Waking up on the Wrong Side of the Bed Is a Real Thing, According to Science

Not only is waking up on the wrong side of the bed a real thing, but according to recent studies, the phenomenon also has the potential to significantly impact the rest of your day. The reason?

Stress.

According to a study published in the Journal of Gerontology, experiencing stress first thing in the morning can and does impair your working memory, which is the short-term memory that allows us to complete tasks and juggle relevant information in the coming day. Lead author Jinshil Hyuan explains further:

“Humans can think about and anticipate things before they happen, which can help us prepare for and even prevent certain events. But this study suggests that this ability can also be harmful to your daily memory function, independent of whether the stressful events actually happen or not.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

This is far from the first study to suggest that anxiety over events that have not (and may not ever) happened can reduce our brains’ ability to make decisions, maintain attention, hold on to information, and make moral judgements – in short, waking up grumpy and dreading the day ahead can turn you into a hot mess until you can find a way to reset.

This study used cutting edge app technology to be able to take a closer look at how stress-upon-waking affects the rest of our day, however, and found that it had strong associations with more errors attributed to working memory.

“Importantly, the effect of stress anticipation was over and above the effect of stressful events reported to have occurred, indicating that anticipatory processes can produce effects on functioning independent of the presence of an external stressor.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The studies’ authors believe that once a person understands how waking up with dread can impact their day, implementing some deep breathing, mindfulness, or other centering exercises, people will be able to overcome the effects of waking up “wrong.”

Here’s hoping!

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These Sneakers Aim to Reduce Ocean Pollution While Looking Cool in the Process

You might not be someone who is super into sneakers, but after you see what Adidas and Parley for the Oceans have teamed up to create, you just might change your tune. The new, innovative line of shoes is made using upcycled waste from beaches and coastal communities – which prevents the plastic from entering the oceans.

The shoes, called Ultraboosts, not only look cool but each pair prevents 11 plastic bottles from littering the oceans. They’re made with Adidas’ custom “boost” cushioning, too, so no worries about losing performance in your quest to better the environment through your choice of kicks.

Photo Credit: Adidas

If you’re convinced (and why wouldn’t you be?) you can grab a pair of these shoes on their website today – and while you’re there, make sure to sign up for the Adidas x Parley Run for the Oceans. Adidas will donate $1 to Parley School for the Oceans for every kilometer run!

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This Amazing Twitter Thread Details All of the Weird Ways Your Brain Is Lying to You

Pop psychology is awesome, and with people’s attention spans getting shorter and shorter these days (thanks, internet), it shouldn’t surprise us that we can glean a surprising amount of uber cool knowledge from places like Twitter.

Case and point – this thread that serves as a tidy reminder that we mostly don’t understand the advanced biological computers that run our bodies and our lives, day and night.

tl;dr: brains are weird and wonderfully adaptive and you don’t have to understand them to appreciate those facts.

Photo Credit: Twitter

But wait…there’s more!

Photo Credit: Twitter

And still more…

Here are some ways to check it yourself. (Hint: Do not shine a laser in your eyes, though).

Photo Credit: Twitter

He’s not done yet… tl;dr (again): be wary of cephalopods.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Now he is. Have fun out there!

The post This Amazing Twitter Thread Details All of the Weird Ways Your Brain Is Lying to You appeared first on UberFacts.

This Amazing Twitter Thread Details All of the Weird Ways Your Brain Is Lying to You

Pop psychology is awesome, and with people’s attention spans getting shorter and shorter these days (thanks, internet), it shouldn’t surprise us that we can glean a surprising amount of uber cool knowledge from places like Twitter.

Case and point – this thread that serves as a tidy reminder that we mostly don’t understand the advanced biological computers that run our bodies and our lives, day and night.

tl;dr: brains are weird and wonderfully adaptive and you don’t have to understand them to appreciate those facts.

Photo Credit: Twitter

But wait…there’s more!

Photo Credit: Twitter

And still more…

Here are some ways to check it yourself. (Hint: Do not shine a laser in your eyes, though).

Photo Credit: Twitter

He’s not done yet… tl;dr (again): be wary of cephalopods.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Now he is. Have fun out there!

The post This Amazing Twitter Thread Details All of the Weird Ways Your Brain Is Lying to You appeared first on UberFacts.

9+ Interesting Facts About the Moon

Do you ever just look up at that big cheese and sky and think? I know I do.

That’s why there’s so many songs, poems, books, etc. about that big ol’ moon in the sky. Feast your eyes on these 10 facts.

1. Compass

Photo Credit: did you know?

2. Whoopee!

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3. Full moon

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4. Sex on the moon

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5. Vader vs. Pac-Man

Photo Credit: did you know?

6. Fly me to the moon

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7. Interesting…

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8. Let’s get going!

Photo Credit: did you know?

9. An amazing feat

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10. Quite a trip

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12 Facts About Sleep That’ll Make You Wanna Take a Snooze

Full disclosure: I consider myself a professional sleeper. There’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep or an extended power nap, in my personal opinion.

Browse these interesting facts about sleeping and I guarantee you’ll be ready to hit the couch for an hour (or three).

1. Sleep with one eye open

Photo Credit: did you know?

2. Your brain is protecting you

Photo Credit: did you know?

3. International sleeping

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4. Gross…and cool

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5. I need one of these

Photo Credit: did you know?

6. This is important

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7. Don’t fight before bedtime

Photo Credit: did you know?

8. Cannibalism

Photo Credit: did you know?

9. Get your beauty sleep, please

Photo Credit: did you know?

10. Placebo sleep

Photo Credit: did you know?

11. Let the kids sleep!

Photo Credit: did you know?

12. That’s a myth

Photo Credit: did you know?

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Good News! Sleeping in on the Weekend Might Prevent an Early Death

A study by Swedish and American researchers shows that people under the age of 65 who get less than five hours of sleep during weekends have an increased risk of death.

Photo Credit: US Army

The study followed over 30,000 people over a 13-year period and the results were published in the Journal of Sleep Research. But if you get less than five hours of sleep per night during your busy week, don’t fret. Catching up on sleep during the weekends can help you offset these risks. Keep in mind that getting more than 9 hours of sleep each night can also be harmful. It’s best to shoot for 6-7 when you lay down for the evening.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

But these scientific findings don’t affect people over the age of 65. The researchers note that most people at or above retirement age get an equal amount of sleep during the week and the weekends.

Photo Credit: Flickr,Marc Lewis

Bottom line: if you’ve had a long week, sleep a couple of extra hours on Saturday and Sunday. Your body will thank you for it.

h/t: Mashable

The post Good News! Sleeping in on the Weekend Might Prevent an Early Death appeared first on UberFacts.

Good News! Sleeping in on the Weekend Might Prevent an Early Death

A study by Swedish and American researchers shows that people under the age of 65 who get less than five hours of sleep during weekends have an increased risk of death.

Photo Credit: US Army

The study followed over 30,000 people over a 13-year period and the results were published in the Journal of Sleep Research. But if you get less than five hours of sleep per night during your busy week, don’t fret. Catching up on sleep during the weekends can help you offset these risks. Keep in mind that getting more than 9 hours of sleep each night can also be harmful. It’s best to shoot for 6-7 when you lay down for the evening.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

But these scientific findings don’t affect people over the age of 65. The researchers note that most people at or above retirement age get an equal amount of sleep during the week and the weekends.

Photo Credit: Flickr,Marc Lewis

Bottom line: if you’ve had a long week, sleep a couple of extra hours on Saturday and Sunday. Your body will thank you for it.

h/t: Mashable

The post Good News! Sleeping in on the Weekend Might Prevent an Early Death appeared first on UberFacts.

12 Times the Routine “Sexual History” Question Went Weird

The sexual history question is supposed to be routine. It’s there to cover bases and help doctors and nurses check off boxes and eliminate variables, or lead them to the source of a potential problem.

But, as these 12 stories from doctors, nurses, and patients can attest, when the subject of sex is invoked, the routine can swiftly veer into the absurd:

#1. Be Cool

When I was in year seven, probably 11 or 12 years old, I had broken my foot in a way that needed a minor surgery, so my cute twentysomething nurse was asking me the pre questions with my dad.

When she got to the personal part, she asked if I wanted my dad to leave the room, I said no, because, whatever.

When she asked if I was sexually active, I turned to my dad and said in a loud whisper, “I want her to think I’m cool.”

#2. Socially Active

The best response I’ve heard to this question was from a quiet guy in my freshman college English class.

Somehow our discussion on vaccines led to this topic, and he told a story about his doctor asking if he was sexually active.

His perfect response was, “Bro, I’m not even socially active.”

#3. Sweet Ride

One of my classmates was asking a 75 year old woman with dementia about her occupation for a PT exam.

Her response: “I give blowjobs in my garage to afford my sweet ride.”

#4. “Not that that would change a thing, though.”

I’m a hospital corpsman (navy medic) and I had this older retired salty dog as a patient a while ago.

His wife had passed away, but I didn’t know that.

When I asked if was sexually active he said, “Well, no for two reasons: I’m married, and she’s dead. Not that that would change a thing, though.”

I felt terrible, and then he just started laughing and told me not to feel bad.

Seriously caught me off guard though.

Crusty old bastard!

#5. Huge Difference

My doctor was just telling me a story…

Back when they first started performing vasectomies, doctors had to call their patients back for standard follow up questioning a number of weeks after the procedure.

He told me he got the same answers from all of the couples he interviewed:

Any Sensation change? -No, Any performance Change? – No… etc.

This went on and on… until one day, he asked a couple if there was anything different after the procedure. Any changes at all….

The wife said YES… There is a huge difference since he had the surgery.

My doc was very surprised, and when he inquired further, the wife said, “It tastes different”…

He said it was all he could do to keep from laughing as he made the note of, “Seminal fluid tastes different after procedure”

#6. Lottery

I told my doctor back in high school that I wasn’t sexually active and she said:

“And you go to ______ High School?! I should play the lottery!”

The post 12 Times the Routine “Sexual History” Question Went Weird appeared first on UberFacts.

Medical Pros Reveal the Most NSFW Situations They Encountered at Work

A lot of us like to stay away from NSFW content at work.

Hence the acronym…

But, what if the NSFW actually happens at work?

Well, I suppose you take to AskReddit, and you start sharing those stories.

At least that’s what these 18 doctors, nurses, and vets did:

#1. That should do it

“A person thought pouring Lysol on their diabetic foot-ulcer would keep it from getting infected.”

#2. Ugh!

“An obese women came back to the hospital after an abdominal operation, because her staples had ripped off, and she didn’t notice (!?!).

She now had a huge v-shape gash at least 2 inches deep from her pubis to the diaphragm. We had to clean that gash a couple of times a day.

The first student that went into the room fainted at the site of it, so our teacher asked me to do it (I had the reputation of being tough).

Imagine a small yellow and green river coming out of her each time she moved. The smell was so horrible that we had to opened the window and close the door.

Sadly, that poor woman died of the infection a couple of days later.”

#3. Good job parents!

“A patient’s extended family physically stopped us from resuscitating a completely limp and unresponsive newborn because helping it breathe, ‘isn’t natural. Labor is natural and requires no intervention.’

Baby eventually and slowly perked up about 15 minutes later.

Needless to say, I don’t expect this baby to go to Harvard.”

#4. Kind of like ‘The Walking Dead’

“I had a homeless patient come into the dermatology clinic. He had a filthy bed sheet wrapped around his head, with only part of the left side of his face and left eye exposed.

You could see the rancid stink coming off of his head.

We got him in the exam room and unwrapped his noggin. Turns out he had a basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) for which he had refused treatment, for like 15 years.

The cancer had eaten away all of the skin on most of his head. There were very large areas of muscle and bone exposed.

The tumor had eaten into his skull and you could see into his skull as well as his sinuses. His right ear was long gone.

I could watch his muscles move and contract while he spoke. It was literally like watching something from The Walking Dead, except there was no sign of infection or maggots or anything else horrible.

It has literally a living, dissected skull talking to us like it was totally normal.

It was simultaneously horrifying and amazing to see.”

 

#5. Bath salts?

“Walked into back room with two patients with CP (cerebral palsy). Another client was in the back with FEMA and mentally disabled.

FEMA client was eating one of the CP clients’ face off.

Blood everywhere, and the screaming is enough to stick in my mind forever.

1/4 of her face was missing after that.”

#6. Fun with veggies

“Bok choi in an adult male’s ass.

Insisted it just, ‘slipped in.’

Removed it, and it had a condom on it.”

#7. Beware of washcloths

“A story about a quadriplegic guy who just had an operation. My teacher, another student, and I were taking care of it.

The teacher took a washcloth and decided to clean his face, and that’s when it happened.

The guy started to eat the washcloth. Yes, eat it.

The more he would eat it, the more he would start to choke on it.

The other student panicked. My teacher was pulling on the washcloth with her 2 hands and her knee on the bed to get some grip.

Nothing…

The guy was still eating it and choking. So I had, probably the best idea in my life, and I block his nostrils with my hand.

He couldn’t breathe, so he let go of the washcloth.

The 3 of us were shaking, sweating and swearing to never put a washcloth near the mouth of someone who just came back from surgery.

The funny thing is that I talked to the guy a couple of days later, and he didn’t remember a thing.”

#8. OBGYN

“Probably the most disgusting time of your medical school career will be your obstetrics and gynecology rotation.

You can expect on a daily basis to be splattered with blood/amniotic fluid mixtures, and on a slightly less frequent basis to be covered in vomit, urine, and poop.

For me the worst was assisting with C-sections. Mostly as the med student it would be your job to hold the retractor, which means standing there and pulling on a big metal thing and staying perfectly still.

Once they cut into the uterus, the amniotic fluid and blood all spills out all over your hands and arms and drips onto your gown and down to your feet.

It’s warm and there’s a lot of it and you can feel it through your gloves, but you can’t move.

That’s not really a special occurrence. It’s literally every day for the whole month (or more if you decide you like it of course).”

#9. Classy

“Walked in on a woman blowing her husband.

She had just delivered a baby 2 hours prior, who was in the NICU.
If my hubby had asked me to do that even a week after having our baby, I would have punched him in his dick-hole.”

#10. Depressing

“The worst day on the job was being the nurse for a pregnant woman who was due the same week as me…

I was in the room when the doctor told her that there wasn’t a heartbeat anymore. I sat with her while she cried.

Her boyfriend didn’t answer her calls.

She was hospitalized for an infection and I visited her after my shift. I felt so awful that she had to go through that alone.

I later found out that my baby had trisomy 13 and had an abortion.

I felt guilty for watching a woman cry over what she couldn’t control and then opting out of a wanted, albeit flawed, pregnancy.”

#11. A man and his dildo

“My dad is an ER doctor. Early in his career, he had a big, burly truck driver come into the emergency room and flat out say, ‘Doc I’ve got a dildo in my ass you’ve gotta get it out.’

So, my dad takes him into a room with a nurse accompanying him, has the guy bend over and grab the exam table, and my dad tells the nurse to duck when he says so.

He grabs hold of the end of the dildo with those gator clamp things, and straight yanks it out as hard as he can.

The nurse behind him never ducked, and a splurge of blood and shit hits her, full-frontal.

My dad said the nurse ran out screaming, leaving behind a perfect silhouette against the wall while the dildo flopped around the floor, still vibrating.”

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