Tips for Women (and Men) in Search of a Good Night’s Sleep
For many women, it’s tough to get a good night’s sleep. Studies show that women may be 20 percent to 50 percent more likely to have insomnia than men.
One culprit behind women’s sleep difficulties can be fluctuating hormone levels. With optimal levels of estrogen and progesterone in your system, the time it takes to fall asleep and the number of awakenings during the night decrease. But hormone fluctuations occur for many reasons, including monthly menstrual cycles, use of birth control pills, pregnancy, and perimenopause—the five to 10 years before and up to one year after menstrual periods end.
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, simple changes in your daily and nightly habits may result in better sleep. The January issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers these suggestions:
Work Stress Leads to Heart Disease and Diabetes
Chronic stress at work and the metabolic syndrome: prospective study BMJ Online First
Stress at work is an important risk factor for the development of heart disease and diabetes, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.
Keeping Sexual Desire in Sync Past Midlife
When it comes to desire and drive for sexual intimacy, many women at midlife find they are no longer in sync with their partners.
Although many people assume that a decrease in sexual desire inevitably occurs at midlife, that’s not necessarily the case. Age has less of an impact on sexual desire than does general health and availability of a willing and able partner.
But aging does play a role, according to the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource. After menopause, thinning of the vaginal tissues and decreased lubrication may cause pain or discomfort during sexual stimulation. Less hormonal flucuation in women can pose a challenge; couples need to become more creative in their lovemaking, allowing additional time and stimulation for arousal.
FDA unpopular over label liability revamp
The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has said that federally approved drug labels pre-empt state liability laws and are part of a revamp of the lengthy, hard-to-read instructions that come with medicines.
It also says that the pre-emption of state laws address drug makers’ concerns that the streamlined summary of risks could increase their liability if patients alleged the warnings were inadequate.
New study gives insight into the dairy and weight loss link
A new clinical trial published today in Obesity Research (the journal of NAASO, the Obesity Society) provides more insight into why consuming dairy foods is linked to weight and fat loss.
This well-controlled study found that when exercising adults on a slightly reduced-calorie diet consumed 3 to 4 servings of dairy foods daily, their metabolism changed so that their bodies burned more fat than they did when they had one serving of dairy under the same conditions.
Wine drinkers choose healthier foods, study shows
Wine drinkers have healthier diets than people who prefer beer, according to research reported by Danish scientists on Friday.
They tend to buy more fruits, vegetables, olives, low fat cheese and cooking oil than beer drinkers who are more likely to consume ready meals, soft drinks, sugar, sausages, lamb and butter or margarine.
New cancer warnings added to eczema creams
Eczema creams sold by Novartis AG and Astellas Pharma Inc. will come with a “black-box” warning about a possible risk of cancer from the prescription treatments, U.S. regulators said on Thursday.
A black-box warning is the strongest type used in the United States for prescription drugs.
The new warnings apply to Novartis AG’s drug Elidel and Astellas Pharma’s Protopic.
NY smokers sue Philip Morris for cancer screenings
A group of heavy Marlboro smokers filed a lawsuit in federal court on Thursday, asking Philip Morris USA to pay for screenings that may detect the early stages of lung cancer.
The class-action lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of current and former Marlboro smokers over 50 years old who smoked a pack or more a day for 20 years, demands the tobacco company pay for an annual low-dose CT scan of the chest.
