Your health: Get that beauty sleep

Sleeping spouses

When wives had trouble sleeping, it meant trouble the next day for both partners, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

In fact, when wives were tired, couples' interactions were far more negative compared with those of spouses who both got enough sleep. (Interestingly, when husbands slept poorly, couples reported little to no change in interactions.)

“Sleep affects all aspects of functioning, including the health of our marriages,” said researcher Wendy Troxel. “These results may be particularly important for older adults, who have higher rates of sleep disturbances.”

But why the focus on wives? Troxel theorizes women are generally more expressive than men and, thus, more likely to show irritation when tired. Women are also more likely to have insomnia.

To ease tension, wives can spend time solo and wives should be honest about their fatigue. And if either party has insomnia more than three times weekly, for one month or longer, Troxel advises contacting a health care provider.

Sweet sweet potatoes

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, sweet potatoes should be your produce of choice, The Washington Post suggests.

Sweet potatoes have a lot going for them, says Jennifer R. Reilly, a Washington, D.C.-based registered dietitian.

“Sweet potatoes taste fantastic,” Reilly says, “and you can't do them wrong, unless you add lots of brown sugar and marshmallow fluff.”

Sweet potatoes' orange color signals the presence of antioxidants, particularly betacarotene, the water-soluble form of vitamin A, Reilly says. “That can stop DNA damage from free radicals, which can show up as wrinkles on your face now and cancer down the road.”

A medium-size sweet potato has about 100 calories and nearly 4 grams of fiber (about 15 percent of the daily value), “a couple of more grams than white, which makes sweet potatoes more filling,” Reilly says.

Sweet potatoes also have a relatively low glycemic index, a measure of the rate at which carbohydrates turn into sugar in the bloodstream, Reilly explains. And its fiber helps reduce cholesterol by latching onto it and whisking it out of the body, she says.

Reilly suggests baking sweet potatoes because heat enhances betacarotene's antioxidant activity, which keeps the glycemic index low.