Welcome to your roundup of important health news
Every day, an estimated 6,800 new peer-reviewed academic articles are published. That’s a whole lot of science to wade through—but don’t fret. We’ll do the legwork for you, each and every morning. Here’s your daily dose of the latest discoveries from journals, research institutions, and news outlets from around the world.
1. Fall Asleep Faster
Listening to music before you head to bed can help you fall asleep faster, Reader’s Digest reports. Researchers discovered that people who listened to music with 60 to 80 beats per minute a half hour to 45 minutes before bed fell asleep faster and slept better. So what should you choose? Reader’s Digest suggests these tunes: “Weightless” by Marconi Union, “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy, “Canzonetta Sul-aria” by Mozart, “Nocturne in E flat Major Op.9 No.2” by Chopin, and “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel.
2. Focus On Your Breakfast
Whether or not you should eat breakfast has always been a point of scientific debate. But for now, a new statement from the American Heart Association is in favour of eating breakfast as a way to promote better health. And don’t just eat it, they say—eat it mindfully. Focusing on eating at planned intervals can help you work toward a healthier lifestyle and lower your heart disease risk factors, the experts say.
3. Study the Brain
Scientists at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center just discovered a new way to grow cortical neurons—nerve cells in the brain—in just 10 days. Previously, researchers had to wait months. This allows them to better model central nervous system-related diseases, like schizophrenia and autism, potentially paving the way for better treatments.
4. Get Your Kids Moving
The mental benefits of exercise aren’t just for adults—kids can get a mood boost, too. Researchers from Norway found that physically active children showed fewer symptoms of depression than those who were more sedentary. The physical activity that’s beneficial is the kind that leaves kids a little sweaty and breathless, they say.
5. Re-Think Your E-Cigs
It’s not just regular cigarettes that can be a health risk: E-cigarettes may raise your risk of heart problems, too, new research in JAMA Cardiology found. The scientists discovered that people who regularly smoked e-cigs had certain biomarkers associated with heart disease, including oxidative stress and heart rate variability.
