Mental ill health in sport

Last week's inside Sport gave an interesting open and frank look at the issue of mental ill health, depression and stress in sport. A host of leading sports stars were interviewed about their experiences of depression and stress during their careers. What was interesting were some of the statistics that accompanied the programme looking at the incidence of mental ill health in the general population.

• 1 in 4 adults will experience mental ill health in their lives
• 92% of the people think that admitting to mental health issues will damage their career
• 9 out of 10 people with depression experienced discrimination
• Families with a history of depressions are more prone to mental health problems
• Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in the UK.

These statistics show that not only are mental health problems widespread but people find it very difficult to find support, especially given the stigma attached by the general population who are not well aware of the issues. Sleep plays a major role in our mental health and we believe if people knew more about sleep and the effects on mental and physical health we would see the incidence reduce.

NHS sick days costing us £1.7bn p.a.

According to an article in the Metro last week (summarising a report by Dr Steve Boorman)sickness absence in the NHS is costing us £1.7bn per annum. More than 10 million days are lost - or 10.7 days per person.

Apparently women are more likely to call in sick than men, and those who have worked longer in the NHS are more likely to be off sick than newer workers. Half the days lost were associated with musculoskeletal issues but more interestingly for us a quarter of days lost (c. 2.5 million at a cost of c. £425m) were due to depression, stress or anxiety.

MetroNaps at the European Cardiology Conference last week

Last week was the annual European Society of Cardiology's conference - a simply huge event combining an extensive lecture programme with a simply awesome exhibition. This year it took place in Barcelona and there were in excess of 30,000 delegates from all areas of cardiology.

We were asked by Sanofi-Aventis, the major French pharma company, to supply 6 EnergyPods for their stand at the conference. The aim was to support the impending release of a new drug the company has developed to help patients with Atrial Fibrillation and as such the EnergyPods were positioned on the section of the stand dedicated to Multaq.

Their creative team then put together a 3 minute video which delegates watched through 3D glasses showing the experience of Atrial Fibrillation from the perspective of a patient suffering with the condition.

We were delighted with the effect of the EnergyPods. They were full for the vast majority of the exhibition and drew inquisitive delegates towards the Multaq section of the stand who wanted to know what these "space age-like capsules" were. They were also then minded to try the 3 minute video, which also received excellent feedback from the delegates. The Sanofi staff also told us that they thought it had been a resounding success and so we were delighted with the contribution.

To find out more about our products and services take a look at our website.

MetroNaps embraces Twitter

After much wondering what it was we have now fully embraced Twitter. As such we will now be updating the MetroNapsUK Twitter page (http://twitter.com/MetroNapsUK) with greater regularity on relvant news.

However, whilst we like the idea of brevity there will always be a need to bring greater colour to a story. Therefore we will continue to put more in-depth news on this blog.

Want to lose weight - sleep more

We've discussed many times before the relationship between sleep and weight. Another study this time from the US (the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre to be exact) highlights some interesting statistics.

"Short sleepers" had an average Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28.3, classed as overweight. Long sleepers had an average BMI of 24.5 - normal. The study suggested that even though short sleepers may use up 1,000 more calories and take an additional 25% more steps during the day they didn't (on average) reflect this in their BMI scores.

The reasons given were reduced levels of leptin (an appetite suppressing hormone) and increased stress, which in turn led to further restless sleep and a potential association with stress-eating.

Lower sleep duration linked to ADHD in children

Research from the University of Helsinki published in the journal Paediatrics has shown a link between shorter sleep durations in children and an increased chance of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Researchers looked at 280 children and tested how long they slept for before comparing the results against a series of tests designed to diagnose ADHD. They found that children between 7 and 8 years old who averaged less than 8 hours of sleep a night had a higher chance of showing symptoms of ADHD. Those who slept for less than 7.7 hours scored higher in tests for hyperactivity and impulsivity than those who slept for longer. None of the Children were suffering from sleeping problems.

Dr Paavonen who led the study said "The findings suggest that maintaining adequate sleep schedules among children is likely to be important in preventing behavioural symptoms."

Medical Staff make avoidable errors

Yesterdays papers carried news of the number of "avoidable errors" being made by "overworked medical staff." Apparently 4,000 avoidable errors were made last year with more than half (2,221) being considered serious resulting in death or serious pain - according to the Patients Association.

It seems clear that it is now time for hospitals and trusts to take a look at a fatigue management programme. MetroNaps has developed a programme that can asses levels of fatigue and train staff in how to prevent fatigue. Check out our website - www.metronaps.co.uk.

Visit our new website

After a great deal of work I am pleased to announce that we have completely revamped our website. Check it out - www.metronaps.co.uk

We detail our expanded range of products and services, we have packed the website full of facts and we now have a comprehensive information section that includes scientific studies. We also explains in detail why engaging MetroNaps will be positive for your business. As always if you have any comments please feel free to leave them through the form on the website.

Fat tests for all

I know that obesity is becoming the biggest single health problem affecting this country but we the taxpayer pay these people to come up with solutions to problems. The latest idea to tackle obesity is to make everyone (between 40 and 74) take a "fat test" at our GPs. They will also target overweight NHS workers who may otherwise give a bad impression to others.

Barmy stuff, even if it had been spun with some subtlety! The answer to reversing the tide of obesity is to educate people to do more exercise, moderate their diet and sleep better - it really is that simple. The one area I strongly believe is being under-addressed is on sleep. The new government campaign says Move more, eat less but where's the information on sleep.

To understand how fatigue is linked to serious health issues and performance declines visit our website - www.metronaps.co.uk.

Stress Peaks on Tuesday morning

Yesterday's telegraph reported a piece of research undertaken by a health supplement firm. Apparently Tuesday morning at 11:45am is the most stressful point of the working week. This is (apparently) because we coast through Monday leaving the work to pile up for Tuesday.

Extra sleep better than sex

A study reported in the London Lite yesterday suggests that 80% of Britons prefer a good night's sleep to sex. The study of 8,500 people showed that people actually wanted more sleep. A staggering 12% of respondents said they got 8 hours sleep a night although 40% believed that this is what they needed.

Diabetes rates soar in the UK

An article in the Daily Mail last week highlighted research showing that there has been a 69% jump in the diabetes rate in the UK in a decade. This means that the problem of diabetes is now growing at a faster rate than the US - dubbed the diabetes capital of the world.

The growth is largely attributable to type 2 diabetes - associated with poor diet, lack of exercise and (as research has shown) lack of sleep. The study is based on data from the Health Improvement Network, which holds 5 million medical records from 300 general practices.

Whilst type 1 diabetes rates remained relatively stable, rates of type 2 diabetes rose from 2.6 cases per 1,000 to 4.31 cases, equivalent to an increase of 69% over the 10 years from 1996 to 2005.