By Joanna Gale

No snacks before dinner. Well, ok then, just a little snack. Fruit, yeah…some fruit. Oh ok, just a little biscuit then. Ok two… but no more than two.

By Diana Bruk

It’s no secret that coffee prompts alertness—which is just one of the many reasons why Americans can’t get through their mornings without a cup of joe. But you might be surprised to find out that, according to a new study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition, simply seeing something that reminds us of coffee can make us feel a burst of alertness, as well.

Exposure to loud noise can certainly damage your hearing.

But increasingly, scientists are finding that too much noise can take a toll on our health in other ways. Here is how our loud world can can affect you, plus what you can do to protect yourself.

Whenever you approach a new weight-loss plan, the first things that likely come to mind are diet and exercise. While those two are certainly key to achieving results, there's another factor that can have a significant effect: quantity and quality of sleep. Those precious hours of rest can help prevent overeating, making it that much easier to create a calorie deficit - but, fun fact, you also burn calories as you sleep, though just how many varies from person to person.

Reviewed by Minesh Khatri, MD

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease that affects your large intestine, or colon. It causes irritation and swelling called inflammation. Eventually that leads to sores called ulcers in the lining there.