Want to Fall Asleep Fast? Try These 10 Tips

Although some guys fall asleep the second their heads hit the pillow, many restlessly stare at the ceiling for hours.

Those who toss and turn each night know how frustrating it is to have trouble falling asleep. But aside from making you tired and cranky, not sleeping enough is bad for your health, too. Research has shown you may be at a higher risk of weight gain, diabetes, and depression when your circadian rhythm is thrown out of whack.

"Inadequate sleep and poor quality sleep will affect every organ system," says Men’s Health sleep advisor William Winter, M.D., author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It.

5 Tips for Beating the Holiday Blues This Season

It’s easy to think that everyone loves the holidays—tree lightings, festive gatherings, family parties, and corny White Elephant gift exchanges can be fun.

The truth? “If you sample adults, it turns out there’s a small percentage of people who love the holidays,” says John Sharp, M.D., author of The Emotional Calendar: Understanding Seasonal Influences and Milestones to Become Happier, More Fulfilled, and in Control of Your Life. “Most people find them stressful.”

We’re not saying Bah, humbug to now through January 1, it’s just that if you’re not jazzed by Christmas music, psyched to spend time with family, or—worse—feel more down in the dumps than usual, you’re not alone.

7 Reasons Your Nipples Hurt

We've got news for you: It’s not just women who deal with nipple pain. Men can get sensitive nipples, too, as well as bleeding, chafing, and other painful symptoms. If this ever happens to you, don’t freak out — chances are, there’s a reasonable (and totally innocuous) explanation for it. Of course, these could also be signs of a medical problem that requires a visit to the doctor.

There are several factors that can lead to nipple discomfort in men, and the good news is that it’s usually preventable and treatable. Here are some reasons you might experience tender or painful nipples, and what you can do about it.

4 Ways to Increase Brain Power that May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease

If you were taught that you’re born with all the brain cells you’ll ever get and it’s all downhill from there, it’s time for a rethink. Mounting research suggests you can improve your brain no matter what your age, making it stronger now and protecting it for the long term.

In fact, while surveys have found that 60 percent of Americans consider Alzheimer’s disease a natural part of getting older, scientists say the opposite. “We’re finally able to use the terms ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ and ‘prevention’ in the same sentence,” says Richard Isaacson, MD, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine. And the same may be true for other forms of cognitive decline.

6 Reasons Why You Might Want to Try a Prostate Massage

• The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the rectum
• Many men enjoy prostate stimulation, which has led to the organ being deemed the "male G-spot"
• In honor of National Prostate Health Month, here are a few reasons why you might want to try a prostate massage

The prostate is a mysterious, misunderstood organ. A walnut-size gland found between a man's bladder and his rectum, the prostate's main function is to produce fluid that is expelled as part of semen during ejaculation. It's also the source of prostate cancer, which is the most common cancer in men. While many men dread their first prostate exam, the so-called "male G-spot" can also be a source of mind-blowing pleasure, according to those men who have experienced prostate orgasms.

The Truth Behind 7 Common Sleep Myths

When it comes to sleep, everyone has their own ideas on how to get a good night's rest. Some people swear by drinking a glass of milk, while others say you should never eat cheese before bed time.

How can you parse out fact from fiction? We delved into seven common sleep myths, and now we're here to tell you why they're flat-out wrong.

1 Myth: Everyone Needs 8 Hours of Sleep
Reality: The amount of sleep someone needs depends on variety of factors, including genetics.

“Sleep need is like height, we are all different and how much we need is to a large degree, genetically determined,” sleep expert Dr. Neil Stanley explained to The Independent. Tracking your bed time, how many hours you sleep a night, and how well rested you feel each day can help you find the ideal amount of sleep for your body, according to sleep experts at Harvard.

4 Male Breast Cancer Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

When we talk about breast cancer, we rarely talk about the men who are diagnosed with the condition. So often, we assume breast cancer is exclusively a women's disease, says Dr. Kristen Fernandez, medical director of the breast center at the MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Maryland.

"Men think they don’t have breast tissue, but they do," she explains to MensHealth.com.

This Year's Flu Shot Is Just 36% Effective

It goes without saying that the flu has hit the United States hard this year, and the worst weeks may be yet to come.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a statement that this season's flu shot is 36 percent effective — better than doctors anticipated, but still not a great number.

This is shaping up to be the worst influenza season in recent years, and it might still get worse before it gets better, according to the CDC. The flu season frequently extends into May, and it’s only the middle of February.

How Eating Olive Oil Can Boost Your Memory

You now have one more excellent reason to shelve the store-bought dressing in favor of the homemade stuff: Eating a diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil may protect your brain as you age, researchers from Temple University suggest.

In the study, researchers genetically modified mice to express three key characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease: memory impairment, the buildup of sticky proteins called amyloid plaques, and tangles of tau proteins. Then, when the mice reached six months of age, they had some mice eat chow supplemented with extra-virgin olive for six months, while the others ate their regular food. This food change occurred before the mice began to exhibit signs of Alzheimer’s.

​Stop Buying Fancy Antibacterial Products, Health Experts Warn

That “antibacterial” label on your soap might be making you feel safe, but it might not be doing much of anything at all—or, maybe just not anything good. Antimicrobial compounds may be harmful to both your health and the environment, a new consensus paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests.

More than 200 international scientists and medical professionals concluded that these common antimicrobial compounds don’t provide any health benefits, as the paper detailed.

8 Teeth Whitening Products That Actually Work

These days, there are so many teeth whitening products on the market that the very idea of brightening your smile can become more overwhelming than exciting. Should you invest in teeth whitening kits or trays? Toothpaste or gel? Strips or pens? And which of the countless treatments available garner the best results—or any results at all?

Then there’s the biggest question of all: Is it better to whiten your teeth at home or at the dentist’s office? “When you choose to whiten at home, you’re choosing to take a slow and steady approach to whitening, which translates to less side effects, such as tooth sensitivity,” says New York-based cosmetic dentist Edward Alvarez, D.D.S. “You’ll also have a healthier mouth overall because you’re using products that will increase the pH of your mouth for a sustained period of time, ultimately killing bacteria and lessening decay.”

Plus, let’s not forget how much money you’ll save. But still, which teeth whitening treatments are worth the money you do spend? Here, dental pros share their top product recommendations.

You Won't Go Blind

It's something people don't talk about, but almost everyone does it: masturbation. In one national study, 95 percent of men and 89 percent of women said they had masturbated.

"We are programmed, as best we know, to need orgasms," says Gloria Brame, Ph.D., a clinical sexologist in Athens, Ga. "It's a fundamental aspect of men's health, right up there with brushing your teeth." And the more you know about what satisfies you solo, the more pleasure you get from sex.

You likely know that a little wanking won't make you go blind or cause your penis to fall off. (Let's face it, you'd know by now.) In fact, a little time alone is perfectly healthy for you.

​How Staying Up Late Might Be Tanking Your Mood

If you’ve made a habit of staying up too late and sleeping in every morning, you might be at a greater risk for depression, especially if you have type-2 diabetes, according to a new study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Orlando.

Researchers surveyed nearly 500 people suffering from diabetes in Chicago and Thailand. They included vastly different geographic areas in the study because sleep cycles vary by location. In both groups, night owls—or people who preferred to stay up late—reported experiencing more symptoms of depression than those who fell asleep earlier, regardless of their age, sex, or sleep quality (Having trouble snoozing peacefully? Here are five ways to sleep better every night).

The Scary Health Condition Sleeping Too Long Can Signal

There’s nothing better than sleeping in, right? But sleeping for too long might be signaling something serious about your brain health, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine suggest.

In the study, people who slept for more than 9 hours a night were twice as likely to develop dementia of any kind over a 10-year follow up than those who snoozed between 6 to 9 hours nightly. They were also 71 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

How to Save Money Without Thinking About It

In our culture of instant gratification, the idea of saving for the future might seem antiquated. But at a time when the economic deck seems stacked against you, thanks to a student loan debt crisis and fresh memories of the 2008 Wall Street meltdown, opening a savings account will give you a big advantage in the future.

According to a 2015 survey, just over 70 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings and another 21 percent don't have a savings account at all. If you stash your cash under the mattress or in a no-interest checking account, you're actually losing money thanks to inflation. Here's why thinking about saving today will accelerate your financial health tomorrow.

5 Body Odors You Should Never Ignore

Whether you’ve just completed a grueling workout or chowed down on an onion-packed burger, chances are, at one time or another, you’ve been that guy who stunk up the room. In most cases, a simple shower, swipe of deodorant, or line of minty-fresh toothpaste could remedy the situation. But in other cases, it’s not so simple.

That’s because your body odor can actually speak volumes about your health. In fact, some diseases can actually produce a unique, distinguished odor, according to a recent Swedish study.

So which funky fumes should you take note of? Here are 5 common body odors that might signal a serious problem—and what you should do if the stench arises.

BODY ODOR: FRUITY BREATH IS A SYMPTOM OF DIABETES
Credit a complication of diabetes called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which occurs when your body runs low on insulin and your blood sugar spikes, says Robert Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. People with type 1 diabetes generally experience it more than those with type 2 diabetes do.

Does Dairy Really Cause Acne?

Acne sucks. But for a condition that affects so many people, there are still a lot of unknowns with it. One of the most controversial: Can what you eat or drink cause you to break out?

Dairy has been one of the most commonly discussed culprits in whether your diet can be to blame. But whether your love of cheese is directly causing your outbreak is still up for debate, as there are plenty of myths about what causes zits.

Why You Have Heinous Bad Breath After Eating Dairy—and How to Fix It

Milk breath. Cheese mouth. The sour stench of worst-date nightmares. What the heck is this foul demon odor and how does one exorcise it?

First, you have to understand your enemy.

You probably don’t think about your mouth this way, but it’s technically part of your digestive tract. Chewing is only the first step of digestion.

“Imagine millions of bacteria feasting on particles of food and tissue in our mouth, some giving off smelly waste,” says David Krol, M.D., former chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Oral Health.

The 5 Worst Things to Do After Your Workout

While going to the gym can become routine after a certain amount of time, there are definitely ways you can mess up your fitness efforts if you engage in bad habits immediately afterwards.

From my experience of working with athletes over the years as an exercise physiologist, here are the top 5 worst things you could do post-workout.

POST-WORKOUT MISTAKE #1: YOU STAY IN YOUR GYM CLOTHES
Get out of damp gear immediately.

Even if you didn’t sweat that much, worn or soggy clothing is an environment bacteria love to cling to, and it can also give you a deep chill that is hard to recover from.

You Know What, Blue Wine Can Go Straight To Hell

A Spanish company—we won’t say winemaker, because that would be too generous—is producing an electric blue wine called Gïk, according to a new report from BBC Travel.

Made with a mixture of white and red grapes “whose color and flavor we improve through food tech,” Gïk’s producers say their wine is “sweeter and easier to drink” than traditional vino.

Nope. There’s so much wrong with this that it’s hard to know where to begin.

“F—king hilarious,” says Keith Wallace, founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia. “This is basically a wine for 15-year-olds who are used to drinking soda.”