3 Simple Tips that Can Have A Huge Impact on Your Health

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 – 12:36 PM – 0 COMMENTS

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You know that “getting enough sleep” is a healthy habit, and now new research from Finland reveals that getting at least seven or eight hours nightly also reduces a person’s sick days. Sleeping less than six hours (or more than nine) correlated with higher absenteeism on the job.

“Insufficient sleep—due to inadequate or mistimed sleep—contributes to the risk for several of today’s public health epidemics, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Getting at least seven hours of nightly sleep is a key to overall health, which translates to less sick time away from work,” said a spokesperson. Having trouble sleeping? Start with your healthcare provider, because everyone deserves a good night’s rest.

And while we’re on the subject of sleep, a study in the journal Neurology reports that when your sleep is interrupted or shortened, brain volume may decline. “We found that longitudinal measures of cortical atrophy (gradual and progressive degeneration of the outer layer of the brain, or the cortex) were widely correlated with sleep quality,” the authors write. “Poor sleep quality may be a cause or a consequence of brain atrophy (a decrease in size).”

Next, you may wonder why you see so many reports about the benefits of exercise. The reason is: It works! Here’s yet another one, this time lauding the fact that doing an hour of moderate exercise or half-hour of vigorous exercise might reduce heart failure risk by nearly 50 percent—for both men and women.