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Sleep changes as we age. When we were kids, we needed 10 to 12 hours of sleep, for teens it is eight to 10 and it decreases to seven to nine as we reach adulthood. But there is always a lack of urgency when it comes to sleep and young adults, many of whom prefer staying up and doing different activities. According to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, many national surveys show that about 37% of men, and 39% of people from the age of 45 to 64 reported not getting enough sleep.
Many people in America don't sleep the right amount. This means they either sleep too long or not long enough. But what happens to your body when you do not sleep enough? You just feel tired right? No, when you don't get this much sleep, your body can get stressed. This can make you more likely to get sick. A study published by the JAMA Network Open Sleep Trajectories and All-Cause Mortality Among Low-Income Adults showed that people who don't sleep the right amount have a higher chance of dying early. It's like your body needs that time to rest and fix itself. Without enough good sleep, things can start to go wrong. So, getting the right amount of sleep is super important for staying healthy.
Scientists wanted to see how sleep habits affect people's health over many years. They looked at almost 47,000 people who were between 40 and 79 years old. They asked them about their sleep habits when the study started, and then again, a few years later. The scientists wanted to see if people's sleep habits changed. They divided people into groups based on if they started with too much or too little sleep, and if their sleep changed over time. For example, some people started sleeping a lot but then started sleeping very little. This helped the scientists see how different sleep patterns affected people's health. They wanted to see the long-term effects of sleep.
The study found that people who had sleep habits that changed a lot had a higher risk of dying early. This means if you started sleeping too much and then switched to sleeping too little, or the other way around, you were more likely to die sooner. They also found that these people had a higher risk of heart problems. The risks were even higher for some groups of people, like white adults and people with higher incomes.
If you often doze off when you are sitting and reading, watching a movie, talking to someone, sitting quietly after lunch or even during a few minutes of traffic, you may be sleep deprived according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. They explain how sleep deprivation can cause issues with learning, focusing and reacting to certain things. The symptoms of sleep deprivation in kids differ a little as they might be overly active and have trouble paying attention to certain things. If you are experiencing sleep issues, make sure to speak to a healthcare professional who will help you identify the issues and direct you towards the treatment or changes you must make. Here are some ways sleep helps your body.
Good sleep allows your heart and blood vessels to heal. This keeps them strong and healthy, reducing the risk of heart problems.
Sleep helps balance your hunger hormones, so you don't feel too hungry. This helps prevent eating too much and keeps your weight healthy.
Proper sleep helps your body use insulin correctly. This lowers the chance of high blood sugar, which can lead to diabetes.
Deep sleep releases growth hormones, helping kids and teens grow. It also repairs body tissues, which is important for everyone.
When you sleep well, your body's defense system gets stronger. This helps you fight off germs and stay healthy.
Credits: Canva
For decades, scientists believed the gradual loss of the Y chromosome in ageing men did not matter much. But a growing body of research now suggests otherwise. Studies show that losing the Y chromosome in blood and other tissues is linked to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and even shorter lifespan. The crux is simple but striking. As men age, many of their cells quietly lose the Y chromosome, and this loss may be shaping men’s health in ways we are only beginning to understand.
Men are born with one X and one Y chromosome. While the X carries hundreds of important genes, the Y is much smaller and contains just 51 protein coding genes. Because of this, scientists long assumed that losing the Y in some cells would not have serious consequences beyond reproduction.
However, newer genetic detection techniques tell a different story. Research shows that about 40 percent of men aged 60 have some cells that have lost the Y chromosome. By age 90, that number rises to 57 percent. Smoking and exposure to carcinogens appear to increase the likelihood of this loss.
This phenomenon, known as mosaic loss of Y, does not occur in every cell. Instead, it creates a patchwork in the body where some cells carry the Y chromosome and others do not. Once a cell loses the Y, its daughter cells also lack it. Interestingly, Y deficient cells seem to grow faster in laboratory settings, which may give them a competitive edge in tissues and even in tumors.
The Y chromosome has long been viewed as mainly responsible for male sex determination and sperm production. It is also uniquely vulnerable during cell division and can be accidentally left behind and lost. Since cells can survive without it, researchers assumed it had little impact on overall health.
Yet mounting evidence challenges that assumption. Several large studies have found strong associations between loss of the Y chromosome and serious health conditions in older men. A major German study reported that men over 60 with higher levels of Y loss had an increased risk of heart attacks. Other research links Y loss to kidney disease, certain cancers and poorer cancer outcomes.
There is also evidence connecting Y loss with neurodegenerative conditions. Studies have observed a much higher frequency of Y chromosome loss in men with Alzheimer’s disease. During the COVID pandemic, researchers noted that men with Y loss appeared to have worse outcomes, raising questions about its role in immune function.
Association does not automatically mean causation. It is possible that chronic illness or rapid cell turnover contributes to Y loss rather than the other way around. Some genetic studies suggest that susceptibility to losing the Y chromosome is partly inherited and tied to genes involved in cell cycle regulation and cancer risk.
However, animal research offers stronger clues. In one mouse study, scientists transplanted Y deficient blood cells into mice. The animals later developed age related problems, including weakened heart function and heart failure. This suggests the loss itself may directly contribute to disease.
So how can such a small chromosome have such wide ranging effects? While the Y carries relatively few genes, several of them are active in many tissues and help regulate gene activity. Some act as tumor suppressors. The Y also contains non coding genetic material that appears to influence how other genes function, including those involved in immune responses and blood cell development.
The full DNA sequence of the human Y chromosome was only completed recently. As researchers continue to decode its functions, the message for men’s health is becoming clearer. Ageing is not just about wrinkles or grey hair. At a microscopic level, the gradual disappearance of the Y chromosome may be quietly influencing heart health, brain health and cancer risk.
Understanding this process could open new doors for early detection, personalized risk assessment and targeted therapies that help men live longer and healthier lives.
Credits: Facebook
First wife of singer Udit Narayan, Ranjana Narayan Jha made serious allegations against him, claiming that he forced her to get hysterectomy. She filed a police complaint earlier this week at the Women's Police Station in Supaul district, Bihar.
She accused Udit Narayan and his two brothers Sanjay Kumar Jha and Lalit Narayan Jha and his second wife Deepa Narayan of a criminal conspiracy that lead to hysterectomy - the surgical removal of uterus, without her knowledge. As per an NDTV report, "She claimed she became aware of this only years later during medical treatment."
As per the complaint, Udit and Ranjana were married on December 7, 1984, in a traditional Hindu ceremony. Udit then moved to Mumbai in 1985 to pursue his music career. She later learned through media that he had married another woman Deepa. As per the complaint, he continued to mislead her whenever she confronted him.
As per the complaint, in 1996, she was taken to a hospital in Delhi under the pretext of medical treatment, where, she claims that her uterus was removed without her knowledge. She said that she was compelled to file a complaint years after being ignored. "You all know that Udit Narayan ji repeatedly makes promises but does not fulfill them. He has not done anything till now, which is why I have come to the Women's Police Station. I deserve justice," she said.
"Nowadays, I am constantly unwell and need his support. But Udit Narayan is neither saying anything nor doing anything. He came to the village recently and left after making promises once again," she said, as per a Hindustan Times report.
It is the surgical removal of one's uterus and cervix. There are different kinds of hysterectomy available, which depends on the condition of the patients.
This removes uterus and cervix, but leaves ovaries. This means the person does not enter menopause after the surgery.
Removing just the upper part of the uterus and leaving the cervix. This could also be when your fallopian tubes and ovaries are removed at the same time. Since, you have a cervix, you will still need Pap smears.
This is the removal of uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries. This will start menopause immediately after the surgery.
This is the removal of uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, the upper portion of your vagina, and some surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. This is done to people with cancer. Patients who get this enter menopause right after the surgery.
Credits: Instagram
Lorna Luxe's Husband, 64, John Andrews passed away after a three-year-long cancer battle. On February 11, the British influencer shared a post on her Instagram. The 43-year-old wrote: "My beautiful, brave John died yesterday. I am heartbroken. We were together to the every end, at home, in our own bed and holding hands which is exactly what he wanted."
John, a former banker, was diagnosed with stage three cancer in 2023. He had been receiving treatment over the last three years. John's cancer also entered remission and it returned in 2024 and spread to his brain.
He underwent a surgery in 2025, however, he was back in hospital in December after a complication with his chemotherapy treatments. This led to organ failure.
In January this year, Lorna told her followers that she was "looking for a miracle" and shared that his cancer had "progressed to his other organs" and treatment was "no longer an option".
“I think he's possibly the bravest person. And I suppose at this point we're looking for a bit of a miracle and we're going to take each day as it comes,” she wrote on her post.
In her post that announced John's death, she wrote when she asked him how he was feeling, her husband responded, "Rough, but in love".
Read: Catherine O'Hara Cause Of Death Is Pulmonary Embolism; She Also Had Rectal Cancer
While John's cancer has not been specified, but the reports reveal that his cancer spread to other organs. According to National Institution of Health (NIH), US, the spreading of cancer to other parts of the body is called metastasis.
This happens when cancer cells break away from where they first formed, and travel through the blood or lymph system. This could lead to formation of new tumors in other parts of the body. Cancer can spread to anywhere in the body, however, it is common for cancer to move into your bones, liver, or lungs.
When these new tumors are found, they are made of the same cells from the original tumor. Which means, if someone has lung cancer and it spread to brain, the cells do not look like brain cancer. This means that the cancer cells in the brain is metastatic lung cancer.
Cancer cells could also be sent to lab to know the origin of the cell. Knowing the type of cancer helps in better treatment plan.
As per the University of Rochester Medical Center, in some cases, chemotherapy could cause permanent changes or damage to the heart, lungs, nerves, kidneys, and reproductive organs or other organs.
For instance, some anti-cancer drugs cause bladder irritation, it could result in temporary or permanent damage to kidneys or bladder. In other cases, chemotherapy could also have potential effects on nerves and muscles. Chemotherapy could also damage the chromosomes in the sperm, which could also lead to birth defects. In females, it could damage the ovaries and could result in short-term or long-term fertility issues.
Chemotherapy could also induce menopause before the correct age and could cause symptoms like hot flashes, dry vaginal tissues, sweating, and more.
For some, it could also cause a 'chemo-brain', which is a mental fog that many chemotherapy patients face, that could affect memory or concentration.
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