As the COVID-19 crisis continues to grow and the temperatures drop around the country, forcing many back into isolation, one might consider the folksy advice often attributed to President Harry S. Truman: If you want a friend in life, get a dog. While it is very unlikely Truman actually said this, it’s a pretty solid piece of advice, according to science.
NPR's Patti Neighmond tells us why adopting a dog or other pet can help relieve anxiety in people struggling during the pandemic.
Pets are "a respite from the difficulties of life," psychologist Lori Kogan, a professor of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University tells Neighmond. They provide their human companions "an outlet to give."
And while relationships with friends and family can be fraught, she says, "relationships with animals are simple."
So they won’t wheedle us into a political discussion at the dinner table or criticize the tatty yoga pants we’ve been wearing for the last three days straight? Win-win.
Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on adults, but it’s easy to forget that kids feel the stress, too. Many haven’t been to an actual school building in months, regular sports and other fun activities have been cancelled, and seeing friends is rare and weird, requiring masks and distancing that is not normal.
It may be a little bit harder for kids to articulate their feelings or understand them, but their grief can come out as anger, boredom, or sleepiness.
NPR’s Cory Turner talked with social workers, public health experts, and Rosemarie Truglio of Sesame Workshop, for advice on helping kids cope. NPR's Malaka Gharib turned their colorful conversations into a printable, foldable zine.
For years, scientists have honed in on the link between poor sleep and long-term memory problems. Recently they've found that people who get more deep sleep have fewer of the waste products in their brain, like amyloid beta, that are thought to cause Alzheimer's and dementia.
In deep sleep, body temperature drops. We have few dreams and our brains produce slow and rhythmic waves. Scientists think these waves clear the waste products away -- kind of like a dishwasher.
In one study of apnea patients, participants who were treated for the apnea and thus slept more deeply also appeared to produce less amyloid beta.
You received this message because you're subscribed to Health emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
No comments:
Post a Comment