By Cathryn Conroy, Netscape News Editor
...you could be sleep deprived and putting yourself at risk for an early death. That stunning conclusion was reached by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, who determined that when we get just six hours of sleep a night, we are actually sleep deprived. And sleep deprivation not only makes us sleepy during the day and decreases our productivity and performance levels, but also promotes the potentially dangerous process of inflammation. Inflammation of this sort can lead to a variety of problems, including heart disease and hardening of the arteries, reports WebMD.

Previous studies have examined the effects of severe sleep deprivation, which is five hours or less of sleep. This one looked at the effects of modest sleep restriction, something that many people live with day in and day out in order to meet the pressing demands of work and family. The levels of inflammatory factors skyrocketed in the 25 study volunteers--who spent 12 consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory--when they had just six hours of sleep, compared with eight hours. So when you pass up sleep to watch more television, talk to your spouse, or clean the house, you are putting yourself at risk for cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Rubbing a handful of fresh basil leaves on your skin should protect you from mosquitoes for a few hours. The herb does not contain hazardous chemicals and is less likely to cause skin irritations than the synthetic bug sprays.

Adding calcium to your diet may boost your blood levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Studies show that older women, who took 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day for one year had a significant increase in their blood levels of HDL cholesterol. This type of cholesterol helps your body protect against heart disease by cleaning other fats out of your bloodstream.

Eating more bananas will help you get enough vitamin B6 in your diet. Research suggests that vitamin B6 is important for proper neurotransmitter functions. It may also help in preventing mood disorders, such as depression. For an easy vitamin B6 fix, add banana slices to your breakfast cereal. One medium banana contains about a milligram of vitamin B6.