Morning birds live longer than night owls; no peanut allergy vaccine ... yet
Q: I hear that people who are night owls aren't as healthy as morning people. My mom rarely went to sleep before 1 a.m. and died at 65. I have the same biorhythms. I need a better sleep schedule. I have a demanding job, two young kids and am tired all the time. Is there any hope for me? - Wendy, B., Atlanta
A: You're right to want to get on a better sleep cycle - and you can do it! What you probably heard about were the results of a recent study done by U.S./U.K. researchers. They looked at data on more than 433,000 adults in the U.K. ages 38 to 73 to see if there's a link between sleep cycles and illnesses or death.
First, they identified four chronotypes: definite morning types, moderate morning types, moderate evening types and definite evening types. Then they examined participants' health issues. The researchers found that definite evening types had a higher risk of psychological problems and cardiovascular disease, plus a 10 percent jump in all-cause mortality (most significantly among 63- to 73-year-olds) at their six-and-a-half-year follow-up. Clearly, there's evidence that morning people are healthier.
What can you do if you're a night owl? Make changes to your environment and even your genetic predisposition! Although a 2017 study found that a specific gene mutation is common among folks who have delayed sleep phase disorder, which throws off circadian rhythms, one of the things epigenetics has taught us is that you can modify your genetic tendencies and learn a new behavior that doesn't come naturally.
If you're a night owl and want to become a morning person, you need a plan.
-Start by making sure you get 60 minutes of exercise daily, but not within three hours of bedtime (no eating then, either).
-Choose a reasonable bedtime, say 11 p.m., and stick to it.
-Avoid digital light (smartphones, tablets, TV) for an hour before bed; soak in the tub instead. Keep the bedroom dark, quiet, cool.
-Practice progressive relaxation as you lie there.
Q: I heard that there's a peanut allergy vaccine in a clinical trial. Are they really that close to developing a vaccine? - Armond G., Tallahassee, Florida
A: We think you're referring to a lab study that's currently in the works, and the vaccine - or immunotherapy - is administered using a nasal spray. The researchers are experimenting with mice that are genetically altered to have a peanut allergy. They expose those mice to very small amounts of peanut dust or protein in an attempt to teach the immune system to gradually tolerate the substance and not overreact to it.
The trial works on the same principal as the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut allergy) trial in 2015 that introduced 4- to 11-months-old infants (with a high probability of allergy to peanuts; they had to have severe eczema, egg allergy or both) to about 6 grams of peanuts a week. After 60 months, they found that the prevalence of peanut allergy was reduced to 1.9 percent versus 13.7 percent from the control group that completely avoided peanuts.
Now, these kids were screened, monitored, tested and kept under strict supervision! Don't ever experiment with immunotherapy on your child at home. Peanut allergy has doubled in Western societies in the past 10 years, and if a child has a bad/anaphylactic reaction to peanuts, it can be fatal. Access to an EpiPen in the case of an anaphylactic reaction can be a lifesaver, but it is still a very traumatic incidence. Roughly 150 to 200 people die in the U.S. each year because of food allergies. It's estimated that around 50 to 62 percent of those were caused by peanut allergies.
Currently, there is no vaccine for peanut allergies (the mouse trials have seen only temporary results so far). And remember, even the best immunotherapy for kids still leaves two in every 100 vulnerable to serious problems.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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