We’ve all been there: You walk into a room, only to forget what you were looking for in the first place, or you can’t remember your coworker’s name for a second too long. For those of us concerned about our cognitive health, these little moments of brain freeze can feel like a big deal — or even a warning sign from your brain.
But many of these symptoms may actually have a simple explanation: poor sleep. And luckily, there are easy ways to help, like tucking in earlier, sleeping in a cool, dark room, and getting at least 7 hours a night. Curious if your brain is getting enough rest? Read our full story on the signs your brain isn’t getting enough sleep here.
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Nutrition
Your Early Childhood Diet May Shape Your Health Decades Later
Charlie Wollborg/Unsplash
Sugar Rush: Although you probably don’t remember a single meal from your first two years of life, a new nutrition study from the U.K. suggests your body might. Here’s the background: Sugar intake in Britain nearly doubled overnight when sugar rationing ended there in September 1953. Consequently, babies born only months apart grew up with very different sugar exposure in early life. So researchers used that fact to study what early sugar exposure does to a body decades later.
The Study: Researchers relied on health records from more than 64,000 people born in Britain between 1951 and 1956. Longer exposure to sugar rationing tracked with lower rates of several cancers decades later, including 69% lower rates of liver cancer and 36% lower rates of breast cancer, plus longer telomeres (a sign of slower biological aging) equal to about 2.2 fewer years of cellular aging.
The Takeaway: People who grew up under sugar rationing still consumed less sugar in their fifties, decades after rationing ended. So researchers suspect whatever you eat in early childhood likely affects your taste buds in adulthood.
Keep in Mind: This is an observational study drawn from a unique moment in history. It shows a connection, not proof that sugar alone caused every outcome.
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Sponsored
The Meat Label May Not Tell You Everything
Courtesy: ButcherBox
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Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.
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Fitness
Romantasy Is Coming to the Gym
Courtesy: Dragon's Edge
The Trend: Bladeborn fitness classes. Odyssey-inspired workout programs. Daggers as dumbbells. These are just a few examples of the “romantasy” (romantic fantasy) workout trend. That’s right: getting giddy over your favorite trope is no longer reserved for book club. At places like Boston’s Fit for Fiction, you can work on your fitness and nerd simultaneously.
What People Are Saying: Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based certified personal trainer Laurel Mulherin says her romantasy fitness classes are designed for people who might be intimidated by a regular gym, or feel like they don’t fit in at one. It’s a way to “get some people to the gym who also love these books and love these characters,” Mulherin told The Valley Breeze.
An Independent reporter tried a free YouTube class and says she got swept up in the fantasy narrative — and discovered that the whimsical 2.6-pound weighted daggers can quickly torch your arms. And at Swordplay in L.A., nearly 200 members regularly attend sword-based fitness classes.
What to Know: As always, the best workout is the one you actually want to do. If pretending to be a dragon-slaying heroine gets you moving, we call that a win.
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Personal Growth
What Is “Intrinsic Capacity”? The New Way to Track Healthy Aging
All Healthy Design Studio
You Should Know: The latest longevity concept that’s creating a buzz in the research community might not be familiar yet, but experts say you’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the future: intrinsic capacity (IC). In a nutshell, it’s a holistic measure of the body’s mental and physical capabilities.
Going Deeper: The term has been around for more than a decade, after being defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015. Incorporating IC as a longevity measure is part of the WHO’s healthy aging initiative, which aims to shift more focus to helping people maintain functionality as they age, not simply ward off disease. Everyone has their own IC, influenced by genetics, disease, injury, aging, environmental exposures, and systemic influences (like access to healthcare).
Takeaway: IC scores focus on five subdomains: cognition, strength and mobility, vision and hearing, psychological wellbeing, and vitality. Research has shown IC scores correlate with disability and mortality risk. Some strength and mobility tests (like grip strength) are already regularly used to assess older adults’ health.
Bottom Line: Research is still in the early stages, but there’s potential for physicians to track patients’ IC over time to detect declines and intervene earlier.
Earthy mushrooms, melty Gruyère, and fresh spinach turn the humble quesadilla into something that feels a little more grown-up. A creamy Dijon-honey spread adds just enough tang and sweetness, while a quick toast in the skillet gives the tortilla that essential golden crunch. Best of all, the whole thing comes together in about 20 minutes.
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This, Not That
Setting Up for Sleep Success
THIS
NOT THAT
Holly Stratton/Unsplash, Diana Wing/Unsplash
This: Make one room easier to sleep in Not That: Trying to rest in a chaos museum
Your bedroom does not need to look like a spa. But one small improvement can help: clear the nightstand, lower the temperature, change the sheets, move laundry off the bed, or charge your phone across the room. Sleep is easier when the room stops arguing with it.
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Sponsored
Why Roomy Toe Boxes Are Getting Attention
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HEALTHY HABIT
Start With the Annoying Thing
If one small task is quietly draining your brain, do it early. Reply to the email, book the appointment, take out the trash, refill the prescription, or wash the pan in the sink. Getting one nagging thing out of the way can make the rest of the day feel lighter than it probably has any right to.
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Final Thought
If a little day-dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more, to dream all the time.”
