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.

How Was The Study Done?

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.

Sleep Deprivation And Its Effect On The Body

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.

Repairs Your Heart

Good sleep allows your heart and blood vessels to heal. This keeps them strong and healthy, reducing the risk of heart problems.

Controls Hunger

Sleep helps balance your hunger hormones, so you don't feel too hungry. This helps prevent eating too much and keeps your weight healthy.

Manages Blood Sugar

Proper sleep helps your body use insulin correctly. This lowers the chance of high blood sugar, which can lead to diabetes.

Supports Growth

Deep sleep releases growth hormones, helping kids and teens grow. It also repairs body tissues, which is important for everyone.

Boosts Immunity

When you sleep well, your body's defense system gets stronger. This helps you fight off germs and stay healthy.

The human body thrives on essential metals, but excessive exposure can cause a variety of issues for them in the long run, and this very fact has come to light in a recent study done by a research team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. The paper reveals the detrimental impact of getting exposed to toxic metals early in life.

Drs. Manish Arora, Elza Rechtman, and Megan Horton at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital thoroughly studied the mental effects in infants after early exposure to toxic metals. The study was published in Science Advances.

The research team studied the teeth of 489 infants aged 8 to 14 years old. As teeth grow in layers, and each layer can provide data on metal exposure, the researchers measured exposure to lead, lithium, barium, copper, manganese, magnesium, tin, zinc, and strontium.

The study also monitored 395 children for symptoms relating to anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and attention, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to examine 191 children.

Metals like zinc, magnesium, and manganese are very important for growth and health, but overexposure to these metals in children can cause harm.

Childhood is the time for mental growth in children, but this is the same time span when they get exposed to toxic metals as well. From food to inhaling tobacco smoke or exposure through touch, there are many ways a child gets near those adversarial metals and causes harm to themselves.

The results of the study show that exposure to heavy metals mainly happens between 6 and 9 months after birth. They also claim that the excessive metal exposures during key periods of brain development can have long-lasting effects.

Also Read: How To Get Rid Of Heavy Metals In Your Body?

How To Detox From Heavy Metals?

Reducing exposure to heavy metals can be achieved through simple lifestyle and dietary changes. This includes switching to greener diets and replacing household products. High-quality fish can help minimize mercury ingestion, while cilantro, seaweed, and leafy greens are known to trap and remove toxins from the body. Aluminium-free deodorants and titanium-free makeup and toothpaste are also recommended.

For a more intensive detox, using high-quality supplements alongside drinking at least two litres of water daily can help flush heavy metals. Armistead explains that these supplements aid the body in moving heavy metals from cells to the lymphatic system, which then transports them into the bloodstream for filtration by the liver and kidneys. The toxins are ultimately excreted via urine or bowels.

Even as climate change is driving mosquitoes north, a new study warned that Europe and North America can be new hotspots for the chikungunya virus.

Alarmingly, the research indicated that 139 countries face risk, covering 21.26 per cent of global land area for chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease.

Further, the findings published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology suggest that climate-driven vector expansion has significantly broadened the geographic scope of the CHIKV threat.

“We show that under climate change models, the virus will further expand northward into temperate regions, especially northeastern North America, central Europe, and East Asia,” said Dr Ye Xu, from Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, China.

Chikungunya is a viral illness transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

How Climate Is Linked To Mosquito Behavior?

Also Read: Climate Change Fueled Rising Salmonella Drug Resistance Over Decades: The Lancet Study

As the primary vectors of chikungunya, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are highly influenced by climate conditions.

These mosquitoes thrive in warm and humid environments, with temperature playing a major role in their breeding, survival, and ability to spread the virus.

The rising temperatures can accelerate larval development, increase mosquito reproduction, and shorten the virus’s incubation period inside the mosquito, making transmission more efficient.

In the study, the researchers explained that stable temperature patterns and seasonal variations are especially important for Aedes aegypti. The species is highly sensitive to colder temperatures, with egg hatching rates dropping significantly at around 12°C. This limits how far the mosquito can spread into cooler regions.

However, climate change and warming temperatures are making previously unsuitable regions in Europe and North America more favorable for these mosquito species, raising concerns about the growing risk of chikungunya outbreaks, the team said.

“Because this mosquito can tolerate cooler conditions better than the yellow fever mosquito, warming may allow it to establish in places that used to be too cold,” said Dr Yang Wu, Guangzhou Customs Technology Center, China.

“When suitable mosquitoes become established, the chance of local chikungunya transmission increases.”

Global Chikungunya Cases

Read More: 16 Million Indians Die Due To Hypertension Every Year: AIIMS Doc

In 2025, there were 502,264 reported chikungunya cases globally, accounting for 186 deaths across 41 countries and territories, according to the Pan American Health Organization.

This disease burden is projected to escalate under climate change, which is profoundly altering the distribution patterns of infectious diseases, the researchers noted.

“The public does not need to panic, but health systems should prepare early,” warned Dr Xu.

The researchers recommended that these regions implement proactive entomological surveillance and adaptive public health infrastructure by 2040 to mitigate the threat of emerging arboviral epidemics.

Among the proposed measures, researchers include

• tracking mosquitoes,
• training healthcare workers to quickly recognise the virus,
• strengthening mosquito control,
• setting up rapid-response plans before outbreaks occur.

Chikungunya Symptoms You Should Know

Most symptoms are generally self-limiting and last for 2–3 days. The disease is characterized by

• an abrupt onset of fever,
• joint pain
• muscle pain,
• headache,
• nausea,
• fatigue
• rash.

In recent times, there has been a noticeable increase in heart-related risks among Indians in their 20s. In the past, heart disease was mainly a problem of old age, but the changing lifestyles, poor eating habits, and rising stress levels have changed this trend. This has increased the number of doctors recommending a calcium heart scan also called a coronary calcium scan, even for young adults.

What Is A Calcium Heart Scan?

A calcium heart scan is a quick painless imaging test that checks for calcium deposits in the coronary arteries. These deposits are one of the earliest signs of atherosclerosis, a condition in which plaque builds up inside the arteries and restricts the flow of blood.

The significance of this test is that it can uncover hidden risk even before symptoms such as chest pain and breathlessness appear.

Why Young Indians Are At Higher Risk

Young Indians face multiple risk factors today. Sedentary lifestyles long working hours also lack of physical activity, smoking and increased intake of processed foods are major contributors. Ailments like diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension are also being seen at a much younger age.

Family history also matters a lot especially in the Indian population who are genetically more prone to early heart disease.

The worry is that many young people seem healthy on routine tests but may still have silent plaque build-up. This is where a calcium score is useful. The higher the score, the more likely you are to have future heart problems, and doctors can take early steps to prevent them such as lifestyle changes or medication.

Why Early Screening Matters

Another important point is that heart attacks in young Indians are often more sudden and severe. This makes early screening all the more important. Calcium heart scans don’t replace your routine check-up, but they do provide an extra level of insight in helping to identify hidden cardiovascular risk.

This scan is not about instilling fear but about early awareness and prevention. Heart disease if found early can often be controlled or prevented. This small step can help to protect young adults with risk factors for long term heart health.

(By Dr. Surendra Nath Khanna, Chairperson, Adult Cardiac Surgery & Heart - Lung Transplant at Artemis Hospital, Gurugram).