However, there\u2019s a problem. This high-speed stream of science has meant many old health adages have been royally debunked, with new research offering incredible unseen insights into how your body works. So, how can you recognise which advice is worth paying attention to?<\/span><\/p>\n Glad you asked. Below we\u2019ve assembled the best science-backed books that could actually transform your health and happiness in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n Prof Russell Foster<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s ticking right now: your inner clock, the natural circadian rhythm that advises your body on the best time to sleep, eat and think.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Are you in sync with it? If not, there could be significant health consequences. As author and University of Oxford neuroscientist Prof Russell Foster<\/a> unpacks in\u00a0<\/span>Life Time<\/span><\/em>, your biological timepiece can have a significant long-term bearing on your sleep, weight and even the likelihood of life-threatening strokes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fortunately, as\u00a0<\/span>Life Time<\/span><\/em>\u00a0explains, there are simple ways to identify your circadian type (night owl, morning lark or somewhere in between) and reset your clock. Foster\u2019s book is also brimming with practical advice \u2013 from the healthiest time to exercise, eat and even take medication.<\/span><\/p>\n Prof Robert Waldinger and Prof\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Marc Schulz\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to live a healthier, happier and more fulfilled life, you must do one thing: value your relationships. That\u2019s the major conclusion of Marc Schulz<\/a> and Robert Waldinger<\/a>, the two leads of Harvard University\u2019s 80-year-long study into what really makes people happy.<\/span><\/p>\n In\u00a0<\/span>The Good Life<\/span><\/em>, the two psychologists compellingly explain the key findings of their research and how to apply them to your life. Foremost here is the concept of \u2018social fitness\u2019 \u2013 the strength of your relationships and interactions with others. As\u00a0<\/span>The Good Life<\/span><\/em>\u00a0argues, improving your social fitness will not only likely make you happier, but could also offer a significant boost to your physical and mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n Overall, it\u2019s a great tapestry of fascinating science interwoven with touching personal stories from study participants.<\/span><\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n James Nestor<\/strong><\/p>\n In total, the average person will breathe approximately 25,000 times a day. Yet, most of those breaths are likely to be sub-optimal, be it too shallow or through the mouth. And according to science journalist James Nestor, that matters. A lot. In fact, it has a massive impact on your overall health and wellbeing.<\/span><\/p>\n The claims of\u00a0<\/span>Breath<\/span><\/em>\u00a0are certainly bold. For starters, Nestor argues that learning how to breathe correctly can rejuvenate internal organs, halt snoring, allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease, and even straighten scoliotic spines. Yet, despite sounding too good to be true, it\u2019s all backed up by a weighty body of strong scientific evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n Doubtlessly, this book is somewhat light on breathing exercises and practical pointers. But it still contains enough achievable advice to buck your bad breathing habits.<\/span><\/p>\n Giles Yeo<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to lose weight, you simply have to burn more calories than you eat. It\u2019s simple, practical advice that you\u2019ve probably heard before. And it\u2019s completely wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n As Prof Giles Yeo<\/a> \u2013 presenter and <\/span>BBC Science Focus<\/span><\/em>\u00a0regular \u2013 explains, not all calories are equal when it comes to managing your weight. Far from it: your body actually metabolises different food groups at different rates. This means that, for instance, for every 100 calories of protein you eat, you only absorb 70. So, tuck into 800 calories worth of steak, celery or sugar and your body will process a vastly different number of calories from each.<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s the biggest lesson from this illuminating investigation into your dinnertime, but Why <\/em><\/span>Calories Don\u2019t Count<\/span><\/em> also offers a sizeable serving of how to maximise your metabolism. Plenty of food for thought.<\/span><\/p>\n Matthew Walker<\/strong><\/p>\n Struggling with your slumber? Whether you\u2019re an insomniac all out of ideas, or just somebody looking to level up your shuteye, sleep evangelist Matthew Walker<\/a> has advice worth listening to. A professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, he has been studying sleep for decades and has now condensed all the most intriguing findings from sleep studies across the world in this book.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not only does Walker delve into \u2013 as the title suggests \u2013\u00a0<\/span>why<\/span><\/em>\u00a0we sleep, but also\u00a0<\/span>how<\/span><\/em>\u00a0sleep may have more of an impact on your health than even exercise or diet. Although mainly explaining the fascinating mechanics of sleep and dreaming, there\u2019s plenty of actionable information in\u00a0<\/span>Why We Sleep<\/span><\/em>, from how to effectively manage your caffeine intake, to when to exercise for better rest, and even why wearing socks in bed could help you catch even more ZZZs.<\/span><\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Fortify your physical health and wellbeing with these digestible reads. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25467,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023.jpg",1200,541,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023-300x135.jpg",300,135,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023-768x346.jpg",768,346,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023-1024x462.jpg",800,361,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023.jpg",1200,541,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2023\/03\/the-best-science-backed-books-to-improve-your-health-and-happiness-in-2023.jpg",1200,541,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Fortify your physical health and wellbeing with these digestible reads.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/25466"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The best science-backed books to improve your health and happiness in 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Life Time: The New Science Of The Body Clock, And How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep And Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/life-time-56c385f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><\/span><\/p>\nThe Good Life: Lessons From The World\u2019s Longest Study On Happiness<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/the-good-life-ad4bc6e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><\/span><\/p>\nBreath: The New Science Of A Lost Art<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/01\/breath-2-3272bc9.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><\/span><\/p>\nWhy Calories Don\u2019t Count: How We Got The Science Of Weight Loss Wrong<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/why-calories-dont-count-08655d2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\nWhy We Sleep: The New Science Of Sleep And Dreams<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"