End Your Nagging Habit - 3

(continued)
Mono-Task continued...

Quit Taking It Personally
Tanya Chartrand, Ph.D., a mom of two, was aggravated by her husband's superhuman ability to ignore all requests for housework help. But she couldn't help being impressed by his consistency. Since both Chartrand and her husband, Gavan Fitzsimons, Ph.D., are professors of marketing and psychology at Duke University, they decided to investigate the concept of "nag resistance."

They conducted a study with 135 students, asking each subject to name a pushy person who wanted them to work hard. Then the participants were instructed to solve anagrams on a computer; in some cases, the name of the nagger was flashed subliminally on the screen. The couple was surprised by what they discovered: The subliminal flashing caused people to do 25 percent worse than the control group — and those who faltered were com­pletely unconscious of what had thrown them off.

What's going on here? One interpretation is that people who are nag-resistant may be experiencing a control issue. Says Chartrand, "I think people like my husband perceive nagging as a threat to their autonomy." So when she needs help, she tries to make him feel like he's the decision maker. "I've learned that if I say, 'Could you stop for milk on the way home?' he's very likely to say, ‘We don't need milk.' So instead, I start the conversation by saying, 'Do you think we might run out of milk soon?' If he says yes, then I ask, 'Will you stop and get it on the way home? Or shall I?'" With that kind of approach, he usually takes charge.

Switch Perspectives
Being micromanaged is demoralizing, even for a toddler. Think of what kind of message it sends to your husband, a fellow adult, when you ask him to load the dishwasher, then you go back and restack the cups and saucers. "Look at it from his point of view," says Ramirez. "Sitting and watching the game on TV is pure fun. Getting up to load the dishwasher is not fun. And if his only 'reward' is having you silently criticize his work, what's the payoff for him?"

Recruit Help
If all else fails, try calling for reinforcements. Catherine Lambson of Vienna, VA, figured out that her husband excelled at getting their three children — ages 7, 9, and 11 — to take care of chores around the house. "He's much better at the job because I'm all talk and no action," she admits. "He'll ask them to do something twice. And if they still don't do it, he'll announce, 'OK, I'm going to do your chore for you now,' and they know there will be a real consequence, like less TV time."

The best part about Lambson's approach, of course, is that it encourages people like me to do a little delegating. After all, being Command Central of the Domestic Universe isn't exactly a glamorous job — no pay, limited respect. In fact, I'm now planning a leave of absence: Next Sunday, I'm kicking the dog off the couch and taking a nap myself.

End Your Nagging Habit - 2

(continued)
continued...

Set One Goal at a Time
Start small, advises animal trainer Karen Pryor, and applaud the many little steps toward any goal. Good Housekeeping Executive Editor Judy Coyne was grateful to her husband for frequently cooking dinner, but she wished he would learn to make some new dishes. So when he loved a chili-rubbed salmon that she prepared, she encouraged him: "You could make this." A week or so later, she left salmon in the refrigerator, rewrote the recipe by hand (with little explanations of the parts he might find confusing), and mixed the spices for him. It worked. The next time, she put the recipe and all the ingredients on the counter with measuring spoons. A week later, she just left out the recipe, and he did the rest. "He's gotten so confident that tonight, he's making a fish stew all by himself," she says.

Try This Sound Solution
Working with dogs and dolphins, Pryor developed a technique called clicker training, where she snaps a handheld clicker every time the animal does the right thing. It was such a success that Pryor taught the method to hundreds of coaches (athletes learn to link the distinctive noise with a specific improvement in their handstand or tennis serve). Some form of clicker training will work around the house too. "Whenever your husband or child does something right, make a certain noise," says Pryor. "Whatever sound you choose, be sure it spells 100 percent praise." To test this technique, I started making loud kissing noises whenever a family member so much as carried a dirty bowl from the TV room to the counter or even (gasp!) put it right into the dishwasher. My smooches were a success: Not only are more dishes getting done, I'm even getting kissed afterward.
Mono-Task

If you're in the middle of chopping tomatoes, scanning the newspaper, and talking to your sister when you ask your son to vacuum, he's not going to get the idea that his cooperation matters to you. "Make eye con­tact, clearly state your request, and then thank him when it's done," says Allred. "Halfhearted dog trainers only have semi-good dogs."

Communicate Clearly
"We often sugarcoat our requests, as if they require an apology," says Pryor. "We say things like, 'If it's not too much trouble, would you mind clearing your plate?' That kind of wording sends a mixed message, especially to kids. 'Please bring your plate to the kitchen' is much more effective. And avoid vague directives like, 'Straighten up the living room.' Be concrete: 'Take your toys and clothes out of the living room, and put them away in your closet.'"

Use Visuals
Weiner-Davis recalls one client who couldn't stand that her husband never closed his dresser drawers. "This woman had talked herself blue in the face about it. One day she stopped talking, and left a large note on top of the open drawer: 'Shut me. Your wife gets annoyed when I'm open.' Her husband laughed, shut the drawer, and finally began changing the habit." Visuals are especially effective with kids, says Jim Wiltens, author of Goal Express! The Five Secrets of Goal-Setting Success and an expert in child motivation. Rather than nag his son about remembering to take everything he needed to school each day, Wiltens and his wife put up a chart with pictures of a backpack, a trombone, and gym clothes. "That kind of checklist encourages my son to act on his own instead of just doing what we tell him," he says.


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End Your Nagging Habit - 1

WebMD Feature from "Good Housekeeping" Magazine

By Sarah Mahoney

Good Housekeeping Magazine Logo

How to quit nitpicking

It's not even noon on a Sunday, and I've been biting my tongue all morning. When my husband sat down to Web surf two hours ago, I resisted the urge to remind him that he had promised to clean the basement. I held my tongue again when our 13-year-old trashed the kitchen while creating his "it's due tomorrow!" science project. And I even managed to stifle myself when my teenage daughter left a plate in the sink instead of reaching 18 inches farther to put it in the dishwasher.

I want to stop nagging, but with family members so resistant to constructive criticism, it's hard for me to shut up. Instead, I lash out at someone who can't talk back — the geriatric mutt snoring on the sofa. "For the millionth time," I order, "get down! No dogs on the couch!" She looks up and yawns.

I'm not the only woman who's guilty of repeating herself again and again (and again). A University of Florida study found that the culprits in two-thirds of family nagging episodes were women (who are also the ones most invested in keeping the house clean — coincidence?). To be fair, researchers noted that one reason women are labeled naggers is mere nomenclature — when men nag, we call it hounding; when kids do it, we say, "Stop pestering."

"To women, nagging feels like the most logical thing in the world," says Michele Weiner-Davis, M.S.W., author of Divorce Busting. "We think, If some­one isn't doing what I asked, they must not have heard me. So we say it again. And then we say it louder."

Once we realize we're being ignored, we tend to take real offense, as if our kids and spouse are scheming to stick us with the laundry forever. When they finally do tackle a load, we're way past thanking them — we just get nasty, muttering remarks like, "Took you long enough!" And that kind of negative reinforcement rarely inspires better behavior.

So what does work? "Whether you're dealing with an earthworm or a Harvard grad, the science of learning is exactly the same," says Ken Ramirez, who has trained hundreds of unruly critters, from whales to workers, at Chicago's Shedd Aquar­ium. "As long as you always stay positive, you can change behavior." Here, Ramirez and other experts explain how to bring out the best in your family — without ever saying "Didn't I just tell you to..." again.

Take Action Right Away
Habits are easy to form and hard to break, so you need to address bad behavior immediately. "Whether it's a puppy scratching at the door or a kid who keeps interrupting, we tend to ignore the problem 99 times. Then, on the 100th occasion, we overreact," says Alexandra Powe Allred, author of Teaching Basic Obedience: Train the Owner, Train the Dog. "When you're on the phone, the first time a child interrupts, stop your conversation and tell him not to break in on you again. Don't ignore the kid for 20 minutes and then explode."

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How I Stopped Complaining for a Week - 2

(continued)
continued...

Day 4
Today I caught myself about to say "I hate it when — " and quickly changed it to "Don't you hate it when — ?" But I'm pretty sure that's cheating. I've also found another way to cheat: I'll say I hate something and then add, "That's not a complaint. It's just an observation."

"Please stop," said my son. "I can't stand you trying so hard not to be negative."

But I can't stop. If nothing else, this test is making me realize how often I fuss about things that don't really bother me.

Day 5
Progress! I've had a headache for a few hours. (Not a complaint. Just an observation.) So when the supermarket checkout lady asked, "How are you?" I could've launched into my sad story — but instead, I just replied, "Great, thanks. I love your nails. Where'd you get them done?"

Biting back the real answer didn't cure my headache, but it did improve my self-image. Now I can see myself as the type of person who's friendly to store employees and cheerful in the face of adversity.

Day 6
Even when you've put a sock in your complaining, it's not easy to stay positive. Last night, my women's hockey team lost to a rival that I swear is not as good as we are. Back in the locker room, one of my fellow players said, "That was fun." I just looked at her. How could I respond without going on about the refs, the other team, the fact that it was almost midnight? But instead of complaining, I expressed what was really on my mind.

"I don't think it's fun to lose. I feel terrible." Instant connection. She looked at me sympathetically, rubbed my shoulder, and said, "I know. Me neither." In terms of emotional relief, saying what I really felt worked better than pointless complaining.

Day 7
Just when I'm getting the hang of this, the week is up. My takeaway? The experiment forced me to take an extra moment to consider what I wanted to say; that's something I plan to keep up. Positive words come to me more naturally now, and I like knowing that I can shift conversation to more tranquil channels. I can't say I've turned into Mommy Sunshine. I haven't brought about world peace either. But I like knowing that in my own way, I'm nudging things in the right direction.

How I Stopped Complaining for a Week - 1

WebMD Feature from "Good Housekeeping" Magazine

By Ann Hodgman

Good Housekeeping Magazine Logo

One woman's diary

I said to my daughter, "You know what I just can't stand about this book? The long passages with no dialogue." -

She paused, then said, "Mom, are there any books you like ?"

Now it was my turn to pause. How could she ask that, when everyone knows how much I love to read? But then again, when had I last complimented a book — even one I admired? Come to think of it, how often did I say anything without a negative twist? I don't want my tombstone to read She was pretty nice, except for all the whining. So I'm taking action. I'm going to try to stop complaining for a month.

Wait, make that a week. Seven days of "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I can stay upbeat for that long...can't I?

Day 1
It's 11:00 a.m. I sit down at my desk for a quick review of the comments I've made this morning.

"Why can't anyone come up with skim milk that tastes good?"

"That exfoliant was a total waste of money."

"Don't you hate the music on the Weather Channel?"

Three gripes since I woke up, and those are just the ones I can remember. Revised plan: Tomorrow, I'll stop whining. Today, I'll just take notes. For example, what's the point of carrying on about the weather? Sure, it's just a conversation starter, but everyone already knows what it's doing outside. Oops. Now I'm complaining about other complainers.

Day 2
"I have so much work to do," moaned one of my friends on the phone this morning. "What about you?"

"Not too bad, actually," I answered, and immediately I felt more in control of the projects looming over my head. Wow, my first victory. Can it be that complaining about work makes it seem like even more of a burden than it already is? Flushed with pride, I decided to tell my family about my new resolution at dinner. "For the next week or so, I'm not going to make a single negative comment," I declared.

"That's so weird, Mom," said my son. "You don't sound like yourself."

"I know! That's the point — I want to change!"

I hope they'll recognize me when I've become Mommy Sunshine.

Day 3
I had to get a car-emissions test today, and I didn't complain to anyone — just went off and did it. Shouldn't I get extra credit for that?

But when I was watching TV with my daughter, we saw an ad for The Biggest Loser — and I couldn't help saying, "I don't see how anyone can watch this show." Normally, my kids and I bond over criticizing TV. But now this was just another negative statement, so I added, "On the other hand, I've never seen it! Maybe it's great!" My daughter rolled her eyes.

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Ovary Removal May Up Dementia Risk

Study Shows Estrogen May Help Protect Younger Women's Brains
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 29, 2007 -- New research is raising important questions about the protective benefits of estrogen on the brain and the long-term risks of removing the ovaries before menopause.

Women in a 30-year follow-up study who had ovaries surgically removed before menopause had nearly double the risk for developing age-related dementia later in life. But the increased risk was not seen in women who had both ovaries removed and were also treated with estrogen until at least age 50.

The study, published in the latest online issue of the journal Neurology, suggests there is a "critical age window" for the protective effect of estrogen on women's brains, says researcher Walter A Rocca, MD, MPH, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

"It is possible that estrogen has a protective effect on the brain and that lack of estrogen due to ovary removal may increase a woman's risk of developing memory problems," Rocca says in a news release.
Estrogen Protects Brain

The study included roughly 1,500 women who had one or both ovaries surgically removed before age 50 and an equal number of women who did not have the surgery.

The women were followed for an average of 27 years, during which time they were interviewed to determine if they had developed memory problems and other age-related cognitive issues.

Rocca and colleagues found that the younger the women were when they had their ovaries removed, the more likely they were to develop dementia later in life unless they received treatment to replace the estrogen their bodies were no longer producing.

Of the 427 women in the study who had surgery to remove both ovaries prior to age 49, only one out of five was also treated with estrogen therapy until at least age 50.

These estrogen-treated women showed no increase in later dementia risk, compared to women who still had their ovaries.

The doubling in risk seen in women who had both ovaries removed but did not have estrogen replacement therapy until at least age 50 has important clinical implications for younger women facing choices about ovary removal and estrogen replacement following surgery, Rocca says.
A Shift in Thinking

Surgical removal of the ovaries, known as oophorectomy, can be performed as a treatment for conditions such as ovarian cysts and endometriosis. But the ovaries may also be removed to reduce a woman's risk of developing some cancers.

For premenopausal women no longer concerned about preserving their fertility, past thinking had been that there was little downside to removing the ovaries when a hysterectomy is performed to remove the uterus.

But that thinking is now changing, Rocca says, because of emerging evidence suggesting that adequate estrogen prior to menopause protects against heart disease, osteoporosis, and now dementia later in life.

"It is now clear that we need to weigh concerns about cancer against concerns about these other diseases in decisions about the preventive removal of the ovaries in women of this age," he tells WebMD.
Estrogen Therapy Revisited

Rocca is quick to point out that his findings do not address the controversial question of whether estrogen therapy is a good idea for women approaching menopause with their ovaries still intact.

But in a separate study, reported last spring, taking estrogen replacement therapy before the age of 65 did appear to protect women from developing dementia later on, whether or not they still had their ovaries.

Participants in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Memory Study who took estrogen alone or estrogen plus progestin before age 65 were about 50% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or another age-related dementia as women who did not take hormones before that age.

Stanford University professor of neurology Victor Henderson, MD, who led that study, says the clinical implications of all the new research remain somewhat puzzling.

"Despite very important knowledge gained in the WHI Memory Study there are still important unanswered questions concerning the relationship between estrogen and cognition, and the Mayo study offers one more piece of the puzzle," he says.

How to Reach Your Goals - 4

Experts describe strategies for setting goals -- and making sure you achieve them.
(continued)
The Benefits of Intuition continued...

Getting your friends and family involved can also help you reach your goals, says Sandra Beckwith, leader of "Finding the Courage to Change" workshops. "You need someone who will reject your usual excuses -- 'I can't afford it,' 'I don't know how,' etc. -- and help you see that there's a way around every obstacle," says Beckwith. "He or she can brainstorm with you. … This allows you to see a situation from a different perspective, through fresh eyes."

Actually seeing your goal written down can also help you keep it in the forefront of your mind, adds Newman. "Tape reminders all over the house so your goal will always be in front of you -- literally."
Be Positive

Visualization and mindfulness (including approaches such as meditation and hypnosis) are also ways to help you achieve your goals. Mindfulness trainer Maya Talisman Frost explains that goal-setting is only one aspect of getting what you want. "It's the intention that gets us where we want to go," says Frost.

Goals tend to be arbitrary and number-oriented, says Frost, such as the number of pounds lost, amount of money earned, number of hours spent in the gym, and so on. Intentions, on the other hand, are "big-picture" statements about what fulfills you.

Yes, your goal is to lose 20 pounds in six months, but what's your intention? How about, "I feel strong, healthy, fit, confident, attractive, and sexy," says Frost. "The number on the scale isn't what matters most -- it's how you feel each day."

Positive thinking is often more effective than negative thinking when it comes to changing health behaviors. For example, people quit smoking more readily when the positive aspects of health are emphasized, rather than the negative side.

"Intentions allow us to picture ourselves -- and how we'll feel -- when we are successful," says Frost. "There's no room for failure in the picture. We focus on the positive and powerful feelings we'll have."
Picturing Success

The most effective way to change our beliefs is to create a mental story of success, Frost says. We need to picture ourselves as we want to be, and we need to talk about it. Her basic formula: See it. Say it. Hear it.

* See yourself in the circumstances you desire. Picture it perfectly.
* Craft a one-sentence story that you would like to be true, and say it in the present tense, as though you are describing your life right now.
* Keep repeating yourself. Demand to hear that same story every night before you go to sleep.

"When it comes to achieving your goals, being positive is so important," agrees Rosenberg. "When you see in your mind's eye what you want to achieve, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."

How to Reach Your Goals - 3

Experts describe strategies for setting goals -- and making sure you achieve them.
(continued)
Be Specific

There are two tricks to properly setting your goals, says University of Alabama at Birmingham clinical psychologist Joshua Klapow, PhD. Klapow is co-author of Stop Telling Me What-Tell Me How: The Simple Answer to Better Health.

First, turn goals into specific behaviors, says Klapow. "To say that you are going to exercise doesn't tell you which exercise to do, for how long and how frequently. If you don't know what to do, you are less likely to do the behavior. Be specific. Saying that you plan to walk five minutes a day -- and increase the time by one minute each week until you are walking 30 minutes per day -- is better than just saying that you plan to exercise."

Klapow's second tip is to make sure you are successful at reaching your goals right from the start. "Resolutions need to be things you can actually do," he says. "This is important because you are more likely to repeat the behaviors in which you are successful. Set short- and long-term target goals and make the short-term goals easy to reach."

At this time of year, when many of us are making New Year's resolutions, Klapow reminds us that resolutions are basically a set of new behaviors. Because the behaviors are new, and not learned habits, we have a tendency to slip back into our old behavior patterns.

"The best way to keep track of what you are doing every day," says Klapow, "is to get a calendar and write down every time you perform your new habit. Don't leave it up to your mind because your mind can play tricks on you. Three days without performing your new habit is your sign that you may be slipping."
The Benefits of Intuition

Using your intuition can also help you reach your goals, says Lynn A. Robinson, MEd, author of Real Prosperity: Using the Power of Intuition to Create Financial and Spiritual Abundance. Robinson offers three tips for achieving a specific goal:

* Stay focused on the positive. Pay attention to what is working, not what isn't. Perhaps a friend called to cheer you up, or your child got off to school this morning without a major tantrum, or you had a really nice lunch with a colleague. "Find those precious slivers of appreciation in each day."
* Take small steps. There is a two-part trick of working toward a goal: No. 1, just begin, and No. 2, start small. Take a first step toward what you feel excited about and then take another one, and then another one. "Remain centered in the present."
* Make your intuition your ally. Intuition is "quick and ready insight" and it's one of the most helpful tools to use when faced with any kind of decision making. It's also a skill that can be developed. The more you practice it the better you get at it. How does your intuition speak to you? Do you receive information in words, feelings, a flash of insight, a body sensation? Do you just know? "Intuition is the secret weapon of many successful people who describe it as knowing something directly without going through a long analytical process," says Robinson.

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How to Reach Your Goals - 2

Experts describe strategies for setting goals -- and making sure you achieve them.
(continued)
The Art of Saying 'No'

Another reason many people don't reach their goals is that they just can't say no -- to everyone else. "Many of us, especially women, put other things and people first," says Susan Newman, PhD, a social psychologist at Rutgers University and author of The Book of NO: 250 Ways to Say It-and Mean It and Stop People-Pleasing Forever. We're unable to refuse when asked for our time, our talent, our expertise, or merely our presence.

"Saying yes is a habit we're not even aware of," says Newman. "Think 'no' before you think 'yes' (not the other way around). By adding the word 'no' to your vocabulary, you open up vistas of time, not only to work toward a goal but also to think about how to reach it," Newman says. "In short, you put boundaries in place and establish priorities in the correct order [for you]."

If you haven't mastered the art of saying "no" and you think that's derailing your efforts to reach your goals, Newman suggests taking these steps:

* Make a list of how many times a day you say 'yes.' "You'll be startled," says Newman.
* Pay attention to how you parcel out your time. "For most of us, it just disappears. … Who's monopolizing the time you could otherwise spend on reaching your goals?"
* Set priorities. Who has first dibs on you and your time?
* Look at your limitations. When do you start to lose your stamina? "Don't keep pushing until you run out of steam and collapse altogether," Newman advises.
* Let go of control. You don't have to do it all yourself. "If you're doing everything else, there's no time for you to get back to your goal."


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How to Reach Your Goals - 1

Experts describe strategies for setting goals -- and making sure you achieve them.
By Carol Sorgen
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

We all have goals. What are yours? To lose 20 pounds? Get in shape? Buy a new house? Make more money? Having a goal is the easy part. Reaching it? Well, that's something else entirely. If you're frustrated because you feel like you keep coming up short when it comes to realizing your dreams, maybe it's time to try a different approach.

When setting a goal, ask yourself first of all if your goals are realistic and if you are really ready to make the changes in your life necessary to reach those goals.

"Most people don't take into consideration whether they're ready to do what it takes to achieve their goals," says Steven Rosenberg, PhD. Rosenberg is a behavior therapist, the team psychotherapist for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team, and author of I Hope the Hell I WIN! Turning Hope into Reality…How Winners Win! If you're going through a stressful time at work, for example, this may not be the best time to start a weight loss program; maybe you'd do better to wait a few months and start on, say, your birthday.

Be realistic as well, says Rosenberg. You can't lose 40 pounds in two weeks, or even a month. Set an achievable objective, such as 1 to 2 pounds a week; by the end of the year, you will have lost the 40 pounds.
Be Committed

"Goals that get reached are those that are firm, well-defined, and to which the individual is truly and completely committed," says Susan Schachterle, director of the Denver-based Ahimsa Group, which provides consulting and coaching services to individuals and organizations worldwide. "Without that commitment, trying to reach goals is like grabbing Jell-O -- you think maybe you have it, but there's really nothing to hang on to."

Schachterle suggests that you check your commitment. Ask yourself why you want to achieve that particular goal. What will that do for you? Why is it important? What will your life be like when you have reached it? How will achieving your goal change things for you?

"If you're having trouble making a strong commitment," says Schachterle, "make sure it's the right goal and the right time for you."

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Sex Differences Overrated?

Study Debunks Most Claims of Sex Differences in Genetic Diseases

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 21, 2007 -- Many studies claim that a genetic mutation causes more disease in one sex than in another -- but most are wrong.

This provocative statement comes from Nikolaos A. Patsopoulos, MD, of the University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Greece, and colleagues. It's a shot across the bow for researchers tempted to make claims their studies do not actually support.

Patsopoulos and colleagues looked at 77 studies published in the medical literature. All of the studies prominently claimed to have discovered that a genetic variation is more likely to cause disease in one sex than in another.

The 77 studies made 432 claims of sex differences. The Patsopoulos team evaluated the statistical methods used in the studies and reanalyzed the data using appropriate statistical techniques.

The researchers were able to reanalyze data in 188 claims. In the end, fewer than half the claims (44%) had even borderline statistical significance -- that is, five-in-100 odds that the finding was chance. Only 44 of the 432 claims had "modest" statistical significance -- one-in-100 to five-in-100 odds the finding was chance.

Of the 60 most valid claims, only one was consistently validated in at least two other studies.

"At a minimum, the studies that we evaluated are probably among the ones in which authors were most certain about some, if not all, of the sex claims that they presented in their results," Patsopoulos and colleagues note. "Otherwise, they would not have drawn attention to the claims in the titles of their articles."

Analyzing research findings by sex is only the most common way researchers break down their findings. After data is collected, researchers often go back and analyze according to age, race, diet, lifestyle, and many other patient characteristics.

But these analyses are valid only when researchers planned for them in advance by including enough people in each subgroup to give the study the necessary statistical power.

"The vast majority of claimed subgroup differences are likely to be chance findings," Patsopoulos and colleagues conclude.

Their findings appear in the Aug. 22/29 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Caffeine May Help Women's Memory

Caffeine May Help Women's Memory

Drinking 3 or More Daily Cups of Coffee or Tea May Help Older Women Retain Memory

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 6, 2007 -- The caffeine in three daily cups of coffee or tea may help older women preserve their memory, a new French study shows.

Researchers included Karen Ritchie, PhD, of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Montpellier, France.

Ritchie's team studied some 7,000 men and women aged 65 and older (average age: 74) in three French cities: Bordeaux, Dijon, and Montpellier.

When the study started, participants reported how many daily cups of tea and coffee they drank. They also noted all of their medications, since some drugs contain caffeine. Few drank colas or cocoa, which also contain caffeine.

Participants took several tests of their mental skills, including a memory test based on a list of words. They repeated those tests two years later and again four years after the study began.

Women who reported drinking at least three cups of coffee or tea per day at the study's start showed less of a drop in their test scores during the study, compared with women who reported consuming at most one daily cup of tea or coffee.

The biggest benefit was seen in the women's verbal memory.

It didn't matter if the women favored coffee or tea. That finding suggests that the caffeine was what mattered most, according to the researchers.

But caffeine didn't seem to affect women's risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The study may have been too short to show such a benefit, the researchers note.

What about men? The data show no caffeine benefits in men's test scores over the years. Women may be more sensitive to caffeine's effects, according to Ritchie and colleagues.

Caffeine consumption may merely be a marker of other health habits that affect memory. Ritchie's team considered that possibility. The study's results didn't change.

Still, observational studies such as this one don't prove cause and effect. That is, the researchers didn't directly test caffeine to see whether it helps save women's memory.

I Can’t Sleep - 2

I Can’t Sleep
(continued)

The Overdoer continued...

The Solution
Weihs started taking melatonin every night at 8 P.M., and immediately found she could fall asleep earlier. She also started forcing herself awake at 9 A.M. to sit for half an hour in front of a light box — a device that uses a fluorescent bulb to mimic the sun's intensity. Soon she was waking up at 9 A.M. — without her alarm. "That, for me, was extraordinary," says Weihs, who now consistently turns in by 10:30 P.M. and gets up at 7:30 A.M. "The difference is life-changing."

I Can’t Sleep - 1

WebMD Feature from "Women's Health" Magazine

By Carol Cruzan Morton, Women’s Health

Three women, three sleep problems… resolved!

The Worrier

The Woman
Kristen Nelson, 30, nursing student at the University of California at San Francisco

Womenshealth Woman Sleeping

The Problem A racing mind.
Nelson frequently lay awake for hours. "My mind would just race," she says. "I'd be like, 'Tomorrow: Do I need to bring my lunch, should I buy it at school, should I bring my laptop with me?'" Exhausted, she felt fuzzy and irritable during the day.

The Solution
Nelson started going to bed 2 hours later, while forcing herself to rise at her regular time. You'd think this practice — known as sleep restriction — would only make her more tired. And in the short run, it did. But it also meant that she fell asleep faster and slept more deeply. "It squashes all the sleep into one block of time," says Edward Stepanski, Ph.D., director of the sleep disorders center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "Once we've improved the quality, we work on the quantity." Nelson gradually shifted her bedtime earlier until she was getting 7 hours straight.

Nelson never naps or sleeps past 8 A.M. In bed she relaxes by sequentially tensing and releasing muscles in her arms, legs, shoulders, and face. "Now when a thought comes into my head I say, 'Oh, I had a thought.' I taught myself to just take them as they come," she says. "Since I started this, I have never felt better. I don't get as frustrated or upset about things as I used to."
The Overdoer

The Woman
Pamela Bolanis, 30, senior vice president in sales at Wachovia Securities in Richmond, Virginia

The Problem Spending too little time in bed.
A six-time marathoner and mother of a 1-year-old, Bolanis is at the office by 7:30 A.M. and often out with clients until 10 P.M. Although she needs 81/2 hours of sleep, she gets more like 6, rising early to spend time with her son. She drinks half a pot of coffee every morning but finds that her concentration and memory are impaired. "Sleep is so important," she says, "but with my current state of affairs, something has got to give."

The Solution
There is no medical treatment for people who are too busy to sleep. Experts say they simply need to make different choices. Eric Olson, M.D., codirector of the Mayo Sleep Disorders Center in Rochester, Minnesota, recommends sleeping in on weekends and taking strategic naps (note: these are verboten for insomniacs because they can make it harder to fall asleep at night). Joyce Walsleben, Ph.D., a psychologist at New York University's Sleep Disorders Center, suggests that overextended people start going to bed consistently 15 minutes earlier. After a week or two, they should move bedtime up another quarter hour. "Nobody can argue they can't give 15 minutes a night," she says.


The Night Owl

The Woman
Jennifer Weihs, 21, occupational therapy student at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska

The Problem Biological clock needs resetting.
The biological clock is the part of the brain that ensures that we feel tired at night and alert during the day. Darkness directs the clock to start producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Weihs's body releases melatonin later than normal, making her a born night owl. She had trouble falling asleep, especially before midnight, and mornings were torture. Her roommates literally had to shake her or she'd miss class. "I never woke up and felt rested," she says. Weihs's disorder, called delayed sleep phase syndrome, is related to jet lag and the problems experienced by people who work the night shift.

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