New research confirms that a short afternoon nap can make a major difference to your work performance and health, especially if you’re involved in mental work.

A new book by Harvard University sleep expert Dr Sara Mednick, Take a Nap! Change Your Life, describes the simple process of taking a nap as a “lifesaving habit”. She claims that snoozers make fewer mistakes and have boosted brainpower. One of her experiments involved one group taking a nap, another group drinking a mug of coffee (200mg of caffeine), and a control group taking a placebo (an inert substance).

They were then given a series of tasks, including typing and spatial skill tests. The coffee drinkers performed much worse than the placebo takers, while the nappers performed best of all. So the common assumption that coffee will keep you going through the day is a myth — or probably fed to us by the coffee industry.

Dr Mednick, a psychologist and research scientist, has accumulated a lot of evidence that a simple siesta in the afternoon is the best medicine for a happier, healthier life. People who sleep for 30 minutes at least three times a week had a 37pc lower chance of a heart attack, according to a lead researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health.

In another study, recently published in Nature Neuroscience journal, the good doctor put 30 well-rested people through the same set of tasks four times in the course of a day, starting at 9am through to 7pm — a typical working day for freelances and the self-employed.

Performance dropped by 50pc in those who stayed awake all day. However, the volunteers who took an afternoon nap kept up their performance throughout the day.

NASA –as you might expect — gets in on the act. Tests conducted by them show that astronauts who took a brief snooze doubled their alertness even if they were not tired before the nap. They also increased their work productivity by at least 13pc.

The ideal time to nap apparently is between 1pm and 3pm which enables the most restful kind of sleep pattern for boosting performance.

That’s it, I’m off to take a nap.

Does alcohol destroy brain cells? The answer would seem to be No.

It may be bad for you in many other ways, but it won’t get to those little grey cells and reduce you to idiocy, it’s now thought.

But be warned, excessive consumption of the comforting tincture can bring on Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which definitely reduces memory.

As for brain cells, you would need to pass out, and be close to death, before alcohol destroyed a single brain cell.

So take heart, but always be moderate.

Swings and roundabouts.

Halitosos, or bad breath, is a real turn-off in most social situations. Here are ten traditional and less well-known ideas to reduce the problem.

1. Fresh parsley is said to do the trick, especially with garlic, if you chew small quantities. However, there is no scientific proof that this is true.

2. Mastic gum capsules A natural resin taken from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree on the Greek island of Chios is said to decrease acidity in the mouth.

3. Antibacterial mouthwashes These rinse away the bacteria that cause bad breath. Many also have antiplaque properties, so are kind to your teeth too.

4 Live yoghurt reduces levels of hydrogen sulphide, the foul gas produced by bacteria in the mouth through the action of the live bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.

5. Baking soda Brushing with bicarbonate of soda can counteract high levels of acidity in the mouth, a possible cause of bad breath. Research published between 1996 and 1998 found that brushing with toothpaste containing 20 percent baking soda reduced bad breath for up to three hours. Also try baking soda chewing gum.

6. Peppermint oil Some natural health practitioners believe that chewing capsules of this oil may keep your breath minty fresh.

7. Fennel seeds Chewing on fennel seeds after a meal is a traditional way of masking mouth odours.

8. Magnolia chewing gum Preparations containing the bark of the magnolia tree are thought to freshen your breath. Chewing gum containing magnolia bark extract was shown in a 2007 study to reduce the amount of halitosis-causing bacteria in nine healthy volunteers. Bear in mind, though, the research was done by Wrigley’s.

9. Scrapers If you scrape your tongue, you not only reduce bad breath bacteria, but also expose them to oxygen, which may help to prevent halitosis.

10. retarDEX toothpaste Probably the most reliable method, since the effective ingredient — stabilized chlorine dioxide — eliminates, not masks, bad breath compounds, including garlic.

Next Post The oral professional’s way to fight bad breath.

One of the more unusual treatments for knee problems, including moderate to severe osteoarthritis, may be seaweed extract.

In a 12-week study at the University of Minnesota, 70 people were given either a daily seaweed supplement or the standard treatment of glucosamine suphate. Others took a placebo.

Both the seaweed and glucosamine groups showed significant progress compared with the placebo group. But the seaweed takers improved twice as much as those who were given glucosamine.

Kelp and other seaweed tablets may be just the job for stiff, painful knees.