Hypertension Study
17/03/11 09:36
Study: Lack of Sleep Not Linked to Hypertension Among Seniors
While sleeping five or fewer hours a night appears to be a significant factor in high blood pressure for people under age 59, short sleep duration does not seem linked to hypertension among people aged 60 and older, according to a study that appears in the journal Hypertension.
In a study of more than 4,800 men and women, aged 32 to 59, who got five hours of sleep a night or less, middle-aged participants were about 60 percent more likely to develop hypertension than those who slept six to eight hours.
But the researchers found no connection between sleep deprivation and hypertension in participants aged 60 to 86. Researchers used data from a large epidemiological study, excluding from the analysis anyone who already had hypertension, and over the next eight to 10 years recorded the incidence of newly diagnosed cases of high blood pressure.
"It's been known for a long time that sleep disorders are associated with hypertension," said James E. Gangwisch, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, "but that could be for reasons besides not getting enough sleep. This is the first study that shows a relationship between short sleep duration itself and high blood pressure."
However, while getting too little sleep was bad, getting more than the average amount of sleep was not protective. People who got nine or more hours of sleep were as likely to have high blood pressure as those who slept six to eight hours.
Original article: http://www.seniorhealthweek.org/NewsStories/hypertension-story-n7.htm
Source: Source: Medical Week staff, week of May 10, 2006
While sleeping five or fewer hours a night appears to be a significant factor in high blood pressure for people under age 59, short sleep duration does not seem linked to hypertension among people aged 60 and older, according to a study that appears in the journal Hypertension.
In a study of more than 4,800 men and women, aged 32 to 59, who got five hours of sleep a night or less, middle-aged participants were about 60 percent more likely to develop hypertension than those who slept six to eight hours.
But the researchers found no connection between sleep deprivation and hypertension in participants aged 60 to 86. Researchers used data from a large epidemiological study, excluding from the analysis anyone who already had hypertension, and over the next eight to 10 years recorded the incidence of newly diagnosed cases of high blood pressure.
"It's been known for a long time that sleep disorders are associated with hypertension," said James E. Gangwisch, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, "but that could be for reasons besides not getting enough sleep. This is the first study that shows a relationship between short sleep duration itself and high blood pressure."
However, while getting too little sleep was bad, getting more than the average amount of sleep was not protective. People who got nine or more hours of sleep were as likely to have high blood pressure as those who slept six to eight hours.
Original article: http://www.seniorhealthweek.org/NewsStories/hypertension-story-n7.htm
Source: Source: Medical Week staff, week of May 10, 2006
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Physical Therapy and Seniors: A Way to Get Back on Track
13/11/10 08:51
Physical Therapy a Boon for Seniors
Would you believe in a non-drug treatment that works for arthritis, cancer pain, Parkinson's, and incontinence and improves your strength and endurance? There is one -- physical therapy.
WebMD Feature
When a person gets injured or has a prolonged illness, doctors often recommend physical therapy. In the case of older people, though, sometimes this is seen as just something to "try." This could not be further from the truth. Physical therapy is "A-quality" therapy for many conditions affecting older people, from Alzheimer's to urinary incontinence. In fact, one researcher did a study in which you had to be 100 years of age to even participate!
According to Jennifer M. Bottomley, PhD, MS, PT, president of the geriatrics section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and adviser to the surgeon general, one of the main things that brings older people to the physical therapist is a fall. "They want and need to maintain their independence," she says.
"It's important to look at each individual," stresses Tim Kauffman, PT, PhD, professor of physical therapy at the Hahnemann campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia. "Every person of any age has an individual background, say an auto accident, football injury, genetic predispositions. No two 'old' people are the same."
According to APTA, physical therapy can restore or increase strength, range of motion, flexibility, coordination, and endurance -- as well as reduce pain. Another important role is to retrain the patient to do everyday tasks.
*For original article:
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/physical-therapy-benefits-for-seniors
Would you believe in a non-drug treatment that works for arthritis, cancer pain, Parkinson's, and incontinence and improves your strength and endurance? There is one -- physical therapy.
WebMD Feature
When a person gets injured or has a prolonged illness, doctors often recommend physical therapy. In the case of older people, though, sometimes this is seen as just something to "try." This could not be further from the truth. Physical therapy is "A-quality" therapy for many conditions affecting older people, from Alzheimer's to urinary incontinence. In fact, one researcher did a study in which you had to be 100 years of age to even participate!
According to Jennifer M. Bottomley, PhD, MS, PT, president of the geriatrics section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and adviser to the surgeon general, one of the main things that brings older people to the physical therapist is a fall. "They want and need to maintain their independence," she says.
"It's important to look at each individual," stresses Tim Kauffman, PT, PhD, professor of physical therapy at the Hahnemann campus of Drexel University in Philadelphia. "Every person of any age has an individual background, say an auto accident, football injury, genetic predispositions. No two 'old' people are the same."
According to APTA, physical therapy can restore or increase strength, range of motion, flexibility, coordination, and endurance -- as well as reduce pain. Another important role is to retrain the patient to do everyday tasks.
*For original article:
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/features/physical-therapy-benefits-for-seniors