Blogging with Lee

It’s something to yawn about! The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reports that some 70 million people in the U.S. have a sleep problem. "About 40 million adults suffer from a chronic sleep disorder; an additional 20-30 million have intermittent sleep-related problems."

The NSF goes on to note that "America’s adults average 6.9 hours of sleep each night, slightly less than the range of seven to nine hours recommended by many sleep experts. Three-quarters of America’s adults said they frequently experienced at least one symptom of a sleep problem in the past year. One-quarter of America’s adults doesn’t get the minimum amount of sleep they say they need to be alert the next day." And it shows. The effects of sleep loss on work performance may be costing U.S. employers some $18 billion in lost productivity.

With one-quarter of American adults stating that their sleep problems have some impact on their daily lives, something needs to be done.

Researchers are constantly seeking ways to help us sleep better. A case in point is a new study completed by scientists at Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. Researchers found that tart cherry juice helped increase melatonin in study subjects, which in turn improved quality and duration of sleep. Take a look at my first report today for more details about this eye-closing study.

Elsewhere, researchers in Barcelona, Spain, discovered that mixed nuts appear to boost serotonin levels in the body. That could play an important role in supporting heart health and promoting increased well-being in people who are dealing with metabolic syndrome. The study was published in the Journal of Proteome Research. Learn more in my second report.

A third study, conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, found that more than half of the patients who were having spine surgery had low levels of vitamin D. Check out the full report here.