A new study shows that climate change is making it harder to fall asleep. The study, published in Cell Press over the weekend, shows that millions of people are already sleeping less because of higher overnight temperatures. The study looked at people in 68 countries and found that when nights were hotter than 86 degrees, people slept 14 minutes less. That averages out to over 44 hours per year. Here in the U.S., at least 30 percent of adults in most areas reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night, with as many as 43 percent in areas of the south and west. The elderly and people in low-income countries were the most impacted, with the study citing a lack of air conditioning as an issue.
MOSQUITO STUDY
Finally, a couple weeks ago we told you about the study showing that your coconut body wash might stop mosquitoes from biting you. Well now, there's new research showing that your body odor is also a major factor. The study, published in Current Biology, showed that carboxylic acids, a compound that's produced by bacteria on your skin, was the most attractive to mosquitoes. On the flipside, one subject who had higher levels of eucalyptol, a chemical found in the eucalyptus tree, repelled the mosquitoes the most. Unfortunately, these scents can be so subtle that showering or wearing stronger deodorant probably won't be enough to trick the flying pests, but this research could help develop better repellants or traps for mosquitoes in the future.
A new study suggests water on Mars may be more widespread and recent than previously thought. Scientists reported the finding from China's Mars rover in Science Advances on Friday.
Thinking about trying a new diet but not sure which way to go? An evidence-based analysis of 10 popular eating patterns shows some promote heart health much better than others.
Camilla Marcus, founder of West-Bourne, joined Cheddar News to highlight the issue of wastefulness in the food industry and spoke on the importance of regenerative farming amid a growing climate crisis.
Melissa Whitely, personal trainer for Life Time Fitness, spoke with Cheddar News about the importance of recovery following a tense workout session. "If we're not going through the proper recovery methods, we can have undue pain, discomfort, tightness in our muscles and all those other things we can avoid," she said.
Dr. Payel Gupta, medical director of allergy, asthma, immunology & ENT for LifeMD.com, joined Cheddar News to discuss some tips on how to cope with allergy season. "With the warmer temperatures, we're seeing that the seasons arrive sooner and actually last longer, and also the elevated CO2 levels actually cause the plants to release more pollen," she said.
A new survey from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing shows that four in five behavioral health workers were concerned that labor shortages in their field “negatively impact society as a whole.”