Health News: Go Ahead—Snooze

Go Ahead—Snooze

Want a better solution to afternoon drowsiness than caffeine? Take a nap. Catching a few zzz’s mid-day can improve cognitive function, enhance creativity and even boost your immune system. —Journal of Sleep Research

Home Cooking Pays

Those who eat at home at least six times per week not only save about $100 per month more than those who eat out the same number of times but also take in fewer calories and salt. —American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Family Matters

Older adults with close family relationships may live longer than those with close ties to friends. —University of Toronto

Your Health Wishes

Did you know that only one in three adults have an advanced directive— instructions on the medical care you want and don’t want—in the event you can’t speak for yourself? —Health Affairs

2,436

The number of reported cases of hepatitis C in 2015, up from 850 in 2010. —Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Whittle That Waistline

Having an extra four inches more than the ideal waist circumference can increase your risk of obesity-related cancers by 13 percent. For women, that measurement is 31.5 inches (37 inches for men). Which cancers could you potentially be avoiding by losing inches? Stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, uterine, ovary, kidney, colorectal and postmenopausal breast cancers are among them. —British Journal of Cancer

$15,925

The average medical costs an obese 50-year-old woman could save over her lifetime by shedding pounds and keeping to a healthy weight. —Obesity

The Sids/Serotonin Connection

Researchers hope that discovering high levels of serotonin in babies who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) could lead to a test that measures increased risk. —Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

15

The percentage by which women’s muscles tire as compared with men’s. That means that while men have more muscle strength, women have greater endurance. —Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism