lack of sleep makes you eat
People who were deprived of one night's sleep purchased more calories and grams of food in a mock supermarket on the following day in a new study published in the journal Obesity, the official journal of The Obesity Society. Sleep deprivation also led to increased blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, on the following morning. However, there was no correlation between individual ghrelin levels and food purchasing, suggesting that other mechanisms — such as impulsive decision making — may be more responsible for increased purchasing.
Meditation reduces craving for tobacco
Addiction to smoking and other substances involves a particular set of brain areas related to self-control, according to numerous research. For a new study, researchers wondered if a training approach designed to influence this addiction pathway could influence smokers to reduce their tobacco use — even if smokers did not intend to do so. The study, published online in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that smokers trained with a form of mindfulness meditation known as Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) curtailed their smoking by 60 per cent. Subjects in a control group that received a relaxation regimen showed no reduction.
Ear disorder and hyperactivity
Behavioural abnormalities are traditionally thought to originate in the brain. But a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has found that inner-ear dysfunction can directly cause neurological changes that increase hyperactivity. The study, conducted in mice, also implicated two brain proteins in this process, providing potential targets for intervention. For years, scientists have observed that many children and adolescents with severe inner-ear disorders — particularly disorders affecting both hearing and balance — also have behavioural problems, such as hyperactivity. Until now, no one has been able to determine whether the ear disorders and behavioural problems are actually linked.
Traumatic childhood is fatal
Traumatic childhood experiences are linked to an increased risk of early death, according to new research using data from the 1958 National Child Development Study. The research, led by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), in collaboration with the ESRC International Centre, found that men and women who had suffered adversity in childhood were more likely to die before age of 50 than those who had not. The researchers compared premature death rates among more than 15,000 people to their experiences of adversity at ages 7, 11 and 16.
Peer pressure is good at times
Children in after school programmes who have a sense of connectedness with their peers are less likely to report emotional problems, according to Penn State researchers. Children exhibited fewer behaviour problems if they perceived their peers were willing to encourage them to behave well. “Encouraging your friends to do something positive or to not misbehave may start from selfishness because you want your group to earn a certain activity or privilege, but it turns into working together as a team,” said Emilie Phillips Smith, professor of Human Development and Family Studies.