Muscles are made out of long, contracting fibers wrapped into large sheaths. Building muscle, also known as hypertrophy, demands that these fibers be stressed by exercise, followed by long periods of rest. Sleep can consume up to a third of our...
The development of new muscle requires some means of training with an adequate ingestion of protein. Working long hours at the gym can be a timely ordeal, and for some, the length of time that is needed to pass before visual results begin to...
It is normal to feel tired sometimes, despite allowing yourself adequate amounts of sleep. Eating a healthy balanced diet, taking regular exercise, reducing stress levels and getting plenty of rest usually relieves tiredness caused by physical or...
Fluoxetine, the active ingredient of Prozac, is an antidepressant drug prescribed for anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It works by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain. When you stop taking the medication, it is...
Menopause occurs in middle-aged women and marks the finish of their monthly menstrual cycle. It is the end of the reproductive years and usually begins in a woman's late 40s or early 50s, when the body gradually stops producing estrogen and...
As important as it is to get out and be active to succeed with exercise, spending enough time sleeping also affects your exercise outcomes. Most adults require between seven and a half and nine hours of sleep each night. If you do not regularly...
Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus. There are two types of the virus, type 1 and 2. Cold sores are typically the result of type 1, according to Medline Plus. These sores are painful and last a week or longer. The blisters occur on...
When a person is severely stressed, they experience higher-than-average levels of the hormone cortisol, which is produced by the adrenal glands. This is the hormone that gets the blood pumping and heart racing when one feels stressed. In addition...
Sleep is essential to help your body function properly. Not getting enough sleep does more than lead to daytime drowsiness: It can bring on serious health problems. If you are not sleeping, the first step is to figure out what the cause is, and...
Children and babies all have differing sleep needs. However, helping your child to learn to fall asleep on his own will help, both you and your child, sleep better through the night. Most school-age children need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep...
With our busy lives, we always think that we can just sleep a little less and get a bit more done, not realizing the importance of sleep and how a lack of it interferes with our overall well-being. Getting proper amounts of sleep is often an...
Maintaining a healthy life has a lot to do with nutrition. Many of the essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly are found in a diet that is full of fruits and vegetables, low-fat proteins and whole grains. By completing a...
While everyone experiences anxiety occasionally, some people are affected by anxious thoughts to the point that their daily lives are impacted. It can be hard to determine whether you are experiencing normal, transitory anxiety or whether you are...
Typically more of an aesthetic concern than a medical one, bags under the eyes can make it difficult to go out and face the world confidently. Often the result of allergies, excessive salt consumption, or lack of sleep, bags under the eyes can...
Genetics, gender and age all play a role in where fat accumulates on your body. Fat stored in the lower body tends to be subcutaneous fat, while fat stored around the midsection is more likely to be visceral fat. While both types of fat pose...
Metabolism is the rate at which your body utilizes calories for everyday functions like body temperature regulation, digestion, breathing and walking. Muscle is tissue in the body that has a lot to do with metabolism because it can increase...
When life gets hectic, it's easy to skimp on sleep. Getting enough sleep, however, is important to your health. Sleep has several stages. Some help us with memory and learning; others give us more energy the next day. Not getting enough sleep or...
Dark circles and bags under the eyes make you look tired and depressed. While not getting enough sleep can certainly contribute to the dark circles, it's not always the prime cause. You could get plenty of sleep and still look like you stayed up...
Getting enough sleep is an often overlooked part of the weight-loss equation. While you are asleep, your body is working hard to regenerate cells and balance your hormones. No matter how much work you are putting in at the gym, if you are not...
Balancing school and exercise can be difficult for teenagers, especially if they are also involved in extracurricular activities or have other responsibilities, such as taking care of younger siblings or working a part-time job. It's easy to fall...
Eye puffiness is caused by humidity, changing hormones, lack of sleep and allergic reactions. It can occur when fluid gathers around the eye area, resulting in redness and swollen skin under one or both eyes. Sometimes eye puffiness occurs as a...
Toning your stomach and losing belly fat requires a diligent approach to your diet, consistent cardiovascular exercise and targeted strength training for your core. Everyone has abdominal muscles, but they lie under a layer of subcutaneous and...
Swollen and puffy eyes are a common condition caused by factors such as hormone changes, stresses, not enough sleep, crying, and fluid retention. It can also be caused by insect bites, hangovers due to excessive alcohol or passed on by heredity....
No one likes dealing with dark undereye circles or puffiness. After all, having raccoon eyes makes you look tired, ill and older. While this condition is often genetic and may not have anything to do with getting enough sleep, treatments for dark...
Your body needs some fat to stay healthy. For example, it absorbs vitamins, provides energy and protects your organs and bones. However, if you are carrying excess fat, it can be detrimental to your health. You can keep your body fat down by...
Staying up all night will not help make you lose weight -- in fact, the opposite may be true. Not getting enough sleep can actually hinder your weight loss or even lead to a weight gain. When it comes to being fit, regularly getting enough sleep...
Sleep disorders and personal schedules can damage sleep quality. Kristen Knutson of the University of Chicago says "there is laboratory evidence that short sleep durations of four to five hours have negative physiological and neurobehavioral...
Statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health show that around 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders each year. It's normal to experience anxiety when exposed to a stressful event or situation, however, these...
Stomach weight loss can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be as big of a struggle as many people portray. To flatten your stomach, you merely need to adopt a dietary and fitness plan that targets your abdomen and encourages weight loss overall.
A migraine headache is a neurologic headache that occurs in the brain due to a spasaming or instability of the blood vessels of the brain that then causes other symptoms. In this video learn more about migraines and how to treat them.
