CHOOSING REPUTABLE WEBSITES

Where do I go for health info????

When choosing a website to gather health information from there are a few things you'll want to look for. Information that is reviewed and updated frequently is important. You want information that is current and up to date rather than information that is potentially old and outdated. Often time quality websites will have dates in their articles that tell you when the information was last updated.

 Another important aspect in choosing a reputable website is knowing who is providing the information. What type of knowledge or credentials does the person writing or reviewing the information have. Is it a doctor or nurse? Often times people post opinions and experiences which although interesting, are likely not the best place to gather information for our health. Choose websites that are either written or reviewed by a health care professional.

The following are websites recommended for gathering health information.

The American Heart Association's website covers a lot of information on heart health and heart disease, as well as covering many other topics.   www.heart.org (Links to an external site.)

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website offers information for health for daily living and for traveling. This website also covers many illness' and some emergency preparedness.   www.cdc.gov (Links to an external site.)

Kids Health has a website that gives great information for parents about their children. This website includes sick and well child issues and also covers questions for and about teens.  www.kidshealth.org

 

 (Links to an external site.)
Mental health's website has great information about the basics of mental health,  things to watch for and how to talk about mental health.  www.mentalhealth.govs (Links to an external site.)

References

Department of Health and Human Services. (2017, August 31). Home | MentalHealth.gov. Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://www.mentalhealth.gov/

American heart association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2019, from http://www.heart.org

CDC works 24/7. (2019, October 30). Retrieved November 2, 2019, from http://www.cdc.gov

KidsHealth - the web's most visited site about children's health. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2019, from http://www.kidshealth.org

BENEFITS OF HEALTH APPS

Health apps can greatly benefit us if we choose to use them. Many people use apps to track their steps or physical activity which is a great way to make us more aware of our daily activity level. Some options for step tracking include google fit, pacer pedometer, runkeeper, stepz, and walker.

Another type of app that is helpful are sleep trackers. With sleep trackers we are able to see how much sleep we are getting and if the sleep is restful or restless. Sleep plays a bigger role in our overall health than we often think. Not getting enough sleep effects are emotional state and causes a decrease in our brains ability to function and be alert. Through sleep tracking we can set sleep goals and improve out sleep habits. Some sleep tracking apps that are available are sleep cycle, sleep score and sleep tracker. 

Also useful are apps to help increase our ability to calm down and sleep better. Sometimes even more beneficial than sleep tracking are sleep aide apps. There are apps available that can track naps, allow you to wake up at the ideal time in your sleep cycle or help to calm ourselves down to help with better sleep. https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-treatments/sleep-apps/ this website gives a great list of the most useful sleep aide apps. 

It is important to note that with apps that we download on our phone there are risks. Apps ask for permissions to do things when we download them. It is important to note which things the apps we download will have access to and what information we are sharing with them. There are current debates that the FDA should play a greater role in protecting health information shared through apps. However, currently each app is able to decide how they protect your information and ultimately we are responsible to know what information we are sharing. 

References

Alonso, J., Romero, S., Mañanas, M., Alcalá, M., Antonijoan, R., & Giménez, S. (2016). Acute sleep deprivation induces a local brain transfer information increase in the frontal cortex in a widespread decrease context. Sensors, 16(4), 540. doi:10.3390/s16040540

Kasperbauer, T. J., & Wright, D. E. (2019). Expanded FDA regulation of health and wellness apps. Bioethics. doi:10.1111/bioe.12674

Sleep apps - 7 best free ones – American Sleep Association. (2016, December 20). Retrieved November 2, 2019, from https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-treatments/sleep-apps/