Sleeping On Weekends

It’s difficult to recover lost sleep during weekdays; or is it possible?. According to scientific research sleeping until midday disturbs your circadian rhythm (Your body’s biological clock). When your circadian rhythm is disturbed you risk developing diabetes and heart disease.  Nick Littlehales a sport sleep coach states that the hours we spend in bed helps determine our decision making skills, mood and motivation.

Other research from Swedish researchers shows that  people under the age of 65 who got more sleep on a weekends instead of weekdays lived as long as people who slept 7 hours per night. When people from an older age range got less sleep on weekends they were 50% less likely to live longer.

Exercising When Tired  

Exercising after a long and exhausting workday seems dreadful for most people. Even though exercising maybe the last thing on your mind after a long workday it will actually energise you. A study published in Medicine And Science In Sports And Exercise shows that mood along with fatigue and depression improved after an average 30 minute exercise session. Considering the fact that everything that we do uses oxygen exercising will help you to tire less and work more efficiently.

Brushing Immediately After Eating

Acidic foods and drinks like citrus fruits, tomatoes, sodas and sports drinks can soften tooth enamel. Brushing your teeth directly after consuming enamel softening foods or drinks speeds up the process of erosion on the layers underneath your tooth enamel. It is advisable to brush your teeth 30 minutes to 60 minutes after consuming foods or drinks that soften your enamel.

Biting Your Nails

If you’re a typical nail biter make sure to wash your hands more often. Your hands are normally covered with germs; so biting your nails is not a habit that you want to indulge in. Apart from these facts biting your nails can be a better coping mechanism than smoking or binge drinking. As long as you are conscious of washing your hands more often that you need to then you should be fine.  

Chewing Gum

Sweetened gum is actually bad for you; the sweet stuff you may enjoy from time to time. Sweetened gum can increase your risk for cavities. The sugar free option reduces that risk and also slows down the build of plaque. Chewing gum also has psychological benefits; according to research conducted by British researchers from Cardiff University chewing gum improves your reaction time and accuracy. Chewing gum also helps you to concentrate on tasks that demand continuous monitoring for long periods of time. Other studies show that chewing gum reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and also improves alertness.  

One For The Road

“One for the road” is probably a common saying that you’ve heard many times; unfortunately this associates to a lot of accidents that we see on our roads and highways today.  Several studies show that beer can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even kidney stones. The studies also indicate that it also prevents cataracts and strengthens your bones. These benefits only take place when a person is averaging a beer a day; any more than this average will be damaging to your health.  

Cold Or Hot Beverage?

Instinctively the first thing you would do after feeling hot is to reach for a cold drink. Contrary to what most people believe certain studies indicate that consuming a hot cup of tea of coffee can cool you off faster than a cold drink. When you consume a hot drink your body senses the change in temperature and increases your sweat production; as the sweat evaporates from your skin you then cool off normally.

Stressing Out   

Changing your perspective about stress is important towards achieving more constructive ways to behave. When you view stress as a challenge instead of a threat you can motivate yourself to overcome that challenge with less physical backlashes.

Daily Workouts  

Skipping a day or more in the gym may make you feel guilty but it doesn’t have to. When you don’t rest your body adequately you risk injuries to your body. When your muscles are overworked they don’t have time to repair properly leading to serious injuries or even weight loss plateaus. There are psychological as well as physical consequences of over exercising. People who exercise moderately each week are better off than people who over exercise.  There is a term “cardiometabolic exercise” (CME); this helps cover a range of different activities like climbing the stairs or exercising on a treadmill. Research from the Harvard Medical School indicates that a person needs 15 minutes of intense exercise or 30 minutes of standard exercise a day to maintain a healthy weight.  

 Antibacterial Soaps

Long term effects of using antibacterial soaps can lead to bacterial resistance and hormonal effects. There’s no scientific evidence to show that antibacterial soaps are more effective than normal soaps. A soap labelled antibacterial doesn’t prevent illness or risk of spreading illness to others.