Things that can save your life: Crosswords and sleep
7. Do the crossword
Tackling a daily word puzzle has been shown to ward off dementia in older people.
One experiment with pensioners in America demonstrated that physical exercise did not delay the onset of Alzheimer's, but straining their brain made a difference.
In fact, those who did four crossword puzzles a week were less likely to get the disease than those who managed only one.
8. Sleep for 7 hours
Many people think that 8 is the magic number, when it comes to the number of hours we should sleep a night, but one Californian study has discovered that 7 hours is the ideal length of sleep.
Not getting enough sleep is known to be bad for our health, leading to mood swings, obesity and heart disease, but getting too much could be just as bad for us, it seems.
Scientists studied more than 1 million people over 6 years and found that those who slept for 7 hours had the lowest rate of death, and those who slept for more than 7 hours had the highest mortality rate!
Where to next?
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Advice on dental plaque and gum disease
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Are home test kits worth it? Cholesterol
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Ask Dr Chris: Osgood-Schlatter's disease, high cholesterol
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Expert advice on your heart's health
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Health commandments: Know your vital stats
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Exercise for a healthy heart
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Health commandments: Drink more tea
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Health commandments: Get your 5-a-day
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How lack of sleep affects your body: Part 2
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Swine flu: Underlying health problems and risks


