Healthy Living

We all know that exercise, a diet high in fruits and vegetables and annual physical exams are good for our health. But there are also a number of lesser known benefits to our health. Here are just a few.

• Yawning: You may picture yawning as an embarrassing outcome of sitting in monotonous meetings after only a few hours of sleep. However, studies in the International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research revealed that yawning could actually have important consequences for your brain.

First, yawning has been shown to increase alertness – like caffeine. In a study of 48 students, physiological measurements such as skin conductance and heart rate were measured at the peak of a yawn, and it was determined that there was an increase in these factors similar to caffeine.
In addition, yawning may be important in controlling brain temperature. Patients with medical conditions affecting the brain, such as epilepsy and stroke, have been shown to have an increase in yawning that was followed by a period of relief from their symptoms. Scientists hypothesize that these medical conditions can raise the body temperature, and through yawning an increase of blood flow reaches the face and brain, helping to regulate brain temperature.

So while it is still polite to cover that yawn in a meeting, lose the embarrassment. Your body is only trying to help!

• Household chores: Apart from the peace of mind that can come from clean house, performing chores can have a positive impact on maintaining a healthy weight.

A study comparing lifestyle activity and exercise in obese women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that active chores such as yard work and vacuuming, along with a healthy diet, have benefits similar to an aerobic exercise program and healthy diet on a woman’s weight.

This doesn’t mean you should ditch your running shoes for a pair of gardening gloves, but instead of spending money on the robotic vacuums that clean the floor for you, grab a broom and get to work! Your house — and body — will thank you.

• Honey: Honey is not just a favorite sweetener for foods and drinks. Scientists now believe that honey can be used for burns and cuts. It is suggested that honey can reduce inflammation and infection due to its antibacterial properties. In addition, it promotes wound healing and could help that cut or burn heal faster. Don’t stop putting it in your tea, as honey has been shown to soothe your throat and relieve cough, but consider reaching for honey next time you touch the stove or cut your finger.

• Crying: Crying gets a lot of negative attention. We throw around phrases like “cry baby” or “waterworks” when a friend lets a few tears slip during a movie or becomes emotional during a fight.

But we may want to reconsider our view on crying. In his well known research, Dr. William Frey measured levels of chemicals known to be related to stress such as adrenocortical releasing hormone (ACTH) in emotional tears and tears related to other non-emotional activities such as chopping an onion. He found that emotional tears contain greater levels of stress hormones and other toxins that can be removed from the body through crying.

In addition, author Chip Walter suggests in his article for Scientific American Mind that crying can actually be a self-soothing behavior used to help us calm down.

• Dogs and cats: We love our furry friends but apart from the unconditional love they show us, our pets could be decreasing our frequency of illness.

In a study following 397 children in Finland from pregnancy onwards, those exposed to dogs following birth had less respiratory tract infections during the first year of life.

It has also been suggested that exposure to dogs can decrease the frequency of ear infections and antibiotic use.

In addition, that calming feeling we get when we are snuggling with our dog or cat leads to a decrease in cortisol levels, a hormone in the body associated with stress.

So give Fido an extra bone tonight. He’s helping your body and your mind.