70 SEPTEMBER 2019 / WOMANSDAY.COM
Health / NEWS
STRAIGHT TALK
With Dr. OzSLEEP BETTER TONIGHT
The Truth About Daytime Zzz’s
You may think a power nap makes up for lost sleep, but
researchers scoured over 8,000 websites and found that
this is a common misbelief. Napping can perpetuate
insomnia, and sleep that doesn’t follow the natural pattern of
light and dark hinders the release of melatonin, which helps
you fall asleep, says Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D., a postdoctoral
fellow at NYU Langone Health and lead study author.J
ust thinking positive thoughts about others
may enhance your well-being. When college students
walked around and practiced loving-kindness for
12 minutes, they reported more happiness, lower
a n x iet y, g reat er empat hy, a nd h ig her fe el i ngs of
connectedness than students who didn’t. “Theoretically, anyone
who practices loving-kindness should experience some benefit,”
says Dawn M. Sweet, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University
of Idaho and the study author. Why not test it out? When going for
a walk, think I wish for this person to be happy as you pass someone.
Or the next time you have an unpleasant interaction online, say to
yourself, I wish this person peace and freedom from what’s causinguse it throughout the day, and really mean it.”
Be Kind
Online
A positive mindset
can help you bounce
back from unhappy
exchanges—even
digital ones.I’ve heard that one in
three Americans has
prediabetes—what is it?Spread Kindness,
FEEL GOOD!
Dr. Oz: Fortunately, no.
Even if diabetes runs in your
family, losing weight, eating
healthier foods, and getting
more exercise can all help
reverse prediabetes.Dr. Oz: You can have it for
years with no clear symptoms,
so it often goes undetected
until other serious health
problems show up. The good
news is, your doctor can run
a blood glucose screening
before any signs develop.Dr. Oz: With prediabetes, a
person’s blood glucose (sugar)
level is higher than normal,
but not high enough for a
type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
Prediabetes raises your risk
of not only type 2 diabetes,
but also heart disease and
stroke. More than one in three
American adults have it,
but 90% aren’t aware of it.(Hay House, $20) by WD editor-in-chief Susan Spencer.Does it always turn
into type 2 diabetes?How do I know if I
have prediabetes?GETTY^ IMAGES^(^2);^DANIELLEDALY^(BOOK);^BRIAN^DOBEN^(DR.OZ).^