health briefs

Use Sunlight and Sleep to Lower COVID-19 Risk

Two readily available natural strategies—sunlight exposure and sufficient sleep—appear to lower the risks of suffering and dying from COVID-19, report two new studies. Researchers from the UK University of Edinburgh examined records of 2,474 U.S. counties from January to April 2020 to compare numbers of COVID-related deaths to levels of UVA rays from the sun. They found that people living in counties with the highest UVA levels had on average, a 29 percent lower chance of dying from the coronavirus. They ruled out the vitamin D factor by not including counties with UVB levels that would produce the vitamin. Repeating the analysis in England and Italy produced the same results. The researchers theorized that nitric oxide released by the skin when in sunlight may reduce the ability of that virus to replicate.

A second study of 2,884 high-risk healthcare workers in five European countries and the U.S. found that every additional hour of sleep reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection by 12 percent. However, insomnia, disrupted sleep and daily burnout are linked to a heightened risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus, having more severe symptoms and a longer recovery period, reports the researchers in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health. People that had problems like difficulty falling or staying asleep or regularly using sleeping pills were 88 percent more likely to be infected with COVID-19 than those without such issues.

Try Saffron Extract to Raise Mood

Saffron, harvested by hand from the stigma of crocus (Crocus sativus L.), has long been used in cooking, dying and fragrances, and a new study also verifies its traditional use for lowering depression. European researchers gave 56 people with poor moods, anxiety or stress either 30 milligrams a day of saffron extract or a placebo for eight weeks. Those getting the saffron reported feeling less depressed and having improved social relationships, and their urinary crocetin levels correlated with a change in their depression scores.

Resolve Arguments the Same Day for a Happier, Healthier Life

Either sidestepping an argument or resolving it on the same day pays off quickly by halving the reactivity level—negative “aftertaste”—that day and often erasing any darkened emotional response the following day, say University of Oregon researchers. Based on surveys of more than 2,000 people reporting their emotional ups and downs during an eight-day period, the researchers found that when people feel they have resolved an argument, the emotional response associated with that disagreement is significantly reduced or even eliminated. Stress reactivity has been found to significantly reduce lifespan, studies show, and is linked to heart disease, a weakened immune system, reproductive issues and gastrointestinal conditions.