In many people’s minds, fall doesn’t exactly strike them as being one of the “healthiest” seasons.
Once the shorter days and cooler weather are in full swing, all those fun summer activities tend to get replaced with work, school, and lots of TV shows premiering for the new season. Likewise, our healthy balanced diets start getting invaded by candy, mashed potatoes and cookies thanks to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the start of the Christmas season – not to mention the pumpkin lattes, pumpkin Oreos and pumpkin-everything-else.
Diet and exercise sure can be difficult to control in the fall, but there are lots of other ways you can actually take advantage of the fall season to improve your health. In fact, you may be reaping some of the benefits already without even knowing it!
Here are just five unexpected health benefits the fall season has to offer.
1. Cracking a Window Open to Let the Cool Air in at Night Can Help Supercharge Your Sleep.
It sure can be miserable to try getting to sleep in a hot and humid room without any A/C during the summer, so the colder weather is often welcomed by many who lose sleep over it. And it just so turns out that when it comes to getting adequate sleep, your brain loves colder temperatures.
According to a study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, healthy men who slept in a room set at a temperature of 66 degrees ended up increasing their stores of “brown fat” — a metabolically active type of good fat that helps the body get rid of excess blood sugar and burn calories. But if 66 proves to be a little chilly for your liking, you can try adjusting your thermostat down just a little so you’re more comfortable. Even small adjustments to a cooler temperature can provide benefits while you sleep.
