Scientists had 38 women sleep for (a) their usual 7 to 9 hours a night or (b) 1½ hours less (about 6 hours) for 6 weeks each. (The women had excess weight or a family history of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high LDL cholesterol, or high triglycerides.)
A third of adults get less sleep than the 7 to 9 hours a night that experts recommend. Could lack of sleep help fuel the obesity epidemic?
Researchers randomly assigned 80 people with excess weight who typically slept less than 6½ hours a night either to continue their usual sleep routine or to receive individualized counseling to reach 8½ hours of sleep a night for two weeks.
In 2018, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans advised adults to do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or dancing—or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise like running—every week. And they recommended strength exercises at least twice a week.
Newsflash: Most of us aren’t hitting those targets. We’ll find a routine post-pandemic, after the holidays, when work calms down, when the weather is warmer (or cooler). But our bodies aren’t frozen in time while we’re not exercising. We’re paying a price.
Here are eight reasons to get moving today.
“What work of genius has ever been composed on chamomile?” asks Michael Pollan in his audiobook Caffeine, as he tries to quit his habit. America runs on caffeine. Roughly 85 percent of us drink at least one caffeinated beverage every day. Here’s the latest on how caffeine affects our health.
It’s no secret that surprising headlines sell. Sometimes the “wow” factor is enough to propel a still-shaky finding into the spotlight before it’s ready for prime time. Here’s the backstory on some recent studies that made the news.