Another Reason to Skip Diet Drinks

Drinking diet soda is linked to depression? And drinking coffee may keep you happier? Yes, according the results from a National Institutes of Health study. The study evaluated beverage consumption (teas, fruit punch, soda, diet teas, coffee...) of over 264,000 adults (ages 50 to 71) from 1995-1996. The researchers then went back to that same group ten years later to ask about how many had been diagnosed with depression? The answer: 11,311 had been diagnosed.

What was striking about the results is: Those who had 4 or more sodas per day were 30-percent more likely to have depression. Those who had 4 or more cans of fruit punch per day were 36-percent more likely to develop depression. The biggest risk of depression was among those drinking diet soda, diet teas or other artificially sweetened beverages. Those that had 4 or more cups of coffee per day had a 10-percent lower risk of developing depression.

The bottom-line: replace sugary and artificially sweetened drinkings with unsweetened options like:
- water
- plain coffee or tea
- decaf herbal teas
- water
- mineral water
- seltzer water

The results of the study will be officially presented in March 2013 at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting.

Health Benefits Of Sleep

Hello people. Today I will be talking about the benefits of sleep and why it is important to us. Sleep is important as it gives our body a rest and allows it to prepare for the next day

Before I begin, I would like to show you the recommended amount of hours an individual should sleep everyday, sorted according to age.

Newborns 12-18 hours
Toddlers 12-14 Hours
Children 10-12 Hours
Teenagers 8-9 Hours
Adults 7-9 Hours

Having enough sleep is important as:

1. It leads to better results
Be it if you are a student or a worker, having enough sleeps helps you to be more alert and fresh for the next day. Hence one is able to perform better.

2. Sleep improves memory
Students listen up! Having enough sleep makes our brain able to processing new experiences and factual knowledge better. It helps increase analytical reasoning and knowledge as well.

3. Sleep improves our mood
Have you realised that most of the reason people give for having a bad mood during the day is due to not having enough sleep? A prolonged period of lack of sleep may even lead to more serious problems like depression. Enough sleep helps take away the groggy feeling felt during the day. Therefore it is important we have enough sleep to improve our mood.

4. Sleep improves our  weight
Researchers have found that dieters who have enough sleep loose more fat! Sleep ensure the balance of hormones are well balanced so our craving for high calorie foods would be much lesser.

5.Sleep helps you live longer
Studies have shown that people who sleep less than six hours a day have high higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins. These will lead to a higher chance of suffering heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and premature aging. Therefore ensure you get enough sleep to prevent heart related problems and a range of other ailments

With sufficient sleep, we are one step closer to good health!