Why is sleep important? Sleep is not just resting or taking a break from busy routines. It is essential to physical and emotional health. Adequate sleep may also play a role in helping the body recover from illness and injury. Inadequate sleep over a period of time is associated with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and [...]
Worries, deadlines, and problems, oh my! If only you could switch off those bothersome thoughts at night, then you might finally catch some zzzs. Well, researchers have discovered that using your imagination may actually help put your mind to rest—and you to sleep. Imagery Works Better than Counting Young women and men who said worries [...]
From TV to smartphones to social media, our lives are dominated by 24/7 media exposure. Despite this, many children and teens have few rules around their media use. While media consumption by itself is not the leading cause of any health problem in the U.S., it can contribute to numerous health risks, say experts. At [...]
"Screen time" is a term used for activities done in front of a screen, such as watching TV, working on a computer, or playing video games. Screen time is sedentary activity, meaning you are being physically inactive while sitting down. Very little energy is used during screen time. Most American children spend about three hours a [...]
Here's a new reason to zap video games: Those electronic playthings keep kids from games that stimulate their minds in important ways. Citing the latest research on the brain, experts say chess, Scrabble, Monopoly—even jigsaw puzzles or tic-tac-toe—do more to help children build analytical, organizational, and creative skills. As adults, your kids will need those [...]
Kids who spend more time plunked in front of screens may become unhappier, new research suggests. Meanwhile, mothers who devote the most effort to monitoring their kids' exposure to computers and TVs could prevent them from putting on extra pounds. The findings in a pair of new studies aren't definitive, and there's still intense debate [...]
U.S. teenagers are still spending hours in front of the TV and computer every day—despite years of expert advice that kids' "screen time" should be limited, a new government study finds. In two national surveys of children aged 12 to 15 years, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly [...]
If so, you may be putting your health at risk… We spend 50 to 55 percent of our waking hours sitting, research suggests. As we get older, we linger even more in our chairs. And although sitting may seem harmless, too much seat-time could be bad for your health. “Bottoms” up! A sedentary life raises [...]
During the darker days of winter, more people report feeling depressed and tired. For many, it’s a normal response to less sunlight, but for others, it can be a clinical form of depression called seasonal affective disorder. To help understand the difference between the winter blues and SAD, APA asked psychologist and SAD expert Kelly [...]
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well-being. About Depression We all feel unhappy and listless every now and then. And we have all felt down or even desperate at some point in our lives. These phases are a normal [...]