Zoomer Report

Are those old free internet AOL CDs worth anything?

Attention all workaholics. The latest research finds that people working 10 or 11 hours a day are more likely to suffer serious heart problems, including heart attacks, than those clocking off after seven hours.

The findings published in The European heart Journal are from an 11-year study of 6,000 British civil servants. 369 of these people died from heart disease or had heart attacks or angina. Those who worked three to four hours overtime each day had a 60 percent higher risk of developing these problems. The researchers say this shows a clear link between long hours and heart disease, which experts say may be due to stress.

On the other hand, working an extra hour or two beyond a normal day didn’t increase risk. Researchers think there might a threshold, that a little extra doesn’t hurt. They also say it’s possible the lifestyle of people working long hours deteriorated over time, for example as a result of poor diet or increased alcohol consumption.

More fundamentally, long hours may be associated with work-related stress, which interferes with metabolic processes, as well as “sickness presenteeism,” whereby employees continue working when they are ill.

Attention all workaholics.

What’s the tone of your conversations? Surprisingly it makes a difference in whether or not they will provide you with mental benefits. A study finds friendly discussions with other people can help you solve common life challenges, but conversations that are competitive in tone aren't helpful.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found engaging in a short, 10-minute conversation in which participants got to know another person helped boost the their performance on a variety of cognitive tasks involving memory, self-monitoring, and the ability to suppress distractions. But when the conversations had a competitive tone, the participants showed no improvement on those tasks.

They believe that performance boosts come about because these social interactions induce people to try to read others' minds and take their perspectives on things. Bottom line: the findings suggest that having a friendly talk with a colleague before a big test or presentation may prove beneficial.

What’s the tone of your conversations?

If you’re trying to lose weight, here’s an easy way to boost your results.

A scientific study shows that drinking two glasses of water before each meal will make you lose more.

Researchers followed two groups of obese people aged 55 to 75 who were put on a diet.

One group drank two cups of water before their meals, and the other group did not.

Over a 12-week period, the water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds, while the other group lost about 11 pounds.

The researchers then followed the dieters for another year as they continued their weight-loss efforts to see if they could keep the pounds off.

Here again, the water-drinking group appeared to do a little bit better.

One possible explanation is that the participants replaced some calorie-laden drinks with water. In the U.S. people consume an average of 450 calories from beverages each day. The study authors also found participants felt a little more full and a little less hungry after drinking the water and that may have made them eat less.

The water drinkers also felt their minds were clearer and they were thinking better. Some say that may mean they were dehydrated before starting this regimen.

If you’re trying to lose weight, here’s an easy way to boost your results.

Are you a thrill-seeker or do you prefer the quiet life? The answer to that could be predetermined by your genes. Scientists have found a dozen gene mutations associated with the urge to do exciting things.

This urge, called "sensation seeking" by researchers, has been linked to the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical that carries messages in the brain, and makes us feel good. In research that involved more than 600 people enrolled in a study on addiction, the scientists looked at genetic mutations known to occur in genes with roles related to dopamine.

They narrowed it down to a dozen potentially important mutations which explained some of the difference between people who are sensation seekers and those who are not. The researchers say it's too early to start screening people for these mutations because they don’t know enough is known about how those genes affect behavior.

While sensation seeking has been linked to a range of behavior disorders, such as drug addiction, it can be a very positive trait.

It's all in how you channel it.

The study appears in the journal Psychological Science.

Are you a thrill-seeker or do you prefer the quiet life?

The millions of middle-aged and older adults who suffer from insomnia have a new drug-free prescription for a more restful night's sleep. Regular aerobic exercise improves the quality of sleep, mood and vitality.

The small but significant study from Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine looked at sedentary adults, who had difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Most were women aged 55 and older.

One group exercised for forty minutes four times per week, for 16 weeks.

The other group took part in recreational and educational activities for 45 minutes three to five times per week for the same period.

Both groups received education about good sleep practices, which include sleeping in a cool, dark and quiet room; going to bed the same time every night; and not staying in bed too long, if you can't fall asleep.

But it was the exercise group that emerged with better sleep quality. They also reported fewer depressive symptoms, more vitality and less daytime sleepiness.

Bottom line: We know exercise is good for metabolism, weight management and cardiovascular health. Now it's good for sleep.