sleep aid Archives | What is Epigenetics?

Daytime Sleepiness May Be Result of Epigenetic Change

July 23, 2019 Andrea P

Sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For most of us, it’s our favorite activity, yet we somehow never get enough of it. Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain, memory problems, and increased fatigue throughout the day. It turns out that feeling sleepy during the day may be a separate issue, and could be attributed to a change in a person’s epigenetics. Daytime fatigue creeping up so persistently that people can’t stay awake [more…]

Will Losing Sleep Cause a Change in Your Genes?

May 21, 2019 Paul Serra

Sleep deprivation is quite common among students and working adults. Unfortunately, it causes changes in mood, attention, metabolism, immune system, hormones and much more. If sleep deprivation continues for years, it is very likely to cause mental illness or a body disease. These long-term sleep loss problems are usually linked to changes in gene activity and expression. Does your behavior influence your genes? It does, but it is not only your behavior – development (in children and adolescents), aging, diet, [more…]

acute short term sleep loss leads to epigenetic changes

One Night Without Sleep Could Trigger Epigenetic Changes and Weight Gain

September 4, 2018 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Even just one night of sleep loss could lead to epigenetic changes that tweak our metabolism and regulation of gene expression, a new study suggests. Researchers at Uppsala University found that one night without sleep was linked to alteration of the human epigenome, weight gain, and the loss of lean muscle mass. Previous research has shown that skipping sleep lowers the body’s protective antioxidant levels and leads to epigenetic changes. Sleep deprivation can also impact histone modifications and impair memory. [more…]

Skipping Sleep Lowers the Body’s Protective Antioxidant Levels and Induces Epigenetic Changes

December 5, 2017 Natalie Crowley

Sleep is something that nearly all species need to survive. On a daily basis, humans need about 8 hours, dogs and cats recharge with around 12 hours, and the koala takes nearly the entire day — napping a whopping 22 hours. But unlike dogs, koalas, or most other animals, we humans don’t always get enough of our required Zzz’s. Our lives are either too busy or filled with too many distractions that keep us up at night. Sometimes sleep is [more…]

Short-Term Sleep Loss Alters DNA Methylation of Clock Genes

September 15, 2015 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Sleep is crucial to our well-being and helps in the process of learning and memory formation. Without proper sleep we can feel moody, irritable, and have difficulty solving problems. We can even be less creative when we don’t get enough sleep. Now, research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism is showing us that just one night of poor sleep can lead to epigenetic changes to our DNA, specifically to our “clock genes” which control our circadian clock. [more…]

Epigenetics of Sleep and DNA Methylation

The Epigenetics of Sleep: 3 Reasons to Catch More Zzz’s

March 3, 2015 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Although the mysteries surrounding sleep are still being uncovered by scientists, we do know that sleep is crucial to our daytime functioning and is vital for processes such as learning and consolidation of memories. Unfortunately, we often fail to get enough sleep even when we know how important it is. Trying to compensate for poor sleep by sleeping more on the weekends or drinking stimulants like coffee just to stay awake can actually end up doing more harm than good. [more…]

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