TO KEEP FROM FALLING, DANCE, DANCE, DANCE
Dancing may help prevent falls in the elderly, a review of studies suggests, The studies tested ballroom dancing, folk dancing, line dancing and other styles. Compared with people who engaged in walking, aerobics and other exercise, those in dance-based activities had a 37 percent reduced risk of falling in eight trials, and a 31 percent reduced number of falls in seven others. One factor that researchers suspect is at play: Participants had fun. “The most important thing for physical activity to have a beneficial effect is that you stick with it — life long,” said Michèle Mattle, a doctoral student at the University of Zurich
EXTRA POUNDS MAY HELP IN BED
Weighted blankets, which have long been popular aids to induce calm, could help reduce insomnia, according to Swedish researchers who studied patients with sleep problems, depression and other psychiatric diagnoses. Some participants slept with an 18-pound blanket, and though the blankets did not have a significant effect on total sleep time, the users had a significant decrease in wakenings after sleep onset, less daytime sleepiness, and fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety. — Nicholas Bakalar