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Eating well and maintaining a heart-healthy diet is an important part of keeping your heart in good shape. Explore recipes, tips and more.

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What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

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What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

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23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

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The Benefits of Exercise for Teen Mental Health

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The Benefits of Exercise for Teen Mental Health

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One of the best things that parents can do for their kids is help them build an exercise habit. That might mean dance, yoga, hiking or high school athletics. It should be something they really enjoy, so they're inspired to keep doing it.

Why is exercise so essential for teens? Because physical activity has significant benefits for teen mental health, according to a large body of research. In fact, exercise can even be as effective as antidepressants. And, on the flip side, physical inactivity is associated with the development of psychological disorders.
Studies show that exercise has the following benefits for teen mental health:

Positively impacts levels of serotonin, a chemical that helps regulate mental health.

Releases endorphins, the body's natural "happy chemicals."

Lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol .

Stimulates the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which improves mood.

Increases self-esteem and body positivity.

Helps teens sleep better.

Evidence shows that teen athletics are particularly supportive, on a number of levels.

According to a Canadian study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, students who play team sports in grades eight through 12 have less stress and depression as young adults. Teens who play sports also gain confidence, critical-thinking and judgment skills, as well as increased cognitive function.

However, just about any type of physical exercise is beneficial. In a small study of a dozen young adults at the University of Newcastle in Australia, participants with major depressive disorder exercised regularly; after 12 weeks of exercise, 10 of the participants were no longer categorized as depressed. Regular exercise has also been shown to decrease symptoms of anxiety.

And the effects are long-lasting: In one study, researchers found that people who got regular vigorous exercise were 25 percent less likely to develop depression or an anxiety disorder over the next five years.

According to James S. Gordon, author of"Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression,""Physical exercise has direct effects on the biology and psychology of depression. ... Exercising, we discover that feelings of helplessness and hopelessness begin to fade."
Another important benefit for teens: Exercise prevents substance use disorder.
As well as keeping anxiety and depression at bay, physical activity helps fight addiction. Research on lab rats and mice shows that regular exercise reduces the inclination to use drugs and alcohol. In essence, physical activity provides a healthy alternative reward for the brain, catalyzing a powerful surge of dopamine. And finding healthy ways to increase dopamine is key to successful recovery, especially in the early stages.

Additionally, exercise combats addiction because it addresses two of the major motivators for substance and alcohol abuse: depression and anxiety. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, teens who have substance use disorder are roughly twice as likely to have mood and anxiety disorders compared with the general population, and those with mood and anxiety disorders are more likely to use drugs. State of mind is intimately linked with substance use.
However, there are risks associated with teen sports.
When teen athletes feel pressured to overachieve in sports, they sometimes turn to performance-enhancing drugs. In the federal government's annual Monitoring the Future study, researchers examined the use of performance-enhancing substances among 67,000 high school students. Overall, close to 7 percent of students reported trying anabolic steroids at least once - an increase from 2012, when it was 5 percent.

In addition, doctors often prescribe medication for sports injuries, which can lead to addiction, causing serious health problems and even death. Therefore, coaches, doctors and parents need to monitor teen athletes closely, and be vigilant about avoiding addictive methods of pain relief for injured teens.
Researchers say that how often we exercise is more important for mental health than how vigorously we exercise.
"Data regarding the positive mood effects of exercise involvement, independent of fitness gains, suggest that the focus should be on frequency of exercise rather than duration or intensity," say Lynette Craft and Frank Perna, authors of a review of research on the benefits of exercise for clinical depression. According to experts, teens who do some sort of physical activity three to five times a week, for at least 30 minutes, can reap mental health benefits.

Bottom line: Encouraging teens to get moving is worth the extra time, money or driving that teen exercise or athletics might require from parents. Ultimately, it will give them a strong foundation for physical and mental well-being for the rest of their lives.

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Get Moving: The Benefits of Exercise for Teen Mental Health

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One of the best things that parents can do for their kids is help them build an exercise habit. That might mean dance, yoga, hiking or high school athletics. It should be something they really enjoy, so they're inspired to keep doing it. Why is exercise so essential for teens?

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Most teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without stumbling. Unfortunately, many teens don't get enough sleep.

Why Don't Teens Get Enough Sleep?

Until recently, teens often got a bad rap for staying up late, oversleeping for school, and falling asleep in class. But recent studies show that adolescent sleep patterns actually differ from those of adults or kids.

Experts say that during the teen years, the body's

circadian rhythm (sort of like an internal biological clock) is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change might be due to the fact that the brain hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early.

These changes in the body's circadian rhythm coincide with a busy time in life. For most teens, the pressure to do well in school is more intense than when they were kids, and it's harder to get by without studying hard. And teens also have other time demands - everything from sports and other extracurricular activities to working a part-time job to save money for college.

Early start times in some schools also might play a role in lost sleep. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they might squeeze in only 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night. A few hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but it can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.

Why Is Sleep Important?

A sleep deficit affects everything from someone's ability to pay attention in class to his or her mood. According to a National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll, more than 25% of high school students fall asleep in class, and experts have tied lost sleep to poorer grades. Lack of sleep also damages teens' ability to do their best in athletics.

Slowed responses and dulled concentration from lack of sleep don't just affect school or sports performance, though. More than half of teens surveyed reported that they have driven a car while drowsy over the past year and 15% said they drove drowsy at least once a week. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration estimates that more than 100,000 accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1,500 people are killed in the U.S. every year in crashes caused by drivers who are simply tired. Young people under the age of 25 are far more likely to be involved in drowsy driving crashes.

Lack of sleep also is linked to emotional troubles, such as feelings of sadness and depression. Sleep helps keep us physically healthy, too, by slowing the body's systems to re-energize us for everyday activities.

Am I Getting Enough Sleep?

Even if you think you're getting enough sleep, you might not be. Here are some of the signs that you may need more sleep:

difficulty waking up in the morning

inability to concentrate

falling asleep during classes

feelings of moodiness and even depression

How Can I Get More Sleep?

Some researchers, parents, and teachers have suggested that middle- and high-school classes begin later in the morning to accommodate teens' need for more sleep. Some schools have implemented later start times. You and your friends, parents, and teachers can lobby for later start times at your school, but in the meantime you'll have to make your own adjustments.

Here are some things that may help you to sleep better:

Set a regular bedtime. Going to bed at the same time each night signals to your body that it's time to sleep. Waking up at the same time every day also can help establish sleep patterns. So try to stick as closely as you can to your sleep schedule, even on weekends. Try not to go to sleep more than an hour later or wake up more than 2 to 3 hours later than you do during the week.

Exercise regularly. Try not to exercise right before bed, though, as it can rev you up and make it harder to fall asleep. Finish exercising at least 3 hours before bedtime. Many sleep experts believe that exercising in late afternoon may actually help a person sleep.

Avoid stimulants. Don't drink beverages with caffeine, such as soda and coffee, after 4 p.m. Nicotine is also a stimulant, so quitting smoking may help you sleep better. And drinking alcohol in the evening can make a person restless and interrupt sleep.

Relax your mind. Avoid violent, scary, or action movies or television shows right before bed - anything that might set your mind and heart racing. Reading books with involved or active plots may also keep you from falling or staying asleep.

Unwind by keeping the lights low. Light signals the brain that it's time to wake up. Staying away from bright lights (including computer screens!), as well as meditating or listening to soothing music, can help your body relax. Try to avoid TV, computers and other electronics, and using your phone (including texting) at least 1 hour before you go to bed.

Don't nap too much. Naps of more than 30 minutes during the day and naps too close to bedtime may keep you from falling asleep later.

Avoid all-nighters. Don't wait until the night before a big test to study. Cutting back on sleep the night before a test may mean you perform worse than you would if you'd studied less but got more sleep.

Create the right sleeping environment. Studies show that people sleep best in a dark room that is slightly on the cool side. Close your blinds or curtains (and make sure they're heavy enough to block out light) and turn down the thermostat (pile on extra blankets or wear PJs if you're cold). Lots of noise can be a sleep turnoff, too. Use a nature sounds or white-noise machine (or app!) if you need to block out a noisy environment.

Wake up with bright light. Bright light in the morning signals your body that it's time to get going. If it's dark in your room, it can help to turn on a light as soon as your alarm goes off.

If you're drowsy, it's hard to look and feel your best. Schedule "sleep" as an item on your agenda to help you stay creative and healthy.

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Most teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without stumbling. Unfortunately, many teens don't get enough sleep.

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What do you, the trees, and a hamster have in common? Give up? You all need water. All living things must have water to survive, whether they get it from a water fountain, a rain cloud, or a little bottle attached to the side of a hamster cage.

Without water, your body would stop working properly. Water makes up more than half of your body weight, and a person can't survive for more than a few days without it. Why? Your body has lots of important jobs and it needs water to do many of them. For instance, your blood, which contains a lot of water, carries oxygen to all the cells of your body. Without oxygen, those tiny cells would die and your body would stop working.

Water is also in lymph (say: limf), a fluid that is part of your immune system, which helps you fight off illness. Water helps keep your temperature normal. You need water to digest your food and get rid of waste. Water is needed for digestive juices, urine (pee), and poop. And you can bet that water is the main ingredient in perspiration, also called sweat.

Besides being an important part of the fluids in your body, water is needed by each cell to work.

Your body doesn't get water only from drinking water. Any fluid you drink will contain water, but water and milk are the best choices. Lots of foods contain water too. Fruit contains quite a bit of water, which you could probably tell if you've ever bitten into a peach or plum and felt the juices dripping down your chin. Vegetables also contain a lot of water - think of slicing into a fat tomato or crunching into a crisp stalk of celery.

How Much Is Enough?

Because water is so important, you might wonder if you're drinking enough. There is no magic amount of water that kids need to drink every day. The amount kids need depends on their age, body size, health, and activity level, plus the weather (temperature and humidity levels).

Usually, kids drink something with meals and should definitely drink when they're thirsty. But if you're sick, or it's warm out or you're exercising, you'll need more. Be sure to drink some extra water when you're out in warm weather, especially while playing sports or exercising.

When you drink is also important. If you're going to sports practice, a game, or just working out or playing hard, drink water before, during, and after playing. Don't forget your water bottle. You can't play your best when you're thinking about how thirsty you are!

When your body doesn't have enough water, that's called being dehydrated. Even mild dehydration can keep you from being as fast and as sharp as you'd like to be. A bad case of dehydration can make you sick. So keep that water bottle handy. Not only does water fight dehydration, but it's refreshing and has no calories.

Your body regulates the amount of water in your system. The body holds on to water when you don't have enough or gets rid of it if you have too much. If your pee is very light yellow, you are well hydrated. When your pee is very dark yellow, it's time to drink up.

You can help your body by drinking before you're thirsty and drinking extra water when you exercise and when it's warm out. Your body will be able to do all its wonderful, waterful jobs and you'll feel great!

Date reviewed: March 2022

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All living things need water to survive. Find out more in this article for kids.

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A good night's sleep is incredibly important for your health.

In fact, it's just as important as eating healthy and exercising.

Unfortunately, the Western environment is interfering with natural sleep patterns.

People are now sleeping less than they did in the past, and sleep quality has decreased as well.

Here are 10 reasons why good sleep is important.

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Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain.

People with short sleep duration tend to weigh significantly more than those who get adequate sleep ( 1, ).

In fact, short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.

In one extensive review study, children and adults with short sleep duration were 89% and 55% more likely to become obese, respectively ().

The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise ().

If you're trying to lose weight, getting quality sleep is absolutely crucial.

Summary Short sleep duration is associated with a drastically increased risk of weight gain and obesity, in both children and adults.

Studies show that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories.

Sleep deprivation disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones and is believed to cause poor appetite regulation (, ).

This includes higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and reduced levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite ().

Summary Poor sleep affects hormones that regulate appetite. Those who get adequate sleep tend to eat fewer calories than those who don't.

Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function.

This includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance ().

All of these are negatively affected by sleep deprivation.

A study on medical interns provides a good example.

Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep ().

Another study found that short sleep can negatively impact some aspects of brain function to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication ().

On the other hand, good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory performance of both children and adults (, , ).

Summary Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance.

In a study on basketball players, longer sleep was shown to significantly improve speed, accuracy, reaction times and mental wellbeing ().

Less sleep duration has also been associated with poor exercise performance and functional limitation in elderly women.

A study in over 2,800 women found that poor sleep was linked to slower walking, lower grip strength and greater difficulty performing independent activities ().

Summary Longer sleep has been shown to improve many aspects of athletic and physical performance.

It's known that sleep quality and duration can have a major effect on many health risk factors.

These are the factors believed to drive chronic diseases, including heart disease.

A review of 15 studies found that people who don't get enough sleep are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7-8 hours per night ().

Summary Sleeping less than 7-8 hours per night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Experimental sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity (, ).

In a study in healthy young men, restricting sleep to four hours per night for six nights in a row caused symptoms of prediabetes ().

These symptoms resolved after one week of increased sleep duration.

Poor sleep habits are also strongly linked to adverse effects on blood sugar in the general population.

Those sleeping less than six hours per night have repeatedly been shown to be at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (, ).

Summary Sleep deprivation can cause prediabetes in healthy adults in as little as six days. Many studies show a strong link between short sleep duration and type 2 diabetes.

Mental health issues, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders.

It has been estimated that 90% of people with depression complain about sleep quality ().

Poor sleep is even associated with an increased risk of death by suicide ().

Those with sleeping disorders like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also report significantly higher rates of depression than those without ().

Summary Poor sleeping patterns are strongly linked to depression, particularly for those with a sleeping disorder.

Even a small loss of sleep has been shown to impair immune function ().

One large two-week study monitored the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the cold virus ().

They found that those who slept less than seven hours were almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept eight hours or more.

If you often get colds, ensuring that you get at least eight hours of sleep per night could be very helpful. Eating more garlic can help as well.

Summary Getting at least eight hours of sleep can improve your immune function and help fight the common cold.

Sleep can have a major effect on inflammation in your body.

In fact, sleep loss is known to activate undesirable markers of inflammation and cell damage.

Poor sleep has been strongly linked to long-term inflammation of the digestive tract, in disorders known as inflammatory bowel diseases (, ).

One study observed that sleep-deprived people with Crohn's disease were twice as likely to relapse as patients who slept well ().

Researchers are even recommending sleep evaluation to help predict outcomes in individuals with long-term inflammatory issues ().

Summary Sleep affects your body's inflammatory responses. Poor sleep is strongly linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and can increase your risk of disease recurrence.

Sleep loss reduces your ability to interact socially.

Several studies confirmed this using emotional facial recognition tests (, ).

One study found that people who had not slept had a reduced ability to recognize expressions of anger and happiness ().

Researchers believe that poor sleep affects your ability to recognize important social cues and process emotional information.

Summary Sleep deprivation may reduce your social skills and ability to recognize people's emotional expressions.

Along with nutrition and exercise, good sleep is one of the pillars of health.

You simply cannot achieve optimal health without taking care of your sleep.

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A good night's sleep is incredibly important for your health. In fact, it's just as important as eating healthy and exercising. Unfortunately, the Western environment is interfering with natural sleep patterns. People are now sleeping less than they did in the past, and sleep quality has decreased as well.