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Your FAQs Answered: Why Do I Eat When I’m Stressed?
Also known as emotional eating, stress-eating involves using food as a coping mechanism to help you feel better. Typically, it has nothing to do with physical hunger and everything to do with soothing or suppressing uncomfortable feelings and situations. If you’re using food as a way to manage stress, you might be wondering why you want to eat when you’re stressed, how you can stop stress eating, and what you can do to reduce stress instead. Read on to learn why you eat when
Sara Lindberg


Using magnesium supplements for sleep is all the rage. What to know
Whether they’re hyping magnesium-based products like the “sleepy girl mocktail” or pink lemonade-like drink mixes, wellness influencers are adding to the longtime buzz around taking the mineral for sleep benefits. But do these supplements work? “Magnesium is actually an essential mineral that is needed for more than 300 processes in the body,” said Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian in New York City. “We need to get it from our diet, or supplements if we can’t get enou
Kristen Rogers


Grocery Store Workers Wish You’d Stop Doing These 6 Things
One thing the pandemic made clear is that grocery store employees are essential—not just to the economy, but to daily life. They keep shelves stocked, organize fresh produce and, in many stores, prepare everything from butchered meats and fresh seafood to baked goods and ready-to-eat meals. It’s safe to say most of us rely on grocery store employees to help keep our kitchens running. For shoppers, a trip to the grocery store is a straightforward, weekly activity. Many of us a
Adam Dolge


5 Reasons to Get More Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important for your health. In fact, it’s just as important as eating a balanced, nutritious diet and exercising. Most people need 7 to 9 hours. Here are five reasons why getting more sleep can help support your body and mind. 1. May help you maintain or lose weight The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that adults get 7 or more hours of sleep per night. A 2020 analysis found that adults who slept
Joe Leech, MS


Signs You’re Mentally Exhausted
What Is Mental Exhaustion? It’s kind of like physical tiredness, except it’s your mind instead of your muscles. It tends to show up when you focus on a mentally tough task for a while. You might also feel this kind of brain drain if you’re always on alert or stressed out. Your job, caring for children or aging parents, and other things can lead to mental exhaustion. You’re Angry or Impatient Mental fatigue can put you in a bad mood. You may be short-tempered or irritated, sna
Keri Wiginton


Drooling into your pillow could be a sign of a more serious issue
The evidence is irrefutable — a pile of drool atop a drenched spot on your pillow. As you awake with a start, you might even wipe that bit of spittle still dangling from your mouth. Drooling can be embarrassing, especially if you’re waking up to a newly minted lover beside you. But if you’re sleeping alone or next to a seasoned partner who isn’t disturbed by bodily functions, experts say it’s not a big deal — unless it’s a frequent occurrence. “Everyone drools at one time or
Sandee LaMotte


Can online health information be trusted? Here’s how to tell
Whether you’re reading about treatment outcomes or simply trying to find a healthy diet plan, it can be hard to know if you can believe what you read on the internet or social media. No information you find online can replace a medical professional’s advice. But most healthcare professionals welcome you doing your own research and bringing it into the clinic to discuss. In fact, it’s always a good idea to ask them if your online searches have landed on trustworthy sources. Yo
mcpress.mayoclinic.org


6 Lifestyle Remedies for Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing for short periods while you’re sleeping. People with sleep apnea don’t take in enough oxygen. This causes them to gasp and often wake up. In many cases, people are unaware that they’ve stopped breathing, and believe that their sleep cycle is normal. Sleep apnea can sound like snoring. Sleep apnea can cause a number of health complications besides leaving you more tired in the morning. If left untreated, this sleep
Adithya Cattamanchi, M.D.


13 Foods to Eat Instead of Taking Melatonin for Better Sleep
Overall nutritious eating is well-associated with sleeping better, but some individual foods can make a difference as well. Certain foods can interact with the hormones that are responsible for regulating sleeping, making them more effective. Other foods can interfere with a good night's sleep. 1. Pistachios Pistachios contain the sleep hormone melatonin. They are also high in vitamin B6 (one ounce contains about 25% of the daily value), which is necessary for the production
Heather Jones


Landlines are ringing in homes again. Why parents are happy about that
Something unusual and exciting has been happening in Alison Lundberg’s household lately: Her landline has been ringing. There’s “an actual thrill that runs through our household when the phone rings,” said Lundberg, a San Diego-based communications executive. Part of the reason is that her family has no idea who’s calling since they don’t have caller ID. It had been decades since Lundberg had a landline. She got one recently to protect her 4-year-old daughter, Ava, she said.
Kara Alaimo


What Happens to Your Brain When You Try Something New, According to Psychologists
When was the last time you tried something new? The idea might sound scary, but novel experiences can do wonders for your personal growth. It can also challenge you—in a good way!—and help you learn about your thoughts, strengths, habits, and emotions. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with familiar experiences, like regularly visiting a coffee shop or cooking certain meals. Such habits can establish routines and make us feel safe. But there’s also value in switching
Kirsten Nunez


5 Nutrients You Might Be Missing if You're Tired All the Time
While many factors may contribute to feeling tired all the time, certain nutrient deficiencies may also play a role. Vitamins and minerals support a variety of body functions, and having too little of some of them can impact your energy levels, making it harder to get through your day. 1. Magnesium Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in many chemical reactions throughout the body, including those that create energy. Magnesium also helps regulate your nervous system, k
Kristen Gasnick, PT, DPT


Benefits of Reading Books: How It Can Positively Affect Your Life
Reading books benefits both your physical and mental health, and those benefits can last a lifetime. Even if you didn’t fall in love with reading as a kid, it’s never too late to start. Reading can even be a form of therapy for improving well-being. Bibliotherapy is a complementary therapeutic tool for emotional release and reduced stress and anxiety. Here’s how reading books can change your brain — and your body — for the better. Strengthens the brain Reading involves activi
Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA and Naomi Wilde


7 Sneaky Signs You’re Dehydrated—Even If You’re Not Thirsty
Staying hydrated is critical for feeling good and operating at your best. Given that the body is made up of an average of 60 percent water (though this amount varies from person to person), it requires H20 to function on numerous levels. You need more than two hands to count the number of awesome things water does within your body, but some of its main jobs include removing waste and toxins, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, and improving cellular, tissue, and
Karen Asp, MA, CPT, VLCE


Is High-Fat Cheese Actually Good for Your Brain?
Full-fat dairy is having its day in the sun. After years of promoting low- or no-fat options, new dietary guidelines now recommend choosing full-fat dairy, although still advising people to keep saturated fat under 10% of their daily calories. Amid the push for full-fat dairy, a recent study in the journal Neurology linked eating high-fat cheese and cream to a lower risk of dementia. The findings have drawn media attention, in part because health experts rarely highlight the
Fran Kritz


Poor Sleep Patterns Can Impact Brain Function, Increase the Risk of Dementia
Scientists have discovered that poor sleep can limit the brain’s ability to clear toxins, raising the risk of dementia. A study — published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association — analyzed MRI scans from 40,000 adults in the UK Biobank, focusing on the glymphatic system. In a healthy brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced and flows through the glymphatic system, collecting waste and toxins and clearing them out of the brain. Researchers a
Vanessa Etienne


7 Foods That Can Boost Your Brain
Some foods are better than others at boosting memory and cognition. While it probably isn’t surprising that a not-so-healthy diet isn’t good for brain health, there’s new research exploring which foods can help protect the brain from dementia. Think you’re too young to worry about dementia? Think again. “Brain healthy habits are best started early,” says Jessica Caldwell, PhD, director of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention and Research Center at Cleveland Clinic. “Th
Serena Ball, M.S., R.D.


8 Eating Habits To Steal From Psychologists
How To Eat With Your Mental Health in Mind While food certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all of health and wellness, what you eat has a big impact on both your physical and mental health. There’s so much talk about how different foods can impact your heart health, digestive health, energy levels and disease risk. What we don’t talk about quite as much is the role that food can play in your mental health and mood. Getting adequate nutrition helps brain function by supporting t
Christine Byrne, MPH, RD


10 Ways to Feel Awake Without Caffeine
Snack on a Salad Leafy veggies like spinach and kale give you a vitamin B boost. Vitamin B is a part of your cells’ energy-making process. Guzzle Water If you’re feeling droopy, you might need to drink more water. One sign of dehydration is fatigue. Step Outside Not only will a change of scenery and some fresh air wake up your senses, the sun will help regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Try to get at least 30 minutes a day of natural sunlight -- an hour if you have insomnia. Exe
Rachel Reiff Ellis


Could You Be Experiencing Short-Term Memory Loss?
Short-term memory loss involves forgetting recent events, conversations, or information soon after they occur, usually within 30 seconds. It may stem from causes like sleep deprivation, stress, or even be an early sign of conditions like Alzheimer's, but it doesn't automatically point to serious health issues. What's Considered Short-Term Memory Loss? Short-term memory involves recalling things from the last 30 seconds. For example, you might decide to write a letter to a fr
Ashley Olivine, Ph.D., MPH
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