Health Happenings: Sleep Deprivation Links to Serious Consequences

02/28/13 13:44 PM

By Mackenna Scripps / mscripps@smu.edu Beep. Beep. Beeeeep. Possibly the worst noise you hear all day – your alarm clock in the morning. We all know as college students sleep isn’t exactly high on the “to do” list. With homework, activities, friends, work, and everything else, getting eight hours of sleep isn’t even a possibility. However, those eight hours may be more important than you know. According to a new study from U.K. researchers, in a Huffington Post article, sleep deprivation can mess with your genes (no, not your pants), but rather your working subunits of DNA. The article says that blood samples after just one week of less than six hours of sleep a night revealed more than 700 gene changes. The study isn’t completely understood yet, but it’s still something...

The importance of vitamins to the body

02/26/13 16:29 PM

By Alexandra Spitzer / aspitzer@smu.edu

Vitamins are an essential part of a healthy diet. Although you can receive the same benefits and nutrients that vitamins provide through different types of food, it is often difficult to consume these certain foods on a daily basis, unlike vitamins which are quick and easy supplements that will provide you with what your body needs each day. Here are just a few of the many different benefits that vitamins provide the body with:

1. Help prevent diseases (Vitamin D)
2. Proper immune function (Vitamin C and Vitamin A)
3. Bone health (Vitamin D and Vitamin K)
4. Increase energy levels and production (Vitamin B)

The importance of water

02/21/13 14:38 PM

By Alexandra Spitzer / aspitzer@smu.edu

Drinking enough water each day is an essential component for living a healthy lifestyle. Water plays a very important role in helping the human body function. Approximately 2/3 of the body consists of water and it makes up most of our tissues and organs. Here are just a few of the important functions that water has in the human body:

• Transports nutrients and oxygen into cells
• Moisturizes the air in lungs
• Helps enhance metabolism
• Protects vital organ
• Allows organs to absorb nutrients better
• Regulates body temperature
• Detoxifies
• Protects and moisturizes joints

How sleep affects weight loss

02/19/13 13:15 PM

By Alexandra Spitzer / aspitzer@smu.edu How Hormones Influence Sleep and Affect Weight Loss: Have you ever had a sleep deprived night followed by a day that no matter what you eat it neither satisfies nor fills you up? Sleep is the body’s time to rest and repair, and produce essential hormones. Lack of sleep causes leptin levels go down and as a result you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Sleep deprivation also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which stimulates the appetite and makes you crave more food. The Result: In simpler terms, ghrelin is the ‘yes’ hormone that tells you when to eat while leptin is the ‘no’ hormone and tells you to stop eating. When you are sleep deprived, you have more ghrelin hormones encouraging you to eat and less leptin hormones to tell you ‘no’....

Best ways to avoid getting sick this season

02/14/13 13:10 PM

By Alexandra Spitzer / aspitzer@smu.edu Wash your hands. It may sound repetitive, but washing your hands is the most important way to prevent a cold as almost 80% of diseases can be spread by a simple touch. Cover your nose and mouth (without your hand). Use the crease of your elbow or a tissue when coughing or sneezing to avoid spreading germs. Disinfect. Germs are commonly found on objects we use in our everyday lives like tabletops, doorknobs and remote controls. To eliminate these germs, use a common disinfecting spray or wipes. Get enough Sleep. Sleep is the body’s time to repair and rest so it is important that you allow sufficient time for the body to do that. Take vitamins. Vitamins, such as vitamin D, are a great way to boost your immune system...

Five easy tips for quick weight loss

02/12/13 20:39 PM

By Alexandra Spitzer / aspitzer@smu.edu

Following these five tips every day are the perfect way to start your weight loss endeavors and will help you lead a healthy and active lifestyle!

1. Drink plenty of water (at least 64 oz. a day)
2. Exercise at least 30 minutes each day
3. Include lots of lean protein, vegetables and fruit in your diet
4. Get enough sleep every night (at least 7 hours)
5. Cut down on your carb intake

Five-minute calorie burners

02/05/13 20:58 PM

By Alexandra Spitzer / aspitzer@smu.edu

Too busy to get a long and extensive workout in this week? No need to worry- these six exercises will do the trick by burning calories in just five minutes and providing you with a mini workout that can be performed in between your hectic schedule!

1. Jump rope: 68 calories
2. Lunge: 45 calories
3. Run: 62 calories
4. Dance: 45 calories
5. Walk up and down the stairs: 36 calories
6. Bounce on a stability ball: 58 calories