Morning Medical Update: Napping can increase creativity; U.S. adults overwhelmed with health care system; Black Americans have experienced 1.6 million excess deaths

Napping can increase creativity

Adequate sleep is already essential to overall health, but a short nap can take your wellness to the next level by bumping your creativity. A recent study by MIT and Harvard Medical School researchers asked participants to dream about a topic right as they fell asleep because the brain establishes more connections while in this state. One specific prompt was to write a story about trees after waking up. Those who were given dream prompts ‘outperformed those who napped without it by 43% and those who stayed awake without it by 78%’ according to the study.

U.S. adults overwhelmed with health care system

The average adult American spends an eight hour work day each month coordinating health care for themselves or for their loved ones, according to a new poll. The survey also found that 65% of adults find health care overwhelming. In adults ages 18-34, 76% percent are overwhelmed. “To be a voice for patients, we must first understand the barriers patients face, how that is impacting their day-to-day life, and the long-term effects on both individuals and the heath care system at large,"AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA, said in a news release.

Black Americans have experienced 1.6 million excess deaths

A new report suggests that when compared to the non-Hispanic white population, Black Americans have experienced millions of excess deaths since 1999. To reach this conclusion, scientists used mortality reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 1999 to 2020. Heart disease was the leading cause of death. These mortality disparities are the result of a history of discrimination, not genetics. "It's very clear that we have an uneven distribution of health. We're talking about the freedom to be healthy," Clyde Yancy, study author and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said in a news release.