Parents may worry that their children aren’t getting enough quality sleep. However, now there’s a smart bed to provide adults with sleep data by a smart app. The SleepIQ bed can alert (发出报警声) parents when their children are asleep, as well as if they are risking out of bed. If a child is tossing and turning (辗转反侧), it can also be adjusted to make it more comfortable.

The bed was first introduced at the International Consumer, Electronics Show (CES). It claims to be the only one in the world, which adjusts with children as they grow. Children don’t need to wear a smart-band or alternative wearable device in bed. Instead, the quality of their sleep is measured by sensors(传感器) in the bed, which monitor (监测) their present, average breathing rate, heart rate and movement. Then it assesses (评定) quality of sleep. They are given a SleepIQ score for each night’s sleep. Using an accompanying app, parents can see it clearly. It also allows parents to monitor routines (常规) that affect sleep, such as exercise, caffeine and screen time, helping them to develop a routine that helps develop a good night’s shut-eye.

The bed sends an alert to the app when it detects (探测) a child is out of bed or is restless, such as if he is having a nightmare. Its firmness can be adjusted to change the level of comfort and support to suit children as they grow. A “head tilt (倾斜)” feature for reading is built in, and parents can remotely turn a light out after reading time using the app. There are also fun features such as a “monster scanner”, which uses a mobile phone to check for and fight monsters under the bed. What’s more, an automatic light will guide children, if they need to get up in the middle of the night.

The bed is available online and at Sleep Number stores in the US from around $499, almost the same as the beds we are sleeping on.

If a super-flu strikes, face masks may not protect you. Whether widespread use of masks will help or harm during a worldwide flu outbreak is a question that researchers are studying.

But it’s a question the public keeps asking while the government is making preparations for the next flu. “We don’t want people to wear them everywhere,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Our suggestion is to avoid exposure (暴露) to the flu.”

When that is not possible, you should consider wearing a simple surgical mask (医用口罩) if you are in one of the three following situations. First, you’re healthy and can’t avoid going to a crowded place. Second, you’re sick and think you may have close contact with the healthy. Third, you live with someone who’s sick but still need to go out.

Why aren’t masks added to this self-protection list? This is because they can help trap virus-laden droplets (小滴) flying through the air from a cough or sneeze. Simple surgical masks only remove the larger droplets. Besides, the CDC is afraid masks may create a false sense of security. Perhaps someone who should have stayed at home would wear a badly-fitting mask and step on the subway instead.

Nor does flu only spread through the air. Say someone covers a sneeze with his or her hand, then touches a handle or subway pole. If you touch that spot next and then put germy (带有细菌的) hands on your nose or mouth, you’ve been exposed. It’s harder to rub your nose while wearing a mask, so your face may get pretty sweaty under a mask. You reach under to wipe that sweat, and may transfer germs caught on the outside of the mask straight to the nose. These are the problems that face masks may create for their users.

Most people looking for ways to quit smoking worry about weight gain, and with good reason. Smokers who quit tend to pack on an average of 5 pounds after they stop smoking cigarettes. A new study, published by the journal Science, explains why this happens.

The new research explains that nicotine appears to combine with appetite-regulating neurons (调节食欲的神经元) in the brain, besides the receptors (感受器) that bring about addiction. These neurons help regulate how much food gets consumed, but under the influence of nicotine, they lose their self-control. This is why when smokers quit, they tend to eat more and gain weight.

The researchers believe that their discovery will lead to the development of drugs that aim at nicotine receptors on brain cells that control appetite. In the future, weight gain may no longer be a reason for smokers to delay the decision to kick the habit, but that’s no reason to wait. Nicotine-replacement treatment, while not for everyone, can help. Here are a few more ways to quit smoking and stay slim.

Drink water. To improve metabolic (新陈代谢的) rates, make half of those glasses ice water. Juice can be too high in calories, something you’ll want to keep an eye on your journey toward being a slimmer non-smoker. Plan your snacks. Healthy snacks help keep your metabolism working, so you continue to burn calories while stopping wild hunger pain, or fake hunger.

Keep moving. Exercise kills two birds with one stone. It helps you burn calories and prevents you from eating when you’re not truly hungry. It’s also a feel-good stress reliever (缓解物). Focus on your fitness and how being healthy makes you feel. Make exercise a goal and think of quitting as your reward for being physically fit.