trouble falling asleep and heart attack risk

If you have trouble falling asleep, don't take it lightly -- you could be a candidate for a moderately higher risk of a heart attack.

In a recent study, the risk of heart attack in people with insomnia ranged from 27 percent to 45 percent greater than for people who rarely experienced trouble sleeping.

Researchers tied in heart attack risks to three major insomnia symptoms. Compared to people who reported never or almost never having these problems, people who had trouble falling asleep almost daily in the last month had a 45 percent higher heart attack risk.

Staying asleep almost every night in the last month had a 30 percent higher heart attack risk; and didn't wake up feeling refreshed in the morning more than once a week had a 27 percent higher heart attack risk.

'Sleep problems are common and fairly easy to treat,' said study co-author Lars Erik Laugsand and internist in public health from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Associaton reports.

'So it's important that people are aware of this connection between insomnia and heart attack and talk to their doctor if they're having symptoms,' Laugsand added, according to a Norwegian University statement.

Heart attack risk also increases with each additional insomnia symptom, researchers said. The study was based on 52,610 Norwegian adults who answered questions about insomnia as part of a national health survey in 1995-97.

Up to 33 percent of people are known to experience at least one insomnia symptom. Previous smaller studies have linked insomnia to heart disease, including high blood pressure and heart attacks. Every year, about 785,000 Americans have a first-time heart attack.

source: mathrubhumi.com/english/story.php?id=116121

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Cranberry juice better at fighting bugs

Cranberry juice is far better than its extract in fighting a bio-film, formed by a resistant layer of bugs that spur infection, new research says.

The study explored mechanisms that the virulent form of E. coli bug, the primary cause of most urinary tract infections in people, uses to form bio-films.

'What we have shown is that cranberry juice's ability to prevent bio-films is more complex than we may have originally thought,' said study co-author Terri Camesano, professor of chemical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

'For a while, the field focused on these proanthocyanidins or PACs (a group of flavonoids found in cranberry extract), but the data shows that they aren't the silver bullet,' added Camesano, the journal Food Science and Biotechnology reports.

The virulent form of E. coli is covered with small hair-like projections known as fimbriae that act like hooks and latch onto cells that line the urinary tract, according to a WPI statement.

When enough of the virulent bacteria adhere to cells, they form a bio-film and cause an infection.

Camesano's team, which included graduate student Paola Andrea Pinzon-Arango and intern Kerrie Holguin, incubated two different strains of E. coli in the presence of two different mixtures of commercially available cranberry juice cocktail.

They also incubated the bacteria separately in the presence of PACs, but not juice.

source: mathrubhumi.com/english/story.php?id=116123

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Eating nuts helps lowers heart disease risk

Nuts and seeds are very beneficial to your health. You must mix your diet every day, eating nuts helps lowers heart disease risk in people with metabolic syndrome (MetS) or those with excess abdominal fat, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, say researchers.

MetS symptoms increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, the Journal of Proteome Research reported, citing a statement from the University of Barcelona.

Cristina Andres-Lacueva and colleagues from the varsity with the Human Nutrition Unit of the Rovira i Virgili University explain that the rise in obesity worldwide means more and more patients have MetS.

To check the benefits of nut consumption, researchers put 22 MetS patients on a nut-enriched diet for 12 weeks and compared them to another group of 20 patients who avoided nuts.

The scientists analyzed the compounds excreted in patients' urine and found evidence of several healthful changes, including a boost in patients' levels of serotonin metabolites.

Serotonin, a chemical, helps decrease feelings of hunger, makes people feel happier and improves heart health, the researchers said.
source: mathrubhumi.com

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5 Foods That Can Trigger a Stroke

Few things feel more terrifying and random than a stroke, which can strike without warning. And fear of stroke -- when a blood vessel in or leading to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot, starving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients -- is well founded. After all, stroke is the number-three killer in the U.S., affecting more than 700,000 people each year. Here are five foods that cause the damage that leads to stroke.

1. Crackers, chips, and store-bought pastries and baked goods

2. Smoked and processed meats

3. Diet soda

4. Red meat

5. Canned soup and prepared foods

for more: 5 Foods That Can Trigger a Stroke

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Insurance

Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is available to pay for the health care benefits specified in the insurance agreement. The benefit is administered by a central organization such as a government agency, private business, or not-for-profit entity
source:wikipedia

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Exercise - Walking

Walking is a very simple but a powerful exercise. It helps to boost your energy level and gifts you a healthy body and a healthy mind.

The fundamental health benefits of exercise walking are many. Metabolically, it helps control weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. A brisk walk can burn up to 100 calories per mile or 300 calories per hour. Walking is the perfect complement to a sensible diet to lose weight and keep it off.

Benefits of walking

• Walking prevents type 2 diabetes 
• Walking strengthens your heart if you're male
• Walking strengthens your heart if you're female 
• Walking is good for your brain
• Walking is good for your bones
• Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression
• Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer
• Walking improves fitness
• Walking improves physical function

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Yogasana

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. The goals of yoga are varied and range from improving health to achieving moksha.

Benefits of Yoga Practice

The physical aspect of what is called yoga in recent years, the asanas, has been much popularized in the West, and devoted celebrity practitioners like Madonna and Sting have contributed to the increased visibility of the practice. Physically, the practice of asanas is considered to:

• improve flexibility
• improve strength
• improve balance
• reduce stress and anxiety
• reduce symptoms of lower back pain
• be beneficial for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• increase energy and decrease fatigue
• shorten labor and improve birth outcomes
• improve physical health and quality of life measures in the elderly
• improve diabetes management
• reduce sleep disturbances
• reduce hypertension

source: wikipedia

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Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve general health. It is important for lowering many chronic health risks, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer. A healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts of all essential nutrients and an adequate amount of water. Nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are numerous diets that may be considered healthy.

A healthy diet needs to have a balance of macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates), calories to support energy needs, and micronutrients to meet the needs for human nutrition without inducing toxicity or excessive weight gain from consuming excessive amounts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) makes the following 5 recommendations with respect to both populations and individuals:

• Achieve an energy balance and a healthy weight
• Limit energy intake from total fats and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids
• Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts
• Limit the intake of simple sugar -- A 2003 report recommends less than 10% simple sugars
• Limit salt / sodium consumption from all sources and ensure that salt is iodized

soucrce: wikipedia

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Healthy Food

The term health food is generally used to describe foods that are considered to be beneficial to health, beyond a normal healthy diet required for human nutrition. "Health food" is sometimes used as an umbrella term encompassing natural foods, organic foods, whole foods, and sometimes nutritional supplements. Such products are sold in health food stores or in the health/organic sections of supermarkets. "Health food" may also refer to functional food: foods for which a specific claim of health benefits is made, such as that consumption of the food may prevent disease. Additionally, "health food" is sometimes used in contrast with "junk food", which may be high in calories but has little other nutritional value.

Natural foods are often assumed to be foods that are minimally processed and do not contain any hormones, antibiotics, sweeteners, food colors, or flavorings that were not originally in the food.

Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.

Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as salt, carbohydrates, or fat. Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and non-homogenized dairy products

source:wikipedia

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Pranayama

"Pranayama is extension of the prana or breath". In a Yogic point of view, proper breathing is to bring more oxygen to the blood and to the brain, and to control Prana or the vital life energy. On subtle levels prana represents the pranic energy responsible for life or life force, and "ayama" means control. So Pranayama is "Control of Breath". One can control the rhythms of pranic energy with pranayama and achieve healthy body and mind.

The goal of Pranayama is to increase the quantum of this life force (Prana) so that it can reach out to 'hidden' recesses of the brain. This helps in expanding the human faculties and retarding degeneration.

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Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar, considered as the best exercise for human body. Effective use of Surya Namaskar is experienced on three levels ? body, mind and intellect. The practice of Surya Namaskar is a sort of training to your body mind and soul.

Only 35 to 40% of your muscles are used in daily activities. Rest of the muscles remain inactive. Surya Namaskar is a physical exercise where almost 95% to 97% of your muscles are switched on to active mode. They remain active, hours ahead during the day, till you recharge them the next morning.

While performing Surya Namaskar the breathing exercise (Pranayam) gives more oxygen to your lungs. The rhythm of breathing becomes heavy with vitality. Each breath becomes deep and clear. It carries more oxygen to the parts of your body. There are twelve steps in Surya Namaskar. You can count five seconds for each step of the Surya Namaskar. It means that one Surya Namaskar goes for one minute (and a bit more). This is the normal speed to perform twelve Asana / one Surya Namaskar. This speed ensures SharirVruddhi ? stedy progress in overall health and happiness. At the beginning, of course, you have to go very slow.

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