What is Sleep Fragmentation? Sleep fragmentation is one of the symptoms of sleep disorders characterized by repeated, short sleep interruptions during the night, which leads to excessive tiredness during the day. People with fragmented sleep tend to fall asleep quickly but wake up multiple times during the night for short periods. The other symptoms of […]
Why Does Sleep Efficiency Matter? Sleep efficiency refers to the percentage of time a person sleeps to the amount of time a person spends in bed. It is calculated by the ratio of the total time spent asleep (TST) in a night compared to the total amount of time spent in bed. An efficient sleep […]
What is Narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that is characterized by five symptoms: 1. Excessive daytime sleepiness 2. Cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness that occurs without any 'warning') 3. Sleep paralysis (a state of awareness with an inability to speak or move - usually occurs during waking up or falling asleep) 4. Hypnagogic hallucinations (vivid […]
What is Excessive daytime sleepiness? Excessive daytime sleepiness (also known as hypersomnia) refers to the inability to stay awake and alert during the normal waking hours that results in unexpected lapses of sleep or drowsiness. It can even occur after long stretches of sleep. There are two types of hypersomnia; primary and secondary. Primary hypersomnia […]
Pharmacogenomics, sometimes called as pharmacogenetics, is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. It is a combination of two fields - pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions). Just like how genes determine our eye color, height, etc. they also partly influence how our […]
COMT Gene The COMT gene is responsible for producing an enzyme called catechol-O-methyltransferase. This enzyme helps in the breakdown of catecholamines, thereby inactivating them. Catecholamines, termed as fight or flight hormones, include dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. They are produced in response to stress. They are responsible for increasing heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, muscle […]
According to a research study by the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom, men with hemochromatosis, a common genetic disorder due to iron build-up, are ten times more likely to develop liver cancer. What is Hemochromatosis? Hemochromatosis, also called the iron-overload disease, is a condition where too much iron builds up in […]
What is an MTHFR mutation report? The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation report provides information about the common polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene, which are associated with increased levels of homocysteine in the blood. What is an MTHFR mutation? MTHFR is a gene that codes for the enzyme called methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). This enzyme is responsible […]
Eggs have been a part of our diet for thousands of years now. Being high in protein and several vitamins, eggs are rated as one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. However, new research from the University of South Australia shows that excess egg consumption can increase your risk of diabetes. Diabetes mellitus, […]
