Sahar Ajjab

Can Sleeping Too Much Lead To Your Death?

Sleep has been a target area for several research and studies. Just like it’s recommended to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night, experts also warn about the side effects of sleeping too much. In fact, it has been found that sleeping over 8 hours a day can cause to an early death.

Researchers from Seoul National University, in South Korea shared their shocking findings, in a study that targeted over 133,608 adults. In this article, we summarize for you why can sleeping too much lead to your death.

What Is ”Too Much” Sleep?

Study leader Claire Kim defines ”oversleeping” as getting more than 7 hours of sleep per night. In fact, according to her findings, both categories of people who get more than 10 hours of sleep, or less than 6 hours, are in danger of premature death.

However, a healthy sleeping schedule is different based on age groups. Children for example, often need more hours of sleep than adults. The study analyzed the case of adults between 40 and 69 years old.

Naps Could Be Deadly

According to the findings of this research, both men and women who slept over 8 hours a day (yes, this includes long naps) were ”40 percent more likely to have at least three health conditions linked to premature mortality”, as claimed by Kim.

In addition, sleeping too much is related to increasing sugar levels in the blood, and lowering your cholesterol. Moreover, both significantly increase the risk of strokes, diabetes and early death.

Sleep Guidelines For a Longer Life

In order to avoid the consequences of sleeping too much on your health, try to organize your sleeping schedule. The study insists that adults need more than six hours of sleep daily, but less than 8 hours. However, men undergo more risk, as they have a 12 percent more risk of early death if constantly sleeping less than 8 hours a day. As oppose to women, who, in some cases, get away with sleeping less than the recommended amount.

Photos: Pixabay, Unsplash.

This Is What Alcohol Actually Does To You

Drinking a glass of wine or a beer could actually be beneficial to you. However, constant alcohol consumption is very damaging to your body. Researchers have been investigating moderate alcohol use, and how it shapes our social behavior. Moreover, the findings also showed how alcohol affects our body and mental health. If you enjoy drinking, then take a look at this, to know what alcohol actually does to you.

Alcohol Inhibits Brain cells

Although the common explanation is that alcohol kills brain cells, new studies reveal that it doesn’t go that far. However, alcohol does inhibit and damage brain cells. In a study conducted by Grethe Jensen, he revealed that pure alcohol obviously does so much damage to your liver, and can cause brain cells to die. However, alcohol beverages that have a lower alcohol concentration, leads your brain to affect the way your neurons get their firing triggers from glutamate.

It Makes You Seem More Intentional

In addition to damaging your body, alcohol affects your interactions and how you come off to people. The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin surveyed about 100 men, and tricked some of them into believing they were drinking Alcohol. Then, they questioned how they’ve judged certain reactions. In conclusion, men who thought were drunk seemed to believe that the acts done by others, were in fact, intentional.

Moreover, if you wonder why we often forget what happened, that’s because the way the brain makes memories is far from comprehensively understood. But it does seem linked to N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid, or NMDA, the receptor for which alcohol seems particularly adept at interfering with, according to Braun.

Effects Vary Based On The Person

The research however showed that what alcohol actually does to you, varies from men, to women, to different age groups, and even genetics. If you drink with a full stomach, alcohol absorption is relatively lower. In addition, Alcohol dehydrogenase (AD) is more effective on men rather than women.

Photos: Pixabay

Does Having A Dog Make You Happier Than Having A Cat?

The eternal debate between cat people and dog people, finally has a concrete answer. Research is now investigating the bond humans share with both animals. However, it seems like the findings confirm that having a dog does make you happier than having a cat.

Scientific Research Can Prove It

A series of studies realized by the University of Chicago, targeted both dogs and cats owners. Their investigation process was transmitted through their General Social Survey. They researched the pros and cons of having each a pet, then proceeded with self-esteem and emotions of each category of owners.

Eventually, the findings did confirm what a previous professor at Manhattan College said: Dog owners are happier.

Why Does Having A Dog Make You Happier Than Having A Cat?

Yes, the study did come to the conclusion that on average, dog people admitted to be more happy. In addition, the surveys conducted reflected that 36% of dog owners said to be ”very happy.’‘ As oppose to only 18% of cat owners were able to say the same.

Consequently, dogs transmit more positivity to their owners than cats do. Dog people have shown to be more extrovert and open-minded than those who only have cats.

Benefits of Having A Pet

Wether you prefer dogs or you prefer cats, having a pe in general is good for you. Actually, in a study done by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , “pet owners exhibited greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, were less lonely, were more conscientious, were more socially outgoing, and had healthier relationship styles than non-owners.”

Moreover, animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been encouraged by many psychologists. Pet therapy is said to lower anxiety , ease depression and motivate you. Did you know that the University of Miami offers pet therapy to their students during midterms and finals?

Photos: Pixabay

Tips To Help You Reduce Your Smartphone Addiction

In a pure technological era, not having a cell phone is absolutely rare. However, since the outbreak of social media, and the emergence of mobile internet, smartphones are some of the most sold items worldwide.

Several research and studies have warned against the harms of smartphone addiction. In fact, they have several serious consequences such as insomnia, brain and eye damage, and endless psychological troubles. Here are some tips from us, in order to help you reduce your smartphone addiction.

Track Your Usage

Most smartphones now allow the feature of tracking your usage. This way, you know how much time you spend, and where you spend it. Our dependence on social media has side effects that we are often not even aware of. Research backed up the theory that social media creates an urge of creating content to feel worthy.

Calm Your Mind

It is absolutely important to sometimes just push the button off. Basically, dependence on social media has wired the brain to release dopamine when someone likes your picture, or talks to you. In fact, you can replace the creation of this temporary pleasure, through natural ways such as meditation.

Stick To Your Plan

If you tell yourself that you will only use your phone for few hours a day, then stick to it. You can try to schedule your hours to check your phone, instead of being on it all day. For example, you can turn the wifi off once at work, so you can focus on doing one task at a time.

Read Before Bed

Replacing social media with books is a genius idea. Not only that it simulates your brain, it also help you fall asleep faster. Rays coming out from your phone screen and significantly more harmful at night. Research have also found a correlation between smartphone usage and insomnia.

Turn Off Notifications

Turn off your notifications at night for a peaceful night rest. Even though you are thinking about that special person, or waiting for a special text, just allow yourself to take a break. Relax, the messages will still be there tomorrow, and you’ll have gained a good night sleep with no disturbance.

Photos: Pixabay

Study Reveals Men Don’t Consider Kissing As Cheating

Do you consider kissing another person while in a relationship as cheating? While the typical answer might be yes, you need to think again. This British study revealed that a big portion of men do not consider kissing as cheating. In fact, the results varied significantly between men and women, to show to what extent each gender has its own different vision.

The Study Included 5000 People

5000 people participated in the study case. It was conducted by Charities Relate and Relationships Scotland, and found out that 19% of men believe that ”passionately kissing someone other than their partner is acceptable.”

Although cheating could be a relative concept, the study focused on both young and older generations. The first group being participants between 16-24 years old, and the second category targeted those who are over 25 years old.

Shocking Research Results

the research classified the ‘‘tinder generation” as the most possessive. Actually, 45 per cent of women admitted that they consider even flirting as cheating. As oppose to only 30% of older age range women considered splitting up with their partner over flirting.

Results of this study were a bit shocking, as half the men said that kissing is not cheating for them. on the other hand, women showed the contrary. If anything, this illustrates the gap between the way men and women perceive certain things.

Results Were Different Between Men and Women

Only 9% of the women who participated in the study revealed that they didn’t consider kissing as cheating. However, over 73% actually did.

Charities Relate and Relationships Scotland blamed the British system for the lack of quality sex education. BBC Radio 5 reported that ignorance is what’s leading to higher cheating and divorce rates lately. They suggested couple counseling as an effective method to increase communication in relationships, and eventually avoid clashing point of views.

Photos: Pixabay

Home Remedies to Eliminate Bad Breath

Although it is very hard to smell our own breath, we are always self-conscious about the smell of our mouths. In fact, sometimes we even have to resort to a friend in order to reassure us that we don’t have bad breath.

The mouth is an area which creates a perfect atmosphere for bacteria. Therefore, everyone has a stinky breath once in a while. However, this condition could affect certain people more than others. Here is a list of home remedies for you, in order to eliminate bad breath.

Good Dental Hygiene

Undoubtedly, the main reason behind having bad breath is poor dental hygiene. Plaque buildup increases the chances of accumulating bacteria. Always choose a toothpaste high on fluoride, and brush your teeth correctly 2-3 times a day.

In addition, and to prevent tooth decay and bad breaths from food stuck between teeth, try to floss at least once per day. Also, do not forget to scrape your tongue as it gathers a huge amount of bacteria daily.

Chlorophyll

Furthermore, to make sure that you eliminate bad breath once and for all, you should stick to a cleaning routine. Studies have been arguing that chlorophyll is quite efficient to get rid of bad breath.

Chlorophyll is the chemoprotein that gives plants their green color. Apparently, they are responsible for a major part of the good health benefits of leafy veggies on our well-being. Although it hasn’t been tested on human breath, some researchers recommend chewing on Parsley few times a day, in order to eliminate bad breath.

Homemade Mouth Wash

Mouth wash is easily obtainable at the grocery store, but you can also easily create your own at home. Medical research showed that high concentrations of baking soda effectively reduce bad breath. Therefore, you can mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of warm water and use it to rinse your mouth after brushing.

In addition, you can also try making a mouthwash from 2tablespoons of white vinegar and warm water. Since vinegar is very acidic and bacteria hate growing in acidic environment. This homemade solutions could help eliminate bad breath from your mouth.

Photos: Pixabay