- Drink coffee to have a better nap - In a Japanese study that examined how to make the most of a nap, people who took a "coffee nap"—consuming about 200 milligrams of caffeine (the amount in one to two cups of coffee) and then immediately taking a 20-minute rest—felt more alert and performed better on computer tests than those who only took a nap.
- For healthy teeth, don’t brush after eating - Don't brush your teeth immediately after meals and drinks, especially if they were acidic. Acidic foods—citrus fruits, sports drinks, tomatoes, soda (both diet and regular)—can soften tooth enamel. Brushing your teeth at this stage can speed up acid's effect on your enamel and erode the layer underneath. Dentists suggest waiting 30 to 60 minutes before brushing.
- To wear a smaller size, gain weight - Muscle weight, that is. Although a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle, muscle takes up less space.
- To eat less, eat more - Grabbing a 100-calorie snack pack of cookies or pretzels may seem virtuous, but it's more likely to make you hungrier than if you ate something more substantial. Choosing a protein such as peanut butter or string cheese with an apple is higher in calories per serving, but the protein and fat helps you get full faster and stay full longer—and you end up eating fewer calories overall.
- Skip energy drinks when you’re tired - Energy drinks contain up to five times more caffeine than coffee, but the boost they provide is fleeting and comes with unpleasant side effects like nervousness, irritability, and rapid heartbeat.
- Drink water when you’re bloated - When you feel bloated, drinking water sounds as if it would only make matters worse, but it can often help. Water mixes with water soluble fiber and makes it into a gel like substance. This affects the motility of the gut and reduces the symptom of bloating. Drinking more water also relieves bloating caused by dehydration. When you're dehydrated, your body clings to the water your body does have, causing you to puff up.
- Ditch diet soda to lose weight - You should ditch all soda, including diet. Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health revealed that overweight and obese adults who drank diet beverages ate more calories from food than those who drank regular soda. Additionally, a University of Texas study found that diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference than non-drinkers over the course of about 10 years. "In addition, many people think 'low-fat,' 'low-sugar,' or 'light' means fewer calories, but that's not always true, typically when manufacturers cut something out and the end result tastes just as good, they've added something like additional sugar."
- Drink a hot beverage to cool off - Which will cool you off faster on a steamy summer morning: iced coffee or hot? Two recent studies say the latter—and so do other cultures where drinking hot tea in hot weather is the norm, like in India. When you sip a hot beverage, your body senses the change in temperature and increases your sweat production. Then, as the sweat evaporates from your skin, you cool off naturally.
- Exercise when you’re tired - After a long, exhausting workday, exercising sounds like the last thing you'd want to do, but getting your sweat on will actually energize you. Fatigue along with mood and depression improved after a single 30-minute moderate intensity exercise session, according to a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. "Everything we do uses oxygen, so when you exercise it helps you work more efficiently and you don't tire as easily; you also function better mentally."
- Handwrite notes to boost your brainpower - Typing notes enables you to jot down more material, but you're more likely to remember those notes if you handwrite them, according to research from Indiana University. "To learn something means you have processed it," says Dr. Towfigh. "And when you take handwritten notes you 'process' or learn more information. You begin the learning process as you listen to the lecture." Plus, since you look at the page on which you are writing, you naturally review the material and reinforce the information you've already processed, Dr. Towfigh says.
- Ditch antibacterial soap to prevent illness - Reaching for the soap bottle labeled "antibacterial" won't necessarily reduce your risk of getting sick or passing illness to others—in fact, there is no evidence that antibacterial soaps are more effective than regular ones. What's more, long-term exposure to some ingredients in these products, such as triclosan, may pose health risks like bacterial resistance or hormonal effects, according to a 2013 FDA statement.
