Latest news with #Pormezz
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Exercising within 4 hours of bedtime is messing with your sleep
Sweat dreams? While trying to get ripped is an admirable goal, new research reveals that doing it at night might just be muscling into your REM cycle. High-intensity workouts four hours or less before bed were linked to poorer sleep quality, later bedtimes and a higher resting heart rate. 3 While you may know that working out right before bed isn't good for you, this is the first and most extensive study to understand why. Pormezz – They were also associated with lower heart rate variability, meaning less variation in the time between heartbeats, which is generally a sign of stress or poor recovery. All of the markers indicate strenuous exercise that close to lights out puts the body into a heightened state of alertness, hindering the transition to restful sleep. Strenuous exercise is defined as activities that require a lot of physical effort — typically elevating the heart rate to 70% to 85% of maximum capacity — such as biking uphill, engaging in HIIT or playing sports. While experts have generally agreed that working out right before bed isn't good for you, this is the first and most extensive study to illuminate why. 3 This graphic from the study shows actual exercise timing and strain associations with sleep and nocturnal autonomic activity. Nature Communications (2025) 'Intense exercise in the evening can keep the body in a heightened state of alertness, which is why public health guidelines have previously advised against working out too close to bedtime,' lead author Dr. Josh Leota, a research fellow in the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, said in a statement. 'However, findings from controlled laboratory studies are less conclusive, with many suggesting that evening exercise doesn't necessarily disrupt sleep.' These studies relied on small sample sizes and laboratory settings, Leota said, and rarely involved exercise that made substantial cardiometabolic demands on the body. For his research, Leota and his team analyzed data from 14,689 people over the course of one year, which translated to a whopping 4 million nights of information. Participants wore a health-tracking wristband called WHOOP to monitor their sleep, exercise and heart health. The findings were adjusted for factors such as gender, age and general fitness level, lending further credibility to the study's conclusions. 3 The study found that doing high-intensity workouts four hours or less before bed led to poorer sleep quality, later bedtimes and a higher resting heart rate. oneinchpunch – The results were published recently in the journal Nature Communications. Studies indicate that exercising in general is good for sleep, with some researchers reporting that short, light workouts before bed can help you sleep longer, lower blood sugar levels and potentially live longer. So, if you do find yourself wanting to work out a couple of hours before bed, Leota suggests choosing 'brief low-intensity exercises, such as a light jog or swim, to minimize sleep disruption and allow the body to wind down.' Or, for added gut health benefits — just take a fart walk.
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Depressing data shows families need to earn 70% more than they did 6 years ago to buy a home
The income needed for a family to buy a typical home in the U.S. has surged by an eye-popping 70% over the past six years, highlighting the mounting housing affordability challenges. Compared with spring 2019, the national household income required to buy a median-priced home has jumped by nearly $47,000, largely driven by increasing home prices and elevated mortgage rates, according to the April 2025 Inventory Report. Advertisement To purchase a house at the national median list price of $431,250 in April, a household needed to earn about $114,000 annually. That figure assumes a 30-year fixed mortgage, a 20% down payment, and the '30% rule,' which recommends that consumers spend no more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs. This means you would need to earn about $9,500 a month before taxes to comfortably cover the mortgage, property taxes, and insurance on a typical home. 4 The national household income required to buy a median-priced home has increased by almost $47,000 since spring 2019. Africa Studio – Advertisement But there's a hitch: According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2023, the typical household earned just over $80,600 per year, or approximately 41% less than the recommended income. The only bit of good news for potential homebuyers is that the required income has held mostly steady over the past year, largely because mortgage rates and median home prices have remained flat. 'While the income needed to purchase a home has leveled off nationally over the past year, it remains significantly higher than before the [COVID-19] pandemic, underscoring the ongoing challenge of affordability even as market conditions gradually rebalance,' says Chief Economist Danielle Hale. 4 The income required to buy a home 'remains significantly higher than before the [COVID-19] pandemic, underscoring the ongoing challenge of affordability,' says Chief Economist Danielle Hale. wutzkoh – Required income spikes vary widely across cities Advertisement Compared with pre-pandemic levels, the income needed to buy a home has significantly increased in many areas across the U.S., with three metros in particular seeing the steepest spikes as of April 2025. Memphis, TN, topped the list, with a massive 94.8% surge in required annual income over the past six years. A person looking to buy a home in Memphis with a median price of $345,495 in April would have to earn $91,330 a year. 4 The typical household earned approximately 41% less than the recommended income, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Pormezz – Advertisement Providence, RI, came in second, with the required income to buy a typical home there for $584,900 soaring by nearly 93% from April 2019, climbing to $154,615. Las Vegas ended up in the No. 3 spot, with the household income needed to afford a typical $475,000 house jumping 86.5% over the past six years, to $125,564 annually. Among the 50 largest metropolitan areas analyzed as part of the inventory report, three saw the smallest increases in required income, with the ever-affordable Detroit in the lead, with a modest 25.8% boost compared with April 2019. 4 Memphis, Providence and Las Vegas saw the steepest spikes in income needed to buy a home as of April 2025. seanlockephotography – Put simply, a family looking to buy a median-priced home for $253,575 in the Motor City would require an annual income of about $67,000. San Francisco has experienced the second-smallest spike in required income, at 30.5%, since 2019, but that's little comfort considering that the typical home in the ultraexpensive tech hub costs $995,000, more than double the national median. A household needs at least $263,000 annually to afford it. Advertisement Chicago saw the third-lowest uptick in required income, up 36.4% compared with April 2016. That means that a family earning $98,455 per year in the Windy City can afford a home with the median price of $372,450.
New York Post
26-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Business owners reveal their biggest hurdles in setting up shop in the US
From working too many hours to being let down by a vendor and underestimating costs, a new survey reveals the biggest hurdles business owners faced when first starting out. A survey of 1,000 small business owners (SBOs) and freelancers pinpointed the things they wish they'd known from the start. Advertisement Results showed financial missteps as one of the most common challenges SBOs faced – underestimating just how much things would cost and ensuring proper cash flow impacted over a third of SBOs (36%) early on. Wishing they'd had more support or been able to do more marketing was the second-most mentioned area (29%), while being able to maintain a good work-life balance was something over one in four (27%) business owners and freelancers said they found difficult to manage. 4 A survey of 1,000 small business owners (SBOs) and freelancers pinpointed the things they wish they'd known from the start. While the struggle to attain work-life balance affected many new entrepreneurs, results showed a supportive community can really make the difference – eight in 10 SBOs attribute much of their success to their network of partners and vendors. Advertisement The survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of HP for its Instant Ink service found that while many SBOs faced early adversity, they built confidence in their leadership ability – the average SBO surveyed said it took just over two years to feel like a fully confident business owner. That experience is hard-earned – the average SBO estimates they put in just over 50 hours a week to launch their business or establish themself as a freelancer in their field. 4 Results showed financial missteps as one of the most common challenges SBOs faced. Pormezz – A quarter (27%) of owners said 60-hour weeks or longer were the norm, while one in six (16%) were clocking more than 70 hours. Advertisement 'Having a trusted tech partner is essential for small business owners,' said Diana Sroka, SVP of consumer services product for HP. 'With limited time and budget, it's important to find solutions that are smart, flexible and adaptable to the unique needs of each business.' Those long weeks show a small business owner must often wear many hats. In fact, the average owner estimates they did the equivalent of three full-time roles, with customer service, operations and sales being the most common areas SBOs said they had to manage themselves. That places even more emphasis on the need for strong partnerships and a reliable network, yet many SBOs report being let down. Two in five (38%) said a vendor or partner had failed them in some way that significantly impacted their business. 4 The average SBO estimates they put in just over 50 hours a week to launch their business or establish themself as a freelancer in their field. Advertisement It's no surprise then that 79% claimed having a trusted network of partners and vendors is important to their success – they even ranked having good connections in business as more important than having sufficient cash flow when evaluating what contributed to performance (76% vs. 64%). Interestingly, despite the hardships, 41% said they wouldn't change anything at all in their entrepreneurial journey because they felt those experiences helped them grow more resilient and were an integral part of their learning. And to go it alone, you need the vision – when asked what their most indispensable resource was as an entrepreneur, SBOs overwhelmingly cited 'my own creativity.' 'In the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship, the importance of strong partnerships – especially with a reliable tech partner – cannot be overstated,' added Sroka. 'Too many small business owners face setbacks due to broken trust, missed expectations and technology failures. Building a strong tech partnership is crucial to keeping business moving forward in a constantly evolving landscape.' 4 It's no surprise that 79% claimed having a trusted network of partners and vendors is important to their success. BIGGEST HURDLES FACED BY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS Underestimating costs (36%) Not doing enough marketing (29%) Ignoring work-life balance (27%) Pricing products or services incorrectly (25%) Not doing enough research on the market (15%) Choosing the wrong vendors or partners (14%) Not investing enough in technology (10%) Not delegating (10%) Neglecting customer experience (7%) Not outsourcing (7%) Skimping on legal and administrative essentials (6%) Advertisement Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed 1,000 small business owners (SBOs) and freelancers (split 50/50); the survey was commissioned by HP and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between March 17 – March 26, 2025.
