by Matt Soniak
Stanford researchers found that, in people who sleep less than 8 hours a day, body-mass index was inversely proportional to sleep duration. In other words, short sleepers were more likely to be fat guys.
1. Guys’ Night Out:
Worried about having heart attacks as you get on in years? Then keep having (no-stakes) poker night with the guys, even if you can’t play as late as you used to. A Harvard school of public health study found that men in their 70s who had full social calendars also had less than half the blood levels of heart-damage markers compared to less socially integrated peers.
2. A Deep Breath:
A study in Health Psychology found that healthy young adults with higher levels of hostility had lower lung function. The researchers think that the impairment accumulates gradually over the years to take its toll on health. Take a deep breath and count to 10 the next time the copier jams, and you’ll breathe easier—and a lot longer.
3. Sunshine:
A recent study led by researchers from the Harvard school of public health found that men who had low levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to have heart attacks as those who received higher levels of the “sunshine vitamin.”
4. Sex:
You don’t have to take matters into your own hand to reap the benefits of ejaculation. Research from Wilkes University links having sex once or twice a week with higher levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that protects against colds and other infections.
5. Sleep:
Stanford researchers found that, in people who sleep less than 8 hours a day, body-mass index was inversely proportional to sleep duration. In other words, short sleepers were more likely to be fat guys. Short sleep was also associated with lower levels of leptin (a hormone that suppresses appetite) and higher levels of ghrelin (a chemical that stimulates it). It’s not like being a werewolf, but stinting on your sleep could turn you into a ravenous beast.
6. Jumping Jacks:
If you’re now worried about raiding the fridge during your sleepless nights, here’s a free solution: Researchers at Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo found that a session of moderate aerobic exercise helped one group of subjects increase total sleep time by 21 percent over groups who did heavy aerobics and moderate strength exercises.
7. Love Handles:
Visceral fat wrapped around your organs poses health risks, but subcutaneous fat may have more use than just a little somethin’ to grab on to. In a Harvard study, subcutaneous fat transplanted into the abdominal cavities of mice decreased their body weight, fat mass, and insulin and blood-sugar levels. The researchers suggest that certain hormones produced by subcutaneous fat may improve metabolism.
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Read more in Men’s Health
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.
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