News

An epidemic of chronic diseases continues to grow in the United States; half the population — an estimated 129 million Americans — have lifelong health conditions that need continuous medical attention and limit certain daily activities.

If you’re a social media user, you may have noticed a fun new micro-trend making its way across platforms including TikTok: the art of the “hurkle-durkle.”

Although it sounds like a noise a zoo animal might make, hurkle-durkle refers to a Scottish morning ritual of lounging in bed well after your alarm has gone off. As one content creator, Kira Kosarin, says in her viral TikTok video with 3.9 million views, “Once I’ve hurkled my last durkle in a given morning, I will get up.” Countless Instagram users have since posted pictures of themselves in bed along with #hurkledurkle.

Most people know that getting enough sleep is essential for good health. But what about getting too much sleep? Is oversleeping a thing?

The answer is yes, it is possible to get too much sleep. While sleep deprivation gets all the press, oversleeping can also be a problem. The ideal amount of sleep varies from person to person, but most experts agree adults should get 7-9 hours a night.

Guidelines on how much sleep is typical for your age group:

What is the difference between cardiovascular disease and heart disease?

These two terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Cardiovascular disease is an umbrella term that encompasses several heart conditions, including heart disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure and peripheral artery disease.

At least 2.7 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, the most common kind of irregular heartbeat, also known as arrhythmia. A-fib is caused when the heart’s upper chambers beat erratically or quiver and don’t sync with the heart’s lower chambers. Learn more about how a-fib occurs.