Optimal Being

“Bed rotting,” or staying in bed all day, has been touted as a self-care routine on TikTok, but it might actually make you feel worse. Here’s why that happens and how you can snap out of it. The grueling stretch between New Year’s Day and springtime can seem interminable. It’s tempting to spend the long, gray months in hibernation mode with a book or your phone while you await brighter days. Enter “bed rotting,”   the Internet’s new favorite inactive activity . More entertaining than just sleeping in and somehow even less productive than being a couch potato, choosing to bed rot is a popular TikTok mental health trend associated with “reclaiming” time that might otherwise be spent on working, exercising, studying or other “productive” activities. It may mean you opt to stay in bed from sunrise to sunset for perhaps even a whole weekend or more, only leaving it to use the bathroom, get food or retrieve other essentials. Some “rotters” report feeling rejuvenated afterward. One Reddit...

  Summary:  Perceived time significantly impacts the healing of physical wounds. Researchers found wounds healed faster when participants believed more time had passed, challenging conventional beliefs about psychological effects on physical health. The research emphasizes the need to consider a broader range of psychological influences on physical well-being and suggests that abstract beliefs about the body’s functioning directly affect health outcomes. Further investigations aim to uncover the underlying mechanisms and broader implications of this intriguing discovery. Key Facts: Perceived time plays a crucial role in the actual healing process of physical wounds, regardless of the actual elapsed time. The study suggests a broader range of psychological influences on physical health, beyond the traditional focus on emotions and behavior. Researchers are conducting further investigations to better understand the mechanisms and implications of this mind-body connection in heal...

Short Naps Have Major Benefits for Your Mind I have a confession: I nap. Most days, after lunch, you will find me snoozing. I used to keep quiet about it. Other countries have strong napping traditions, but here in the U.S. it is often equated with laziness. In 2019 a U.S. federal agency even announced a ban on sleeping in government buildings. I'm going public about my nap habit now because, despite what bureaucrats may think, sleep scientists are increasingly clear about the power of the nap. That shift is part of the relatively recent recognition that the quality and duration of sleep are public health issues, says physiologist Marta Garaulet of the University of Murcia in Spain. For a time, research was both for and against napping. Many studies showed mood and  cognition benefits  from midday rest, yet others found links to poor health, especially in older adults. That left some experts hesitant to “prescribe” naps. More recent research, though, has clarified that differe...