Grab your pillow because power naps ease stress and increase your focus.
Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson did it. Winston Churchill did too. We’re talkin’ about The Nap.
We’ve long advocated the benefits of the 10-minute nap (less stress, more energy and focus), but now the National Sleep Foundation says a 20- to 30-minute nap will do even more to improve your mental and physical alertness without interfering with nighttime sleep. One recent study even claims that a short daytime nap could improve your short-term memory fivefold.
The point is, done correctly, an afternoon siesta is much better for your health than gulping down an energy shot. Find a place to rest for 10, 20 or 30 minutes a day, use eyeshades to block out light and recharge. Doing it at the same time every day helps stabilize your circadian rhythms.
What are you smoking?
University of North Carolina researchers have come come up with an idea to help the 40 million U.S. adults who smoke cigarettes kick the habit: Tell them what they’re inhaling.
There are more than 600 chemicals in cigarettes, and, when burned, they produce more than 7,000 chemicals — 69 of which are known cancer-causers, many are poisonous. Here are a few: acetone (nail polish remover); arsenic (rat poison); butane (lighter fluid); cadmium (part of battery acid); cyanide (poison); formaldehyde (embalming fluid). No wonder cigarettes account for 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S.
Fully 80 percent of U.S. smokers say they intend to quit, but most try six times before succeeding.
Once you stop: In 20 minutes your blood pressure goes down; in eight hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood normalizes; in 48 hours your ability to taste and smell improves. And you’ll have more energy, healthier heart and lungs and an improved sex life.
Q: I’ve just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I know fruits are full of carbs and are loaded with fructose/ sugar, so can I still eat them?
Claudia C., Houston
A: Every diet should contain some fruit. It’s packed with fiber and heart-, brain- and guthealthy phytonutrients, along with a sugar called fructose. As to how fruit will figure in your diet, well, everyone with Type 2 diabetes responds a little differently to various types of fruit. You’ll have to experiment.
For a general guideline, use a food’s glycemic index, or GI. On a scale of 1 to 100, it ranks how quickly a food’s carbohydrates (fructose is a carb) turn to sugar; 100 is pure sugar. A 120-gram apple (GI 39) raises your blood sugar more slowly than a 120-gram slice of watermelon (GI 72); 120 grams is around 4 ounces.
But remember, the index isn’t a precise measure. So much depends on how the fruit was grown, the type it is, how it’s prepared and what you ate beforehand. (Eating a little healthy fat — six walnuts, for example — slows absorption of sugar, making that piece of fruit cause less of a spike in your blood sugar level.)
So stick with unprocessed and uncooked fruits; dried fruit and fruit juices are considered processed.
Make an appointment with a certified diabetes educator and work together to develop a personalized meal plan.