Mental Attitude: Sleep Well.
People who sleep 6-9 hours per night had higher self-reported scores for quality of life and lower scores for depression severity when compared to short (less than 6 hours per night) and long sleepers (more than 9 hours per night). Researchers were surprised that both sleeping less than 6 hours and more than 9 hours was associated with a similar decrease in quality of life and increase in depressive symptoms.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine, August 2011
Health Alert: Depressing Statistics.
Depression can affect a person's ability to work, their ability to form relationships, and it can also destroy their quality of life. 15% of the population from high-income countries (compared to 11% for low/middle-income countries) is likely to become depressed at some point in life. Women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men, and the loss of a partner, whether from death, divorce or separation, was a main contributing factor.
BMC Medicine, July 2011
Diet: Breastfeed Babies.
Babies fed only on breast milk up to the age of 6 months have a lower risk of developing asthma-related symptoms in early childhood. Compared to children who were breastfed for 6 months or more, children who had never received breast milk had an increased risk of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm in their first 4 years.
European Lung Foundation, July 2011
Exercise: Muscle Mass and Type 2 Diabetes Risk.
Higher muscle mass, relative to one's body size, is closely linked to superior insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of developing pre-diabetes or full diabetes type 2.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, July 2011
Chiropractic: Cost Effective.
A review of treatments endorsed in American Pain Society and American College of Physicians guidelines found spinal manipulation was cost-effective for subacute and chronic low back pain.
European Spine Journal, January 2011
Wellness/Prevention: Sleep Well.
Interrupted sleep impairs memory, as a minimum amount of continuous sleep is crucial for memory consolidation. Researchers found memory was unaffected if the average duration of sleep was maintained at 62-73% of normal.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 2011
