Grandner notes such biological distinctions are embedded within a context of familial, cultural, neighborhood and other social factors. "It is only when we can come to grips with this multilayered environment that we can understand why different groups of people experience differences in sleep," he says. "If this seems too daunting, just remember that this is the exact sort of work that was recognized as needed for other domains of healthy behavior, such as healthy diet, adequate exercise, decreased alcohol use and decreased smoking."
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Add Comment"Unlike many other foreign-born persons, African-born Americans were more likely to report sleeping six hours or less, suggesting that helping them find more sleep could help them with other health issues"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis seems like an awfully big leap even for the Big Brother Nanny. If variations in sleep patterns are indeed genetic why does this not lead one to suppose that they are probably best left alone to find their own natural rhythm? As the study itself shows there is no universal 'norm' for sleep and therefore, like every other 'healthy living' standard (how much alcohol you should drink, how many portions of vegetables we need etc. etc.) this would be nothing but a wild guess!
The sleep studies need to be broadened be international in scope and more controlled. Any sleep study must take into account culture and ethnicity, work habits and life habits, etc. For example, the language above suggested the study looked at sleep at night. But many cultures have afternoon "siestas", eat at different hours of the day, etc.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe assumption from the first paragraph that we should have night time sleep in common would have never occurred to me.
Chronic sleep deprivation is potentially the 800 pound gorilla of healthcare. It is an area chronically overlooked by physicians, even in patients that are suffering from conditions know to originate or exacerbate due to sleep deprivation. A UCLA study many years back looked at hypertension in compliant patients. The cases were reviewed by a panel and determined to be individuals that even with the highest compliance would always be dependent on drug management. The researchers then took the subjects to a compound where the controlled everything from diet to exercise and sleep cycle. In 4 weeks 90% of the patients had normalized blood pressures without medication. Granted the ate are a lot of variables her to assign significance to any one. It still makes a powerful statement of how important it is to get patients to focus on getting closer to normal in these parameters, particularly sleep.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs this information pointing towards a positive effect of jet-lag?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCould you please provide links to, or titles of, the studies so they will be easier to find
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI came across this article recently, and found it very interesting in the context of how we ordinarily think of "a good night's sleep" nowadays.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBroken Sleep May Be Natural Sleep
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/55271
Sleep is dependent on how secure and safe you feel you are. In the US you are not safe.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe are safer in the USA than people in almost the entire rest of the world are. I imagine that Finland is fairly safe to live in during the summer. I haven't seen crime statistics for Iceland either so that country may be safe. Just remember that crimes and crime rates aren't the same and areas with ongoing revolutions or domestic unrest are also dangerous.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisto bucketofsquid
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe USA has proportionally and absolute the largest incarcerate population (prisoners), a large majority of whom are black. Nevertheless I am much safer in the European countries.