Hello Yahoo Readers! My name is Rachel Grumman Bender and I’m here to bring you this week’s best online wellness tips.
Has this ever happened to you? One minute you can barely open your eyes and can’t wait to crawl into your cozy bed. The next time you’re wide awake and thinking, Now would be a great time to reorganize that junk drawer (those random pieces of paper and half-dead pens are not going to be thrown away). This is called a “second wind” and can make you rest when you should be passed out.
So what keeps your brain from freaking out and gives you energy when you absolutely don’t need it? It may surprise you, but that second wind in the evening is a normal part of the body’s circadian rhythm. The problem: Lifestyle factors can keep you awake longer. One big factor, along with stress, is the condemnation of bed rolling. That bright screen might as well be a cup of coffee as it sends a signal to your brain to stay alert. (It also robs you of your rest: Research shows that every hour you spend staring at a screen in bed cuts your total sleep time by 24 minutes.) Another factor: You’re missing your prime sleep window. Your body clock prefers a predictable routine more than Type A Dad and expects you to go to bed around the same time every night. If you miss your normal bedtime, and especially if you engage in stimulating activities, your body clock gets a message that it should help you stay awake.
“Anxiety, working late at night, using social media, or engaging in stimulating activities can trigger the release of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine, leading to increased alertness,” Dr. Chris Allen, a board-certified sleep medicine physician and sleep science advisor for Aeroflow Sleep, told LiveScience.
Here’s what you can do when you’ve got a second wind and you really need to hit the hay: Get out of bed if you’re already in it, suggests Dr. William Lu, medical director of online sleep clinic Dreem Health. He tells USA Today that the last thing you want is for your body to associate being in bed no sleeping Then choose a relaxing activity to tell your body it’s time to relax. Try reading, listening to calming music (maybe a little Enya?), doing breathing exercises, journaling, or meditating. You should be getting zzzz’s soon.
Want to know what the weather will look like when you wake up? Check the local forecast. Feel like you could use some astrological advice? Read your horoscope. Then choose “one small thing” to take better care of your health this week. Start here.
💪 Compare your fitness level to an 80-year-old (listen)
Forget smarter than a fifth grader – are you better than an 80-year-old elite athlete? If you just gasped and thought, “Of course I’m in better shape than an 80-year-old athlete! prepare to be humiliated. The Washington Post ran a comprehensive (read: super long) test called the Sustained Athlete Fitness Exam, and it included two key exercises that test strength and coordination: “Five sit-ups and stand-ups” (sit on a chair edge, stand up without using your hands until you stand up all the way and sit back down; repeat five times in a row “Mamamal, and walk as fast as you can”). (measure a course of 10 meters or 32.8 feet as a long corridor, back off another 10 feet from the starting point, and then walk as fast as you can before someone hits you; calculate how many meters per second you covered by dividing the distance by 10 by the number of seconds it took to quickly walk those 10 meters.). If your sit-to-stand time is 8 seconds, congratulations—you’re as fit as an 80-year-old athlete (a 50-year-old athlete should beat that in about 6 seconds). If your walking speed is about 2 meters per second, that is the pace of an 80-year-old athlete (50-year-old athletes reach about 2.3 meters per second or faster). how did it go
🧠 Stay sharp with brain games
Keeping your brain alive has never been more fun. Whether you’re getting hooked on Wordle or slaying Solitaire, giving your brain some game time can pay dividends. My Yahoo colleague Natalie Rahhal recently spoke with neurosurgeon Dr. Rupa Juthani, who says classic games like Sudoku and crosswords are the gold standard for brain health. Even playing brain-boosting games like Pac-Man, Fruit Ninja FX and Grand Piano at popular chain Dave & Buster’s can help you work on memory, rhythm and coordination. There are also specific brain training games that improve focus and processing speed, and some are better than others. According to CNN, games like BrainHQ’s Double Decision and Freeze Frame can help preserve acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that helps the brain stay more alert and focused.
💦 Avoid “peeing”
Whether you’re on a road trip or just dozing off at work, you can put off taking a bathroom break even though you need it. When you finally get up and leave, it’s like you’ve opened the floodgates. It’s called “power peeing,” and while I’m all for empowerment, here’s why you don’t want to become a human fire hydrant: Normally, when you pee, your pelvic floor muscles relax, allowing the urethra (the tube you pee out of) to open up, explains Sara Reardon, a pelvic floor physical therapist known as “The Vagina,” W Selhiffer. But when you expel the flow, the pelvic floor muscles don’t have time to fully relax, and the urethra may not be fully open, Reardon says. Over time, this pressure can weaken the pelvic floor muscles and increase the risk of urinary incontinence. Instead, Reardon says it’s best to “just sit back and chill because the bladder is the muscle that pushes urine out.”
❤️ Roll your shoulders to reduce blood pressure
When I see a dog stretch, I have to say, “Good stretch” (these are the rules; I didn’t make them). But apparently we should tell ourselves that. A small study found that stretching—specifically, bending your shoulders up to your ears, bending back slightly, and arching your upper back for 10 to 15 seconds (without holding your breath)—not only feels good, but it can also lower blood pressure. Stephen Juraschek, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and a hypertension specialist (who was not involved in the study), explains why to the Washington Post: “Muscles can be a reservoir of considerable blood. The very act of contracting and relaxing muscles can cause changes in blood pressure. While shrugs shouldn’t replace high blood pressure recommendations, experts say it’s another potential measure that can help. And at least it’s a great way to relax tense muscles after sitting in front of the computer all day.
🏋️♀️ Lift weights long enough to get stronger
You already know that strength training is good for you in many ways (some even call it the “fountain of youth”), but let’s be honest: seeing the fruits of your labor, aka real muscle definition, is the most fun. But how long does training have to be for this to happen? Scientists have an answer: 30 minutes of strength training twice a week increases strength and muscle growth, Prevention reports. (Do this for six weeks and you’ll find yourself admiring your biceps in front of the mirror.) That’s in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation of two muscle-strengthening activities each week along with 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (think: brisk walking, biking, or playing on flat terrain). Haven’t lifted a dumbbell in a long time…or ever? Experts say it’s never too late to start.
📅 Schedule “worry time”
Feeling stressed? While giving yourself time to just sit and think about what’s worrying you may seem like the exact opposite of what you want to do, experts say it can help, especially when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. “Scheduled Worry Time is a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention used to treat insomnia and can help manage anxiety and stress,” clinical psychologist Lara Barbir tells EatingWell. “Over time, it can also improve sleep quality.” Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes to focus on what’s bothering you—or better yet, write about it in a journal or jot down some steps you can take to fix it on a notepad or sticky note, then put it away.
🥝 Eat kiwi to relieve constipation
Back off, prunes. Eating kiwifruit when you’re constipated can help get things moving. This is a recommendation from the first evidence-based dietary guidelines for adults with chronic constipation. (Constipation means having fewer than three bowel movements a week, which lasts longer than three months.) Most importantly, you need to eat more than a few slices to see results—scientists recommend three kiwis a day, with or without the skin. If you want to manage constipation, it is better to opt for additional dietary supplements, recommendations also include psyllium fiber supplements (more than 10 grams per day) and certain probiotics, including B. milk and Bacillus coagulans Unique IS2, reports NBC News.
🍽️ Have dinner early
Did you know that there is an ideal time for dinner? Dietitians tell Real Simple that the sweet spot is between 5 and 7 p.m. (and as it turns out, more people than ever are opting for early bird specials). Here’s why it’s better for your health: It usually gives your body enough time to digest dinner and reduces the risk of acid reflux, which can disrupt your sleep. This meal time also helps prevent raiding the pantry and skipping meals at night, which can happen when you wait too long to eat. But don’t despair if you can’t have dinner before 7pm. – experts recommend finishing the last meal 3 hours before bedtime.
🛏️ Find the best pillow for your sleeping style
Sleeping is one of my favorite things, but somehow it seems almost impossible to find a really comfortable pillow, unless maybe I’m staying in a luxury hotel. But to get a good night’s sleep, it’s important to find the right one. “The pillow has to support the head and neck with the spine,” Dr Geet Paul, director of interventional pain medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine, tells the Guardian. “But many choose one just because it looks soft or fluffy.” (Why do I feel called?) Here’s how to choose the right pillow for your sleep style: Side sleepers should choose a pillow with a medium firmness that keeps the neck straight and not too high or too low, which can out of alignment and cause neck pain. If you sleep on your back, look for softer pillows that leave “at least four fingers between your chin and chest,” says Dr. Lindsay Orosz and tuck a pillow under your knees to relieve pressure on your lower back. Sorry stomach sleepers – experts don’t recommend this position as it can lead to back, shoulder and neck pain. But if needed, place a pillow under your head and hips for support.
Also, unlike diamonds, pillows don’t last forever. Orosz suggests changing them every one to two years (which is a lot more often than I ever expected). Or try this quick Orosz test: Fold a pillow in half. If it springs right back into shape when released, it should be fine to use. If not – or if your pillow is lumpy or you often wake up with a sore neck – it’s time to replace it.