NEGLECTED PRACTICES

There are many common practices that tend to be medically important for one’s well-being. Here are a few such practices with medical inclination that researchers have stated.

Street light hampers sleep quality

Medical facts don’t have to be dangerous to greatly affect your life. According to a Stanford University study of more than 15,000 Americans, excessive amounts of light from street lamps has a strong effect on sleep. The study concluded that subjects living in areas with bright outdoor lighting were more likely to report sleep disturbances, shorter sleep duration and increased daytime fatigue. Heavy curtains or eye masks could help solve this problem.

Mirror therapies can help with bulimia

Researchers from Spain’s University of Granada tested two techniques for decreasing body dissatisfaction in women with bulimia. One allowed participants to observe their bodies in a mirror while describing themselves in neutral terms. The other allowed patients to express their thoughts about their appearance. The second method was more effective because it let patients express negative feelings and learn to manage them.

Severe disease often triggers trauma

More than half of breast cancer patients show one or more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder a year after diagnosis, according to a study at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Feelings include detachment and anger. Forty per cent of the patients who’d already experienced something traumatic rated breast cancer as more troubling. These findings suggest that people with life-threatening illnesses should seek psychological support.

Drink coffee to have a better nap

As adenosine levels increase, we become more fatigued. Napping clears out the adenosine and, when combined with caffeine, an adenosineblocker, further reduces its effects and amplifies the effects of the nap.