Health Archives

The Signs of Stress at Work and Home

Are you stressed out? What are the major signs of stress at work and home that you should look out for? In his book, Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina describes work and home as the two environments people are most likely to experience signs of stress. At work and home, stress can make you lose sleep and cause damage to your relationships. Luckily, there are ways to reduce this stress. Here are the indications of stress at work or home and how to avoid them, according to Medina.

How to Avoid Exercise Burnout

Do you work out until exhaustion? How do you avoid exercise burnout? According to Joshua Waitzkin, the key to avoiding training burnout is to build a rhythm of exertion and relaxation. Not only does alternating between effort and rest help prevent overexertion and injury, but it also increases performance. Here’s how balancing exertion and rest can help prevent exercise burnout.

What Is the Most Important Sense? (Why It’s Vision)

Do you know what sense you use the most? Why is vision the most important sense? Dr. John Medina argues that vision is the most important human sense because it takes up half the brain to process visual information. Vision also dominates the other four senses because it shapes how you see the world. Here’s Medina’s explanation for what the most important sense is, and why it’s vision.

How to Keep Training With an Injury

How do you continue training with an injury? How can you use your injury as an opportunity to grow? Skipping training to let your body heal from an injury is frustrating. While many choose to see injuries as setbacks, you can choose to see them as opportunities to grow. American tai chi champion Josh Waitzkin says you should keep training through injury but only practice psychological aspects of your skill. Here’s why you shouldn’t stop training when injured.

How Stress Affects the Body and the Mind

How does stress affect the body? What important aspects of everyday life are influenced by stress? In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina writes that stress can have a profound impact on the way you live your life. Not only does stress affect the body, but it can leave marks on your mental health and cognitive abilities as well. Here are the health effects that stress can create on the body and mind.

The Science Behind Sleep and the Brain

Why are sleep and the brain often grouped together in science? Why is the brain most affected by sleep? In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina emphasizes sleep as one of the main components of keeping the brain active and healthy. In Rule 3 of his guide to how brains truly work, he explains the importance of sleep and the brain’s reaction to it. Let’s look at how the brain can benefit from sleep, and the negative effects of lacking sleep.

Ways Exercise and the Brain Work Together

What are the ways exercise and the brain work together? Does the brain function better thanks to exercise? In his book Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina theorizes that exercise and the brain go hand-in-hand when striving to achieve greater health. Knowing how the brain benefits from exercise can help build a stronger mind and body to improve cognitive and physiological skills. Let’s look at why and how brains thrive from physical activity.

How to Relax Your Brain: The 2 Ideal Methods of Rest

Why is rest so important for your brain? What are the best ways to let your brain relax? Chris Bailey, the author of Hyperfocus, argues that brain rest is essential for productivity. He discusses why rest matters, the two ideal methods of rest, and the importance of sleep when it comes to cognitive performance. Continue reading to learn how to relax your brain.

The Roseto Effect: Social Relationships and Health

How do social relationships affect health? What role does socializing play in well-being? Research shows that social relationships are at least as important as diet and exercise for long-term health. Take a look, for example, at Roseto, a small town in Pennsylvania, where research suggested that tight-knit community relations were responsible for residents’ remarkably low levels of disease, alcoholism, and suicide. Here’s how social ties contribute to health, as evidenced by the Roseto population.

Understanding the Genetics of Pain

Why are athletes less sensitive to pain? Does playing sports decrease pain sensitivity? Or is it a matter of genetics? Pain is inevitable in most sports, and managing pain is an important part of being an elite athlete. While some athletes may have a genetic advantage when processing pain, intense athletic competition can make anyone less sensitive to pain. Keep reading to learn about the genetics of pain and why athletes tend to be tougher than an average person when it comes to handling pain.