Health

Although a poor night’s sleep can affect your health, your looks, and your overall quality of life, 35% of adults sleep less than 7 hours per night. While worries and stress can mess with your brain and add up to restless nights, there are some daily habits we can work on in order to get better sleep.

In biology class, we learned that we inherit 50% of our DNA from our mothers and 50% from our fathers. This biological fact, however, does not mean that each parent passes on an equal amount of physical characteristics and genetic characteristics to their child. In fact, children are 60% more likely to inherit active traits from their fathers simply because nature prefers to express those genes.

In the 21st century, we have finally understood that watching our health is important. Yet we often forget to pay attention to the signals our body sends us. Have you ever analyzed your stool? As gross as it may sound, its color and shape can reveal a lot about your health.

According to statistics, 85% of people worldwide have low self-esteem. The experiment conducted by Dove has proven this to be true. An artist was asked to paint 2 portraits of the same woman: the first one according to her description of herself and the other one according to her description by a stranger. Eventually, the portrait revealed that the woman’s own description turned out less attractive than the other. Women tended to assess themselves too rigorously, drawing attention to all their imperfections. So, with that in mind, we decided to find out what physical features many women tend to feel insecure about when they have no reason to be.

Some find that a shower in the morning serves as a way to freshen up and start the day, while others see a shower at night as a way to relax and unwind. However, science doesn’t agree with this practice. In fact, dermatologist Sandy Skotnicki, MD. recommends showering less regularly and only washing 3 body parts.

There’s a common belief that it takes 21 days for a habit to form. But scientists have proven that an average of 66 days is necessary in order to turn an action into something that you do without having to think about it. And getting rid of a habit that’s already been formed could take much longer. But it’s definitely worth considering which of your habits are healthy and which may be harmful.

While they may not all be cause for concern, some common signs our bodies give us as warnings of bigger problems often get ignored. When our health is at stake, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So it’s a great idea to make a doctor’s appointment when we notice these symptoms.

For thousands of years, women have been getting pregnant and bearing children in their teens and early 20s, but lately the average age of mothers giving birth has changed to be in their 30s. In fact, in 2017, almost half of all births in England and Wales were to mothers who were 30 years old. Modern medicine allows women to choose to postpone having babies, but there are benefits and risks that come with getting pregnant in their 20s versus their 30s.

Comments made by our family members or loved ones are often comforting words for our souls that help us feel a little happier. But sometimes, their words can hurt. They may not perceive something the right way, even if that thing is a totally healthy and beneficial habit for our well-being. Ideas about how to do things are rooted in societal norms, and many of them don’t make sense.

As always at this time of year, store shelves are spoiling us with an abundant choice of summer shoes for every taste — be it in terms of form, color, or price. But, aspiring to look beautiful, one should also remember about health, convenience, and foot hygiene. We at Bright Side decided to help you make the right choice by preparing an illustrated guide to the common mistakes people make when choosing shoes for warm weather!

There are about 2,368 bacterial species that live in belly buttons alone, probably more, and yet its hygiene is often neglected. Using a cotton swab to clean out your ear wax is actually dangerous and unnecessary. As it turns out, we’ve been cleaning our body parts the wrong way all along and doing more damage than good.

It’s not always easy to sit down and say what’s bothering you. You might not even have time for that, or you might simply think that everything is perfect in your life. However, your body never lies, and when you fail to listen to it, you get “messages.” They tend to be unpleasant, but your body uses them as a last resort to reach out to you for help.

What do we know about pregnancy? Nausea, back pain, unusual food choices — all of these are well-known facts about pregnancy. But do you know, for example, that unborn babies can cry? Or that the widespread belief that newborns don’t have kneecaps is just a myth? Are you ready to face the fact that pigment spots might appear on your face and body?

We do everything in our power to be healthy. However, our body has ways of communicating, which, if we know how to read them, can be of great help to our quality of life. In this regard, we often forget about feces. Normally, they are a topic that no one wants to talk about, but today we will share with you some reasons why you should pay more attention to them.

Sugar is often the first thing we want to banish from our diet when we start eating healthy. But there are actually good sugars, such as sugarcane or those found in fruits and vegetables that can benefit your health and your looks. When consumed in moderation, good sugars can satisfy your sweet tooth, calm your nerves, and may even keep you from gaining weight.

Our genes define not only our appearance and personality but also the weaknesses in our bodies. Depression and insomnia, for instance, can be caused not by serious stress or exhaustion but by genetic predisposition. In this article, we’ll talk about genetic disorders that a daughter can inherit from her mother.

Gluten is called a silent killer because it can cause chronic damage throughout the body. Sometimes the patient isn’t even aware of the consequences of gluten consumption. So, it’s better to check if your body has a gluten intolerance.

There is nothing more frustrating than putting on your Sunday best and noticing your back and armpit fat rolls poking out. As a rule, we neglect our backs and armpits during workouts as we focus on the parts of the body we see in the mirror more often like our abs, legs, and butt. Today we are going to draw your attention to some efficient chest and back workouts that will help you look your best in any dress you put on.

A minor loss of some hair daily is normal for many people, especially for those who’ve undergone weight loss, given birth, experienced daily stress, or had different medical conditions. However, due to certain factors, it can sometimes turn into excessive hair loss and cause baldness. Luckily, there are some easy and effective ways to save your hair and even make it stronger.

If you’re used to jumping in the shower first thing in the morning, then giving yourself a quick rinse after a workout and enjoying a long, hot shower before bed you might be harming your health more than you realize. Lathering up too often and spending too much time in the shower can damage your skin, hair, and even affect your reproductive health.

If you look at your fingernails, you’ll notice light areas at the base. These are moons, or lunulae. Their change in color, shape, or size can indicate not only the presence of a disease but also the predisposition to it. Such diagnostics help you notice the problem in time and take action. Bright Side learned how to run diagnostics of your health with the help of lunulae.

With so many new fitness routines and supplements to make our muscles bulkier, along with outrageous diet trends, we sometimes feel the need to go back to basics. India, the birthplace of so many holistic movements, is the perfect example to follow. Their approach is more traditional and takes into account the characteristics of each individual to find a balance between body and mind.

For many of us, deciding to stop wearing underwear might seem like an unusual thing to do. After all, we’re used to putting it on under our clothes, and some of us don’t even take it off at night. But occasionally going without underwear actually offers many health benefits that go way beyond your personal comfort.

When you finally come back home after a busy day at work, you’re often so exhausted you simply have no energy to change your clothes. You cook dinner, do the dishes, and put your kids to bed while wearing the same jeans and sweatshirt you put on in the morning. But it turns out, this habit isn’t that harmless after all, and eventually it may mess with your health and your looks.