June 2024

Hello, and welcome to this month's article! Here Comes Summer... While making your plans this summer, plan on making some time to focus on your health.

Staying healthy depends on a number of things: getting proper rest and exercise; consuming a healthy diet and plenty of water; as well as handling the challenges of living in a stressful world. And massage is the ideal support system, improving your body’s ability to function at its best.

For example, this from the American Massage Therapy Assn: Research indicates that massage therapy can improve sleep. Quality sleep is vital to health and wellness. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): "Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression... Insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of these diseases. ...

This month’s articles cover some aspects of sleep and hydration that you may not be aware of. The information on proper hydration adds another great reason to get your daily dose of water: more happiness!

Have an enjoyable and healthy summer; see you soon!

The Simple Key To Happiness: Hydration
by StudyFinds Staff

Picture this: It’s been a long day, and you’re feeling a bit down. But then, you take a sip of cool, refreshing water, and suddenly, your mood starts to lift. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. A new survey suggests that staying hydrated might just be the key to unlocking more joy in your daily life.

The poll of 2,000 American adults, conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by True Lemon, reveals that the average person experiences 57 “little things” that bring them happiness each week — that’s about eight per day. And what’s one simple way to boost your mood? Drinking enough water, according to 36% of respondents.

It turns out that the benefits of staying hydrated go beyond just quenching your thirst. The survey divided participants based on how many glasses of water they drink daily and found some interesting correlations with happiness. Among those who gulped down 10 or more glasses a day, 80% said it was very important to find joy in the small things, compared to just 48% of those who drank less than one glass.

Moreover, 46% of the most hydrated folks reported being very happy, while only 22% of the least hydrated group could say the same. And when it comes to outlook, 71% of those who drank seven or more glasses daily considered themselves “glass half full” types, compared to 38% of those who had less than a glass.

On the flip side, not getting enough H2O can lead to some serious physical and emotional symptoms. Dehydration can cause low energy (35%), headaches (29%), and muscle cramps (23%), as well as low mood (39%), irritability (34%), frustration (28%), and anxiety (27%). ...

Of course, drinking water isn’t the only way to find happiness in the everyday. Respondents also reported boosting their mood by eating enough to avoid getting “hangry” (31%) and taking walks (30%). But with the myriad benefits of proper hydration — for both body and mind — it’s clear that keeping your water intake up should be a top priority.

“The health benefits of drinking enough water throughout the day are well documented — staying hydrated is as important as getting enough sleep and eating healthy,” says Heidi Carney, Executive Vice President of Marketing at True Lemon.

So the next time you’re feeling a bit lackluster, try reaching for your water bottle instead of that afternoon coffee or sugary snack. Your mood (and your body) just might thank you. And who knows? With all those extra moments of joy, you might even start seeing your glass as half full. ...

Source: studyfinds.org

How Young You Feel Hinges On How Well You Sleep
by StudyFinds Staff

We’ve all heard the adage “you’re only as old as you feel,” but what if your actual age and perceived age don’t quite match up? It turns out that this concept, known as subjective age, can have profound implications for your health and well-being. According to a new study by researchers at Stockholm University, one of the key factors influencing how old you feel might be something you do every night: sleep.

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, included two parts: a cross-sectional survey of 429 adults between 18 and 70 and an experimental sleep study involving 186 participants. Both investigations aimed to uncover how sleep habits and sleepiness affect subjective age.

In the survey, participants were asked how many days in the past month they felt they hadn’t gotten enough sleep. They also rated their current level of sleepiness on a scale from 1 (extremely alert) to 9 (extremely sleepy). The results were striking: for each additional day of insufficient sleep, participants felt 0.23 years older on average. Moving from the most alert to the most sleepy rating was associated with feeling a whole decade older.

The research didn’t stop there. To test if this relationship was causal, the team conducted an experimental study where participants were assigned to either a “sleep saturation” condition (two nights of 9 hours in bed) or a “sleep restriction” condition (two nights of 4 hours in bed). The effect was even more pronounced: after sleep restriction, participants felt an average of 4.44 years older compared to after sleep saturation.

“This means that going from feeling alert to sleepy added a striking 10 years to how old one felt,” says study co-author Leonie Balter in a statement. ...

Interestingly, the importance of sleep for feeling young seemed to increase with age. While insufficient sleep and sleepiness made everyone feel older, the effect was more pronounced in older participants. This suggests that as we age, protecting our sleep becomes increasingly crucial for maintaining a youthful subjective age. ...

The study provides compelling evidence that sleep is a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to feeling young. So next time you’re tempted to burn the midnight oil, remember: skimping on sleep might not just make you feel tired the next day — it could actually add years to your subjective age. Prioritizing those precious hours of shuteye, on the other hand, may just be the fountain of youth we’ve been searching for.

Source: studyfinds.org

Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health. When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease.
And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health.
— Matthew Walker

The content of this article is not designed to replace professional medical advice. If you’re ill, consult a physician.
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