View All Editions

Daily Edition • Wednesday, July 8

This Muscle Supplement May Help Your Brain

A person adds a white tablet to a clear water bottle on a table, with the bottle partially filled.

Renato Leal/Unsplash

Brain Gains: Creatine is a popular supplement for people trying to build more muscle, but new research suggests it might also have some benefits for mental health. A recent systematic review looked at randomized controlled trials and found creatine may be able to help with major depressive disorder (MDD) when taken alongside prescribed depression treatments.

The Study: Researchers analyzed data from five randomized controlled trials with 238 participants from the United States, South Korea, India, Brazil, and Israel who received either creatine monohydrate or a placebo. Most were women, and the average age was 36. Four trials focused on people with MDD, and one looked at people with bipolar disorder with depressive episodes.

The Takeaway: Two of the trials found participants who took creatine in addition to either the antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro) or with cognitive behavior therapy had significant symptom reductions compared to a placebo. The other three studies found no benefit from taking creatine. Previous research indicates creatine can increase cellular energy production in the brain and may also influence mood-regulating neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.

Keep in Mind: Only five trials were included — with mixed results. More research is needed before saying creatine could work as a reliable depression treatment.

✲

This Is the Smarter Way To Start Your Day

A woman in a yellow shirt holds a white mug and looks at her phone in a cozy kitchen setting.

Courtesy: 1440

Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440, where 4.5 million Americans find their daily, fact-based news fix. They navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet: politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It’s completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight. Subscribe to 1440 today.

Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.

☾

Sleep

There’s a Sleep Hack Sitting on Your Bookshelf

A person reading a book titled "Birdsong in a Time of Silence" while sitting in bed, surrounded by blankets.

Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Bedtime Stories: You may think reading on your phone isn’t that different from reading on paper, and you’d be right for the most part, except when it comes to your sleep. Screens keep your brain alert late into the night, and research on reading before sleep suggests that trading a screen for a physical book is a small change that can really help.

How to Do It: Keep a book on your nightstand and make it the final step of your night, after putting your phone away and turning down the lights. It’s best to pick something calming instead of a thriller, since intense plots can keep your brain running even after you put the book down.

The Benefits: A study comparing people reading on an iPad vs. a printed book found that those using screens felt less sleepy in the evening and showed changes in brain activity tied to rest, even though both groups fell asleep in about the same amount of time. Another study found that older adults who read a book drifted off faster than those who kept their normal routine, and adults who read stories with a positive mood slept longer than the rest.

☼

SPOTLIGHT

How to Lead a More Gratifying Life

Man with long hair and glasses smiles while wearing a suit against a blurred outdoor background.

IAN BOGOST
Columnist, Author

Courtesy: Ian Bogost

The small stuff: We’re told not to sweat it, but in his new book The Small Stuff, The Atlantic columnist Ian Bogost argues we should pay more attention to exactly that — not to sweat it, but to remember it and to experience it in a world that has stripped away sensory experience in the name of convenience.

In searching for a frictionless life, Bogost argues, we’ve robbed ourselves the pleasure of gratification that can be found in small, seemingly menial tasks. The idea is not to give up on your big, grand goals; rather, it’s to appreciate everything about the day-to-day experiences that may eventually land you there (and recognizing that it’s okay to lead a normal, quiet, boring life). We must actively take part in our daily lives, not skate through them in pursuit of something bigger, in order to regain a sense of connection to the world around us.

If you can learn to do this, Bogost says, you’ll cultivate a life where every day feels meaningful and joyful — not only the days on which you achieve something grand.

READ | FOLLOW | LISTEN

➺

Quick Picks

I Smell Trouble — Don’t ignore these 6 dangerous household smells.

Natural Boost — This plant-based drink could power up your workouts.

Brain Drain — How does poor sleep affect your cognitive aging?

Kick Back — You can do these 8 exercises lying down.

Keep It Moving — Sitting for more than 30 minutes could raise this health risk.

☞

This, Not That

Wet Start

A clear glass water bottle with a cork top on a dark desk beside a laptop and several candles.

THIS

A person with a floral shirt sits at a wooden table, holding a cup of coffee next to a laptop.

NOT THAT

Filip Baotic/Unsplash, Caleb Lucas/Unsplash

This: The first pour of water
Not That: Waiting until you’re weirdly thirsty at 3 p.m.

Fill a water bottle or glass before you start work, then keep it visible. Staying hydrated is easier when you make the healthy choice the obvious one.

✾

What We're Cooking

Tadka Salad Dressing

A fresh salad with arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and sliced apples, accompanied by a bowl of dressing.

Courtesy: Food52

Serves: 2 | Cook Time: 15 minutes

This tadka salad dressing uses a foundational Indian cooking technique that’s surprisingly simple — temper your black mustard seeds in olive oil, infusing the oil with extra layers of flavor. Then stir in tahini, lime juice, mustard, honey, salt, and ground pepper for an easy yet complex dressing that will elevate any summer salad or weekday lunch.

Get The Full Recipe

By clicking, you are agreeing to receive a daily recipe from Better Plates.

✲

News. Without Motives. That’s 1440

Every day, the 1440 team of editors hand-selects and summarizes the most important stories from over 100 trusted sources. The result? A 5-minute newsletter that’s fast, factual, and refreshingly human. No bots. No bias. Just clear, comprehensive news on politics, business, and culture trusted by over 4 million readers and always free.

Get The Facts

Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.

❦

HEALTHY HABIT

Do One Chore at Full Speed

You don’t need a perfect cleaning routine. Set a timer for five minutes and attack one thing: dishes, laundry, trash, counters, clutter. A quick burst of effort can make your space feel more manageable and give your brain one less thing to quietly resent.

★

Final Thought

Aerial view of a small boat on clear blue water near a sandy beach with rocky cliffs and greenery.

The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.”

– Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person

Red Zeppelin/Unsplash