Take a dark shower before bed, eat a banana and try 4-7-8 breathing— plus 5 more health tips to help you have a great week

Hi, Yahoo readers! My name is Rachel Grumman Bender, and I've rounded up the latest wellness tips to have on your radar right now.

Let's start with one of the most important health numbers to know: your blood pressure. Millions of Americans have untreated high blood pressure — often called the silent killer because it typically has no obvious symptoms — raising their risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, cognitive decline and dementia.

To reduce those risks, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology updated their guidelines in 2025, emphasizing healthy habits — such as eating a heart-friendly diet, avoiding alcohol and staying physically active — and starting medication earlier for some.

Under the new guidelines, if your systolic blood pressure (the top number) is between 130 and 139, try lifestyle modifications first. If your blood pressure doesn't go down after three to six months, then medication is recommended.

But a new study highlights a treatment gap: About 10 million Americans who are eligible for medication aren't taking it, reports CNN . Here's why they should: Blood pressure medication was linked with a 23% lower risk of death overall compared with no treatment and a 50% lower risk of dying from heart-related causes. So here's your reminder to check your blood pressure and talk to your doctor about how to keep it in the healthy range.

Heading out for a heart-healthy walk? Look up your local forecast first. And if you're wondering what the stars have in store for you, read your horoscope too. Then choose One Small Thing you can do for a healthier and happier week ahead.

🧹 Create 'dirty zones' to contain clutter in your home

Keeping your home mess-free is a constant battle (the stack of random papers on my kitchen island can confirm). But creating "dirty zones" can actually make things more manageable. That can look like designating a kitchen cabinet for coffee supplies, putting a storage bench near the front door for shoes or placing a large basket in the entryway to store kids' backpacks or pet toys. Albert Betesh of Cicognani Betesh Architecture Studio calls these spots the "first line of defense, containing everyday mess before it migrates into the rest of the house." A dirty zone gives you a place to "put your bags down, make a pile and it's messy for a second," interior designer Sara Hillery tells the Washington Post . "Then you can come back later and digest it one chunk at a time."

💪 Exercise for 20 minutes to shake off a sleepless night

Working out may be the last thing you want to do after a bad night's sleep, but it can actually help you function better the next day. A new study suggests that, when you're sleep-deprived, exercising for 20 minutes may benefit your brain as much as a 90-minute nap but in a different way: Snoozing makes it easier to learn new information, while breaking a sweat helps the brain work more efficiently. The researchers say that, when a nap isn't possible, even a brief bout of exercise can keep your mind sharp, reports Nautilus .

Bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S. for a reason — they're tasty, inexpensive and portable. (They're even having a moment as the flavor of choice in trendy drinks .) But that's only part of their a-peel. Eating the potassium-rich fruit regularly may help lower your blood pressure in as little as a month, reports Parade . "Bananas can help relax the blood vessels because potassium and magnesium help ease the tension in blood vessel walls," improving blood flow, says Julia Zumpano, a Cleveland Clinic registered dietitian. Bananas also contain antioxidants that help fight inflammation. And even though they're not as juicy as, say, a watermelon, bananas are actually made up of 70 to 80% water, so they help you stay hydrated, too. Add sliced bananas to your oatmeal, blend them in a smoothie or even mash and freeze them to make a "nicecream" treat.

The next time you're struggling to fall asleep at night, try 4-7-8 breathing. Keep your eyes closed as you inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven, and exhale through your mouth for a count of eight, psychologist and sleep specialist Michael Breus suggested on the Diary of a CEO podcast. Picture each number in your head as you count and repeat 20 times. "You're distracting your brain from the thing that's stressing you out, and it's lowering your heart rate," Breus says. "And then the natural sleep process comes in." One commenter agreed: "I've been doing this for years and after the second round I'm yawning. I could never make it to 20."

⚖️ Test your balance by standing on one leg

How long can you stand on one leg? The answer may reveal how well you're aging. Pat yourself on the back if you're able to keep your balance for 20 to 30 seconds. Research shows that, on average, adults over 65 can stand on one leg for about 11 seconds, and people with the best balance had a 50% lower risk of death than those who performed poorly. "The number that causes concern would be below five seconds," Kenton Kaufman, director of the motion analysis laboratory at Mayo Clinic, tells Everyday Health . "That says you're at risk of falling," which ups the risk of fractures. Practicing helps, whether you try standing on one leg while brushing your teeth or stirring a pot on the stove. "If you don't use it, you lose it," he says. "If you use it, you maintain it."

🤗 Boost your mood by brightening someone else's day

One of the best ways to boost your mood is to do something nice for someone else. That could mean helping an elderly neighbor take in their trash cans, buying a stranger a cup of coffee or volunteering in a soup kitchen. It's what happiness expert and professor of psychology at Yale University, Laurie Santos , calls being "other-oriented," as opposed to self-focused. "We often think that self-care is the path to happiness, but the evidence really suggests that happy people are much more other-oriented," she tells Upworthy . "They're donating more money to charity. They're spending their time volunteering for others. They give more compliments."

Hitting an afternoon slump? Swap your usual coffee for black tea instead. It contains caffeine to help make you more alert, along with the amino acid L-theanine, which may help sharpen focus and attention, according to EatingWell . And with only about 47 mg of caffeine, compared to 95 mg in coffee, black tea is a good pick-me-up that's less likely to mess with your sleep later.

Hearing loss is the No. 1 modifiable risk factor for dementia. That may be because straining to hear diverts brainpower away from memory and thinking, while increasing social isolation. Neurosurgeon Dr. Rupa Juthani, known as braintumorsurgeon on Instagram , offers two simple solutions to help protect your hearing in noisy environments like airplanes: Wear earbuds without plugging them into a device — they can act as earplugs in a pinch. Or use noise-canceling headphones, which allow you to listen to music or movies at a lower volume in loud places. While you're playing your tunes, follow the 60-60 rule : Keep your music at no more than 60% of your headphones' maximum volume for up to 60 minutes, then give your ears a break.

Calming nighttime rituals like putting away your phone about an hour before bed and reading help set you up for a better night's sleep. Here's another one you can add to your routine: Dark showering. Psychologist Stefanie Mazer tells Real Simple that rinsing off in dim lighting "lowers visual stimulation," which helps your mind and body unwind. "Some people find it eases racing thoughts after a long or tense day, and it may calm the nervous system," she says.