Sleep science has long focused on the number of hours, and how that impacts health and lifespan. But a 2023 study from Harvard and Monash University researchers found that going to bed and waking up at consistent times with few mid-slumber interruptions matters even more than how long you sleep. Sleeping six hours every night on a consistent schedule was associated with a lower risk of…
A 2023 study published in JAMA used data from roughly 50,000 UK adults aged 60+ who wore activity trackers to minutely record their movement (and lack thereof) throughout the day. They then used AI to interpret the results and tracked people’s medical status over the next seven years. They found a very strong correlation between long hours of sitting and dementia: Those who sat at…
A Phase 2 randomized clinical trial published in the prestigious JAMA found that a single dose of psilocybin (accompanied by psychotherapy) resulted in a rapid, robust and sustained reduction in depressive symptoms for people with major depressive disorder. Earlier studies have suggested that psilocybin may be a promising treatment for depression for people for whom antidepressants and therapy haven’t proven effective, but those studies focused…
Good-quality studies on aromatherapy are rare. One 2023 randomized trial from the University of California, Irvine had “astonishing” findings. One group of study participants aged 60 to 85 used a diffuser every night for six months (two hours of exposure to natural oil infusions of rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender), while the other received a sham treatment (trace scent amounts). Participants then underwent…
A new, year-long study (University of Illinois) compared the impact on weight loss of a compressed eating day (between noon and 8 PM) vs. cutting calories by 25% each day (and having to constantly count them). The finding: It’s just as effective to watch the clock as it is to watch what you eat. Both groups lost about 5% of their body weight after a…
A 2023 study from University of Rochester medical researchers found that yoga has a powerful, positive effect on inflammation in cancer patients. The high-quality randomized control trial had 500 cancer patients do twice-weekly yoga or health education classes for a month. Blood tests showed that those practicing yoga had “significantly lower levels of pro-inflammatory markers” compared with patients in the education group. The researchers’ conclusion: “Clinicians…
