Health Briefs Reports on the Good Benefits of Stress

Stress can be good for us. A little daily pressure can bring some positive benefits to daily living as Health Briefs reports.

Brain power is given a boost from neurotrophins which strengthen the neurons when stress is felt. It can even improve concentration and memory.

Stress boosts our body’s immune systems. It produces more interleukins, chemicals that help regulate the immune system, which acts as the body’s defense system.

It makes us more resilient and better able to handle obstacles in life. If we can manage the stress from one obstacle, we will feel better able to handle the others.

It makes us more productive. When we have deadlines to meet, the stress we feel to meet them compels us to stay focused and get the job done.

A little stress can be good for fetuses. A 2006 study proved that when babies of moms who had some stress during pregnancy were two years old, their motor skills were better than those of moms who did not have a little stress in their lives.

Health Briefs TV also knows that stress, not chronic, negative stress, can propel us to work harder and smarter, help us communicate more clearly, and make us feel more alive and energized.  The key is how we manage the everyday stresses in our lives. Tackle one and master the others.

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Health Briefs Explains How Exercise for the Heart Helps the Brain

 A group of researchers from Canada found that cardio exercises are not only good for heart but good for the mind. Health Briefs explains how this can keep older brains healthier longer.

As people age, their arteries can harden. Vessel hardening is thought to begin in the aorta, the main vessel coming from the heart. Hardening of this artery can contribute to cognitive changes. Seniors with a more flexible aorta performed better on mental tests than those who aortas were not as elastic. The more healthy and mobile the person, the better they did on the cognitive tests.

Daily exercise is good for everyone, and more so for the older adult. It improves balance, health, the heart and enhances mental alertness.  It keeps active minds active, helps promote a more socially active lifestyle and is an overall great way to keep contributing to life. Health Briefs TV suggests to start taking short walks and working up to longer ones. If the knees are okay, try a short bike ride. Also, walk around in a swimming pool. It eases knee and hip pain and is the easiest and most pleasant way to add resistance to exercise. Another factor to consider: another study found that physically active women had a lower chance of developing atrial fibrillation which can cause arrhythmia. It’s time to get moving.

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Health Briefs Reviews Why Older People Need More Sleep

Lack of sleep can bring some unwelcome health problems. It can increase the chance of becoming obese, cause one to become depressed and can even result in the loss of brain cells. These are some of the reasons Health Briefs believes older people need more sleep.

There are several ways the elderly can get more rest at night. Swap an older mattress for a new one, reduce the amount of light coming into the bedroom, avoid going on the Internet an hour before bedtime to avoid reading troubling news stories, checking email or updating family on Facebook, and sticking with a regular routine before hitting the sack can help. If medication is disrupting sleep, talk to the doctor to see if there is anything than can be changed. Other ways to get more rest every night are to turn off the TV when in bed, read something lightweight, and if thoughts are running rampant in the mind, push them out with a meditative thought. Stretch and feel tension and stress leave. Yawn and find the cool spot in the bed. Close the eyes and drift off. Most adults need between seven and eight hours of rest per night.

Health Briefs TV knows that some folks might have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Try to avoid turning bright lights on. Bright lights can often make people feel more awake and thus have more trouble falling back asleep. Get a soft glowing night light for the bathroom to use instead. A good night’s rest is paramount to feeling refreshed in the morning and all day. Find the best way to get a restful sleep and stick with it.

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Health Briefs Reveals Why Some Workers Get Less Sleep than Others

Who are the sleepiest workers in the office? Are they the ones who stay up late watching a favorite sports team play? Or are they the ones who we think work late into the night? Health Briefs reveals why some workers get less sleep than others.

The answer to the above is neither. Workers who spend their workday in a cubicle, with very little natural daylight get less sleep than others, according to a study by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.  The study found that employees exposed to natural light slept 46 minutes longer than those who were not exposed. Poor sleep can produce short-term memory loss, slower psychomotor reflexes, and diminished attention.  Reduced sleep also affects mood, cognitive performance and can increase the chance of developing illnesses. Lack of sleep also affects work place errors and decreases productivity. Health Briefs TV suggests workers in cubes take breaks outside throughout the day. Get outside when home and enjoy the sun and daylight. Employers and office space designers should take into consideration that exposure to daylight is an environmental cue for the circadian clock, the body’s natural rhythm over a 24-hour period. If an employee is deprived of natural light, it disrupts behavioral patterns such as sleep and activity. And can make them more moody.

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Health Briefs Looks at the Benefits Children get from Exercise

It is common knowledge that exercise is beneficial to everyone. It helps us feel better, builds stamina and energy and can boost creative thinking. Health Briefs takes a look at how exercise benefits kids too.

Recent studies have found the some brain power is given some extra power if children engage in exercise. It may not be long-lasting, say for several hours, but it does give them a little push. Sedentary kids tend to become overweight in time and their minds sluggish. This is also true for adults. Healthy kids tend to learn better than non-healthy kids. Children who are more active tend to have more energy for studying and test taking and are able to retain knowledge longer. Health Briefs believes that if parents are healthy and active, their kids will be healthy and active.  Try to urge children to take part in a team sport they like. This can be on a competitive basis or just for fun after school. Or take one day over the weekend as a family and take part in an active, fun activity such as a walk in the park or a friendly ball game in the front or backyard. Families that stay active together stay healthy, well and strong together.

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Health Briefs – Who Is Taking Care of Elderly Parents

A recent study from Princeton University found that daughters do as much as they can for their elderly parents, while sons do very little. Health Briefs provides more information.

The research project found that daughters offer an average of 12.3 hours of elderly parent care per month, on average, compared to the 5.6 hours of care a son provides. The daughters spend twice as much time with parents than the sons. Care giving time is often associated with the constraints daughters face such as child care or employment. A son’s care giving time is associated with whether or not there is a presence or absence of other helpers like siblings or the other parent.  Health Briefs learns that when a daughter is present, the sons reduce their care-giving efforts and the daughters increase their care-giving efforts. Gender is definitely a strong point when it comes to the care of elderly parents. Perhaps the maternal instinct of daughters is one reason why females are usually the ones who step in and take care of older parents. Sons are more likely to provide financial assistance as they are most often raised to be the breadwinner. Whether it is a daughter or son doing the care-taking, all siblings need the support of each other when elderly parents call for help. No one child can do it alone. Eventually, the caretaker will need a break and siblings should step in and assist.

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Health Briefs Chronicles Mistakes Made During Exercise

When we see positive results from the time spent exercising, we push ourselves to work harder and more often. This often leads to a setback or injury. Health Briefs explores mistakes made during exercise.

There is nothing more encouraging when working toward a health goal than to see the results after weeks of working out or exercise. It is then that we tend to go overboard. Below are some common mistakes we make when we workout or get some exercise.

We skip a warm-up. Warming up is essential to making muscles more flexible and pliable. It prepares the body for a good workout and prevents injury.

We skip meals. The body and its muscles need fuel in order to burn calories and fat and build muscle. When we skip a meal or do not eat enough, we slow down and our bodies do not perform as well as they should.

Health Briefs TV suggests setting a specific time each day to work out and not going over that. Too much exercise is not good and can cause a setback such as an injury. The body needs time to recover after a workout. It needs that time to adapt. Give your body a break and take a break. Follow the advice of personal trainers.

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Health Briefs – Why Flying is Safe to and from Africa

The devastating Ebola disease is causing great fear for international travelers. While it is mostly affected those who live in Western African nations, the panic of catching it is worrisome. Health Briefs shares why it is safe to fly to and from Africa, as a whole.

Ebola is transmitted by bodily fluids and is not an airborne-related disease. The World Health Organization states that the disease can be passed from person to person through direct contact with a sick person’s body fluids such as blood, vomit, sweat or diarrhea. The health organization further adds that people who are sick with Ebola are not well enough to travel. As with most illnesses where the affected person is sick with fever, vomiting and diarrhea, the likelihood of traveling via air is practically nil. Dehydration and weakness prevent many from traveling in any form of transportation. The WHO emphasizes that banning air travel is not to and from affected countries is not recommended.

A few airlines with routes to the countries where Ebola is present have canceled some flights. Health Briefs learns that that travel to other African nations such as South Africa is fine.  Any air traveler should know that there are personal steps to take to reduce catching any common germs in flight. These include using sanitizing wipes to clean arm rests, trays, toilet seats, bathroom door handles, sinks and their hands. Never put a bottle of water or any other object which will go near the mouth, in the seat pocket. This is the most bacteria-laden part of the cabin. For those who are planning travel to African countries, always check with the airline to see if there are any restrictions. International travelers in the United States can also check with the Department of State for more information.

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Health Briefs Reports on Dangers with Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are pretty common when school starts up again after the summer break. Health Briefs reports on the dangers student athletes face when they are on the practice and playing field.

The most common sports injuries are noted as sprains, concussions and dehydration. The watchdog Safe Kids Worldwide reports that one in four coaches they surveyed said they don’t to anything in particular to prevent injuries in young players during practice or games.  Less than half of those coaches said they had any certification on how to prevent and recognize sports injuries. Ninety percent of the athletes who took part in the survey said they had been hurt while playing a sport.

Since the school year has started already in most U.S. states, and school athletic programs are already in full swing, Health Briefs TV encourages parents, coaches and student athletes to meet as one and discuss safety and injury prevention. Dirty moves on the play field, such as a hard foul, should be discouraged. Urge players to speak up when they are hurt and take them out of the game for examination. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2013, 1.24 million children were sent to the emergency room for a sports-related injury. Let’s make 2014 the year when those stats are reduced.

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Why Over Hydrating is a Killer from Health Briefs

(more than one of these per day is not a healthy way to hydrate)

As much as we encourage readers to stay hydrated in the late summer heat and humidly, we also suggest hydrating in healthy ways. Health Briefs explains why over hydrating can be a killer.

It is still terribly hot and humid outside and we still have to drink enough water to stave off thirst, dehydration and the possibility of fainting. But there is a limit for the amount of hydrating liquids our bodies can handle.

Over hydration occurs when we consume more fluids than the brain and body can take. Drinking large quantities of water in a short period of time can send the body’s balance of electrolytes off kilter, cause brain swelling, seizures, put the patient in a coma, or cause death.

One eight ounce glass or bottle of water per hour is a healthy way to stay hydrated both indoors and out. When we are very thirsty, such as after working outside, it is reasonable to want to gulp down more water than normal. But moderation is best. Health Briefs TV urges readers to be mindful of over hydration. Take it easy when in the heat and keep an eye on student athletes this year on the practice and playing field.

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Health Briefs: Strange Things Happen When You Don't Get Enough Sleep

Health Briefs has heard for decades how important it is to get enough sleep.  The list of ill effects of insufficient shut-eye is long and complex.  Now add one more:  false memories.  Have you ever remembered something and had to stop and ask yourself if it really happened or if it was from an old dream?  Police detectives have found out just how unreliable the human memory can actually be under some conditions.  If there are 5 witnesses to a single incident, often there can be 5 differing reports about what actually happened.  And under certain circumstances, such as repetition of incorrect information, the weary mind will actually fold that false information into the active memory, and thus be incapable of separating factual from implanted details.

Health Briefs has discovered that if you don't get enough sleep, your brain will get back at you.

The Health Briefs TV show has discovered that a lack of sleep can make a person even more susceptible to memories that seem concrete to the subject, but prove to be not entirely based on the facts.  A study published in the journal Psychological Science recounts that 104 subjects were shown crime scene photographs and then sent to bed, with half of them having their sleep disrupted in the middle of the night.  The next morning, the group who did not get a continuous night's sleep scored low on their memories of the photographs and actually reported details that were not present in the evidence.  Law enforcement officials have known for a long time that eyewitness testimony can be faulty at times, and it seems the more witnesses there are, the more uncertain events become.

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Health Briefs Asks: How Do We Keep Ebola from Becoming the Next Plague?

Health Briefs is watching as the world holds its collective breath to see if Ebola is going to become the next deadly epidemic.  According to the World Health Organization, over 700 have already been killed by the disease and another 1,300 are known to be infected by this deadly scourge, more properly known as hemorrhagic fever.  The scariest factor is that medical science has no cure for this virus.  When two missionary doctors were recently medevaced from Africa back to the USA, they were given an experimental treatment, and thankfully, that seemed to help.  But for now, all American authorities can do is carefully monitor the flights coming in from African destinations.  While it is common practice not to allow people with an active illness on board international flights, those with the disease might try very hard to cover up that fact in order to flee the source of the epidemic and find a better level of care elsewhere.

Health Briefs wonders how we can protect ourselves from the most frightening epidemic in decades.

The Health Briefs TV show has learned that the major airports that routinely handle inbound flights from Africa have set up quarantine facilities so that suspected carriers would not be immediately admitted into the US.  Of course, a sufferer on an international plane can be extremely problematic, as it has been shown that passengers aboard today's airliners end up breathing the same air as everyone else for the entire flight, which would mean 5-7 hours for a trip from Africa.  While it is not believed that ebola is an airborne disease -- that is, it doesn't travel through the air -- all it would take is some well-timed sneezes or other regurgitation to present a serious hazard to every person aboard that aircraft.  Perhaps the place for proper screening is at the departure end, not after a flight has been completed.

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