Treat yourself

Whether you love carving pumpkins for Halloween or cuing up a scary movie, your favorite little fall indulgences boost your health and happiness

- BRENDA KEARNS

Fight insomnia with a fruit pie

Apples, plums and pumpkins are in season now. And baking one of these delicious gems into a pie or cobbler could be the key to a great night’s sleep! University of Michigan scientists say adding a heaping cup of fruit (raw or cooked) to your daily diet cuts your risk of insomnia in half. The carotenoids that give these fruits their cheery hues boost production of sleep-deepening melatonin.

Sharpen focus with pumpkin carving

Take some time to celebrate and enjoy this fun season (by carving a pumpkin, making caramel apples or creating a ghoulish display to entertain trick-or-treaters), and you’ll feel more clearheaded all day long, University of Texas investigators report. They say that simply anticipating and enjoying these happy—and often nostalgic!—seasonal activities fuels the release of the brain-energizing, focussharpening hormone dopamine.

OR GRAB A PENCIL Take a minute to draw a pretty flower or funny stick figure or to just doodle on scrap paper. This simple trick chases away brain fog for an hour or more. Dutch investigators explain that working with pencils (which have unlimited creative potential, plus are one of the easiest art tools to use) dials down the release of grogginessfueling delta brain waves.