Seasonal series
What matters most at certain times of year: getting through extreme heat and cold, sleeping during emergencies and celebrating without harming your health.
Extreme heat
Physical Activity Extreme heat and health: how to avoid overheating
Who is most at risk during heat waves, the signs of heat stroke and what really cools you down: fans, water, shade and changing your schedule.
Sleep Sleeping in the heat: how to rest on hot nights
Why hot nights shorten sleep, who is affected most and what helps: ventilation, a cool shower, light bedding and fans.
Nutrition Water: how much should you really drink?
How much fluid adults need according to the National Academies and EFSA, where the "8 glasses a day" rule came from and simple ways to tell if you are drinking enough.
SleepBedroom temperature: how heat and cold affect sleep
How heat and humidity disrupt deep and REM sleep, why a cool room with warm bedding works best and simple ways to keep your bedroom comfortable.
Cold weather and power outages
Sleeping in a cold home during a winter power outage
How to stay warm at night without heat and avoid danger: layers, sleeping bags, hot water bottles and why generators and stoves must never be used indoors.
Social ConnectionCold weather and power outages: getting through winter together
Why older and isolated people are at greatest risk during winter storms and outages, how to plan with neighbors and family and what never to use for heat.
Stress News and anxiety: how to stay informed without burning out
Why hours of distressing news coverage are linked to acute stress, what studies found after the Boston Marathon bombing and COVID-19, and rules for healthy news habits.
Sleep during emergencies
Sleep Sleeping through stressful times: how to recover when nights are restless
How stress, emergencies and anxious news cycles disrupt sleep, and habits that help you recover: a steady wake time, daylight, limiting news and relaxation.
Sleep Helping children sleep after frightening events and emergencies
How to help a child sleep after a disaster, emergency or scary news, what to do about nightmares, why a bedtime routine matters and when to get professional help.
Stress Breathing exercises for stress: what works according to research
What a meta-analysis of breathwork trials found, how slow breathing and cyclic sighing affect mood, and three simple techniques to try.
StressProgressive muscle relaxation: a simple technique for anxiety
What progressive muscle relaxation is, what a meta-analysis found about relaxation training for anxiety and a step-by-step 10- to 15-minute routine.
Holidays without alcohol
Risky Substances Holidays without alcohol: celebrate without regrets
Why heart attack risk rises during the holidays, what "holiday heart syndrome" is, how to turn down a drink politely and what to drink instead.
Risky Substances A month without alcohol: what happens to your body
What studies of Dry January and a month of abstinence found about blood pressure, weight, insulin resistance and drinking six months later.
Sleep Alcohol and sleep: why a nightcap keeps you from resting well
Why alcohol helps you fall asleep but disrupts the second half of the night, what studies show about REM sleep and recovery, and better ways to unwind.
Risky Substances · Myth or factIs any amount of alcohol safe? The myth of the healthy glass of wine
Why newer research does not support the idea that moderate drinking is good for you, what the Global Burden of Disease found and how to cut back.