Eating
oily fish or omega-3 supplements could improve children's quality of sleep, a
new Oxford study has found. The study suggests that higher levels of omega-3
DHA, the group of long-chain fatty acids found in algae and seafood, are
associated with better sleep. Researchers from the University of Oxford
explored whether 16 weeks of daily 600mg supplements of algal sources would improve
the sleep of 362 children. At the outset of the study, the parents filled in a
child sleep questionnaire, which revealed that four in 10 of the children in
the study suffered from regular sleep disturbances. Of the children rated as
having poor sleep, the researchers fitted wrist sensors to 43 of them to
monitor their movements in bed over five nights. The study showed that the
children on a course of daily supplements of omega-3 had nearly one hour (58
minutes) more sleep and seven fewer waking episodes per night compared with the
children taking the corn or soybean placebo. The study looked at sleep in 362
healthy seven to nine-year-old UK school children in relation to the levels of
omega-3 and omega-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) found in
fingerstick blood samples. Previous research has suggested links between poor
sleep and low blood omega-3 LC-PUFA in infants and in children and adults with
behaviour or learning difficulties. However, this is the first study to
investigate possible links between sleep and fatty acid status in healthy
children. At the start of the study, parents and carers were asked to rate
their child's sleep habits over a typical week. Their responses indicated that
40 per cent of the children had clinical-level sleep problems such as
resistance to bedtime, anxiety about sleep and constant waking in the course of
the night. The study finds that higher blood levels of the long-chain omega-3
DHA (the main omega-3 fatty acid found in the brain) are significantly associated
with better sleep, including less bedtime resistance, parasomnias and total
sleep disturbance. It adds that higher ratios of DHA in relation to the
long-chain omega-6 fatty acid AA (arachidonic acid) are also associated with
fewer sleep problems. "To find clinical level sleep problems in four in 10
of this general population sample is a cause for concern. Various substances
made within the body from omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have long been known
to play key roles in the regulation of sleep," lead author Professor Paul
Montgomery of Oxford University said. The findings appear in the Journal of
Sleep Research.
With the stage set for International Yoga Day this Sunday, yoga asanas were performed mid-air at 35,000 feet above the sea-level, arguably the first time ever! The asanas called Upayoga or useful yoga were performed as a trial-run aboard the Delhi-Guwahati and Guwahati-Delhi flights of budget airline SpiceJet with over 180 passengers and crew. The Gurgaon-based carrier has teamed up with Isha Foundation of Sadhguru to conduct mid-air yoga sessions on its select Boeing flights on Sunday, which is being observed as International Yoga Day. Talking about the yogic postures demonstrated, Gita, a teacher with the Isha Foundation said the session was designed to reduce stress for passengers who travel long hours. "These are safe, simple postures which can be done by anyone, and can be practiced anytime and anywhere. They help in relieving stress accumulated in the upper neck and spine region," Gita told PTI. The passengers on board, who had no clue about the onboard yoga demonstr...
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