An extra hour of sleep increases healthy gene expression

The BBC recently conducted a short study to assess the health effects of an extra hour of sleep. The article is well worth reading. Two high points: During deep sleep memories are consolidated and moved into long-term storage. This consolidation must take place within 24 hours or the memories are lost. This is why it is important to prioritize adequate sleep during times when you are learning new things (e.g. finals week, the first few months in a new job, etc.) The REM sleep phase is the only time, day or night, when the body stops producing... [Read more...]

What to expect from the early phases of treatment

Did you ever notice that the biggest hill of a rollercoaster is always somewhere in the beginning of the ride? This is so that the cars can develop enough momentum from the first hill to propel them through the rest of the course. Getting to the top of that first hill, however, takes some work. The full weight of the cars must be towed up the hill from a standing start before they can be released at the top. In fact, if the ride contains a really gigantic summit, sometimes you are pulled up a smaller hill first and then the momentum from... [Read more...]