and feather pillows that had been used from 18 months to 20 years and found every pillow held a "substantial fungal load" of between four and 16 species that can worsen sinus and asthma problems and cause infections in transplant patients. And can also contribute to insomnia. Feather pillows had fewer varieties of fungi than synthetic pillows.

Suzanne

[Suzanne]

Sleep Longer, Live Longer!

Those with insomnia should do whatever is necessary to get a good night's sleep. Indeed, don't forget to pray about the matter... Medical researchers warn that getting too little sleep can kill you. People who cut their sleeping from 7 hours a night to 5 or less face nearly double the risk of death from all causes--and more than double the risk of death ftrom heart disease.

"Over 40% of the population in the U.S. regularly sleep less than 5 hours a night, so it is not a trivial problem," notes Dr. Francesco Cappuccio, a heart disease expert who headed a study of the problem. British researchers focused on the sleep patterns of 10,000 government workers over a 17-year period. "Our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around 7 hours per night is optimal for health," says Dr. Cappuccio.

Suzanne

[JasonB]

This is all wonderful information and am glad i have joined this forum!!!!

[Mimi]

We are glad to have you! Enjoy! Sybil

[Curt]

6 Reasons for Good Sleep

If you wake up refreshed and can stay awake and alert throughout your day, you're probably OK. If not, here are six reasons to consider changing your current sleep habits.

A good night's sleep is as important to your health as regular exercise and a sensible diet. Still, millions of Americans don’t get enough sleep. We pay the price in drowsiness and fatigue. This affects our physical and mental health and threatens public safety.
A shortened period of sleep may contribute to various ills, including memory lapses, trouble learning and paying attention, heart disease, obesity, mood problems and a weakened immune system.
ne or two sleepless nights or a bout of insomnia now and then is nothing to worry about. But not getting enough sleep night after night is a concern.
How much sleep do we need? Some people do well with six hours a night; others need nine or more. Experts think seven to nine hours is about right. If you wake up refreshed and can stay awake and alert throughout your day, you're probably OK. If not, here are six reasons to consider changing your current sleep habits.

1. Learning and memory
Sleep helps your brain commit new information to memory. People who get a good night's sleep before taking tests or performing a new task usually do better than people who are tested immediately after learning something new. Other studies seem to show that people are more insightful or creative in their problem solving after getting a full night’s sleep.

2. Weight
A constant lack of sleep may cause weight gain by altering the way the body processes and stores carbohydrates, and by stimulating the release of cortisol, a stress hormone. Excess cortisol has been linked to an increase in abdominal fat. Loss of sleep also reduces levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and increases ghrelin (GRELL-in), an appetite-stimulating hormone — a combination that can encourage eating.

3. Safety
There’s no evidence that we ever adapt to chronic sleep loss. This sleep "debt" contributes to daytime sleepiness, including “microsleeps,” seconds-long daytime dips into sleep. These lapses may cause falls, injury and road accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that each year, drowsiness causes 100,000 vehicle crashes, resulting in 76,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths.

4. Quality of life
Long- and short-term sleep loss causes irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate and moodiness. Too little sleep can leave you so tired that you don’t want to spend time with family and friends or have sex. Poor sleep affects the ability to work. Sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea are associated with depression.

5. Heart and lung health
We don’t know much about how chronic sleep loss affects heart health and our lungs. But serious sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea have been linked to high blood pressure and irregular heart beat. Lack of sleep increases stress hormone levels and inflammation, two factors associated with heart attacks.

6. Immunity
Although not all the facts are clear, scientists have found that sleep deprivation alters the body's immune system, which fights off illness. For example, sleep loss around the time of a flu shot has been shown to reduce the production of flu-fighting antibodies.

Tips For Better Sleep

• Establish a regular time for going to bed and getting up.
  Keep your bedroom temperature comfortable (cool is better than warm).
  Get regular exercise. Complete the exercise at least 3 hours before bedtime.
  Don’t use alcohol.
  Avoid caffeine.
  Be careful about taking medications that contain ingredients that could keep you awake at night or make you sleepy during the day.
  Try to avoid naps. If you must have one, keep it short – about 20 minutes.

[Suzanne]

Toss and Turn...Off Your TV

Want a good night's sleep? Try cutting back on nighttime TV and computer time. Heavy users of electronic media right before bed (3 and one half hours or more) were almost twice as likely to report poor sleep quality than lighter users (2 and one half hours or less)--despite getting about the same amount of nightly shut-eye, found a study of over 5,500 adults at Japan's Osaka University. To ensure a good night's rest, spend more time reading before bed, and record shows to watch earlier in the day. --Prevention, January 2008.

Suzanne

[Mimi]

Skipping sleep 'hardens arteries'
arterial blockage
Clogged arteries can cause angina

People who scrimp on sleep are more likely to develop hardening of their arteries, a precursor to heart disease, research suggests.

Calcified arteries were found in nearly a third of people who slept fewer than five hours a night.

This dropped to around one in 10 for those who slept an extra hour, the Journal of the American Medical Association study of 495 adults found.

Experts said getting enough sleep was important for good heart health.

In the study, the volunteers underwent two CT scans, designed to assess the build-up of calcium in the heart's arteries, five years apart.
   
Although this single study does not prove that short sleep leads to coronary artery disease, it is safe to recommend at least six hours of sleep a night
Dr Diane Lauderdale, lead researcher

They also filled out sleep questionnaires, kept a sleep diary and wore a wrist monitor for six nights that measured movement to give an estimate of how long they were actually lying still and asleep.

At the first scan, none of the volunteers had any calcification in their arteries but five years later 61 of them did. More here

[Suzanne]

Preventing Colds May be as Easy as Vitamin ZZZ

 Fluff up the pillows and pull up the covers. Preventing the common cold may be as easy as getting more sleep. Researchers paid healthy adults $800 to have cold viruses sprayed up their noses, then wait five days in a hotel to see if they got sick. Habitual eight-hour sleepers were much less likely to get sick than those who slept less than seven hours or slept fitfully.

"The longer you sleep, the better off you are, the less susceptible you are to colds," said lead author Sheldon Cohen, who studies the effects of stress on health at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University.

Prior research has suggested that sleep boosts the immune system at the cell level. This is the first study to show small sleep disturbances increasing the risk of getting sick, said Dr. Michael Irwin, who researches immune response at the University of California, Los Angeles, and was not involved in the study.

"The message is to maintain regular sleep habits because those are really critical for health," Irwin said.

During cold season, staying out of range of sneezing relatives and co-workers may be impossible. The study, appearing Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, mimicked those conditions by exposing participants to a common cold virus - rhinovirus - and most became infected with it.

But not everyone suffered cold symptoms.

The people who slept less than seven hours a night in the weeks before they were exposed to the virus were three times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept eight hours or more.

To find willing cold victims, researchers placed ads and recruited 78 men and 75 women, all healthy and willing to go one-on-one against the virus. They ranged in age from 21 to 55.

First, their sleep habits were recorded for two weeks. Every evening, researchers interviewed them by phone about their sleep the night before. Subjects were asked what time they went to bed, what time they got up, how much time they spent awake during the night and if they felt rested in the morning.

Then they checked into a hotel where the virus was squirted up their noses. After five days, the virus had done its work, infecting 135 of the 153 volunteers. But only 54 people got sick.

Researchers measured their runny noses by weighing their used tissues. They tested for congestion by squirting dye in the subjects' noses to see how long it took to get to the back of their throats.

Sleeping fitfully also was tied to greater risk of catching a cold. Those who tossed and turned more than 8 percent of their time in bed were five times more likely to get sick than those who were sleepless only 2 percent of the time.

Surprisingly, feeling rested was not linked to staying well. Cohen said he's not sure why that is, other than feeling rested is more subjective than recalling bedtime and wake-up time.

The researchers took into account other factors that make people more susceptible such as stress, smoking and drinking, and lack of exercise, and they still saw a connection between sleep and resisting a cold.

Cold symptoms like congestion and sore throat are caused by the body's fight against a virus, rather than the virus itself, Cohen said. People whose bodies make the perfect amount of infection-fighting proteins called cytokines will not even know they are fighting a virus. But if their bodies make too many, they feel sick.

Sleep may fine-tune the body's immune response, Cohen said, helping regulate the perfect response.

Prior research has tied lack of sleep to greater risk of weight gain, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.

Dr. Daniel Buysse, a sleep researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, said spending too much time in bed can lead to more interrupted sleep, which in this study "seems to be even worse than short sleep" for increasing the risk of catching a cold.

If it takes a long time to fall asleep or if you are restless during the night, "you would probably benefit from spending a little LESS time in bed," Buysse said in an e-mail. "If you fall asleep instantly, have no wakefulness during the night, and are sleepy during the day, you would probably benefit from spending a little MORE time in bed."

Buysse was not directly involved in the research, although he commented on an early draft of the study. The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the MacArthur Foundation.
--website.

Suzanne

[Suzanne]

To Fall Asleep Fast

"This bedtime breathing strategy relaxes the entire body to accelerate the arrival of slumber," says Kazuko Tatsumura Hillyer, Ph.D., founder of Okido Holistic Health Center in New York City. "In fact, I've even seen women with chronic insomnia fall asleep almost immediately."

To do: At bedtime, lie on your back with your legs straight and slightly apart, arms at your sides withi palms facing up. Exhale fully yet gently, as though you're trying to make the flame of a candle flutter. (Your belly should visibly fall.) Next, inhale through your nose, feeling your belly rise. Hold your breath for a count of five, then release. Repeat until you drift off to sleep.

Why It works: Breathing deeply while in a supine position signals the brain to geneate sleep-inducing alpha waves, according to studies at Cornell University and elsewhere. This simple technique has also been shown to hinder the body's overnight production of "wake up" hormones like cortisol by 51% or more. Adds Hillyer, "Exhaling fully before inhaling also primes the lungs for greater intake. This physiological change signals the brain that it's time for sleep." --First, February 16, 2009.

Suzanne

[Suzanne]

This bears repeating....Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing newsletter for February 2009 reminds us that recent studies show that we should get some shuteye soon after learning a new skill.  Sleep helps the brain better consolidate and retain new information. 

Suzanne

[Suzanne]

Reach the Deep-Sleep Zone

Say good night to poor sleep. Women age 60 and older who walked, etc. for at least an hour, 4 times a week, woke up half as often and slept an average 48 minutes more a night than sedentary women, according to a study in the journal Sleep Medicine.

That's good news for the many women who toss and turn more as they get older. As we age, sleep patterns start ashifting, so we spend more of the night in lighter sleep phases, according to Shawn Youngstedt, PhD, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

Aim to exercise for at least half an hour, even if it's after a long day. Evidence suggests that for most people, light to moderate activiaty in the evening won't disturb sleep, though trial and error will tell you what works for you. --Prevention, February 2009.

Suzanne

[JimB]

Having trouble sleeping? Check for a glow, inches from the pillow.

Using a smartphone, tablet or laptop at bedtime may be staving off sleep, according to Harvard Medical School scientists, who have found specific wavelengths of light can suppress the slumber-inducing hormone melatonin in the brain. Source

http://justgetflux.com/

[Ed Sutton]

( turning night day = 18 SOP hits ) interesting reading - an endorsement by an RpSGT (registered sleep technologist )

Psalms 127:2  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

   Ellen White's Counsel to Her Secretaries Regarding Proper Rest.-- It is a very bad habit to let work drag and drive one. Drive the work, and then you will not become discouraged. It is a bad plan to give way to impulse. If you see a book you would like to read, and sit down in the midst of your work and read during the precious hours of the day, when there is work that needs to be done, then the work is neglected. Make it habit not to sit up after nine o'clock. Every light should be extinguished. This turning night into day is a wretched, health-destroying habit, and this reading much by brain workers, up to the sleeping hours, is very injurious to health. It calls the blood to the brain and then there is restlessness and wakefulness, and the precious sleep, which should rest the body, does not come when desired.  {9MR 46.1} 
     It is needful to take care of the body and to study its needs and preserve it from unnecessary exposure. It is a sin to be ignorant of how to care for the wants of this habitation God has given us. Especially should brain workers begin to be soothed and not in any way excited as they draw nigh their hours for sleep. Let the blood be attracted from the brain by some kind of exercise, if need be. Let not the brain be taxed even to read, and, of course, not to put forth literary effort. You shall, Marian [Davis] and Fannie [Bolton], have one or two hours, as will best please you, in the daytime, and you will not feel so starved for intellectual food that you will partake of it in the night hours. God designed that the night shall be given to sleep. . . .  {9MR 46.2} 
     Wake up in the mornings. Set your hour to rise early, and bring yourself to it, then retire at an early hour, and you will see that you will overcome many painful disorders which distress the mind, cause gloomy feelings, discouragement, and unhappy friction, and disqualify you for doing anything without great taxation.--Letter 76, 1888, pp. 3-5. (To Brother and Sister Lockwood, Marian Davis, Fannie Bolton, and May Walling, May 24, 1888.)  {9MR 47.1}   

[Richard Myers]

We have been given much light in Scripture regarding health. Science has a long ways to go to catch up, but they are uncovering more truth every day. For instance, it is good to go to bed and to rise up early, it is a Biblical truth. But, science is finding out why. Did you know it is good to sleep in the dark and to work in the light? Science has discovered this truth. Did you know that sunshine is important, no matter what a dermatologist says? Do you know why?

Well....we are not about to suggest we have found all the answers, for that cannot be. Only God knows it all!  But, we are finding out more and more as to why we are to do the things we do. We are going to discuss the circadian rhythm and what it has to do with light, darkness, happiness and sadness, and our sleep patterns.

[JimB]

Richard, I will be interested to hear what you've found. Just recently I was listening to a presentation where the presenter talked about how light to the eye first thing in the morning converted tryptophan (which we get from our food) to serotonin (which is good for mental health) and then at night a dark room will convert serotonin to melatonin which we need for a good nights rest.

[Richard Myers]

That pretty well sums it up, Jim. Thanks. Science is telling us the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy are accurate and far ahead of the world from a time standpoint.   Sunshine and sleep are very important to our health.  Do we as a people teach that sunshine and rest are two of nature's doctors? And for how long have we been teaching this?

Most teach that L-tryptophan comes from meat, cheese, and eggs. But, God did not forget about our need of L-tryptophan. He placed it in our original diet which did not include any animal products. Many nuts and seeds are rich in the amino acid. Other foods such as bananas have lesser amounts of L-tryptophan.

L-tryptophan is necessary to produce serotonin. abstract. Most serotonin in the body is found in the digestive tract.  This serotonin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. L-tryptophan crosses the blood brain barrier and is used in a two step process to produce serotonin in the brain. Only serotonin produced in the brain can be converted to melatonin. Melatonin helps to produce good sleep and a happy disposition.

These chemical reactions are dependent upon the food we eat, but it does not stop there. As Jim has shared, it is not just diet that produces healthy happy people, the sunlight is necessary also. And, even darkness is needed to produce the melatonin. The time that we live in the sun and in darkness has to do with our health and happiness. Early to bed, early to rise is not just a saying, it is Biblical truth that produces the health and happiness being discussed in this topic. We have been counseled to have a regimented life, eating, working, sleeping on a regular time schedule for a reason. This schedule is done in light of what is known as the circadian rhythm.

The rhythm is in relationship to the sun. In our discussion, we have discovered that L-tryptophan and light are needed to produce serotonin in the brain. "Light exposure increases serotonin in humans, and serotonin levels are lowest in midwinter, and higher on bright days no matter what time of year. 10,000 lux light therapy decreases suicidal ideation in some folks."source Then, when the sun goes down, the  pineal gland takes the serotonin and produces melatonin. Light suppresses the production of melatonin. 

In other words, modern society is often working against our happiness and good health. We do not go to bed when the sun goes down, thus shortening the amount of pure darkness we are exposed to. And, working indoors under artificial light suppresses the production of serotonin. Rest, one of nature's physicians, is lacking when we do not get enough darkness after sunset. Sunshine, another of nature's physicians, is lacking when we do not get enough time outdoors.

Therefore, what conclusions can we deduce when it comes to doing medical missionary work? Do you need a MD's license to prescribe medicine to help others have better health?

[Curt]

"I know from the testimonies given me from time to time for brain workers, that sleep is worth far more before than after midnight. Two hours’ good sleep before twelve o'clock is worth more than four hours after twelve o'clock...." Manuscript Releases Vol 7 page 224.3

Isn't it amazing how the Lord provides us with information, simple information for our daily needs.

The Sleep wake cycle is controlled by our Circadian Rhythm or cycle around the pattern of one day. Whether a person is blind or not, light and darkness are sensed in our eyes by a net of  protein called melanopsin which regulates our retinal clock and dopamine synthesis by night. (NIH PMID: 23604021, DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1338-9). This retinal photoreceptor was found by Provencio and his colleagues at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland and reported in the journal Nature in 2002.

The natural production of Melatonin, the famous sleep hormone, begins with the sensing of the change from light to dark by the protein net in the retina, averaged at sunset, and continues into the night peaking between midnight and 2am. There are four stages to its production. Its production and concentration in the blood is very slow and gradual from the sunset onward to its peak period, and the more hours one can spend in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep during its peak blood concentration period, the better for bodily repair and rejuvenation.
Please note that the taking of Melatonin does not work in the same way as if it were naturally and gradually produced by the body.

Now, proof that man's body and mind are pre-programmed for activity during the day and rest at night show that the Mind functions differently after midnight than before midnight.

Research published in Frontiers in Network Psychology lists negative emotions and practices that are prevalent in the period after midnight. Suicide, self-harm and substance abuse rates are higher in the period after midnight than before. "In 2020, research at a supervised drug consumption center in Brazil revealed a 4.7-fold greater risk of opioid overdose at night." some of these behaviors can be explained by sleep debt or the seeming protection, secrecy and privacy of the night time. However, Researchers like Klerman and her colleagues think we need to investigate these factors further to make sure we are protecting those most at risk from nighttime wakefulness.

With all this information, there is a period of six (6) hours in which surprisingly little is known about how the human brain works. As one author said " whether asleep or awake, the mind after midnight is a mystery."

During periods of high stress at work, I have personally tested the counsel of getting more hours before midnight than after. I would go to bed by 10pm and awake in the early morning to continue work. I found that my mind was clear, my thoughts flowed more consistently, my focus was exceptional, errors in documents were far less and my retention of the subject was greatly improved.

Recommended sleep duration is from 6 to 8 hours, no more, no less. When it comes to improving the quality of our sleep, exercise is far better than herbs to reduce stress on the mind and improve restfulness and sleep. Avoid any exciting material (news) or arguments prior to bedtime. Interpersonal conflicts get worse in the mind during the night of rest and increase in their intensity through the night. All efforts are to be made to avoid such thoughts before bedtime. Forgiveness and prayer are the key.

God planned to have an early morning talk (devotion) with us each day, just as he had with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and wants our minds to be clear and rested in the early morning, ready to meet with Him before taking on the days activities and challenges.

CdG ND

[Curt]

In February 2002 the February 15 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry printed an article on sleep. It reported on  the risk of mortality (dying) relative to the number of hours of sleep per night. The National sleep foundation agreed. The study by Dr. Daniel Kripke of the University of California in San Diego and colleagues examined the findings of a previously conducted study that included, among other things, data on the sleep habits of 1.1 million people men and women between the ages of 30 and 102. Participants who reported sleeping 8 or more hours or less than 4 or 5 hours a night experienced a slightly higher chance of dying-at least a 15% increase in risk--within that time compared with those who slept 7 hours a night

Here below we have an excerpt from another study released in October 21, 2022 and reported on MEDSCAPE also re-enforcing that less than 6 hours of sleep per night contributed to and increased the risk of developing multiple chronic diseases.

MEDSCAPE
Less Than 6 Hours of Sleep a Night Linked to Serious, Chronic Illness

Eve Bender,
October 21, 2022
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/982848?src=WNL_trdalrt_pos1_ous_221025&uac=305958HN&impID=4789549

"Researchers at University College London in the United Kingdom and Université Paris Cité, France, found that beginning at age 50, those who slept 5 hours or less a night had a 30% higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases over time than those who slept at least 7 hours a night. By the time the participants were aged 70 years, that risk had increased to 40%.
Diseases for which there was a higher risk included diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, depression, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and arthritis.
"It is important to take care of our sleep," lead investigator Séverine Sabia, PhD, told Medscape Medical News. Sabia is a researcher and epidemiologist at Université Paris Cité and INSERM in Paris, France, and the University College London.
She noted that the source of the sleep problem must be addressed, but in cases in which there is no medical reason for sleep paucity, "healthy sleep habits are a must. These include keeping a regular sleep schedule, a healthy lifestyle — physical activity and light exposure during the day, and *a light dinner — and avoidance of screens for a half hour before sleep."
The study was published online October 18 in PLOS Medicine."

END OF QUOTE ..................

Medical research has become so specific as to be able to tell us the diseases associated with a lowered number of hours of "sleep" (not rest). The link is provided for those desiring to read the article in its entirety. In some research scientist are going back and reviewing sometimes hundreds of previous studies to collate and extract more and more relational information to better assist physicians in understanding diseases, its causes and the effects. Trying to find ad provide better recommendations for prevention, assessment, diagnosis and treatments.

The author emphasizes the points of Healthy Living within the parameters of the eight law of health and instruction given to us by God through His servant.

• Find the Cause - Ministry of Healing Pg 73: "In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained."
  Physical Activity - Exercise
  Sunlight - Light exposure during the day
  Nutrition - light dinner
  Temperance - Regular sleep schedule, and avoidance of screens for a half hour before sleep.
  

So there you have it. From a previous post we know that the hours before midnight are worth twice the hours after midnight. Now we not only have scientific evidence for the duration of sleep within 6 to 8 hours (temperance) but also that the laws of health promotes good sleep and  longevity.