Do this test tonight when you go to bed. Put a plate on the floor next to your bed. Lie down with one hand hanging over the bed holding a spoon above the plate. When you fall asleep, the spoon will fall on the plate and should wake you up. If you don't wake up until the next day, it probably means you are 'sleep deprived'.
We live in a world of tired, sleep deprived people. We all know the importance of having a healthy diet and doing exercise, but we don't worry enough about sleeping the hours we need. We might live longer and happier lives if we took our beds as seriously as our running shoes.

Sleepy people - the dangers of sleep deprivation

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For decades, doctors have warned us about the dangers of stress and have given us advice about how to cut down our stress levels. Everyone agrees that long-term stress, for example having to look after someone who has a chronic illness, or stressful situations where there is nothing we can do, for example being stuck in a traffic jam, is bad for our health and should be avoided whenever possible. However, some medical experts now believe that certain kinds of stress may actually be good for us.

'Good stress' is beneficial to our health and may, in fact, help us stay young and attractive and even live longer. 'Good stress' can strengthen our natural defenses which protect us from illnesses common among older people, such as Alzheimer's, arthritis, and heart problems. He believes that 'good stress' can increase the production of the proteins that help to repair the body's cells, including brain cells.

Get stressed, stay young

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A Why do we need to drink water?

We all know that our bodies need water. Water cleans our body, controls our temperature, and helps to keep us healthy. About 70% of our body is water.

B How much water do we need to drink a day?

We often read that we need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day (about two litres). The idea probably came from mineral water companies! In fact, how much water we need depends on the weather and on what we're doing. When we are hot, of if we do sport or exercise, we need to drink more. Some experts say that, in normal conditions, we only really need about on litre a day.

Water - facts and myths

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