9 Health Benefits of Chocolate

-
Image
Superfoods don't just come from your supermarket's produce aisle. In fact those chocolate candy bars next to the gummy bears now qualify. Study after study proves that dark chocolate—sweet, rich, and delicious—is good for more than curing a broken heart. The secret behind its powerful punch is cacao, also the source of the sweet's distinct taste. Packed with healthy chemicals like flavonoids and theobromine, this little bean is a disease-killing bullet. The only problem? Cacao on its own is bitter, chalky, nasty stuff. Enter milk, sugar, and butter—good for your taste buds, not always good for your health. Besides adding calories, these can dilute the benefits of cacao. So snack smart: Stick to healthy chocolate with at least 70 percent cacao (or cocoa, which is cacao in its roasted, ground form). As long as the content is that high, says Mary Engler, Ph.D., a professor of physiological nursing at the University of California at San Francisco, you can reap the be...
Post a Comment

STUDY: WOMEN NEED MORE SLEEP BECAUSE THEY USE THEIR BRAIN MORE

-
Women need more sleep than men, according to a recent study. Researchers from Duke University have discovered that, compared to men, women experience more mental and physical consequences from inadequate rest. Besides giving half the population a legitimate reason to sleep in, the findings could also inspire new health recommendations for women at greater risk of heart disease, depression, and psychological problems.
STUDY: WOMEN NEED MORE SLEEP BECAUSE THEY USE THEIR BRAIN MORE


The study, which was led by clinical psychologist and sleep expert Michael Breus, estimated men and women’s respective needs for sleep by assessing their ability to deal with insufficient rest. According to Breus, the experiment suggested a sharp difference between genders. “We found that women had more depression, women had more anger, and women had more hostility early in the morning,” he told reporters.

Who Needs How Much?


Many biological factors are thought to contribute to this disparity. However, some experts believe that it ultimately comes down to mental energy expenditure. Women, they say, simply use their brain more than men do.

“One of the major functions of sleep is to allow the brain to recover and repair itself. During deep sleep, the cortex — the part of the brain responsible for thought, memory, language and so on — disengages from the senses and goes into recovery mode,” Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in England, told The Australian. “The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need. Women tend to multi-task — they do lots at once and are flexible — and so they use more of their actual brain than men do.”
It follows that, if men used their brains more during the day, they would need a couple of extra hours too. “A man who has a complex job that involves a lot of decision-making and lateral thinking may also need more sleep than the average male — though probably still not as much as a woman,” Horne said.

The Science of Sleep

Breus’ and his colleagues’ study adds to a growing number of scientific inquiries into the health outcomes of sleep deprivation. In a paper published earlier this year, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine showed a correlation between inadequate rest and accelerated skin aging.
Other studies have linked poor sleeping patterns to an elevated risk of heart disease, blood clots, stroke, and psychiatric problems.
The average American adult requires between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every day. That said, 80 percent of the population say they habitually fall short of this quota. To learn more about sleep and improving rest patterns, visit The National Sleep Foundation’s online resources.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Experts Warn It's 'Too Sexual' to Smooch Your Kids on the Lips

-
Image
Just when you think it was cool to show your little one some TLC, here comes the fun police. As much as you want to love up on your kid, experts now say kissing your child on the mouth is bad because it's "too sexual." if you can stop laughing for a second, you'll see that Dr. Charlotte Reznick, author of The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety Into Joy And Success, is trying to be serious. She believes a "kiss on the lips can be stimulating" and that might confuse a child. Dr. Reznick even goes as far to remind us how lips are an erogenous zone. "If mommy kisses daddy on the mouth and vice versa, what does that mean, when I, a little girl or boy, kiss my parents on the mouth?" Dr. Charlotte questions.  So what's a parent supposed to do when their child walks up (or stumbles, depending on their current level of coordination) and tries to plant one on the kisser? Do some funky Matrix move or swat ...
Read more

8 Qualities Woman Has that Her Man Can’t Just Resist!

-
Image
Ladies, if you’re interested in having a quality relationship with your man, or finding a man to have a quality relationship with, read on! Always remember that men and women are different. So to attract a man, and keep him, it is imperative that you understand men (especially your own man!). As mentioned in the book, Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, many women are clueless about how men think. A man desires a woman he can respect and trust- a woman of good character and integrity. Depending upon your goal and behavior, you can become for him the “marrying type” or the “plaything”.  Men are more likely to fall in love with a modest woman – modest in behavior, dress, and in the way she talks. They may lust after the “hot” woman, but she is not likely to be the one to meet his mom.  A smile is always an excellent start to any relationship. So, if smiling does not come naturally to you, start practicing and perfecting your smile. Your intent will show too, so pract...
Read more