After the last two years, now more than ever, workers are taking more mental health days – it’s a sick day because you’re stressed or overworked, rather than traditionally ill.

Taking them when you need them is the best course of action…but if you can plan, Wednesdays might be the one day to avoid when taking a day off for mental health.

You might think Wednesdays are good because they split the work week right in the middle, but your stress may remain – instead of relaxing that you’ve got the day off, you’ll be thinking about how you’ve got to go back the very next day, and it won’t feel like a day off.

Plus, you may get unwanted questions when you’re back – coworkers, or the boss, may notice and ask questions.

The best course for your mental health day is taking a Monday or a Friday, and you’ll get a three-day weekend to truly relax.

Image Credit: Chinnapong / iStock / Getty Images Plus

You’ve known it and I’ve known it, and everyone has known it – but now science has proven it. A new study shows that being “hangry” is a real thing.

The word is a combination of hungry and angry – and the study shows that not eating really does make us mad.

If we’re craving food, we’re a full 1/3 angrier, irritable, and take less pleasure in whatever we happen to be doing. But what set this study apart was it wasn’t in the lab – it was all done in the real world.

However, once you eat, you don’t immediately get happier – feeling hangry can affect your overall mood for a day, and even leave you in a rut for days afterwards.

So, if you’re feeling hangry, make sure you eat something – and avoid your coworkers for a while.

Image Credit: globalmoments / iStock / Getty Images Plus

If you find it too difficult to exercise during the week, just make sure you don’t relax during the weekend. If you go really hard with your workout on Saturday and Sunday, then Monday through Friday will be covered.

A new study looked at “weekend warriors” – and found that whether you spread exercise across five days or two days doesn’t matter, as long as you get in 150 minutes per week will help with fat loss and keep you in shape.

However, there is one catch – you may need to be more strenuous with your workouts than if it was during the week. A brisk walk won’t cut it – in order to create the balance, weekend workouts need to be of a higher intensity.

So, don’t stress about missing a workout today, as long as you step it up on Saturday!

Image Credit: Drazen Zigic / iStock / Getty Images Plus

You know staying up too late isn’t good for you, but going to bed early may not be either.

A new study has narrowed down the perfect time to fall asleep for your heart. Researchers show the sweet spot is between 10 and 11pm.

The study found that for those who stay up and go to bed shortly before midnight, there’s a 12% greater risk of cardiovascular disease. And after midnight, the risk increased to 25%.

But even for those who are early risers, going to sleep before 10pm saw a 24% increased risk.

Unfortunately, they haven’t pinpointed why this is the case – the researchers believe our internal clock gets disrupted and that’s what has the adverse effect on our heart. But they looked at lots of factors like sleep duration, sleep irregularity, and whether people were early birds or night owls, but all the results still showed the best time for bed is between 10 and 11.

Image Credit: gorodenkoff / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Sometimes after a long day, you don’t want to cook, and you grab something from the freezer. While frozen foods are great in a pinch, there’s a few you may want to avoid because of how unhealthy they are.

Top of the list – TV Dinners may be fun to make, but they usually are low on veggies and high on salt – try to find something with low sodium and more vegetables.

Frozen pizzas usually have too much salt and saturated fat. Thin crust is healthier than thick, and veggies are better than meat lovers.

Frozen pot pies taste so good because they have some of the highest-calorie and fats than most

Corn dogs – hot dogs are unhealthy enough, so a battered covered one isn’t good for you either.

Keep an eye out for sweet-and-sour chicken – what makes it so sweet is all the added sugar.

Image Credit: dejankrsmanovic / iStock / Getty Images Plus