A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE IS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOWER RISK of developing fatty liver disease. Today we explore the connection between inadequate sleep and fatty liver disease.

First, did you catch the error in my post illustration? The striking image at the top of this piece has a bull’s eye on the stomach, not the liver. Don’t worry: I did not skip the Yale School of Medicine anatomy class.

Let’s get back to one of the dangers of insufficient sleep. Fatty liver disease is the leading chronic liver disease worldwide, striking one in four of the population.

Fatty liver disease

Fatty liver disease is a common condition resulting from too much-stored fat in the liver. Most individuals have no symptoms, but the fatty liver disease can occasionally lead to liver damage.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can often prevent (or even reverse) fatty liver disease with positive lifestyle interventions.

Fatty liver disease is common.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) happens in those who aren’t heavy consumers of alcohol. The condition affects about one in three adults (and one in ten childer) in the United States. Worldwide, the disease affects one in four adults, according to the Cleveland Clinic (USA).

Scientists do not know the exact cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, we know several factors, including diabetes and obesity, can increase your risk. Moreover, fatty liver disease may progress to end-stage liver disease.

Fatty liver disease hits certain groups more.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can affect anyone, regardless of age or race. By race, it appears more common among individuals of Hispanic descent, and Black people are less likely to get NAFLD (with whites in the middle).

Of those with non-alcoholic fatty disease, up to 75 percent have obesity or diabetes. Looking the other direction, up to 90 percent of those with advanced or class III obesity have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Fatty liver disease causes

Before we get to the sleep and fatty liver relationship, let’s look at some suspected factors:

• Diet. A high fructose diet may increase your risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Think common table sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Alas, the latter is a common added sweetener in many American foods. I have become a label reader. I want to avoid metabolic syndrome, a disease cluster that increases our risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The risk-raising conditions include high blood sugar, too much body fat around the waist, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, and high blood pressure.
• Genetics. Inherited genetics may explain why individuals of certain races appear to get fatty liver disease more often.

Fatty liver disease causes

Researchers suspect several factors contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver risk, including:

• Metabolic syndrome. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease seems linked to a group of related metabolic disorders involving high body mass index, elevated blood lipid levels, diabetes, and high blood pressure. These factors influence one another and affect how your body stores fats and metabolizes nutrients.
• Diet and nutritional causes. A fructose-rich diet can increase your risk of developing NAFLD. Fructose is one of the ingredients in common table sugar and is the dominant ingredient in high fructose corn syrup, a common sweetener. It’s highly linked to metabolic syndrome.
• Genetics. Inherited genes may make you more likely to develop NAFLD. It may also help explain why individuals of certain races seem to get it more often.
• Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy).

You may wonder if you should have screening for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, particularly if you have a risk factor such as obesity or diabetes.

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines does not call for screening given uncertainties around which test to use (since liver enzyme levels may be normal in patients with NAFLD), how to treat NAFLD if discovered, and whether screening is cost-effective.

Fatty liver disease — possible complications

Here are the two major complications of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease:

• Pregnancy complications. NAFLD in pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of complications for the mother and fetus. For example, high blood pressure problems (such as preeclampsia) are more likely to affect the mother. Other associated problems include bleeding after delivery and preterm birth. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in pregnancy has tripled over the past ten years in the United States.
• Steatohepatitis. Up to 20 percent of individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease may develop non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or chronic liver inflammation. This inflammatory state can progressively damage the liver, culminating in scarring (cirrhosis).

Non-alcoholic fatty disease risk and short sleep

Do you have a sedentary lifestyle? Are you getting insufficient sleep? A new study points to a higher risk of developing fatty liver disease.

According to Dr. Yan Liu of Guangdong (China), the takeaway message is:

“Those with poor nighttime sleep and prolonged daytime napping have the highest risk for developing fatty liver disease. A moderate improvement in sleep quality appeared associated with a nearly one-third (29 percent) drop in fatty liver disease risk (even for those with unhealthy lifestyles).

The scientists arrived at their conclusions by analyzing self-reported sleep behaviors from just over 5,000 Chinese adults. Late bedtime, daytime napping for more than 30 minutes, and snoring appeared to be linked to an increased risk of fatty liver disease.

Sedentary individuals and those with central obesity had especially noticeable adverse effects from poor sleep quality.

Summary: Sleep and fatty liver disease

In summary, even a moderate improvement in sleep quality can reduce the risk for fatty liver disease, especially in those with unhealthy lifestyles. Thank you for joining me today.

The post One More Peril of Short Sleep appeared first on Medika Life.

Cumulative sleep deprivation raises the risk of motor vehicle accidents, even among those who do not report excessive sleepiness. Among the health problems associated with short sleep are cardiovascular morbidity, immunosuppression, obesity, and all-cause mortality.

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

― DR. SEUSS

Are you among those who have a hard time falling asleep? Sleep insufficiency exists when sleep is not adequate to support alertness, performance, and health. The deficiency can be reduced total sleep time (decreased quantity) or fragmentation of sleep by brief arousals (reduced quality).

If yes, you join the approximately 30 percent of American adults who don’t regularly get enough sleep. What does the science say about using sound to enhance your sleep experience?

You may have heard that white noise is beneficial for those with sleep challenges. Let’s look at whether other sonic hues can help with your sleep. We being with some basics of sound.

The sonic signal’s energy determines the color of noise; the energy distribution over various frequencies (or the sound speed) makes the difference.

Pink noise contains all of the audible frequencies, but the energy is more intense at lower frequencies. This energy distribution creates a deep sound. You have heard pink sounds in nature. For example, you’ll listen to it with rustling leaves, wind, a steady rain, or heartbeats. To the human ear, pink noise typically sounds flat or even.

Pleasant sound, but can pink noise enhance your sleep?

Your brain processes sound, even when we are asleep. Different noises vary in how they affect your restfulness. Some use noise sleep aids on their smartphone, computer, or a dedicated device such as a white noise machine. But what about pink noise?

Pink noise is deeper than white noise. Think of white noise with a bass rumble. Brown noise is even deeper than is pink noise, however.

Pink noise appears to have promise. For example, a 2017 study found a positive association between pink noise and deep sleep. Deep sleep is central to memory and helps you feel refreshed when you awaken in the morning. Honestly, there are few well-done studies to make any definitive statements about pink noise and sleep quality.

You are probably wondering how pink noise compares to other color noises. White noise has all audible frequencies, with energy equally distributed among these frequencies. Because of the even distribution, white noise is a steady humming sound. A whirring fan is an example.

Given white noise has all frequencies at equal intensity, it can mask sounds that stimulate the brain. White noise is a favorite tool for those with sleep challenges.

Brown noise (also known as red noise) can sound like low roaring or a powerful waterfall. To my ear, it does not seem so remarkably different from white noise. Brown noise appears to help with sleep, but we don’t have much proof.

Finally, we pivot to black noise. This informal descriptor describes lack of noise or complete silence (with or without bits of random noise). Black noise is my preferred noise type: I feel most relaxed when there is little or no sound.

Exploring sonic hues

Smartphone apps such as NoiseZ can allow you to explore various noise colors. Alternatively, check our YouTube for examples. If you are in the market for a noise machine for sleep enhancement, you should check out such a source.

There is limited data that a bit of background noise may help you tune out sounds that can interfere with good sleep. In a small 2005 study in the journal Sleep Medicine, researchers exposed sleeping subjects to recorded hospital sounds, with or without a white noise machine.

The sleepers’ brain wave analysis found that those who slept with the white noise machine were hardly disturbed by the hospital sounds, whereas sleep arousals were frequent among those who slept without white noise.

I wish that listening to sonic hues helped solve all issues with suboptimal sleep. Here are some sleep hygiene suggestions:

• Be consistent with your sleep and awaken times. I find it helpful to retain a general schedule, even on weekends and other days off. Try doing something that is relaxing in the 30 to 60 minutes pre-sleep. I often read or meditate. Alternative, try stretching.
• Avoid stimulants. Nicotine and caffeine can have effects for many hours.
• Get physical activity (but limit strenuous exercise a few hours before bedtime).
• Watch the artificial lights. Such light suppresses our sleep hormone melatonin. It also stimulates our brains. Avoid smartphones, laptops, and televisions in the hour before bed. On the other hand, regular bright light exposure in the mornings may improve your alertness and maintain a steady circadian rhythm. In extreme latitudes where sunlight is minimal in the winter, researchers have found that as little as one hour of exposure to white light in the morning helped subjects go to sleep earlier and awaken earlier.
• Limit your daytime naps to 20 to 30 minutes.
• Be careful with food intake. Watch out for large meals a few hours before sleeping.

If optimizing your sleep hygiene doesn’t solve the problem, please talk to your doctor about the next steps. And if you try a noise machine, let us know how it works for you. There is not high-level evidence to say one particular form of noise is better than another.

References

Sleep deficiency and motor vehicle crash risk in the general population: a prospective cohort study…DOI: 10.1186/s12916-018-1025-7. 1 Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology…pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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