If you have acknowledged that you experience particularly sleepy or more energized after consuming certain foods, that’s because what you eat can have an impact on how well you sleep and how awake you are during the day. Here are examples of foods that can affect your sleep, courtesy of the National Sleep Foundation:

* Carbohydrate rich foods, such as pastas and breads, can make you more sleepy.
* Carbohydrates work well with proteins to induce sleepiness, which makes combinations such as peanut butter on toast, cereal with milk, or cheese and crackers good bedtime snacks. Read more

Certain head and neck cancers may be tied to sexual activity, marijuana use, and human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16. That news comes from Johns Hopkins University’s Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, and colleagues, who studied 240 people with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (head and neck cancers). Some of their cancers tested positive for HPV 16; others were negative for HPV 16.

The patients answered questions about their lifestyle. For comparison, 322 cancer-free people answered the same lifestyle questions. Here’s what the researchers learned:

* Head and neck cancers that were positive for HPV 16 were associated with having more oral sex partners and smoking more marijuana. Read more

Life expectancy in the United States is on the increase, but only among people with more than 12 years of education, a new study finds. In fact, those with more than 12 years of education more than a high school diploma can expect to live to 82, for those with 12 or fewer years of education, life expectancy is 75. “If you look in recent decades, you will find that life expectancy has been increasing, which is good, but when you split this out by better-educated groups, the life expectancy gained is really occurring much more so in the better-educated groups,” said lead researcher Ellen R. Meara, an assistant professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School.

“The puzzle is why we have been successful in extending life span for some groups. Why haven’t we been successful in getting that for less advantaged groups?” Meara said. The answer may lie with tobacco, the study found. About one-fifth of the difference in mortality between well-educated and less-educated groups can be accounted for by smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema, Meara said. Read more

To assist your child get a good night’s sleep, it’s crucial to bring down distractions in the sleeping room and build a bedtime routine. Here are some suggestions, courtesy of the Nemours Foundation:

* Adjust a regular bed time for your child.
* Make the child begin relaxing and doing quiet activities, such as reading or listening to music, about 30 minutes before going to bed.
* Nightly, have the child use the bathroom, wash hands and brush teeth to prepare for bed.
* Do something amusing but quiet together every night before bed, such as reading a book or telling a story. Read more

Low testosterone levels in many older men are connected with an increased risk of depression, an Australian study reports. Between 2001 and 2004, researchers at the University of Western Australia in Perth studied 3,987 males aged 71 to 89. The men provided demographic and health information and were tested for depression and cognitive difficulties. The researchers also checked the men’s testosterone levels.

The 203 adult male who met the criteria for depression had significantly lower total and free (not bound to proteins) testosterone levels than those who weren’t depressed. After controlling for other factors, such as cognitive scores, education level and body-mass index, the researchers concluded that men in the lowest quintile (20 percent) of free testosterone were three times more likely to have depression compared to those in the highest quintile.

The reports were published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Although more research is needed to determine how low hormone levels may be linked to depression risk, the study authors believe it may be caused by changes in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones in the brain.

“A randomized controlled trial is required to determine whether reducing prolonged exposure to low free testosterone is associated with a reduction in prevalence of depression in elderly men,” the researchers wrote. “If so, older men with depression may benefit from systematic screening of free testosterone concentration, and testosterone supplementation may contribute to the successful treatment of hypogonadal (with low hormone levels) older men with depression.”

Between two percent and five percent of people are affected by depression at any given time, according to background information in the study. Women are more likely than men to be depressed, but that difference disappears at about age 65. A number of previous studies have suggested that sex hormones may be a factor.

via medicinenet