Reader’s Digest India – July 2019

News From the

WORLD OF

MEDICINE

44 july 2019

HEAT CAN MAKE YOUR

BRAIN SLUGGISH

If you find it hard to get your work done

during the dog days of summer, blame the

heat. In a Harvard University study, 20 stu-

dents who lived in a dormitory with no air-

conditioning had slower reaction times,

13 per cent lower performance on basic

arithmetic tests and a nearly 10 per cent re-

duction in the number of correct responses

per minute compared with students who

lived in an air-conditioned building.

Night owls, change your

routine to get healthier

Those who go to bed late

and wake up late have lower

functional connectivity in

the brain and slower reaction

times, compared to early ris-

ers. If the same people tweak

their pattern to bring forward

their sleep cycle by two hours,

they see excellent health

benefits. Their depression

and stress levels plummet,

their mornings improve

and their eating habits get

healthier. This was revealed

in a study conducted jointly

by Monash University (Aus-

tralia), University of Birming-

ham and the University of

Surrey (both UK). It was pos-

sible to shift the circadian

rhythm of ‘night owls’ using

‘non-pharmacological and

practical interventions’. Have

breakfast as soon as possible

after waking up, eat lunch

at the same time each day,

and refrain from eating

dinner after 7 p.m. The

study also suggests getting

maximum outdoor light

during morning hours.

Photograph by The Voorhes

indiA

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