Abnormal sleep patterns in women linked to stroke

Sleep patterns in middle-aged women can increase their risk for stroke, researchers in the United States have found. The greatest increase in stroke risk—70 per cent—was noted among women who slept nine hours or more per night, according to their report in the medical journal Stroke. The current investigation included 93,175 women, between 50 and 79 years of age, who were enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative study. Overall, 8.3 percent of these women reported that they normally slept no more than five hours per night, while 4.6 percent reported sleeping at least nine hours per night. After following the group for an average of 7.5 years, the researchers found that 1,166 women experienced an ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked. This prevents oxygen from reaching the brain and the brain’s tissue begins to die. Upon further analysis, researchers found that women with a sleep duration of six hours or less, eight hours, or nine hours or more increased the risk of stroke by 14 percent, 24 percent, and 70 percent, respectively, compared with sleeping seven hours.

Gum disease tied to diabetes risk
People with moderate to severe gum disease may have an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the results of a new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 9,300 U.S. adults who were followed for 17 years, those who began the study with gum disease were more likely to develop diabetes later on. Men and women with moderate gum disease had twice the risk of diabetes as those with healthy gums, while substantial tooth loss was linked to a 70 percent higher risk. The findings, published in the journal Diabetes Care, show a temporal association between the two conditions; the relationship between diabetes and gum disease is well-known, but it has traditionally been assumed that gum disease is solely a consequence of diabetes.

Kids should work with hands for a sharper brain
British children’s brain development is being threatened by their failure to work with their hands in school and at home, said a research. The report cited examples of 11-year-olds with deficits in certain areas of their cognitive development and a decline in the ability of young engineers and apprentices to conceptualise straightforward mechanical problems. The findings of the report clearly point to strengthening the role of ‘3-D’ learning and crafts in educational policy-making today.