When it comes to sleep, people seem to have different needs. But how much sleep is best for your heart? A new analysis of 11 studies that included a total of more than 1 million adults without heart disease suggests the sweet spot is six to eight hours a night. The studies were published within… read on >
City birds age faster than their country cousins and traffic noise may be the reason why, a new study suggests. The research focused on telomeres — caps on the ends of chromosomes that protect genes from damage. Shortening of telomeres indicates faster aging. At 120 days of age, Zebra finches that were exposed to traffic… read on >
A vasectomy is a method of birth control that involves minor surgery to prevent sperm from reaching semen. More than 500,000 men in the United States have the procedure each year, the Urology Care Foundation says. The procedure can be done in a urologist’s office, a hospital or a surgery center. Most men recover within… read on >
One sleepless night might tip the body’s metabolism toward storing fat while depleting muscle, new research suggests. Many studies have linked poor sleep — whether from insomnia or working the night shift — to weight gain and health conditions like type 2 diabetes. But that type of research leaves open the question of whether sleep… read on >
Do you get way too involved when following sports events? Whether it’s the World Series, the Super Bowl or the Olympics, it’s important to draw a line between being a fan and being a fanatic … so your actions don’t spiral out of control. Rooting for your favorite team is one thing. But researchers from… read on >
Children whose parents have cancer are more likely to struggle in school and to have lower incomes as adults, a new Danish study suggests. The study included more than 1 million people born in Denmark from 1978 through 1999. Before their 18th birthday, about one in 20 had a parent diagnosed with cancer. By age… read on >
Play is a child’s most important work, preschool teachers like to say, and a new American Academy of Pediatrics report wholeheartedly agrees. Play is a crucial way for kids to develop social and mental skills, head off stress and build a healthy bond with parents, the child health experts say. “We’re recommending that doctors write… read on >
While the total number of U.S. deaths from heart disease has declined in recent years, it has stayed the same for younger women. This prompted researchers from Harvard and Indiana universities to look for lifestyle factors that could promote heart health. They analyzed 20 years of records from 89,000 women, aged 27 to 44, who… read on >
Maybe it’s time to retire the office cubicle. A new study suggests that open workspaces without partitions between desks encourage employees to be more active and help curb stress. “We are becoming an increasingly sedentary workforce, and anything that we can do, even passively, to nudge physical activity up will have enormous benefits,” said lead… read on >
Nearly 40 percent of teen drivers in the United States say they text while driving, a new survey finds. Researchers analyzed survey data from teen drivers aged 14 and older in 35 states and found that more than a third said they’d texted while driving at least once in the month before the survey. In… read on >
