Your purse isn’t the only thing that takes a beating during the gift-buying season. A British study shows people take strain too - from stress.
At least 50 per cent of the people in the study recorded raised blood pressure while out buying presents - and hypertension increases your risk of heart disease, strokes and kidney problems. The heart starts beating on average 10 per cent faster while you’re Christmas shopping. Men’s stress doubled after tackling the shops while women’s stress trebled.
REFRESHING COFFEE AROMA
Feeling sleepy? Smell the coffee! The aroma alone can wake you up, Japanese scientists say. That distinctive smell kickstarts the production of chemicals in the body that help fight fatigue.
CHATTING IS GOOD
Don’t spend your summer holiday in lonely silence. Start a conversation with the person next to you on the beach or phone a friend. A conversation of just 10 minutes stimulates the brain as much as building a jigsaw puzzle and the social contact will improve your mood, research at Michigan University in America has shown.
