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Mercy Medical Center-Centerville complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. For more information, see link on our home page at www.mercycenterville.org. ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-641-437-4111. (TTY Voice: 1-800-735-2943; TDD: 1-800-735-2942) 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。 請致電 1-641-437-4111。 (TTY Voice: 1-800-735-2943; TDD: 1-800-735-2942) Health and wellness news you can use. Healthfocus is provided as a community service of Mercy Medical Center–Centerville. Ann Young, Interim President 641-437-4111 healthbeat SLEEP: AN ANTIOXIDANT? Why animals (humans included) need to sleep has been a mystery for years. Researchers may be one step closer to an answer. A study published in PLOS Biology found a link between sleep and oxidative stress in fruit flies. Oxidative stress occurs when free radicals damage cells and may be one of the causes of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers observed that when flies got more sleep, they showed increased resistance to oxidative stress. By the same token, flies with reduced oxidative stress needed less sleep. It suggests oxidative stress may trigger the need for sleep, which then acts like an antioxidant. More research is needed to confirm the hypothesis. Until then, humans should get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. HEAR THIS While protecting your ears from loud noises can help prevent hearing loss later in life, it turns out that what you put in your stomach may be just as important. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition has found that healthier eating habits may be linked to a lower risk of hearing loss in women. The decades-long study examined the dietary lifestyles of thousands of women and found that those who followed healthy eating plans were 30 percent less likely to develop moderate-to-severe hearing loss. Make your ears happy by sticking to a healthy diet full of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. DON'T MISS A BEAT You know smoking is bad for your lungs, but did you know that it can also affect your heartbeat? The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that smoking is linked to a condition called atrial fibrillation (AFib). AFib is an irregular heartbeat that can cause blood clots, strokes, heart failure and other complications. The journal examined multiple studies and determined that not only was smoking linked to AFib, but that more cigarettes smoked meant a higher risk for developing AFib. If you smoke, quit so you will be more likely to keep marching to the beat of your heart. MERCY MEDICAL CENTER-CENTERVILLE /// www.mercycenterville.org 2