Recent Blog Articles

What to do if you think your child has the flu

When should you hire in-home help or health aides?

Small pets are delightful, but some carry dangerous bacteria

Want to reduce your risk of dementia? Get your hearing checked today

Veins are a key player in the body: Here's why

Do toddler formulas deliver on nutrition claims?

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What does a birth doula do?

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Sleep Archive
Articles
Try this: Progressive muscle relaxation for sleep
People with insomnia can quiet a racing mind or relax a tense body with progressive muscle relaxation, which involves gradually tensing and relaxing muscles, beginning with the toes and working up the body.
CPAP machines and masks: Which ones are right for you?
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a first-line treatment for people with obstructive sleep apnea. The CPAP keeps the airway open by pushing a forceful stream of air through a tube and into a mask worn during sleep. The air comes from a small bedside pump (an air compressor). Other forms of positive airway pressure (PAP) may be helpful for people with central sleep apnea. Doctors determine which type of PAP therapy and device someone needs. Patients select the type of PAP mask to use with the system.
UK study confirms Mediterranean lifestyle benefits
A 2023 study of about 110,000 people in the United Kingdom suggested that those who most adhered to a Mediterranean lifestyle had a 28% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 29% lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause, compared with those who least adhered to the lifestyle.
Does poor sleep diminish the cognitive benefits of exercise?
In a 2023 study, among people age 50 or 60 who reported high rates of exercise, those who said they slept less than six hours per night had faster rates of cognitive decline over the next 10 years than those who said they got six to eight hours of sleep per night.
How much sleep do you actually need?
Just how many hours of sleep are enough for you? The answer varies and it might be better to track sleep quality than focus on the number of hours you log each night.
Sleep paralysis: Causes, symptoms, and treatments
Sleep paralysis interferes with restful sleep and impacts emotional health for many people. While there is still much to learn about the condition, understanding the causes of sleep paralysis can help with treatment and prevention.
Hidden causes of weight gain
The reason for weight gain isn't always as obvious as inactivity or a poor diet. Weight gain can stem from many other causes. For example, it might reflect age-related physiological changes such as muscle loss, poor sleep, or changes in sex hormone levels; underlying conditions such as diabetes or sleep apnea; side effects from taking certain medications, such as antidepressants or beta blockers; or possibly the effects of eating late at night or the makeup of gut bacteria. Recent or excessive weight gain warrants a visit to a doctor to help pinpoint the issue.
Eating junk food may affect deep sleep
A new study found that eating an unhealthy diet high in processed food can affect people's deep sleep, the stage when the pituitary gland in the brain releases hormones to build and repair muscles and bones as well help boost cognitive function and memory.
Surprising causes of neck pain
Neck pain is often the result of strained neck muscles that become irritated from everyday activities. Examples include watching TV for hours at a time, sleeping without enough neck support, slouching, looking down at a smartphone for long periods, lifting heavy dumbbells, or getting stressed out. Ways to avoid such neck pain include using pillows to better support the neck on a couch or in bed, sitting up straighter, keeping electronic screens at eye level, lifting weights that aren't too heavy, and practicing stress management.
Does coffee help or harm your heart?
Drinking coffee does not appear to increase the risk of heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation, in healthy people. It may temporarily raise blood pressure and the number of non-harmful skipped beats. While it may have other minor mixed positive and negative effects on other heart-related factors and behaviors (such as increased daily step counts, but decreased sleep duration and slightly higher LDL cholesterol), moderate coffee consumption appears to have no impact on the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
Recent Blog Articles

What to do if you think your child has the flu

When should you hire in-home help or health aides?

Small pets are delightful, but some carry dangerous bacteria

Want to reduce your risk of dementia? Get your hearing checked today

Veins are a key player in the body: Here's why

Do toddler formulas deliver on nutrition claims?

Holiday arguments brewing? Here's how to defuse them

What does a birth doula do?

Cellulitis: How long does it take to heal on legs?

21 spices for healthy holiday foods
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