A good night’s sleep is important for our overall health. How much sleep we need varies – but the bottom line is that we need it every night!

A few nights of sleep loss can lead to deterioration of both your physical as well as mental well-being. And just one night of bad sleep creates the biggest jump in symptoms. So that means if you’re sleep-deprived during the week, and then when you try to “catch up” and sleep in on the weekends is something to avoid.

Getting more rest on the weekend won’t help for the week – because that first night of poor sleep will significantly change how well you can function.

And it’s not like you’re staying up all night – sleep loss is defined as about 90 minutes of restlessness. Researchers have found losing sleep produces feelings of anger, nervousness, loneliness, irritability, and frustration. Physical symptoms were found as well – upper respiratory issues, aches, and gastrointestinal issues.

Those mental and physical health symptoms remained elevated with each night of sleep loss and didn’t return to normal until those studied had a night of sleep lasting more than six hours.

Nearly a third of us get less than six hours a night, and it’s a habit that’s hard to break – but the sooner you start getting the rest you need, the better you’ll feel!

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If you regularly work out, congratulations! It’s not the easiest thing in the world but keep at it!

However, just because you’re exercising regularly, are you getting everything out of it that you should be? There’s a chance you may need to change it up.

Some signs to look out for:

Constantly feeling sluggish. Yes, exercise should make you sore, but it should also give you energy and make you feel ready to take on the day. If your routine leaves you drained, something needs to change.

If you’ve had a recent injury, taking a few days off and then going back to your regular routine may not make sense – you may need to change up some of your routine while your body heals.

If you’ve come to dread your workouts, a change will do you good – if you normally use a treadmill, try an elliptical machine. Expand your outlook from the gym to yoga, Pilates, recreation sports – keep an open mind for new fitness activities.

While it takes consistency, and about two months to start seeing results towards your goals, if you’re not seeing those results, your workout may need a changeup.

And if you’ve mostly been doing cardio, without any resistance training, you’ll also need to change things up – cardio works the heart, but strength training helps lower body fat, makes bones stronger, improves confidence, and, yes, helps with cardio too!

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With spring break around the corner, if you’re planning to travel by air soon, make sure you don’t eat or drink any of these before you hop on the plane:

Salty food – because of the dry air on the plane, many of us get dehydrated, but adding in a snack with a lot of sodium will only make it worse.

Carbonated beverages – the change in cabin pressure can affect your GI tract, and the carbonation may simply make you feel bloated. However, if you’re feeling motion sick or nauseous, the carbonation will help.

Be careful with alcohol too – when you’re in the air, you’re more likely to feel the effects fast than when you’re on the ground.

Coffee can also dehydrate, and the caffeine may make you restless and unable to sleep during the flight.

Your best bets before you get on board – water, fruits, and lean proteins.

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If you want a longer, healthier life, you should exercise. But if you say you can’t find the time, that’s simply not true.

To extend your life, all you need is just two minutes of exercise per day.

Scientists spent years tracking people on Fitbit – and the study found that people who got 15 minutes of exercise a week extended their life expectancy by nearly 20%.

And this isn’t the first study that found it to be true – there was a four second exercise study a few years ago that found people that would peddle quickly for four seconds on a stationary bike, rest, then repeat five times – and do that 8 times per day would live longer – that added up to just 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

More exercise is certainly better than less, but at least even a little goes a long way.

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Many of us start the day with coffee or take a coffee break during the day, but coffee isn’t for everyone. Plenty of people like to drink tea instead.

But what time you drink tea is important – and no, I’m not talking about traditional English teatime or even late at night if you’re worried about caffeine keeping you up at night. The time of day you drink tea is important as it can interrupt your body’s ability to absorb certain minerals.

A new study found this issue in older adults who drank strong tea while eating a meal. The body’s ability to absorb zinc and iron were greatly affected.

Zinc and iron are especially important for our bodies – zinc supports immunity and helps the body heal, and iron helps with immunity as well as energy production and carrying oxygen through the body.

So, to get the maximum nutritional benefits, make sure you take your tea between meals.

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