Sleep is a fascinating and bizarre behaviour. We race around all day with our schedule planned to the last minute, then we lie down and hibernate for several hours.
Dementia is one of the great fears of ageing. And there’s no way of knowing if you will suffer it before it gets you. Heidi Godman, the executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter, says that exercise may be a key help for us.
What I mean by the question is this: If all the good die young, how come you and I have been around long enough to be interested in retirement? We aren’t young. Does that make us not good—as in bad or evil?
There are many benefits to a plant-based diet. Research shows vegetarian diets are linked with several health advantages: lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure; and a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and overall cancer.
What could cause you to retire early? Four major ‘shocks’ have been found to cause early retirement for about a third (37%) of retirees according to Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research. The four are: health; employment; family; and financial. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other reasons, but these four were, statistically, way out in front.
I learned the value of knowing my family medical history about eight years ago. I’d had a two-day headache that impacted on my peripheral vision. I assumed it was a migraine and, perhaps because I’m male, I forgot about it once it was gone. My wife didn’t forget. A couple of weeks later during a doctor’s visit, she said: ‘Tell her about your headache.’ Our doctor immediately booked me in for an MRI scan the next day. The scan showed that I’d had a stroke.
A recently-published Finnish study has found that 12 per cent of people adopted ‘risky’ drinking patterns around the time of retirement. The researchers make the point in their report that retirement is a ‘significant life transition’, which brings substantial change. Some adopt this risky behaviour to help them cope.
Stepping on the scales is a common practice among dieters who want to shed excess body fat. But how frequently should you weigh yourself when attempting to lose those extra kilos and keep them off?
Are You Ready for Retirement? That’s a question investor advisor Ken Heise asks. ‘Retirement is a huge transition,’ he says, ‘much like getting married or having kids. And just like those other life events, it takes preparation.’
Not getting enough sleep? That could be an issue to address. A report from the Rand Corporation declares that insufficient sleep is a ‘public health problem’ in the United States, and beyond.