Health News
Here's what's new in health
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The percentage of people ages 65 and older who said they were very happy with their marriage. And those happily married pairs reported better physical health than couples who were less happy. —University of Chicago
THE COCOA/ BRAIN CONNECTION
Study participants who consumed 900 mg of cocoa flavanols daily for three months improved their brain function considerably. Sixty-year-olds performed just as well as people half their age in pattern recognition tests. —Nature Neuroscience
GO AHEAD, CATCH UP ON SLEEP
Think you can’t catch up on sleep? Researchers tracked the habits of 43,000 folks who supplemented their measly fivehour nightly slumbering with extra weekend hours. Turns out that those weekend nappers lived just as long as people who get the recommended seven hours of sleep per night. —Stockholm University
*“People can and do get sleep recovery time. If you’re sleep deprived, you can make up for it on the weekend if your body can overshoot what your average sleep needs are. It may take one to three days to get to total recovery depending on how long you have been sleep deprived.” —Srikant Kondapaneni, M.D., chief of pulmonary medicine, Englewood Health
DOC WILL (FINALLY) SEE YOU NOW
It takes nearly 20 minutes—well, 18 minutes and 35 seconds—to see your doctor. How to cut down on the wait? Ask for the first appointment of the day and whether you can fill out forms in advance. —2017 Vitals Wait Time Report
MONITOR THAT MONITOR
Up to 70 percent of home blood pressure devices have been shown to be off by 5 points. Experts recommend bringing yours to your doctor's office to ensure you're getting an accurate reading. —University of Alberta
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The number of severe sunburns that put you at triple the risk of developing melanoma. Dermatologists recommend applying sunscreen with SPF of at least 30 every two hours. —American Journal of Epidemiology
SPARKLING VS STILL H2O
Bubbles are just as hydrating as still water, according to research. It was once believed that bubbles took more time to be absorbed by the body, but that’s not the case. Bring on the fizz. —American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
BEWARE GLUTEN FREE
Avoiding gluten is wise for those people suffering from celiac or other stomach disorders, but for those folks who have no such woes, cutting gluten could raise the risk of heart disease, according to the results of a study of 110,000 participants. —The BMJ
