Recent findings suggest children as young as six months who read books with their parents several times a week show stronger....
BITS ‘N’ PIECES
Recent findings suggest children as young as six months who read books with their parents several times a week show stronger literacy skills four years later, score higher on intelligence tests, and land better jobs than nonreaders. But recent research argues that reading may be just as important in adulthood. When practiced over a lifetime, reading and language-acquisition skills can support healthy brain functioning in big ways. Simply put: Word power increases brain power.
Reading books in particular boosts our brain power. Unlike skimming a page of headlines, reading a book (of any genre) forces your brain to think critically and make connections from one chapter to another, and to the outside world. Over time, these neural networks can promote quicker thinking and may provide a greater defense against the worst effects of cognitive decay. Secondly, it has been shown that fiction especially increases empathy and emotional intelligence.
In fact, research shows that learning something new, such as how to play an instrument or speak a second language, is one of the best things you can do for your brain at any age. Polyglots have been shown to be stronger at multitasking, superior at memorizing, and better at focusing on important information than monolingual speakers.
Think of naps like snacks. Just like you need to consume a certain amount of food every day, you need a certain amount of sleep, and that amount is usually pretty consistent - around eight hours for most of us. If you haven’t gotten your fill, it’s perfectly healthy and normal to make up for some of that deficit with a nap, if you can. But if you got nine hours of sleep, you probably don’t need a nap, just like you wouldn’t need a snack in addition to a big meal. You have to consider the circumstances.
Besides, most people aren’t really sleeping the whole time they’re napping - they’re kind of dozing in and out. And they need some time to relax before they can drop off. So, you might need to set aside an hour if you want 40 minutes of actual sleep.
Compiled by SG
