The science of living วิทยาศาสตร์ของการใช้ชีวิต

by Stuart Farrimond, พรเลิศ อิฐฐ์ (Translator)

จากการศึกษาวิจัยหลากหลายสาขาในเรื่องที่ใกล้ตัวคุณมากที่สุด
สู่คู่มือฉบับสมบูรณ์ที่ครอบคลุมทุกแง่มุมสำคัญของ “การใช้ชีวิต”

ตั้งแต่เช้าจรดค่ำ “วิทยาศาสตร์” บอกอะไรเกี่ยวกับกิจวัตรประจำวันของคุณบ้าง
หนังสือเล่มนี้จะชวนคุณท่องไปกับกลไกอันน่าพิศวงในร่างกาย
พร้อมทำความรู้จักกับสมองของผู้ที่ตกอยู่ในห้วงรัก
ฮอร์โมนตะกละที่ทำให้คุณลดน้ำหนักไม่สำเร็จ ยีนขี้เกียจที่กล่อมให้คุณนอนจมโซฟา
ตลอดจนคำถามน่ารู้และคำอธิบายที่อาจเปลี่ยนวิธีใช้ชีวิตของคุณไปอย่างสิ้นเชิง

ทำไมฉันถึงจำเรื่องที่ฝันไม่ได้
ฉันควรดื่มกาแฟแก้วแรกตอนไหนถึงจะดีที่สุด
สมองของเพศหญิงและเพศชายถูกสร้างมาต่างกันหรือไม่
ฉันควรเชื่อสัญชาตญาณของตัวเองไหม
คนเราควรออกกำลังกายตอนไหน
ทำไมฉันถึงไม่โชคดีเหมือนเพื่อน ๆ คนอื่น
การซื้อของออนไลน์ประหยัดกว่าจริง ๆ หรือ
ทำไมมนุษย์เราถึง “หัวรั้น” นัก
ทำไมฉันถึงตกหลุมรักคนคนนี้
จะหัดดูคนให้เป็นได้อย่างไร
วิกฤติวัยกลางคนมีจริงหรือไม่
สมาร์ตโฟนทำให้นอนหลับได้ยากจริงหรือ

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Self Help, Health, Personal Development, Psychology, Reference

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2020

About the author

Stuart Farrimond was a British science communicator, food scientist for BBC's Inside the Factory, best-selling Sunday Times science author, and a brain tumor researcher.

Reviews

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sort of a "pop quiz" style of book with 219 questions answered such as "Why can't I wake up in the mornings"? or "Should I wait an hour before having my morning coffee"?!!

Ironically the author states at the beginning of the book that these sort of questions appear in magazines and the likes of Buzzfeed articles with no real science or substance backing up the answer; thereby leaving the reader just as clueless. Cue the book, each question has pretty much a half page basic answer, thereby leaving the reader semi-clueless!

This isn't something I'd read in seriousness. It's the type of book that would while away an hour whilst waiting for an appointment in a mint green, antiseptic'd waiting room!

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Много приятна, добре структурирана и илюстрирана книжка с кратки, общоизвестни напомняния за ежедневието. Нищо ново и нищо сензационно, но все пак полезно за поддържане на ежедневния ритъм без много турбуленции.

Четирите части обхващат сутринта, следобеда, вечерта и нощта. Заглавието на всяка тема е под формата на кратък въпрос, който всеки си е задавал. Добро обобщение на стари правила за едно пълноценно денонощие.

3,5⭐️

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. Evidence-based, thorough, and written with a smart high-level audience in mind. No junk science, which is so typical of the self-help genre. Some ideas in it for everyone.

[Keen Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The 9-5 work ethic is completely at odds with the body clock: you are built for two sleeps each day not one.”

I certainly had no idea about this and Farrimond goes onto explain, “Its Western Europe and the US that live under the shadow of the ‘protestant work ethic’. Starting in the 12th century, strict religious leaders preached that daytime sleep was an unnecessary, sinful luxury.” Apparently the best time to have your nap is between 1 and 3. 10-20 minutes is great for a power nap, 90 minutes is ideal for a deeper, REM sleep.

What a bloody fascinating book this is! This is gold, pure gold. Accessible and informative facts offered up in a lovely, clean and bright presentation. Almost every single page has something worthwhile on it, and I lost count of the times my previously held beliefs were challenged and conquered.

The ideal amount of fluoride you should have in your toothpaste is 1450-1500 PPM (Parts Per Million) to provide good protection. Tooth enamel is harder than steel but will literally fizzle away when soaked in acid. We learn about leisure sickness, telescoping, the doorway effect and why do I feel younger than my real age?...and of course a brain load of trivia as well…I had no idea that in the early 1900s 30 US states passed laws that people with a low scoring IQ could be forcibly sterilized, so that come the mid 20th century around 60’000 people had been sterilized against their will.

“The clothes that keep us toasty do so because they trap a cushion of air around us that is warmed up by the body. It’s the air, rather than the fabric itself that keeps us warm, so think twice before splashing out on high tech clothing. As strange as it sounds, stagnant air is better than almost anything else at retaining air – that’s why there is a gap between the panes of double-glazed windows.”

Isn’t that fascinating?...I also discovered that only from minus 4 degrees Celsius do we start to lose around 50% of our body heat from our head. At 0 degrees or above, we only lose about 10%. Also you should wait around 2 hours after waking up in the morning before having the first hit of caffeine, in order to enjoy the full benefit from it. Men and women talk about the same, both managing about 16,000 words a day. Breakfast isn’t the magical meal it’s made out to be, and what about the mysteries of brown fat?...The larger the city, the faster people walk. Sitting puts 85% more pressure on spine discs than standing.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, first class research, deep knowledge, its easy to read without dumbing down and its beautifully presented. Do yourself a favour and read it.

[Pawarut Jongsirirag · Rating 3 out of 5]

ใช้ได้ครับ เป็นเหมือน Guide Book คร่าวๆต่อคำถามเกี่ยวกับการใช้ชีวิตของเราว่ามีสาเหตุจากอะไร หรือควรจะทำหรือไม่ทำอะไรดี โดยเเบ่งออกเป็น 4 ช่วง คือ เช้า บ่าย เย็น กลางคืน

ในเเต่ละช่วงก็จะเป็นคำถามคำตอบในเเต่ละประเด็นภายในหน้าสองหน้าสั้นๆครับ เช่น คำถามในช่วงเช้าคือ ควรทานอาหารเช้าอะไรดี ทำไมตื่นเช้ามางัวเงีย หรือ ช่วงเย็นเช่น อะไรที่ส่งผลต่อการนอน อะไรทำนองนี้ครับ จะมีคำถามเเนววิทยาศาสตร์เเทรกอยู่ด้วยบ้าง เช่น ทำไมเราตกหลุมรักคนนี้ ทำไมเราถึงหาว หรือ ช็อปปิ้งออนไลน์ทำไมให้เราประหยัดขึ้นจริงมั้ย

มันก็ดีนะครับ เพราะเหมือนเป็นการรวบรวมคำถามต่างๆเเล้วนำมาตอบด้วยหลักวิชาการเเบบ "ตอบด่วนตอบไว" ให้พอเข้าใจ สามารถเอาไปคุยต่อหรือค้นคว้าเพิ่มเติมในประเด็นที่สนใจได้ เเต่ถ้าใครติดตามหรืออ่านหนังสือเเนวนี้มาซักพักเเล้ว มันก็ไม่ค่อยมีอะไรใหม่ให้ตื่นเต้นเท่าไหร่ครับ ถึงเเม้จะมีบางอันที่เป็นข้อมูลอัพเดตบ้างเหมือนกันก็ตาม

ข้อดีที่เห็นได้ชัด นอกจากการเป็นหนังสือรวมข้อมูลวิทยาศาสตร์สุขภาพในชีวิตประจำวันเเล้ว คือ การจัดวางรูปประกอบ
เลย์เอาท์ที่สวยดีครับ พวกกราฟ หรือภาพอธิบายประกอบเนื้อหา สี่สี สวยงามดี ช่วยให้การอ่านไม่เเห้งเเล้งไปนัก

เป็นหนังสืออีกเล่มที่ไม่ว่าคุณจะชอบเนื้อหาเเนวนี้หรือไม่ ก็ควรมีติดบ้านไว้ ในเวลามีข้อสงสัยหรือใครถามมา ก็จะได้ตอบได้ทันทีเเบบหล่อๆไป 1 กรุบครับ

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent choice for the first book of the year, I think. Let's bash those misconceptions and out-and-out lies about what leads to our best life with the greatest tool there is, science. And let's start out the year with some lovely new daily routines that will get us in line for creating our best life ever.

[Adrika_G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graficky nádherne spracovaná kniha. Dobrý formát, logické roztriedenie, zaujímavé témy. Vhodná skôr pre ľudí, ktorí NIE sú veľkí fanúšikovia populárno-náučnej literatúry alebo pre takých, ktorí sa v tejto oblasti ešte len rozbiehajú. Dozvedia sa mnoho informácií o živote v prehľadných kapitolách na jednu-dve strany. Také rýchle čítanie pred spaním či pri káve. :)

Pre mňa osobne boli jednotlivé kapitoly nedostatočné. Bol to skôr súhrn tém, ktoré by ma mohli zaujať na neskoršie doštudovanie s inými knihami. A aj keď ma veľa okruhov zaujalo, mnohé mi už boli známe z iných publikácii alebo mi ich vysvetlenie nestačilo (predsalen na jednu-dve strany sa toho veľa nezmestí).

[Aom Ruka · Rating 5 out of 5]

เราชอบเล่มนี้ เป็นหนังสือที่อ่านเพลิน เพราะแต่ละเรื่องสั้นๆ และมีสีสันสวยงาม ทำให้อ่านสนุกมากๆ

ซึ่งเล่มนี้ เอาเรื่องราวในชีวิตประจำวันมาอธิบายทางวิทยาศาสตร์แบบสั้นๆ เข้าใจง่าย เมื่อเข้าใจเราก็สามารถเอาไปใช้ได้เลย โดยรวมเราชอบ

[Akash · Rating 2 out of 5]

বইটা অনেকদিন যাবত পড়তেছিলাম। অনেক সুন্দর করে সাজানো-গোছানো লেখা। জীবনের সকল সমস্যা নিয়ে লেখা বই। সকাল, দুপুর, বিকেল, রাতে কখন কী করতে হবে তার সবকিছুর সমাধান প্রশ্ন এবং উত্তর আকারে দেয়া। প্রতিটি প্রশ্নের উত্তরে ইনফোগ্রাফি এবং প্রচুর সাইন্টিফিক এভিডেন্স। তবে বইয়ের শেষে কোনো Endnotes কিংবা Credits নেই।

শতশত এভিডেন্স গুলো লেখক কোথায় পেয়েছে কিংবা কোন জার্নাল থেকে ব্যবহার করেছে তার কোনোকিছু বলা নাই। ফাইজলামি করছে লেখক সাহেব। বা......বই।

[Milan Buno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nenáročné, inšpiratívne a zábavné čítanie. Kniha, ktorú si dáte na nočný stolík a večer si prečítate pár kapitol, aby sme sa dozvedeli napríklad to, prečo a ako nám prospieva objímanie...prečo sa nám niektorí ľudia páčia a iní nie...či existuje najlepší čas na sex...alebo ako mám vedieť, koľko spánku naozaj potrebujem?

Prípadne si knižku otvoríte ráno pri kávičke a prečítate si, kedy je najlepší čas na prvú kávu... ktorá pasta je pre zdravie zubov najlepšia... či zlepší počúvanie hudby moju koncentráciu...alebo prečo sa pri šoférovaní musím rozčuľovať na ostatných šoférov a prečo po cestách jazdia takí tupci? :-)

Jednoducho, 219 bežných otázok, ktoré sa viažu ku každodennému životu a ktoré ste si možno položili a nevedeli ste presne odpovedať...alebo ktoré vám ani nenapadli, ale bolo by dobré si na ne posvietiť a dozvedieť sa viac.
V knihe ich Stuart popisuje zrozumiteľne, jednoducho, nie príliš dlhé texty - cca 1-2 strany na danú tému. K tomu obrázky, fotky, nejaké grafické prvky.

Mám rád takéto knihy: nie je to žiadna raketová veda, viacero vecí už viete, ale predsa len vás pohltí, prinúti zamyslieť sa nad niektorými svojimi zvykmi a konaniami.
Je to taká malá oslava života v jeho jednoduchosti a každodennosti: prečo sú muži menej citliví na chlad ako ženy... prečo sa na poradách nedostanem k slovu... ako sa dokážem zbaviť chuti na sladké... aký dlhý by mal byť popoludňajší šlofík... prečo si udalosti pamätám inak ako moji blízki alebo priatelia.

Pútavé, nápadité, inšpirujúce a rozhodne lepšie na zabíjanie času ako scrollovanie v mobile či na tablete :-)

[Nattatida · Rating 5 out of 5]

เป็นหนังสือที่นำวิทยาศาสตร์มาอธิบายร่างกายและพฤติกรรมของเรา โดยจะแบ่งออกพฤติกรรมออกเป็นพฤติกรรมช่วงเช้า บ่าย เย็น และกลางคืน เช่น ตอนเช้าเราควรทานกาแฟตอนไหน เราควรอดมื้อเช้าหรือป่าว เราควรจะแบ่งเวลาทำงานอย่างไรให้งานเสร็จ เป็นต้น
ถือว่าเป็นหนังสือที่นำวิทยาศาสตร์มาอธิบายให้คนทั่วไปเข้าใจได้ง่าย นำไปปรับใช้ได้ เช่น เราควรดื่มกาแฟหลังจากตื่นนอนแล้วสามชั่วโมงตามหลักของฮอร์โมนเพื่อให้สมองตื่นที่สุด หรือควรงีบกลางวัน 20 นาทีเป็นเวลาที่เหมาะสมและดีต่อร่างกายตามหลักของวงจรการนอนหลับ เป็นต้น
สรุปโดยรวม เป็นหนังสือที่อ่านง่าย ใช้ได้จริง อ่านสนุกเพลินได้สาระ ประทับใจมาก

[Synthia Salomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember being taught a lot of things that I had to unlearn.
I am still unlearning a lot of things. Some are engraved and buried deep into my life. Others are things you can easily pick up on and immediately make change.
You don't have to eat if you aren't hungry.
You shouldn't put butter on a burn.
Love isn't earned.
This book is all about continuing to unlearn things you picked up along the way that are ruining your daily routine. "Science can help fine-tune our daily routines. For instance, it tells us that we all have different kinds of body clocks, which determine when we sleep and wake up, whether or not we need breakfast, and the time of our productive peak. By paying attention to science, we can better adapt to our biology, and avoid harmful or just plain unnecessary habits.

Actionable advice:

It’s okay to put a coat on before you go out in the cold.

The next time someone warns you that you won’t feel the benefit of your coat if you wear it too long before you go out, you can politely inform them that that’s not true. The warm air that builds up under your layers while you’re indoors will serve you well when you face the cold!"

[MuntahaZad · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10; Very Good! This was a great read! Learnt so many new and cool things, that too related to everyday life activities. The negative reviews; I don't know about them: maybe they're expert themselves.

The book had some sections and writings which don't exactly resonate with me, but I definitely took what'll benefit me!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hippocampus opts not to store most dreams because it deems them irrelevant compared to the real events that are worth remembering.

If you can’t remember your dreams, your brain is giving your memory a much needed rest.

Most of us can get all the vitamins and minerals from a balanced varied diet.

On a day to day basis, forcing yourself to drink that much water is unnecessary and doesn’t give credit for the body’s highly attuned ability to keep you on an even keel. Six cups of water is what is necessary but most of that can be obtained through food and other liquids.

The ideal power nap is 10 to 20 minutes to improve energy, mood and learning.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I listened to the audio version of this book. There really wasn’t anything new and it was organized in a haphazard kind of way.

[alix flora 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this took me months to read because I’d use it as a easy flip through before bed sometimes, but shit this was so informative and easy to understand. It delves into the science behind everything you do in your day to day and it really makes you think about your habits, relationships, and way of life. One thing it taught me is the European lifestyle is the way to live 🤩

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting science-based tips. Nothing life changing, but an interesting read with some small take aways.

[José Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5* :)

[Michelle Dargie · Rating 5 out of 5]

More like a manual for life 🙏

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting facts & good infographics. But the graph axes are shockingly, if ever, labelled.

[alisonwonderland (Alison) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked this one out of the library several times over the past year-and-a-half and slowly made my way through the 219 questions and corresponding answers. The format made it easy to read a little at a time, and I enjoyed the accompanying graphics.

Among the questions I found particularly interesting were these: Can I Make Myself More of a Morning Person? Is Commuting Harming My Health? Can I Blame My Bad Mood on Hunger? and Is Sleep Really That Important? (The short answers, by the way, are no, yes, yes, and yes.)

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book unplanned from the library and am glad I did! It was a quick and very informative and enjoyable read, I would definitely recommend it. Each page poses a question and then uses science to answer it in a quick summary. I was impressed with the information packed into every page and appreciated the graphs and charts. Some examples of questions include: Should I hit the snooze button? How can I get the most from my working day? What makes a good lunch? How long is the ideal power nap? Why is it hard to motivate myself to exercise? Is sleep really that important?

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Live Your Best Life: 2109 Science-Based Reasons to Rethink Your Daily Routine delivers on what it promises, it explores many daily actions and habits, giving hints into the effects and some causes. Daily habits that we take for granted are explored and explained, offering some eye-opening insights. Many commonly held beliefs are explored, some are debunked as faulty conclusions, and some are the results of manipulation.

Topics explored include the recommended number of daily glasses of water consumed, the timing of drinking coffee, the timing of daily exercise and difference in sleep patterns and sleep requirements. Dr Farrimond also examines such questions as the benefits of hugging, why yawns are contagious and the development of memory.

This book is very enjoyable. The information is grouped nicely and presented in small bites which enables it to fit into a busy schedule. It also encourages the reader to pause and consider things often taken for granted. It breathes life into some of our habits and expands the curiosity to look at other actions. It also provides a basis for making small changes to your habits that may provide a greater benefit to your life.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love loved this book. This book is chock full of fantastic information on when it's best time to sleep, whether vitamins are helpful, what you should eat, what time you should exercise and so, so much more. I loved every single page.

I kept quoting so much of this to my family. How lunch is the tastiest meal, how you should nap between 1-3pm, how you're most productive in the morning, how entering a new room tells the brain to start fresh, how keeping a diary improves your memory (knew it!) and on and on.

This book is beautifully illustrated which makes it a joy to read but it's the content that shines. I loved every single page of it. If you like ways to improve your day and you like science, you will love it too!!

with gratitude to DK and netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Granted, I listened to the audiobook, so there wasn't time to really go around fact-checking everything that Dr. Farrimond spouts out. HOWEVER. I'm not sure the physical book includes citations, I'll have to go have a look. If not, my review would drop to 1.5 stars because taking the advice of a single doctor on such a plethora of wellness topics would be asinine. I prefer my sleep advice from a specialist, my dental care advice from a degreed dentist, etc.

Anyway, if you want a broad smattering of health-related advice with little-to-no research basis, I recommend this as a "bored first-class airplane passenger stuck on a long layover" read.

[Jevgenij · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is not too bad - infographics are nice and the facts are presented nicely. Daily routine topic is pretty much BS though - whatever facts the author found, he put into this book. And most importantly if you read any fitness/health magazines - there is 0 new facts here. All of them feel taken right from first 10 pages of Men's Health

[Bachir Guediri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's one of the best books i've ever read

[Pía López Copetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just as the title says, it's a compendium of tips. You can save yourself some time and read a blog instead.

[Kair Käsper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting bits (like the fact that teeth get yellow from brushing too hard), but mostly familiar stuff.

[Justin Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Science of Living explores the science behind our daily routines from waking up, morning, afternoon, evening and going to bed. It provides lots of tips and practical advice to improve your day. Reminded me a bit of Michael Mosley’s Just One Thing book. Some of the tips I found useful were as follows:
- PLAY: If you give a children Lego to play with are likely to mature and having brains which have larger spatial cortex’s, regardless of whether they are male or female.
- HUNGER: There’s good information on how hormones impact on our hunger, quote food clothing former enrolling sticks like syrup to the appetite control region of brain. The reason that much of the junk / processed foods are so hard to give up is due to the manufacturers which is jacked up with sugar, salt and fat ratio which will release the dopamine hormone which is the same substance that makes you feel good after sex, winning the lottery or watching your favourite sports team win a match. Dopamine is one of the main brain chemicals that drives addiction so when you eat junk food, it’s been hijacked by manufacturers to make you feel that hit of pleasure and makes it harder and harder to give up these types of food. So, eat high-fibre vegetables, avoid eating when stressed and try not to pass fast-food outlets. Dopamine also drives ghrelin.
- FLUIDS: The book looks at how much water we need to drink and there's a fascinating thing about how if you have pasta and tomato sauce, some cauliflower cheese, and cucumbers and humus, you will have almost drunk a litre of fluid water – so we not only obtain water from, er, water.
- SUGAR: The daily recommended and allowance of sugar is five spoonful’s which is fine if you put it in your in your tea or your coffee but there is a lot more in ready-made meals and things such as ketchup sauce, spreads, bread and many breakfast cereals. This does not include the sugar that you find in fruit because that does not count because of all the other benefits that come with it which are essential for your development so you don't have to count any of the sugars that you might have when you eat an apple. “Pure sugar inundates the bloodstream within minutes and yet for 99% of our history, refined sugar didn't exist.”
- SMOKING: few smokers are lucky enough to get into old age without suffering some kind of lung disease or cancer and it increases your risk of dying each year by an average of 180%.
- TOUCH: Touch is a really important skill and the benefits of human beings and people who hug others have much better health outcomes. Infants who receive regular tactile stimulation such as physical play and hugs form stronger bonds with their carers and tend to have better sleep patterns than those children who rarely receive a cuddle. Research indicates that people who often embrace others have a more robust immune system, lower blood pressure and more resilient mental health than those who don't. Practically every land-based mammal goes in for embracing its own kind, it's a behaviour that has been passed down through evolution.
- ATTRACTION: There is fascinating research on attraction and who were attracted to and what happens to our bodies and how hormones. The sensation of attraction is similar to fear and the same sort of stimuli that you might get from being made afraid from a horror movie. Hormones are the key players in attraction. When you become physically intimate with someone, you breathe in their pheromones – odourless airborne messaging chemicals are emitted from their sweat glands, breath, saliva and other bodily fluids – and your hormones respond. Lust is triggered by the sex hormone testosterone and the energising hormone adrenaline become released. Positive hormones dopamine and PEA form attraction and are released in ever increasing amounts, and attachment hormones oxytocin and vasopressin are then released. This is the initial cocktail of love. And we're often attracted to people who are similar to us, in one study 53% of men and 43% of women listed their spouses their best friend.
- PERIODS: Humans are unique in that they have periods which is something that other animals although it might not be for apes don't have and we don't really know why even though it affects half the world population
- DIETING: Reducing your weight if you are overweight, it's a single best thing you can do to your health after giving up smoking.
Even when people keep food are they often underestimate how much they've eaten? Although this is different in people who suffer from anorexia, and they will often calculate that they've eaten more than they've actually eaten. It's interesting to know that in many low-calorie diets foods the sugar content is much higher than it would be in a normal food. Any food and diet information often seems to be contradictory to each other and seems to flip-flop in its opinion. Much of this is because this is research is often conducted by companies with personal stake in making you eat the kind of food that keeps shareholders happy and not really care much about your actual health and well-being.
- THE GUT: Looking after your gut can be beneficial and the people with mental health problems often have an abnormal gut function. Microbes live all over your body, and trillions of them live in your gut. They help the body extract nutrients from food, producer central vitamins, common overactive immune system, reduce inflammation and even bolster your defences against list helpful, disease-causing organisms. They also play a big part in how quickly you gain weight. People who are obese or who eat lots of highly processed food carry more kinds of super powered, food digesting bacteria. It seemed to help the body suck more energy than normal from each slice of cake, making it easier for you to gain weight. A Mediterranean diet has the most research to support weight loss by eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, moderate amounts of proteins such as fish. Consume plenty of nuts, seeds in legumes such as beans and lentils, use superior quality olive oil and avoid physical processed foods. And be physically active and get ample, undisturbed sleep.
- MENTAL HEALTH: get plenty of exercise and eat a varied diet to lift your mood. Take vitamin B6 and calcium supplements which help the body counteract the worst symptoms of depression. Take a hot shower and bath to stimulate blood flow and ask your GP about new treatments. Research shows that Viagra, used to treat male erectile dysfunction, may help ease period pain.
- SEX: Another interesting aspect of the book is when it gets to nighttime and how we've dropped in our desires for wanting sex and loss off libidos – and it seems to be occurring throughout the world and the question is why?
- SLEEP: The book finishes on the benefits of sleep which can't be an underestimated in the amounts of benefits and if you think you're going to sleep when you're dead, if you don't sleep the right amount, you're going to be dead a lot earlier.
The book finishes with all the benefits of sleep but what's remarkable about this book is it gives an incredible amount of good, researched evidence for how to live a better and healthy life.