Marion County Medical Center

Health Shorts

March 2008

Noise, Sleep and Blood Pressure
Even if you’re able to get to sleep over the irritating noise, living near an airport can affect your sleep and raise your blood pressure. A four-year study published in the European Heart Journal measured the blood pressure of 140 subjects every 15 minutes while they slept in their homes near London Heathrow and three other European airports. The researchers concluded that persons living near an airport five years or more had a greater risk of developing chronic hypertension.

The decibel level was the key factor; the louder the noise, the higher the spike in blood pressure. Airplane noise of 10 decibels increased the risk of high blood pressure by 14 percent.
[SOURCE: Michael Kahn, “Airport noise instantly boosts blood pressure,” Reuters Health, February 13, 2008; European Heart Journal, February, 2008]

Excess Weight Curbs Seat Belt Use
Have you noticed that it’s harder to get your seat belt fastened when you’re wearing a bulky winter coat? Overweight people have that problem all year round.

A study of 250,000 responses to a national survey found that persons with a higher body mass index were less likely to use their seat belts. While 83 percent of normal weight subjects reported always wearing their seat belts, that percentage fell to 70 percent for obese persons.

Federal standards for seat belts require only that they be able to accommodate a 215-pound male.
[SOURCE: Kristin M. Hall, “Obese less likely to use seat belts,” AP Health, February 8, 2008; Obesity, February, 2008]

High BP Should Be Wake-Up Call
High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major factor in many heart attacks. Yet in one recent survey, only 23 percent of respondents listed hypertension as a major risk factor, compared to 58 percent for smoking and 38 percent for excess weight.

Only 57 percent of respondents realized that hypertension is a silent disease–that it produces no noticeable symptoms.
[SOURCE: British Cardiac Patients Association, “Heart attack risk highest in the morning,” Patient Health International, 2004]

More People Getting By on Less Sleep
Your ancestors in 1910 went to bed with the chickens and averaged 9.0 hours of sleep a night. The average American’s sleep time has decreased rapidly over the past several decades, dropping to 7.5 hours in 1975 and 6.8 hours in 2005. About 16 percent of Americans reported in 2005 that they got less than six hours sleep a night.

[SOURCE: Linda Brookes, “Prehypertension, the elderly, dementia, and sleep–how to treat the blood pressure?” Medscape Cardiology, April 21, 2006]

Restless Legs Produce BP Spikes
The repeated leg movements during sleep that characterize restless legs syndrome are likely to produce sharp increases in blood pressure that over time could increase the risk of heart disease.

Montreal researchers who measured blood pressure in 10 patients with restless legs syndrome found that the spike in blood pressure during leg movements ranged between 20 and 40 mmHg. A similar increase in blood pressure has been found in persons with obstructive sleep apnea and, to a lesser degree, in menopausal women experiencing hot flashes.
[SOURCE: M.H. Pennestri, et al, “Nocturnal blood pressure changes in patients with restless legs syndrome,” Neurology, April, 2007; Laurie Barclay, “Hot flashes are associated with ambulatory systolic hypertension,” Medscape Medical News, March 27, 2007]

Laughter Yoga: Good Moves, Good Fun
Laughter yoga, a fitness routine now practiced in more than 50 countries, combines laughter with yoga breathing exercises and movements. It’s 30 minutes of hearty laughter in a 60-minute workout.

Advocates of laughter, whether in a yoga routine or on its own, say that 20 minutes of hearty laughter is equivalent to 10 minutes of pedaling on a stationary bicycle. Laughter also boosts immune function, eases pain and speeds healing.
[SOURCE: “Reducing stress through laughter,” KaiTiaki Nursing New Zealand, March, 2007]

Babies Like It When Mom Laughs

A study of 48 babies with eczema and allergies found that their symptoms improved when their mothers watched a funny film before breast feeding them.

The placebo-controlled study asked the mothers to view either a Charlie Chaplin DVD or a non-humorous video providing weather information. When the mothers watched the funny video and laughed, their breast milk contained higher levels of melatonin compared to when they watched the factual one. Levels of melatonin, a hormone associated with relaxation, are generally lower in persons with eczema.
[SOURCE: “Laughter is the breast medicine,” New Scientist, June 16, 2007; H. Kimata, “Laughter elevates the levels of breast-milk melatonin,” Journal of Psychosomatic Research, June, 2007]

Lasting Effects of Laughter
Researchers studying the health benefits of laughter have found that the effects of a one-half hour humorous video can last from 12 to 24 hours. Another study found that subjects who were told they would be participating in a laughter experiment started showing decreases in stress-related mood states three days ahead of time.
[SOURCE: Joe Hoare, Nursing Standard, December 15, 2004]

Laughing Away Arthritis Pain
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder with inflammation and pain that’s very difficult to control. A Japanese study found successful treatment through laughter.

Using “Rakugo,” a funny traditional story to provoke laughter, researchers found that rheumatoid arthritis patients not only had relief from symptoms but showed changes in pro- and anti-inflammatory immune cells (cytokines) in the blood.
[SOURCE: Allison Gandey, “Study shows laughter helps difficult-to-control RA,” Medscape Medical News, February 7, 2006; T. Matsuzaki, et al, “Mirthful laughter differentially affects serum pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels depending on the level of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” Rheumatology, 2006;45:182-186]

Beware of Late-Onset Hypoglycemia
Diabetic patients should be aware of the risk of an exercise-induced hypoglycemic attack, not only during a workout but also several hours later. In fact, late-onset hypoglycemia can occur as long as 48 hours after exercise.

To avoid problems, athletes are advised to check their blood sugar both before and after exercise and to be alert to symptoms such as shakiness, excessive perspiration, nausea, anxiety, changes in gait or coordination or difficulty thinking or seeing clearly.

Diabetics, particularly those on intense therapy, are advised not to exercise at night because of the risk of hypoglycemia during sleep.
[SOURCE: Peggy Kraus, “Working with diabetic clients: a look at the exercise implications and contraindications when working with clients who suffer from type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia,” IDEA Fitness Journal, November-December, 2007]

Diabetic Drivers: Check Blood Sugar
Even a mild episode of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can significantly impair driving ability. A severe hypoglycemic attack can severely alter judgment or cause a driver to lose consciousness.

One recent study found that subjects with a normal awareness of hypoglycemia tended to make safe decisions concerning driving. Nearly 90 percent said they would stop if they experienced symptoms. However, only about 40 percent indicated that they checked blood sugar routinely before driving.
[SOURCE: Alexander D.M. Stork, Timon W. van Haeften and Thiemo F. Veneman, “The decision not to drive during hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes according to hypoglycemia awareness,” Diabetes Care, November, 2007]

Hypos During Sleep May Harm Memory
Adults with type 1 diabetes frequently have hypoglycemic, or low blood sugar, episodes during sleep. Some of these occur without symptoms, but studies show that they often have a negative effect on cognitive function, memory and mood the next day and perhaps long term.

The gradual decline in cognitive function that often occurs in older diabetics is usually attributed to nerve and vascular disease caused by high blood sugar. It’s now believed that some of these changes may instead be due to hypoglycemic episodes during sleep.
[SOURCE; Kamila Jauch Chara, et al, “Hypoglycemia during sleep impairs consolidation of declarative memory in type 1 diabetic and healthy humans,” Diabetes Care, August, 2007]

Accidental Drug Deaths Increasing
Accidental deaths from drug poisoning have been increasing in the United States, rising 68.3 percent between 1999 and 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The majority of these deaths were attributed to misuse of prescription drugs, including psychotherapeutic drugs, hallucinogens and narcotics.

Men in their 40s accounted for the majority of deaths associated with opioid pain killers such as oxycondone, hydrocodone, fentanyl and methadone. Accidental deaths associated with painkillers were up 91 percent from 1999 to 2002.
[SOURCE: “Accidental drug-poisoning deaths on the rise in the US,” Reuters Health, February, 2008; Miranda Hitti, “U.S. Rx painkiller deaths up,” WebMD Medical News, July 24, 2006]

Why Do Smoke Alarms Fail?
About 96 percent of respondents to a 2004 survey indicated that their homes were protected by a smoke alarm. In 20 percent of homes with smoke detectors, however, studies revealed that not a single alarm was working properly. Reasons for failure included a missing, dead or disconnected battery.
[SOURCE: Marty Ahrens, “U.S. experience with smoke alarms and other fire detection/alarm equipment” National Fire Protection Association report, April, 2007]

Most Firearm Deaths No Accident
Of 29,569 American deaths attributed to firearms in 2004, only 2.2 percent were accidental. The 11,344 murders in the United States can be compared to 56 in Australia, 184 in Canada, 73 in England and Wales and 37 in Sweden.
[SOURCE: Centers for Disease Controlo, WISQARS, Injury Mortality Reports, 2004; Crime in England and Wales 2004/2005; Canadian Crime Statistics, Australia Crime–Facts and Figures, 2004]

Health Shorts

March 2008

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