Not logging enough sleep hours at night? Feeling tired during your afternoon meeting with the boss should be the least of your concerns.

A 2007 study analysis conducted at the University of Texas revealed that a disruption of melatonin synthesis -- which can be brought on by an insufficient amount of sleep -- can lessen the hormone's ability to fight harmful, cancer-causing free radicals. What's more, Men's Health reports that researchers from Harvard found that blood levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for heart-disease risk, can increase even if only a few hours of sleep are missed.

As difficult as it may sometimes seem to squeeze in a solid seven or eight hours of shuteye, it's vital to our overall health that we somehow make it happen. Plus, after a good night of Z's, you shouldn't ever have to worry about falling asleep during your boss' phenomenally boring Power Point presentation.

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The truth is: I love cherries. Some other truths: Cherries have the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants compared to other fruits, a growing body of evidence shows that tart cherries may help relieve arthritis, cherries are one of the few foods known to regulate natural sleep patterns, and cherries also might reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Geez, and I just loved them for the taste.

Wait. There's more: Cherry consumption help prevent colon cancer, may aid in the management of diabetes, and may be good for the brain.

Ready to love cherries, like me? If so, check out this handy tool and learn how to incorporate cherries into your routine. Take a peek at these recipes too -- this month's featured treat is Confetti Couscous Salad with Dried Cherries. Yummy. And for up-to-date cherry news, pay this location a visit every once in a while..

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Sleep is important for kids. Disturbed sleep can lead to poor school performance and behavior problems. My son is just about to turn 11. He's at his best when he gets about 10 hours of sleep though, more often than not, he wakes up after nine hours. When he gets less than that he is grumpy, unfocused, and defiant for the rest of the day. What makes matters worse is that my son has ADHD, which disrupts his sleep. It's a vicious circle, really. The ADHD makes it harder for him to sleep and a lack of sleep exacerbates his ADHD symptoms.

It turns out that my son is not alone. A recent survey found that more than 73% of kids with ADHD have sleep problems including difficult falling asleep, resistance to sleeping, and still feeling tired after waking up. There are many ways to help your child get proper sleep.

• First and foremost, speak to your doctor if your child has ADHD and is having trouble sleeping. If your child is on ADHD medication it may be worsening his/her ability to get to sleep. Your doctor may have advice for adjusting the medication or even simply modifying the time of day your child takes meds.

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How dark is your room at night? For me, not so much. I'm a little afraid to admit it but I might be, um, just the teensiest bit afraid of the dark ... hey, you, stop laughing! I'm serious. It goes back to my childhood when I watched the episode of Little House on the Prairie where Mary woke up and discovered she was blind. Ever since then, I need to have a little bit of light in my room when I sleep so that when I wake up, I can see something and prove to myself that, yet again, I woke up with my eyesight intact.

But as it turns out, you--and I--should be sleeping in total darkness most nights. It not only helps maintain a deep sleep but it can reduce our cancer risk too, according to Dr. Mercola. Why? It all comes down to your levels of Melatonin, which is affected by how much light you see. Melatonin, in turn, plays a role in Estrogen secretion, which plays a role in cancer, particularly breast cancer. In fact, totally blind women have a 36% less chance of developing cancer than those who aren't blind or who are visually impaired.

Dang. I guess this means I have to give up the nightlight.

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Hey, haven't you heard? Cherries are the new "it" fruit and can cure everything from gout to arthritis and prevent cancer as well. Oh, you haven't heard that yet? Well, with their new campaign -- focused especially on the Internet community -- the Cherry Marketing Institute hopes we'll all soon be looking at tart cherries in a whole new light.

Studies have shown that there really is something special about tart cherries. They're rich in antioxidants, which are known to fight cancer-causing free radicals. Some studies suggest that cherries -- which are rich in melatonin -- can improve sleep, and others say they've been drinking cherry juice for decades to relieve arthritis and gout as well. Though the CMI calls them the new "superfruit," the FDA warns that claims can not be put on product packaging unless they've been scientifically proven.

For years, tart cherries have been viewed as a dessert food. Even today, as I did a cursory search for cherry recipes, I mostly found recipes with the words "pie" or "cobbler" in the title. (Though I did find this list, which promises a few non-dessert type dishes.) It'll be interesting to see cherries rise through the ranks of nutritious foods and shake off their former fat and sugar filled image. Anyone have a recipe for a cherry smoothie?

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Jet lag is that awful feeling when you fly across different time zones and you find that you're sleepy when you're supposed to be awake and wired when it's time for bed.

As someone who used to do a lot of coast-to-coast traveling, I was often frustrated with jet lag. What can be done?

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