FLIGHT RISK

A new Lancet study has revealed that men are twice as likely as women to suffer from deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially deadly blood clot that can develop on long plane trips. If you have a family history of DVT and plan on taking a long fl ight, ask your doctor for a thrombingeneration test (just developed by Austrian researchers). If your level and risk are high, a prescription blood thinner - such as warfarin - should help you touch down safely.

LOW Z’S, HIGH BP

Something else to keep you up nights: A new study reveals that lack of sleep can permanently raise your blood pressure. Columbia University researchers examined survey data on 4,810 people, excluding those who were overweight or suffered from sleep disorders, and found that logging less than 5 hours a night increased the incidence of high blood pressure by 60 percent. Sleep deprivation stimulates stress hormones, which cause short-term spikes in blood pressure. Miss sleep regularly and you may suffer lasting damage to heart valves. “Sleeping less Some environmental hazards are obvious: tidal waves, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes, for instance. But the land you live on may be endangering your health in ways you don’t recognize. Check your local landscape and the chart below to derail the natural disasters that could be lurking in your backyard. raises average 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate, which, through increased strain, can set up the cardiovascular system to persistently operate at an elevated pressure,” says James Gangwisch, Ph.D., the study’s lead author. Evening exercise can lower your core body temperature, which may help you fall asleep faster.

BARE ASPIRIN FOR YOUR HEART

An aspirin a day keeps the ambulance at bay? Only if you swallow the right kind. Coated aspirin may not be as effective as plain aspirin at preventing coronary heart disease, according to a new study published in the journal Stroke. Researchers gave 71 healthy people different forms of aspirin to take for 2 weeks at a time, then tested their blood for thromboxane, a substance that contributes to blood clots. Levels were 87 percent lower among those taking plain aspirin than in those swallowing coated pills. “Doctors normally prescribe coated aspirin to protect the stomach lining,” says lead study author Dermot Cox, Ph.D., “but the coating may impede absorption.” Consider swallowing a 75- milligram uncoated pill. “It will provide all the benefits with the lowest chance of side effects,” he says.