Adults aren't the only ones who may suffer from obesity if sleep-deprived. Harvard has released a study that indicates babies and toddlers who sleep less than 12 hours each day are more likely to be overweight by the time they walk up the front steps for their first day at preschool. Too much Dora the Explorer could worsen the problem; the children who watched the most TV and slept the least were found to be at the greatest risk of obesity.

The research began at six months of age, when mothers reported how much of the day their baby spent sleeping, both at nap time and during the night. The mothers then reported the same information at one and two years of age. They also reported the amount of television the toddlers were watching starting at age 2. After using the information to find an average pattern for the first two years of a child's life, the researchers found that seven per cent of children who slept 12 hours or longer per day were obese by the time they reached three years old. Of the children who received less than 12 hours of shut-eye per day, 12 per cent were obese by age three. Of the children studied, 17 per cent of those who slept less than 12 hours and watched at least two hours of television each day, were overweight by age three.

"The two (behaviors) are acting independently. In combination, they are particularly risky," said the study's lead author, Dr. Elsie Taveras of Harvard Medical School.

The detailed results of the study can be found in the April edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

» CNN Health

It looks like I'm not the only one contemplating ways to improve my sleeping habits and patterns. After the big unsurprising revelation last week that Americans are not getting enough rest, people are looking for suggestions that will increase their nightly amount of shut-eye and hopefully help them elude the health risks that come with sleep deprivation.

"Insomnia is a bona fide health problem," says Rubin Naiman, clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine and sleep director at the Miraval Resort in Tucson. "Skimping on sleep has a price, including weight gain, diminished immune responses, lack of concentration, irritability, and depression."

"Our society doesn't value sleep," says Phyllis Zee, a professor of neurology at and director of Northwestern University's Sleep Disorders Center. "We see it as a sign of laziness or a waste of time" — so much so that sleeplessness has become something to brag about. Plus, "the culture we've created is geared to keeping us awake," Zee says. Our minds are constantly aroused by stress, caffeine, and even e-mail. "Scans of metabolic activity in the brain show that people who suffer from insomnia have more activity than people without sleep problems when they're trying to get to sleep," Zee says. "When people say, 'I can't turn my brain off at night,' they're actually right."

Now the experts are all weighing in with potential strategies that can help prevent these negative effects by encouraging a restful night. Some of them are similar to those I wrote about earlier this weekend and some are natural, but the one thing they have in common is that all have been tested and the "challenges" they present are acknowledged.

Get Physically Tired
The challenge: The results were immediate and dramatic: After never working out, we found that we fell asleep far more quickly and slept far longer on days when we jogged for 30 minutes on the treadmill. We also woke up during the night just once — rather than two or three times — on those days.

Cut back on caffeine
The challenge: We scaled back our normal five cups of coffee a day by a half-cup per day as prescribed, but we still had pretty vicious headaches. And although it did help our ability to fall — and stay — asleep at night, we felt tired all day. On the fifth day, the headaches subsided, but the general fatigue did not. After day ten, we chose to go back to two cups per day and not after noon — and our sleep is still better.

Take a supplement
The challenge: Our significant other clocked us falling asleep only about five minutes faster after taking melatonin. We still woke up twice during the night.

Adjust your attitude
The challenge: We've often wondered whether our panic about never sleeping well was a self-fulfilling prophecy — and it turns out, it was. We found we tossed and turned less once we told ourselves that we didn't have a larger sleep issue.

I tried the cutting back on caffeine once myself as per my doctor's orders and lasted all of one day. The headache was so bad and the fact that I kept nodding off and nearly slamming my drooping head on my desk seemed to negate any benefits my coffee sacrifice may have had. However realizing it's important for my health, I'm seeking out altnernatives such as drinking tea in the afternoons and switching to decaf in the evenings. I also find after increasing my levels of physical activity over the past two years, my energy levels have climbed during the day, but I'm much less restless at night. My long-winded point is that though I'm no scientist or sleep expert,  I've tried some of these suggestions and they are definitely not without merit. 

Hit the jump to read all 10 sleeping strategies, why they may work and their potential challenges and side effects.

» MSNBC Health

Though it came as no huge surprise, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that many Americans are sleep deprived, which is contributing to a plethora of health problems including obesity and high blood pressure.

Sometimes you can do all the right things: you switch off the television and hop into bed at a reasonable time. And then you lie there wide awake, all of the events of the day running through your head, preventing you from drifting off into dreamland. Gradually the minutes become and hour and then two and if you do manage to finally fall asleep, it's often fitful and sporadic.

Over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids may be a tempting option, but you think twice (and consult your doctor!) before turning to drugs to assist you. Many are addictive and even those advertised as being "all-natural" can be harmful. Five such "natural" products have been recalled in the past couple of years after it was discovered they contained prescription sleeping medication that caused adverse effects - rashes and depression to name a couple.

Instead consider trying natural methods first. Though chronic sleep loss may require more assistance than these tips can offer, many occurences of sleep loss are temporary and can be treated without a pill.

- Several types of tea including chamomile and Valerian teas are known to encourage relaxation. Drink one cup before you go to bed to help calm nerves.

- Warm milk is still known to help with restless nights. If you don't like the 'thick' taste of warm milk, try using the aerolatte tool to make the milk foamy and frothy. It gives the milk the same consistency you would find in a cappucino. Dad and Mom Bean have one and love it. Plus on the days when you do feel like a latte, you can save yourself $4 and use the tool to make one at home instead.

- Speaking of coffee, avoid it and other caffeinated beverages in the evening. The same goes for alcohol, tobacco and heavy meals.

- Ensure your bedding such as sheets and pillowcases, as well as the pillows themselves and your mattress are as comfortable as possible.

- Play soft music, but avoid the television, working on the computer or talking on the phone.

- Take a relaxing bath that contains esssential oils. Light some candles and bathe your cares away.

- Take a walk before bed and let the fresh air clear your head of any negativity remaining from the day.

Sweet dreams!

» Pioneer Thinking

Shut down your computer and hop into bed (but not before you finish reading this of course!). Though abysmal eating habits are definitely a huge aspect of obesity and poor health, a new study shows all those late nights spent watching David Letterman and surfing YouTube is also be contributing to the problem.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that chronic sleep loss may increase health risks such as obesity, diabetes, depression and high blood pressure, to name a few. Of the adults surveyed, 10 per cent indicated they had not slept an adequate amount of time every night of the prior month, while 38 per cent admitted to not sleeping enough for sever or more days of the previous month. Overall statistics indicate that the number of adults sleeping six hours or less each night increased from 1985 to 2006, with 50 to 70 million Americans suffering from chronic sleep loss and disorders.

"At night, we're doing everything except for sleeping — we're on the Internet, we may be watching TV. With these new lifestyles we have kind of taken sleep for granted as something that we can do when we have time or we can catch up on it on the weekends," CDC behavioral scientist Lela McKnight-Eily, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "We don't realize that sleep is a vital part of overall health and that chronic sleep loss is related to both physical and mental health issues," she added. "It's getting worse."

I admittedly am horribly guilty of this bad habit. I always intend to get into bed early and then inevitably find every little distraction under the roof of my home to prevent it from happening. And of course when I'm at work the following day, staring at my computer screen desperately trying to keep my eyes open, I can't even recall what was so important that I couldn't crawl into bed at a reasonable time. Maybe I need to start keeping a "sleep" journal - sort of like a food journal, but instead of documenting what I eat, I can write down my activities prior to going to bed to see if I can pinpoint some of my habits and work on changing them.

» MSNBC Health