Americans Get Physical After a Good Night in Bed

1 May 2008 10:30 Africa/Lagos


Americans Get Physical After a Good Night in Bed

New findings show better sleep linked to improved physical performance

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

While weary, overextended Americans are turning to "quick fixes" like caffeine and performance-enhancing supplements, which claim to improve everything from their daily workout to their sex lives, they are losing sight of what experts say is essential to improved performance: a good night's sleep.


According to the 2008 Better Sleep Month (BSM) national survey, sponsored by the Better Sleep Council (BSC), those respondents getting nine hours of sleep or more are more likely to engage in higher-intensity workouts, including biking, running and/or weight lifting. Yet an alarming seven in 10 (70 percent) report that they are not getting the recommended amount of sleep needed each night (7 1/2 hours or more) to perform at their best each day.


"Sleep deprivation impacts us physically, which can negatively affect our coordination, agility, mood and energy," says Dr. Bert Jacobson, professor and head of the School of Educational Studies at Oklahoma State University (OSU) and the lead author of the new study Grouped Comparisons of Sleep Quality for New and Personal Bedding Systems. "Research shows that sleeping better and longer leads to improvements in athletic performance, including faster sprint time, better endurance, lower heart rate, and even improved mood and higher levels of energy during a workout."


One out of three survey respondents agrees, stating that the best thing about getting a good night's sleep is improved physical performance. However, the BSC explains that better sleep and/or improved physical performance is not just a result of getting one extra hour of sleep a night. "Getting a better night's sleep is about making a larger investment in sleep overall, including taking a closer look at your sleep surface and surroundings. Improving sleep quality is just as important as quantity," adds Dr. Jacobson.


A New Mattress Does a Body Good


The survey also reveals that respondents who report getting seven to eight hours of sleep each night (7.5 hours is optimal) are more likely to be sleeping on a newer mattress (one to four years old). Additionally, findings reveal that those sleeping on a newer mattress are significantly more likely to engage in physical activities than those who sleep on older mattresses:


Type of Physical Newer Mattress Older Mattress
Activity (one - four years old) (eight -10 years old)
Running 59% 6%
Weights 54% 8%
Aerobics 57% 9%




The same survey found that 81 percent of Americans report waking up with back, neck or shoulder pain in the past year, with nearly half (46 percent) of respondents reporting that they frequently (at least a few times a month) wake up with these types of pain that limit their physical performance.


There's good news, however, for the majority of people suffering with limited mobility due to back and neck pain. According to Dr. Jacobson's study, published in the Journal of Applied Ergonomics, sleeping on a new mattress can significantly improve sleep quality during the night and reduce physical pain during the day. In fact, when sleeping on new bedding systems, study respondents on average reported significant improvements in:


* lower back pain (62.8 percent),
* shoulder pain (62.4 percent),
* back stiffness (58.4 percent),
* sleep quality (64.4 percent), and
* sleep comfort (69.6 percent).



"Like your favorite pair of athletic shoes, your mattress can still feel comfortable long after it has lost its ability to provide your body with the comfort and support it needs," said Karin Dillner, BSC spokesperson. "And just as we need the proper equipment to get the best workout, we also need the proper equipment to get the best night's sleep -- most importantly, a quality mattress."


The BSC recommends that consumers evaluate their current mattress by asking themselves four basic questions to determine if it's time for a mattress upgrade:


* Is your mattress five - seven years old or older?
* Do you wake up with stiffness, numbness, aches and pains?
* Do you get a better night's sleep somewhere other than your own bed
(such as a hotel)?
* Does your mattress show visible signs of overuse (sags, stains, etc.)?



The BSC's E.A.S.E. Method provides consumers with easy steps for finding and purchasing the mattress of their dreams. For more information, visit http://www.bettersleep.org/ease.


For more tips on how to Start Every Day with a Good Night's Sleep(TM) during Better Sleep Month, and to download the Better Sleep Guide brochure for simple solutions that can help improve the quality of your performance by improving the quality of your sleep, please visit http://www.bettersleep.org/.


Dr. Bert Jacobson, performance expert, researcher, professor and author of Grouped Comparisons of Sleep Quality for New and Personal Bedding Systems, is available for comment regarding this study and the important role a mattress plays in the quality of one's life. Please contact Kristen Ekey at 202-828-8855 or kristen.ekey@fleishman.com for more information.


About the Better Sleep Council: Established in 1979, the Better Sleep Council (BSC) is the consumer education division of the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA). The BSC is devoted to educating the public about the importance of sleep to good health and quality of life, and about the value of the sleep system and sleep environment in pursuit of a good night's sleep.


Survey findings are taken from a survey of 1,000 people, conducted by the polling company(TM), inc., from January 18-21, 2008. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.


Source: Better Sleep Council

CONTACT: Kristen Ekey, +1-202-828-8855, kristen.ekey@fleishman.com, for
Better Sleep Council


Web site: Better Sleep

NEWSWEEK: Cover: Health for Life: Fertility & Diet

Dec 2007 17:47 Africa/Lagos


NEWSWEEK: Cover: Health for Life: Fertility & Diet

Harvard Researchers Show How Exercise and the Right Foods May Help You Get Pregnant

Ice Cream, Pasta, Whole Fruit and Unsaturated Fats Can Help Prevent Ovulatory Infertility

NEW YORK, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ --

The latest chapter of Newsweek's ongoing "Health For Life" series focuses on the newest research on how foods impact the odds of getting pregnant. Harvard University researchers Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Walter C. Willett, M.D., and Patrick J. Skerrett, authors of the new book "The Fertility Diet," break down the roles diet, exercise and weight control play in conception and weigh in on their surprising findings.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071202/NYSU003 )


In the December 10 Newsweek cover "Fertility & Diet" (on newsstands Monday, December 3), Chavarro, Willett and Skerrett offer details of their plan, which actually encourages eating foods such as ice cream, is virtually free, available to everyone, has no side effects, sets the stage for a healthy pregnancy, and forms the foundation of a healthy eating strategy for motherhood and beyond. For their groundbreaking book, the three researchers turned to more than 18,000 women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, a long-term research project looking at the effects of diet and other factors on the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and other diseases. The women in the study also said they were trying to have babies. Most women were successful, but about one in six had some trouble getting pregnant, including hundreds who experienced ovulatory infertility-a problem related to the maturation or release of a mature egg each month. The researchers noticed key differences after comparing the diets, exercise habits and lifestyle choices of these women compared with those of women who readily got pregnant.


Some of the keys include eating slowly digested carbohydrates such as brown rice, dark breads, beans, vegetables, and whole fruits; adding in unsaturated fats while taking out trans fats, and getting more protein from plants and less from animals. Another fascinating finding from the Nurses' Health Study is that a daily serving or two of whole milk and foods made from whole milk-full-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and, yes, even ice cream-seem to offer some protection against ovulatory infertility, while skim and low-fat milk do the opposite. The Fertility Diet also stresses the importance of exercising and maintaining a Body Mass Index between 20 and 24.


Also in the cover package:

-- General Editor Mary Carmichael reports on some of the latest insights
into the complex machinery of genetics and life itself. For years
scientists have known that certain genes can be turned on and off by
chemical switches, but only recently have they begun to understand
that these switches are a crucial link between the DNA and the outside
world. Researchers once saw the order of the base pairs in DNA as a
sort of unchanging blueprint. Researchers now know that chemical
switches are responsible for directing almost all of the body's
fundamental functions. As much as the genes themselves, they are the
biological builders that make us who we are.

-- Reporter Anne Underwood reports on memory loss and the ways people can
keep their minds sharper than ever. Scientists are busy looking into
the workings of how the mind creates and stores memories to better
understand age-related declines in retention as well as developing
drugs and exercises that help
push your aging brain to recall more.

-- Contributing Editor Barbara Kantrowitz reports on the new research and
insights into the complex hormonal symphony of sustaining the human
skeleton, and why fractures are caused by the most common bone
disease, osteoporosis. Researchers are working on finding
individualized ways of treating and perhaps even curing the crippling
disease.

-- Researchers are looking into whether the bacteria, fungi and microbes
inside the small and large intestines play a major role in influencing
weight. If true, this could provide new strategies for weight control,
write Patrick J. Skerrett and W. Allan Walker, M.D.

-- Seven Harvard experts also share their thoughts on specific health
care issues that ought be addressed, and the steps that should be
taken to fix America's ailing health system. Some of their suggestions
include eliminating racial disparities, ensuring that every American
has health insurance, using quality-of-care report cards and fixing
the Medicare Drug Benefit.

Links:
Cover: http://www.newsweek.com/id/73354
DNA: http://www.newsweek.com/id/73355
Memory Loss: http://www.newsweek.com/id/73356
Bone Loss: http://www.newsweek.com/id/73360
Intestinal Microbes: http://www.newsweek.com/id/73357
Health Care: http://www.newsweek.com/id/73358

(Read cover story at www.Newsweek.com)

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071202/NYSU003
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Brenda Velez of Newsweek, +1-212-445-4078


Web site: http://www.newsweek.com/
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73354
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73355
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73356
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73360
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73357
http://www.newsweek.com/id/73358

The December 10 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, December 3), 'Fertility & Diet', features the latest installment of the Health For Life series and looks at how food and exercise impact the odds of getting pregnant. The cover package also features the latest breakthroughs in the study of memory loss, obesity and latest insights into the complex field of genetics.