Nights are rough enough for a sleep-deprived new parent, what with all those feedings and diaper changes. But listening to your beloved infant “cry it out” in the next room, as some people advise, can feel like torture for you and the child. Do wee ones really need that sort of tough love training to learn to soothe themselves?
No, an analysis of the science suggests. NPR’s Michaeleen Doucleff, herself the mom of preschooler, looked into the research behind sleep training and turned up some reassuring news.
First, “sleep training” these days doesn’t mean ignoring the baby’s tears. Back rubs and pats, cooing lullabies and other bedtime routines can all be part of a soothing rhythm and ritual that signals it’s time to drowse. And there’s no single formula that works for all kids.
Women, hang on to that job. A study of about 6,000 women born between 1935 and 1956 suggests that working outside the home is good for the brain.
"After age 60, women who had previously participated in the paid labor force experienced slower memory decline than women who had not engaged in the paid labor force," says Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health.
That benefit held true whether or not the women had children or were married, and also held for women who left the workforce for family reasons, then returned.
Researchers once thought that the reason most people living with Alzheimer’s are women was simply because women tend to live longer. But a growing number of studies suggests differences between the sexes – some biological, and others social – likely contribute to a woman’s increased risk for getting Alzheimer’s and a speedier decline with the diagnosis.
Sun exposure and a few beers (or margaritas or mimosas or G&Ts) speed a sunburn, the scientific evidence suggests, and not just because you’re likely sloppier in applying sunscreen when you’re buzzed.
"The research suggests that alcohol reduces the amount of time you can spend in the sun before you get a burn," says Aaron White, a senior scientific adviser with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Scientists aren’t sure why, though there is some evidence that alcohol suppresses the body’s concentration of carotenoids – red and yellow anti0xidant pigments we get in the fruits and vegetables we eat.
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