How much sleep do you really need? Why Seven Hours of Sleep Might Be Better Than Eight

Experts generally recommend seven to nine hours a night for healthy adults. Sleep scientists say new guidelines are needed to take into account an abundance of recent research in the field and to reflect that Americans are on average sleeping less than they did in the past.

Several sleep studies have found that seven hours is the optimal amount of sleep—not eight, as was long believed—when it comes to certain cognitive and health markers, although many doctors question that conclusion.

Other recent research has shown that skimping on a full night's sleep, even by 20 minutes, impairs performance and memory the next day. And getting too much sleep—not just too little of it—is associated with health problems including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease and with higher rates of death, studies show.

"The lowest mortality and morbidity is with seven hours," said Shawn Youngstedt, a professor in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University Phoenix. "Eight hours or more has consistently been shown to be hazardous," says Dr. Youngstedt, who researches the effects of oversleeping.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is helping to fund a panel of medical specialists and researchers to review the scientific literature on sleep and develop new recommendations, probably by 2015.

Daniel F. Kripke, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, tracked over a six-year period data on 1.1 million people who participated in a large cancer study. People who reported they slept 6.5 to 7.4 hours had a lower mortality rate than those with shorter or longer sleep. The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2002, controlled for 32 health factors, including medications.

In another study, published in the journal Sleep Medicine in 2011, Dr. Kripke found further evidence that the optimal amount of sleep might be less than the traditional eight hours. The researchers recorded the sleep activity of about 450 elderly women using devices on their wrist for a week. Some 10 years later the researchers found that those who slept fewer than five hours or more than 6.5 hours had a higher mortality.

Other experts caution against studies showing ill effects from too much sleep. Illness may cause someone to sleep or spend more time in bed, these experts say. And studies based on people reporting their own sleep patterns may be inaccurate.

"The problem with these studies is that they give you good information about association but not causation," said Timothy Morgenthaler, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which represents sleep doctors and researchers, and a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Morgenthaler advises patients to aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night and to evaluate how they feel. Sleep needs also vary between individuals, largely due to cultural and genetic differences, he said.

Getting the right amount of sleep is important in being alert the next day, and several recent studies have found an association between getting seven hours of sleep and optimal cognitive performance.

A study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience last year used data from users of the cognitive-training website Lumosity. Researchers looked at the self-reported sleeping habits of about 160,000 users who took spatial-memory and matching tests and about 127,000 users who took an arithmetic test. They found that cognitive performance increased as people got more sleep, reaching a peak at seven hours before starting to decline.

After seven hours, "increasing sleep was not any more beneficial," said Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., who co-authored the study with scientists from Lumos Labs Inc., which owns Lumosity. He said the study replicated earlier research, including a look at memory loss. "If you think about all the causes of memory loss, sleep is probably one of the most easily modifiable factors," he said.

Most research has focused on the effects of getting too little sleep, including cognitive and health declines and weight gain. David Dinges, a sleep scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine who has studied sleep deprivation, said repeatedly getting just 20 or 30 minutes less than the minimum recommendation of seven hours can slow cognitive speed and increase attention lapses.

Experts say people should be able to figure out their optimal amount of sleep in a trial of three days to a week, ideally while on vacation. Don't use an alarm clock. Go to sleep when you get tired. Avoid too much caffeine or alcohol. And stay off electronic devices a couple of hours before going to bed. During the trial, track your sleep with a diary or a device that records your actual sleep time. If you feel refreshed and awake during the day, you've probably discovered your optimal sleep time.

The new sleep guidelines will be drawn up by a panel of experts being assembled by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Sleep Research Society, an organization for sleep researchers, and the CDC. The recommendations are meant to reflect evidence that has emerged from scientific studies and are expected to take into account issues such as gender and age, says Dr. Morgenthaler, the academy president.

Another group, the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, also has assembled an expert panel that expects to release updated recommendations for sleep times in January.

These groups currently recommend seven to nine hours of nightly sleep for healthy adults. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends seven to eight hours, including the elderly. Most current guidelines say school-age children should get at least 10 hours of sleep a night, and teenagers, nine to 10.

"I don't think you can overdose on healthy sleep. When you get enough sleep your body will wake you up," said Safwan Badr, chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.

A study in the current issue of Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine seemed to confirm that. Five healthy adults were placed in what the researchers called Stone Age-like conditions in Germany for more than two months—without electricity, clocks or running water. Participants fell asleep about two hours earlier and got on average 1.5 hours more sleep than was estimated in their normal lives, the study said.

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Manchester City deny any speculation of Didier Drogba signing

Manchester City have no interest in signing former Chelsea star Didier Drogba, according to Press Association Sport.
The Premier League champions have been linked with a surprise move for the veteran Ivory Coast striker after losing Alvaro Negredo to injury for the start of the season.
Negredo is expected to be out for a few months with a broken metatarsal, leaving manager Manuel Pellegrini short of attacking options, but a move for Drogba is not being considered.
Drogba, 36, is available after leaving Galatasaray at the end of last season.
There have also been suggestions Drogba, who left Chelsea after winning the Champions League in 2012, could return to Stamford Bridge on a short-term deal.
Spanish striker Negredo was injured playing in City's preseason friendly against Hearts last Friday, and City are yet to indicate whether they will look for attacking reinforcements.
Earlier in the week Negredo, 28, had attempted to quell speculation over his future by announcing that he was happy at City, following reports linking him with a return to Spain.
Negredo made an immediate impact following his 20 million-pound arrival at the Etihad Stadium last summer, but the last of his 23 goals in the 2013-14 campaign came in January.
He was unable to rediscover his best form in the second half of the season after recovering from a shoulder injury, and that slump cost him a place in Spain's World Cup squad.
"I will be back stronger than ever," Negredo wrote on Instagram of his latest setback. "I will return with a vengeance."
The make-up of City's forward line could be a cause for concern for Pellegrini, with Sergio Aguero having been hampered by muscle injuries throughout 2014 and Stevan Jovetic also suffering an injury-hit first season at the club.

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Method to Prevent Spread of HIV- Scientists discovery

Fighting HIV in real life, of course, is nowhere near that easy. But new research from scientists at Temple University just took a step in that direction.

The research team found a way to essentially "edit" HIV out of DNA. By using RNA that rewrites genetic code, the researchers were able to cut out the HIV from infected cells.

The background: HIV works by attaching itself to specific cells — T-cells or CD4 cells — that allow it to replicate itself and spread throughout the body. The virus integrates itself into those cells, writing itself into an infected person's genome.

While antiretroviral drugs can hold off the process, HIV is still integrated into those cells. The virus is there for good, which is part of the reason that finding a cure seems almost impossible.

That's where this research comes in. By seeking out and rewriting the actual code — and removing only what the virus changed — we could theoretically cure and kill the infection for good.

The challenges: Application in theory is many steps away from application in practice. The question remains as to whether the process will work in a real live human being, as opposed to a laboratory environment.

Another challenge is making sure the RNA can identify only infected cells. You don't want your non-infected DNA being edited (unless you're gunning for a very unlikely superhero origin story), and you don't want any infected cells getting passed over.

There have been other attempts at this kind of genome editing, and it seems potentially like our best shot at taking out HIV. There are obstacles ahead, but you don't get massive breakthroughs without this kind of groundwork.

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Lady GaGa Performs With an Inflatable Giant Penis Onstage in LA

Lady GaGa brought along a giant inflatable penis onstage and danced with it when she made a tour stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday night, July 21. The moment was caught in a photo that's shared by the singer on Instagram on the next day.

"And then this happened tonight 'oh lord for the LARR can I get an amen #Venus had a #Penis," GaGa captioned the pic. "LARR", which is also written on the inflatable, appears to refer to the L.A. Rivington Rebels - the group that uploaded an Instagram video of GaGa dancing with the baloon while performing her song "Venus".

GaGa is currently in the North American leg of her "ArtRave: The Artpop Ball" which was launched to support her 2013 album "ARTPOP". She's hardly the first artist to have brought out a giant inflatable penis during her concerts. Earlier this year, Miley Cyrus made headlines for dancing and simulating sex act with similar inflatable.

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There are two words Steve Jobs Hated Most- Allison Johnson

It's not often that we get to hear new first-hand accounts of what it was like to work at Steve Jobs' Apple.
When we do get a new chance, there's always some new reveal about how he shaped the company's culture.
Take, for instance, this new interview with former Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Communication Allison Johnson.
From 2005 to 2011, Johnson was one of the few people at Apple to have a direct line of communication with Jobs himself.

According to Johnson, the two most "dreaded, hated" words at Apple under Steve Jobs were "branding" and "marketing."

"In Steve's mind," she recalls, "people associated brands with television advertising and commercials and artificial things. The most important thing was people's relationship to the product. So any time we said 'brand' it was a dirty word."
On the subject of marketing, Johnson says that "marketing is when you have to sell to somebody. If you aren't providing value, if you're not educating them about the product, if you're not helping them get the most out of the product, you're selling. And you shouldn't be in that mode."
Wait a second. Isn't marketing what Apple does best? How can the head of worldwide marketing at Apple claim that marketing was dirty word in the company?
Responding to a similar question from her interviewer, Behance CEO Scott Belskey, Johnson explains that Apple treated its launch campaigns as massive efforts to educate the public about the company's new products by effectively communicating what made the experience using them so great:
What was important about that is the marketing team was right next to the product development and engineering teams. So we understood deeply what was important about the product, what the team’s motivations were in the product, what they hoped that product would achieve, what role they wanted it to have in people’s lives. And because we were that close, we were able to translate that very clearly in all of our marketing and communications.

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Manchester United plan to spend big if the Manager 'Van Gaal' so wish

Manchester United are ready and willing to break the British transfer record if new manager Louis van Gaal decides they need to do so, says executive vice chairman Ed Woodward.
Woodward endured a frustrating first summer in his position last year as mooted transfers for Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Gareth Bale and even Cristiano Ronaldo failed to materialise.
United have paid upwards of 50 million pounds for Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, but as has been the case for the last few years, the biggest transfers have taken place away from Old Trafford this summer.
Real Madrid signed James Rodriguez for 63 million pounds on Tuesday and Barcelona paid 75 million for Luis Suarez earlier this month.
When asked whether United would be willing to pay a similar amount for a player, Woodward said: "It is in our capabilities. The club are not afraid of doing that -- spending significant amounts of money in the transfer market."
Such a move would cause United to break the 50 million-pound British record transfer fee paid by Chelsea for Fernando Torres in 2011. Woodward insists neither he nor the club would be fazed about being responsible for such a big deal.
"Whether it's a record or not doesn't really resonate with us," Woodward said. "What resonates is a top, top elite player that the manager wants that is going to be a star for Manchester United. We are in a very strong financial position. We can make big signings.
"I get pointed in the direction of a target that the manager wants and there is an assessment of what that might cost and I'll negotiate hard to do the best I can on the trade."
United are interested in signing Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund, sources told PA Sport, though the club expect the Germans to fight hard for the centre-back, given that they have already lost Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich this summer.
Van Gaal is also interested in signing compatriots Daley Blind, Stefan de Vrij and Kevin Strootman, although a move for the latter may have to wait until January as he is struggling with the knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup.
United have been told that Angel Di Maria is for sale, which could prompt Van Gaal to make an enquiry for the Real Madrid winger.
Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is also on Van Gaal's wish list, although United have not, contrary to reports, agreed a swap deal for the defender that would see either Nani or Chris Smalling heading the other way.
It is understood that Juventus' Arturo Vidal is not being considered as a potential signing.
If Woodward landed two or three of those targets, he would go some way to enhancing his reputation, which took a hammering last summer when his only capture was 27.5 million-pound man Marouane Fellaini, who went on to endure a torrid season.
The former investment banker, who joined United in 2005, admits he still has some work to do to persuade fans he is the right man to be responsible for the club's transfer and contract negotiations.
"You gain credibility through experience and through time," he said. "You can't expect credibility from day one and I wouldn't ask that of the fans. You keep learning on the job and I'll continue to learn for a long period of time.
"I don't mind reading (criticism) because it's extremely important for me to listen to the fans. Criticism can change into positive comments over a period of time."
As well as experiencing troubles in the transfer market, Woodward also took the difficult decision to sack David Moyes, who was just 10 months into a six-year contract. Woodward said it was the toughest call of his career.
"I can't think of any bigger," he said. "It is certainly the most important role in the club by some distance and we didn't take the decision lightly. It was a difficult decision."
One thing that Woodward took away from the challenging season under Moyes was a picture of the scoreboard at the Karaiskakis, which read: Olympiacos 2, Manchester United 0.
Woodward and the United board decided to dispense with Moyes after that lacklustre performance.
"It was a challenging year," he said. "In an ideal situation, I would have worked with (Sir) Alex (Ferguson) for a year. But now there is a lot more positivity."
That positivity has come with the arrival of Louis van Gaal, who has restored an "aura" about the club, Woodward said.
Woodward maintains Van Gaal has not been set a target this year, although one would suspect anything other than a top-four finish would be termed as a failure in the new manager's eyes.
Van Gaal spoke at his unveiling about the hefty commercial demands of being Manchester United manager. Woodward is sure any sponsor commitments will not impact on the new manager and his players though.
"It doesn't disrupt the football club," he said. "We plan very carefully about who does what and when. The average time (for media and charity commitments for the staff) over the last couple of years has been about 0.7 hours per week."

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