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For kids older than 2, nap may only benefit tired parents and it may disrupt sleep
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File this one under bad news for parents of young children: A new study from Australia says little guys older than 2 don't benefit from a nap. And it may prevent them from sleeping well at night.

The study, from researchers at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, was published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The researchers looked at 26 observational studies of nap time among children from birth to age 5. "The most consistent finding was an association between napping and later onset, shorter duration and poorer quality of night sleep, with evidence strongest beyond the age of 2 years," the researchers wrote. They also suggested, "In preschool children presenting with sleep problems, clinicians should investigate napping patterns."

Lead author Karen Thorpe, a professor, told Today that getting fragmented sleep at night might impair a child's daytime life, as well.

There is a significant body of data on childrens night sleep that show association with a range of important health and psychological outcomes, she said. For example, consistent links between night sleep, but not day sleep, with weight status, including pediatric obesity, are reported. As with adults, disrupted sleep is associated with behavior and cognitive functioning. Children deprived of sleep are less resilient to emotional challenges and function less well in remembering and learning.

Some experts caution against reading too much into the findings.

"There's a lot that we still need to understand about the impact (of napping) on health. The only consistent finding was that children above the age of 2 who don't nap do fall asleep more easily and sleep more consistently throughout the night," said Kelly Glazer Baron, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, to the Huffington Post.

She told Catherine Pearson, "Some people have read (the study) and said, 'Well, that means to sleep better at night, children beyond the age of 2 shouldn't nap. Certainly, by taking away a nap during the day, you will help them sleep more at night because they're just so exhausted. That doesn't mean it's a good thing, though."

Dr. Richard Ferber, director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Boston Children's Hospital, told LiveScience that different children have different sleep needs. LiveScience wrote that Ferber said "the study had a number of limitations. For one, the researchers analyzed studies of children with very different age ranges, who tend to have very different sleep needs. ... The studies also required parents to recall how their children napped, which can be very prone to error."

Thorpe said it is widely acknowledged within the child care sector that napping in preschool children promoted growth. But she said research had shown it instead had a negative impact on night sleep patterns of children 3 and over.

There is consistent high quality data that indicates napping beyond the age of two lengthens the amount of time it takes for a child to fall asleep, she said in a release.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.