Penelope Kokkinides

Running low on your “zzz’s?” If so — you’re not the only one.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have published a study called “The Great Sleep Recession,” in the journal Pediatrics, where they studied more than 270,000 teenagers. This age group is believed to suffer the most from sleep deprivation.

Scientists recommend teens and anyone older should be getting about nine hours of sleep per night/day, but according to this study, teens are averaging about seven hours of sleep.

In this CNN article, researchers reviewed 26 previously published studies and found that napping beyond age 2 is also linked to poor quality sleep at night.

The authors say there is no scientific evidence to continue having children older than 2-years-old nap and they recommend discontinuing it, especially if the child has trouble sleeping.

Along with the obvious lethargic side effect, sleep deprivation can cause other types of damage, no matter your age. Sleep deprivation is also linked to overeating, the shrinking of brains, Type 2 diabetes, memory problems and slower reactions times that can impair driving, just to name a few.

If you’re trying to come up with some easy self-improvement habits, more sleep just might be the answer.

In case you haven’t heard, cigarettes are bad for you. But in a recent Fox News article, research in the international journal BMC Medicine was published with the proven statistic that at least two-thirds of the people who smoke are killed by their addiction – 67 percent.

A new study ties 60,000 to 120,000 deaths each year in the United States are probably due to tobacco use. The study by the American Cancer Society and several universities is published in the Feb. 12 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. It looks beyond lung cancer, also adding heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer to the list of cancers caused by smoking.

Also, according to this study, smokers are likely to die 10 years earlier than non-smokers, which is true for both men and women alike.

This research was supported by the National Heart Foundation of Australia in collaboration with major 45 and Up Study partner Cancer Council NSW and was conducted by a national and international team. It also found that compared with non-smokers, smoking just 10 cigarettes a day doubles the risk of dying and smoking a pack a day increases the risk four- to five-fold.

On the bright side, this study has also proven that it really is never too late to quit the habit.

Punxsutawney Phil wasn’t lying when he predicted six more weeks of winter. It seems he wasn’t just telling us about the delay of spring, but the beloved groundhog was telling us that the worst is yet to come.

As another snowstorm moves over the East this week, those in both the northern and southern U.S. are already sick of the cold weather. And while some believe they’ve got cabin fever, particular symptoms can prove otherwise.

A condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects millions of Americans every year. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in this CNN article, it’s a type of depression which can happen in the winter when less natural sunlight is present. Symptoms include:

• Sad, anxious or “empty” feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
• Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
• Changes in weight
• Thoughts of death or suicide

While the specific cause of SAD remains unknown, researchers have narrowed down a few factors that may come into play.

Michael Terman, professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons says that our inner clock needs to stay in sync with rest-activity cycles dictated by family and work life. If it does not sync, the effect can be disorienting and also a trigger for mood slumps and depression.

“Since the inner clock relies on sunlight to stay in sync, winter sunrise is later and winter nights are longer, melatonin can overshoot into the day, causing grogginess or ‘brain fog,’ for several hours,” he says.

Fortunately, this disorder is treatable in ways other than prescriptions and over the counter medication. Light therapy, while not regulated by the FDA, has been proven to help. Sitting next to a bright, heated light can mimic natural outdoor light and help to increase serotonin levels.

Staying active outside and around your home is also a quick fix. Movement helps to boost endorphins and exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Luckily, only a few more weeks remain in winter 2015; enjoy the sweater weather while it lasts and look forward to the upcoming spring!

In case you’ve been avoiding positioning your legs in a crossed position for the sake of your health or looks, it may be time to take another look at what really causes varicose veins and other health issues.

According to Dr. Darren B. Schneider, the chief of vascular and endovascular surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, crossing your legs does not cause vascular problems such as the physical appearance of varicose veins.

Dr. Schneider said in a New York Times article that “most varicose veins are caused by a problem intrinsic to the veins, characterized by weakening of the vein walls and failure of the valves that control blood flow.” He also added that genetics likely have a larger relation to vascular concerns, rather than the way we position our legs.

These veins can be aggravated by the chronic elevation of pressure for long periods of time, which is why pregnancy, obesity and standing often throughout the day are all associated with the development of varicose veins. “Wearing tightfitting clothing or high heels may also make them worse,” Dr. Schneider said.

Hate stopping at red lights? Not only is it frustrating, but as it turns out, it’s also bad for your health.

According to a study in the Atmospheric Environment published by the United Kingdom’s University of Surrey, when drivers stop at a traffic light, they are exposed to toxic nanoparticles emitted from vehicles around them. The nanoparticles are known factors in a variety of heart and respiratory diseases.

A Fox News article has spotlighted this recent finding, noting these researchers found that while a driver spends just 2 percent of his or her total driving time at signal-controlled intersections, that amount of time accounts for 25 percent of total exposure to such particles while in the car.

Even pedestrians crossing intersections should be cautious of the particles emitted from cars. When drivers rev their engines as the lights turn green, they are completely exposed to the pollution source.

The concentration of these harmful particles were found to be 29 times higher at stoplights during heavy traffic and rush hour as opposed to when the traffic is flowing without difficulty.

In order to avoid what seems unavoidable to most of us in first-world countries, the study recommends that drivers keep vehicle windows shut, with fans off, and to increase the distance between cars.

While those with gapped teeth spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to have their pearly whites perfected, Jamila Garza, a 24-year-old fashion design student from Everett, Wash., closed a gap in her mouth for only $5.

Garza, who is not a dental professional, has made a name for herself on her YouTube channel, by showing her viewers how to fix their teeth with small elastic bands. Garza believes she is doing the world and those with gaps a favor, but according to dentists and orthodontists world-wide, D.I.Y. teeth straightening is foolish and could eventually lead to the worsening of a gap or even teeth loss.

Dr. DeWayne McCash, an orthodontist in Chattanooga, Tenn., said in a New York Times article: “If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true.”

A consumer alert was posted on the American Association of Orthodontists website cautioning consumers to be wary of any suggestions to move teeth with rubber bands, dental floss or other objects ordered on the Internet.

Dr. Rolf Behrents, the editor-in-chief of American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, has even written an editorial cautioning consumers to stay away from this at-home teeth straightening method.

In case these warnings aren’t enough to scare you, 47-year-old David Campbell had a gap between his front teeth when he was an adolescent. A dentist he was seeing at the time suggested that he use rubber bands nightly, as seen in the YouTube videos. One evening, the elastic got stuck under his gums, which made his two front teeth start to protrude and by the time he was 13, he lost both teeth at the root.

Although Garza has been informed of Campbell’s situation, she still plans to wear her elastic bands nightly.

While New England cities continue to dig out from “the great blizzard of 2015,” shoveling snow may not be the best cardio workout for your heart. According to the American Heart Association, this strenuous activity can significantly increase your chances of having a heart attack.

In a Fox News article, Dr. Marc Gillinov of Cleveland Clinic said those who have coronary artery disease could likely experience a heart attack while shoveling snow. Gillinov also said the cold temperatures themselves can contribute to your risk of a heart attack by causing arteries to tighten and increasing blood pressure.

Heart attack risk factors include but are not limited to high cholesterol, peripheral arterial disease and age.

“The common description of heart-related chest pain is ‘pressure,’” Dr. Gillinov said. “People might even say it feels like an elephant is sitting on their chest.”

This season, when you’re shoveling snow, if you feel pressure on your chest, set the shovel down. Take a break from tending to the snow blanket on your driveway, and go find a warmer blanket inside.

It may be time to take that extra trip to the coffee shop! A new study shows that coffee is associated with a reduced risk for skin cancer.

An article in the New York Times shows that research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute tracked 447,357 non-Hispanic, cancer-free whites aged 51 – 71 for a 10-year span. Throughout the study, 2,904 cases of melanoma were found.

This is where the coffee was introduced. Those who drank two to four cups of caffeinated coffee per day showed a 20 percent risk reduction of their melanoma traces, where as those who did not drink coffee showed little to know risk reduction.

Although this is a plus for coffee drinkers, this test did not indicate that coffee drinking preferences should be changed. Coffee may reduce melanoma minimally, but the best way to eliminate risks for skin cancer is to spend less time exposed to the sun and ultraviolet light.

And, as with any coffee-related study – if you don’t like this one, watch for a contradicting report to come out tomorrow.

While an aspirin regimen has proven to lower your risk of heart attack or stroke, as it turns out, taking this pill every day could in fact worsen your overall health.

In a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, results show that one in 10 people do not have a need for an aspirin regimen. According to this CNN article, researchers looked through nearly 70,000 health records of patients receiving care at nearly 120 cardiology practices in the US. It was determined that many of those participants who took aspirin had too low a risk of heart attack or stroke to justify this over-the-counter drug use.

Dr. Salim Virani, an author of the study, cardiologist and assisting professor of medicine at Baylor College said that some 7,972 patients taking the aspirin regimen had a less than six percent chance of having a heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years. Furthermore, taking aspirin when not needed is harmful to a person’s body. Unnecessary use has been proven to cause intestinal bleeding, ulcers and even possible bleeding in the brain.

If anything is to be taken away from this heavy warning, it’s that you should pay attention to the labels on these medicine bottles and consult your doctor before beginning any medicine. And never take anything you don’t need!

Be wary around your friends, coworkers and family who’ve been coughing and sniffling the last few days – it’s still flu season!

A recent CNN story says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 43 states are having widespread flu activity, whereas just a week ago the number was seven.

According to the CDC, six children have already died this week, bringing the total number of pediatric deaths during flu season to 21, while the number of adults is unclear because each state is not required to report individual deaths from flu cases.

The CDC has also said the best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated, even though the 2014 flu shot was announced ineffective against the now mutated virus. The vaccine was given the ineffective status due to the quickly evolving strain, H3N2, which mutated and was not recognized until March, therefore too close to the forthcoming vaccination period. The H3N2 strain has accounted for 95 percent of this year’s flu cases.

According to the CDC spokesperson, Erin Burns, the 2003-2004 season identical to this year’s mutated strains, and the vaccine was still 43 percent effective. Regardless, all are still encouraged to avoid those who may appear to have the flu or its symptoms – and encouraged to wash their hands!