The surprising benefits of dancing

 

 

By: Autumn Hill

 

 

 

           Dancing can be magical and transforming. It can breathe new life into a tired soul, make a spirit soar, unleash locked-away creativity and unite generations and cultures. But, is dancing healthy for you? What could be the benefits of dancing?

For generations, dancing has been a favorite when it comes to exercise and it can be fun for all ages. Dancing allows people of all ages, shapes and sizes to stay fit, in a variety of ways. Dance has a wide range of physical and mental benefits. Dancing can lead to improved flexibility of joints and muscles, increased motor strength, and endurance. Increased motor strength is a result of an increase in muscle mass from the physical demands of dancing. The increase in muscle mass results in an elevation of metabolism, since muscle tissue is more metabolically active than other tissue. Dance therapy is even being used to help treat depression.

           A Stanford University study states that dancing benefits your brain, noting that, “Dancing integrates several brain functions at once — kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional — further increasing your neural connectivity.”  Do all kinds of dancing lead to increased mental acuity though?  No, not all forms of dancing will produce the same benefit, especially if they only work on style, or merely retrace the same memorized paths.  Making as many split-second decisions as possible is the key to maintaining our cognitive abilities. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine even found that dancing is linked to a lower rate of dementia.

So, dancing can strengthen the heart, enhance physical confidence, improve your social outlook and strengthen the body muscles. On top of that, dancing is not only healthy for you, but can be a lot of fun. "Dancing is a lot of fun, and I like performing," says Jim Maxwell from the television show Dancing with the Stars.

In addition to the mind-boosting increase in blood flow to the brain that you get during any form of physical activity, researchers suspect that memorizing dance steps and staying in sync with the rhythm of the music promotes the growth of new neurons and activates connections between existing ones. So, when is YOUR next dance lesson?



The science of sleep

By: Brad Tripp

He hears a car drive by. He arises, only to pry his crusty eyelids open. Groggy and impatient is all Jimmy is going to feel today.  Jimmy spent almost all night playing Grand Theft Auto 5.  Jimmy has his regrets about last night. He feels accomplished to have beaten the game, but the lack of sleep is going to be his arch nemesis today.

Sleep is a vital thing to the health and well-being of almost any living thing on earth. Sleep helps a person be focused and productive in any lifestyle.  According to the Sleep Foundation’s website (a group that studies sleep’s impact on people), not enough sleep can be harmful if it happens regularly, affecting moods and the way you eat in negative ways.

Less sleep can cause unsafe attention span and lack of problem solving skills. It’s best to have at least nine hours of sleep to function properly, both mentally and physically.  Naps can be an effective way to combat lack of sleep; if you didn’t quite reach as much sleep as you need a twenty to forty minute nap can help to increase energy. Although, if you take a nap too close to the time you usually go to sleep it can affect your entire sleep pattern, making things a lot more difficult in the long run.

During Daylight Savings Time, we lose about an hour of sleep each night. According to the Washington Post, one hour lost each night can basically turn teenagers into “walking zombies.” This sleep loss causes teenagers to become very tired and to sleep in class, keeping them from paying attention in class, thus causing a domino effect to where the student may fall behind. So, getting the right amount of sleep each night, even during Daylight Savings Time, may be tough, but it’s worth it.

Most students fall asleep around eleven p.m. In order to get a full night of sleep, they would need to sleep until 8 a.m. According to Student Impulse.com, a student based website, studies show that less sleep reduces your rapid eye movement (REM) and when the eye cannot respond efficiently this causes confusion and slows teens down. If you have to get up before 8 a.m., it’s probably a good idea to get to bed early.

Student Impulse also states that later school start times affect students greatly. The site states that students skip less and are awake and alert more. It’s also believed that school activities affect students greatly, due to being tired, then coming home to one to three hours of homework almost every night. Sleep is vital and very crucial to the human body. All in all, it’s best to get a good night sleep for great results in your overall day.