Meaning and balance in everyday life are predictors of health among women. However, the most important predictor of health among men is their ability to manage the demands of their working life, these are the findings of a study by Carita Håkansson, senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences, Jönköping in Sweden.

Having energy left over for domestic chores and leisure activities after work influences women’s subjective health in a positive way. Furthermore, good subjective health among women is influenced by their experience of meaningfulness both at work, and in activities outside work. However, having time and energy to manage the demands of their working life is the most important factor influencing men’s subjective health. [continue reading…]

This piece of research has me worried! My husband can snore for England and causes me interupted slumber most nights. New research has found that women who get less than the recommended eight hours sleep a night are at higher risk of heart disease and heart-related problems than men with the same sleeping patterns.

Research by the University of Warwick and University College London has found that levels of inflammatory markers vary significantly with sleep duration in women, but not men.

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Both blood pressure and serum lipid levels have improved in Swedish middle-aged women during the past 30 years. Levels of perceived mental stress, however, have increased significantly. These are the of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

The study is part of the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden. This study was initiated at the end of the 1960s, when 1,462 middle-aged women were examined, and interviewed about their lifestyle and other matters. These women have subsequently been followed up into the 21st century, as well as compared with new generations of middle-aged women who have been examined at later dates, as part of the Prospective Population Study.
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