I love to sleep.   Even as a kid… sleep was a priority.   I hated slumber parties because “slumbering” wasn’t actually on the schedule.   Lack of sleep from those overnight parties left me feeling sick…..and tired!   I never even pulled an “all-nighter” in college!   I just couldn’t make it without enough “zzzzz’s.” 

And, for the record, 8 hours a night is a starting point for me.   To be at the top of my game…I really do best with 9 hours under the sheets.  For years…. this nightly need for sleep really bothered me.   Other people seemed to get by just fine on 5 or 6 hours a night.   Surely I could get more done if I didn’t sleep so much.   But any attempt at cutting back on sleep over the years has proved a dismal failure.    Without a full night’s sleep…I can’t think straight.  My eyes burn.  My body aches.  I’m disorganized, inefficient and irritable.  It’s just not worth it.  And these days, I’m not even aplogizing for the time I spend in the rack.   According to the latest medical research on sleep…I’ve been vindicated!

Turns out…most Americans don’t get enough sleep….and it’s affecting their health.   The culture doesn’t help.  According to the New York Times News Service…..corporate America reveres the e-mail message sent at 3 a.m….. the executive who rushes into a meeting from a red-eye flight.   You’ve probably seen the popular bumper sticker,  “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Well, here’s the bad news.  If you don’t get enough quality sleep…you may just die prematurely.    Scientists have linked a lack of sleep to everything from stress-related health problems….to a breakdown of the immune system.   And, according to Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School and director of the Sleep Laboratory at Massachusettes General Hospital….  without sleep….. productivity declines markedly.  Sleep actually enhances performance, learning and memory.   Sleep also improves the creative ability to generate “aha!” moments and uncover novel connections among seemingly unrelated ideas.    Some companies are even providing sleeping areas called EnergyPods in the workplace.   Sleepy workers can take a 15-minute nap during the day and awaken fresh and better able to problem-solve.

Me?   I just like the way a good night’s sleep feels.  That’s why the last Saturday in October is one of my favorite days of the year.  A chance to hang out under the comforter an extra hour!

Now, I understand many factors…including work and family schedules….don’t always allow for 8 hours of sleep.   When 8 hours isn’t possible, experts say it’s important to maximize the sleep you do get.   Dr. Carol Ash, Medical Director of the Sleep For Life Center…. recommends sleeping under optimum circumstances….putting you in control of your sleep cycle and energy level.  Quality sleep also improves concentration, increases memory function and helps reduce stress….while helping to prevent obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

A few expert tips to help maximize sleep….

-Keep it cool.  Your body will ease into a sounder sleep in a cooler environment.

-Consider changing your mattress.  A quality mattress provides pressure relief and support.

-Darken your space.  Use room darkening shades to limit morning sun or other sleep disrupting light.

-Eliminate noise.  This includes keeping pets out of your room, turning off the television and closing windows and doors.  (I highly recommend a sound machine.  It can block out ambient noise with a constant sound of white noise or other pleasant sound.)

Daylight Saving time ends at midnight November 2.   Why not consider taking advantage of the extra hour and get some rest…. while making a few critical adjustments to your sleep schedule and environment long term.  A good night’s sleep is a gift you can give yourself.

    I’m not usually very big on fads.   I’m old enough to have seen most of them come and go.   But one of the latest health fads…a little purple berry indigenous to the Amazon…has really taken hold of the health food industry.    It’s called Acai (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee)….and it’s touted for it’s anti-oxidant properties.

 Ryan Black….a surfer from Newport Beach…..brought the so-called “wonder berry” to the U.S. in 1999.   According to Encinitas Magazine…. Black got hooked up with some Brazilian fruit processors and began exporting frozen Acai to the U.S.  Today, his company….Sambazon….is expected to do $25 million in sales.   You can’t miss the little hard-to-pronounce berry.  Seems it’s in everything these days…..juices, smoothies, energy drinks, frozen deserts and supplement pills and powders.

    Acai may a staple of the Amazon……but it’s become a much-hyped ingredient in food products worldwide.  Does the unassuming little berry deserve all the buzz?   According to Henry’s dietician and nutritionist Janet Little….there’s no doubt the acai berry is a powerful antioxidant.   “However,” says Little, “acai is very expensive and frankly, doesn’t taste very good.  To make the fruit palatable…. food makers are surrounding it in chocolate or blending it in liquids with several sugary juices to mask the bitter taste.”  

   Little says we often think of fruits and vegetables as the best sources of the antioxidants…. touted for preventing the formation of free radicals that can lead to cancer.  And it’s true.  But if it’s antioxidants you’re interested in….there may be a better way. (or at least another way!)  You may just want to go from berries to beans!  That’s right.  The food rated highest in total antioxidant capacity is the “small red bean.”  You can find the tiny beans in the bulk bins at Henry’s and other health food stores.  They’re inexpensive…can be added to many dishes and are packed with nutrition.

   Nothing wrong with munching the bitter little berry…or adding it to your morning power drink.   But consider this.  With acai a global sensation….environmentalists now fear the berry’s runaway success may spell trouble for the rain forest.  With so many business conglomerates working their way into the acai trade….cultivators are intensifying production at the expense of other trees.   Conservationists are keeping a close eye on the situation.

   For now…maybe a little moderation is in order.    First it was blueberries.  Then pomegranate was supposed to be the miracle berry.  Where nutrition is concerned…there is no magic bullet….just balance.   Now there’s a fad that may just survive the test of time. 

  We’re hearing so much these days about advances in genetics.  Well, I just learned about a new field of genetics called “geneography.”  Based on this kind of gene mapping…..your genes can not only tell you who you’re related to.  They can now tell you where you came from.   ABC news recently reported how researchers have created a genetic map of Europe….and hope to extend it around the world.

   For those of us whose ancestors came through Ellis Island…..we probably know their ethnicity.   in my case, I only have a vague idea of exactly where in France and Ireland they’re from.  As a result of this new research…I may now be able to zero in on the exact location in those countries and learn even more about my heritage

   Researchers at UCLA claim they can actually pinpoint a person’s geographic origin to within a few hundred miles…..using only a DNA sample.   They worked with pharmaceutical company Smith-Kline on this project    The researchers were asked to analyze a huge genetic database used for studying drug reactions.  The scientists catalogued hundreds of thousands of tiny genetic differences among thousands of people from all over Europe.   The statisticians plotted the DNA differences in two dimensions….using distance to represent the amount of variation.  Amazingly, the results matched the map of Europe!   One of the researchers, Carlos Bustamante, said he almost fell off his chair when he saw the results.  “It was just so stunning that you could take this DNA data…..you had no idea where these individuals came from….and smack in the middle was Switzerland….to the south was Italy…to the west was the Iberian peninsula!”

    In an interview with the journal, “Nature,” researcher John Novembre talked about how exciting it would be to look at variation around the world and look at many different populations.   The medical application is just as exciting.   Scientists say the discovery will help design better studies of genetics, drugs and diseases.  But if you’re more into geneaology….this discovery promises to make tracing our ancestry a lot more accurate.

   (According to ABC, the initial map works only for people whose grandparents came from the same country.  Researchers are working on a program to tease out more complex origins.)  For more…check out sciencentral.com.