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This Is How Long One Bad Night’s Sleep Actually Impacts You For – And I’m Horrified

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If you’ve had a rough night’s sleep recently, you may think to yourself ‘well, I’ll simply catch up on those missed hours of rest at the weekend’.

Unfortunately new research has revealed that actually this is a complete myth and that one night of restlessness can affect your attention, memory and cognition for – wait for it – a whole week.

The long-term study focused on one person’s brain and behaviour for five months using scans

As part of a unusual, long-term study, scientists tracked one person’s brain and behaviour for 19 whole weeks. The participant, first author of the study, Ana María Triana of Aalto University, Finland wore devices throughout the timeframe to track her activities and physiological markers and had routine scans to see how well her memory and cognition were working.

The results?

From the data gathered and published it would appear that our brains’ responses have two clear patterns – a response that could last around a week or a longer term wave of up to 15 days of gradual effects.

Things like focus after a bad night’s sleep fell under the shorter term response, while factors such as memory and attention were impacted for longer.

“We find traces of past behaviour and physiology in brain connectivity that extend up as far as 15 days,” the authors of the study, published in the journal Plos Biology, reported.

“Every day, we wake up as a slightly different person, as our mental states are influenced by many external factors,” they added.

“The quality of sleep, the level of physical activity, and the nature of our social interactions all affect the state of our brains at different timescales.

“Our findings suggest that behavioural, physiological and lifestyle factors correlate with brain connectivity across different timescales, in both the short term – less than seven days – and longer term, up to two weeks.”

The good news however is that physical activity was also found to positively affect brain region interaction and even slight changes in both mood and heart rate left lasting impressions for up to 15 whole days.

And with that, we’re off to bed.

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‘She’s Just Glorious’: David Tennant On Rivals Reunion With Doctor Who Star

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David Tennant has revealed that his ‘favourite days on set’ Disney+’s new TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s famous 1988 novel involved a familiar face.

David appears alongside Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson and Victoria Smurfit in the ‘raunchy’ new drama, which is set in the English countryside in the mid-1980s.

But the Doctor Who star’s on-screen wife, Lady Monica Baddingham, is played by none other than former co-star Claire Rushbrook, who starred alongside Tennant in season 2 episodes The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit as Ida Scott.

“And to have that husband and wife relationship. When she embodied Monica, there was no doubt of exactly who that woman was,” he added.

“She’s just glorious, and she’s also one of the loveliest, funniest people with the dirtiest sense of humour. I think possibly my favourite days on set were the Mr and Mrs Baddingham days.”

So far, the show has won unanimous praise from critics, with the Mail pointing out the show stays true to “Jilly’s obsession with bonking, boozing, groping and relentless political incorrectness”, while The Telegraph’s review hailed it as an “un-PC romp” that “stays true to Jilly Cooper’s spirit”.

Rivals arrives on Disney+ on 18 October.

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Millions Of Women In The UK Haven’t Been Tested For This Crucial Breast Cancer Risk Factor

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According to Cancer Research UK, there are over 56,000 new cases of breast cancer each year in the UK.

While research is constantly evolving and the survival rate is 76%, knowing the symptoms is essential for early diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

That’s why it’s so concerning that despite women getting their first invites for breast screening between the ages of 50 and 53, followed by screenings every three years until they’re 71, there is a key risk factor that’s not being tested in the UK.

According to research from Micrima, a Bristol-based health tech company on a mission to save millions of lives lost to the late detection of breast cancer, there’s a stark lack of awareness around breast density among UK women, despite it being a key breast cancer risk factor.

Micrima’s research, conducted in partnership with Opinium, found that 86% of women in the UK do not know their breast density, and are in fact six times more likely to know their childhood phone number.

This comes in spite of the fact that dense breasts increase the risk of developing breast cancer and pose a barrier to breast cancer detection.

Dense breasts are a breast cancer risk factor

Dense breasts are breasts with more fibrous or glandular tissue, and less fat. Global evidence suggests that as many as 40% of women over 40 have dense breasts.

The standard screening method for breast cancer — mammography — is not as effective at detecting breast cancer, and, according to Micrima’s data, most women don’t know this, with 67% admitting they didn’t know, and 5% of women thinking that dense breasts make screenings easier.

Based on the data, Micrima estimates that four million women over the age of 40 in the UK have dense breasts and don’t realise that they are at greater risk. Worryingly, as many as 41% of women said they have good knowledge of the risks associated with developing breast cancer, which highlights the lack of awareness and understanding of breast density consequences in the UK.

Adrian Waller, CEO Micrima commented “It is deeply concerning that awareness of breast density, and how it contributes to the risk of developing breast cancer, is so low among women in the UK. While mammography is the standard screening method for breast cancer worldwide, it is not as effective at detecting cancer in dense breasts. As a result, cancer is being undetected and left to spread.

“If we want more positive outcomes for breast cancer, we need to increase awareness of this problem and help build the infrastructure needed to tackle this issue. By equipping medical practitioners with the right technology, they can select the right diagnostic test for cancer, potentially saving the lives of millions of women who die having experienced late detection of breast cancer.”

“I was told by the sonographer that I had ‘the densest breasts’ they had ever seen”

Cancer survivor, Clare Cowhig, was 51 when she was first concerned about a strange area on her breast.

She explained: “Although it was nine months after my last clear mammogram, I booked a private ultrasound.

“I was told by the sonographer that I had ‘the densest breasts’ they had ever seen and was questioned about why I hadn’t been having MRIs due to the reduced sensitivity of mammography to find tumours in dense breasts.”

Until this point, Cowhig had been very careful to ensure she was getting regular testing, as there is a significant history of breast cancer in her family.

“I had no idea I had dense breasts, or why that was significant. Unfortunately, after further investigation, it was confirmed I had an invasive ductal cancer in each breast.

“I had highly dense breasts and these tumours never showed up on my mammograms. One tumour was stage-three and over five centimetres, the other was stage two and two centimetres. I had further areas of ‘in-situ’ disease in both.”

Following this revelation, Cowhig wanted to learn more about her breasts, and if their density had been noted in medical records. She explained: “I discovered that my dense breast tissue had been noted after each of my annual mammograms, yet this information was never shared with me.

“If I had been told about my dense breasts, I would have sought additional screening. I believe my tumours could have been found at a smaller and less advanced stage and I wouldn’t have had to endure such extensive treatment, including a double mastectomy.”

Learn more about breast density and how to discover yours at My Density Matters.

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GBBO’s Cornucopia Showstoppers Have A Kaos-Worthy History

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After last week’s falls, frights, and quittings, you’d think the Great British Bake-Off had had its fill of Kaos.

But it turns out this week’s showstoppers, mouth-watering cornucopia, have a history that’d fit right into the Greek mythology-based Netflix hit.

Also known as a “horn of plenty,” cornucopias symbolise abundance.

They date back to Ancient Greece and originally consisted of a goat’s horn filled with fruits and grain ― and were supposedly once used to conceal a very important guest.

What’s the myth behind cornucopias?

According to Dictionary.com, a Roman retelling of the Greek legends from Ovid says that Hercules wrestled the horn from a river god called Achelous. Nymphs then turned it into a horn of plenty, always brimming with food.

One of those nymphs, Amalthaea, fed her foster child Zeus (Jeff Goldblum to fans of the Netflix show) food from the cornucopia in some Greek myths while he was hiding from his father, Brittanica’s online encyclopedia shared.

A Greek legend goes on to say that Zeus went on to place the horn of plenty along with the rest of the goat among the stars, the encyclopedia adds.

The motif stuck around, becoming part of Ancient Roman myths and even appearing in a 1630 Rubens painting of the goddess Abuntia who was associated with the horn.

Its image is so enduring that we recognise it today, featuring it in movies like The Hunger Games and, apparently, attempting to recreate it in flour on the telly.

And we put it in our Fruit Of The Loom T-shirts! Right?

Some people think they remember seeing the produce-filled horn on the cartoon fruit-bearing label of Fruit Of The Loom T-shirts when they were younger.

I’m one of them, but according to the company, we’re wrong ― the company shared on X that “The Mandela Effect is real, the cornucopia in our logo is not.”

Sounds like something a regretful Zeus would make the brand say after an overzealous Earhtly marketing campaign, but okay…

You can watch The Great British Bake-Off every Tuesday at 8 pm on Channel 4.

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So THAT’S How The Celebs For Strictly Come Dancing Are Chosen

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We all love a bit of Strictly, don’t we?

In the final months of the year, we cosy up in front of the TV with a cuppa and for a couple of hours, we’re suddenly dance experts, choreographers, the Best of the Biz when it comes to dancing.

However, our real expertise comes into play before the show is even back on air. The second that the Strictly contestants are announced, the real judges are us: “Who is that guy?” “Wait, wasn’t he in an advert or something?” “How is she a celebrity?”.

We know better than not just the dancers but the casting directors, too. We reckon we either don’t know people or they’re long-since washed up celebs.

However, Richard Osman pointed out on his podcast with Marina Hyde, The Rest Is Entertainment, that actually, Strictly is often the making of celebs and our assumptions about them is often wrong.

He said: “A large proportion of the biggest stars on British TV come from reality shows. Strictly has been the absolute making of them. I mean the wonderful late Caroline Flack absolutely went from minor TV presenter to presenting the X Factor and Love Island because she won Strictly.

″[As an agent] if you have a client who is on the cusp of becoming huge, and they have a personality that people like watching on television, then doing something like Strictly… it’s almost impossible to think of a better show.”

Talent executive at Strictly revealed details behind choosing contestants

Speaking on the Strictly Confidential podcast in 2018, the show’s talent executive Stefania Aleksander revealed that the process is actually quite complicated, saying: “You come up with ideas for the cast of Strictly, present them to the executives and commissioners, and together decide who we want to go for.

“The list is endless. We approach people that we really want to go after and we’d love to see on the show and then we meet them to have a chat about the show, and the commitment, and find out how much they want to learn to dance. Then we present that to the channel between us – it’s a long process.”

…Maybe we need to be a little less judgemental.

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Keir Starmer Angrily Rules Out Israeli Arms Sales Ban As He Calls For End To War

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Keir Starmer has ruled out a complete ban on UK arms sales to Israel – but warned that the Middle East cannot endure another year of war.

Speaking on the first anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel which killed more than 1,200 innocent civilians, the prime minister insisted the country had the right to defend itself.

But as the death toll continues to rise in Gaza and Lebanon, Starmer urged all sides in the conflict to “step back from the brink” before it is too late.

The government sparked outrage last month by announcing that around 30 arms exports licences to Israel were being suspended, out of a total of around 350.

In the Commons on Monday, independent MP Zarah Sultana called on the PM to go even further.

She said: “In light of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, the violence in the West Bank and invasion of Lebanon, I ask the prime minister if he believes Israel’s right to self defence justifies a death toll, according to research by US medical professionals who work in Gaza, has now surpassed 118,000, as well as the 2,000 people killed in Lebanon.

“Will he do what is morally and legally right and end the government’s complicity in war crimes by banning all arms sales to Israel, including F-35 fighter jets, not just 30 licences. Yes or no?”

The PM replied: “No. But it is a really serious point. Banning all sales would mean none for defensive purposes, on the anniversary of October 7 and days after a huge attack by Iran into Israel, would be the wrong position for this government and I will not take it.”

In a statement marking one year on from the October 7 Hamas attacks, Starmer said: “We support Israel’s right to defend herself against Iran’s aggression in line with international law.”

But he added: “The region cannot endure another year of this.

“Civilians on all sides have suffered too much. All sides must now step back from the brink and find the courage of restraint.”

He said Hamas’ actions on October 7 were supported by Iran, which played a “malign role” in the region, also backing Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the Yemen-based Houthis.

The prime minister said the first anniversary of the attack was a “day of grief” for the wider Middle East.

“Over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, tens of thousands orphaned, almost two million displaced, facing disease, starvation, desperation, without proper healthcare or shelter.

“It is a living nightmare and it must end.”

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Joker Director Says *That* Shock Ending Was A Response To 1 Major Criticism Of First Film

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This article contains major spoilers for Joker: Folie À Deux.

Joker director Todd Phillips has opened up about Folie À Deux’s shock ending.

The new sequel stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, taking viewers on a two-hour journey that’s part jukebox musical, part gritty prison movie, part courtroom drama and part dystopian political satire.

After all of that, the film ends on a shocking note with Joaquin’s Arthur Fleck being killed by a fellow patient, credited simply as Young Inmate in Arkham, who tells him a nonsensical joke before stabbing him repeatedly in the stomach.

This unidentified patient, played by Connor Storrie, then goes on to mutilate his own face while laughing off screen, suggesting that he is actually the Joker character known in the Batman comics, instead of Arthur, as had previously been assumed.

Grim, right?

During an interview with IGN, Todd confirmed this theory to be the case, revealing the scene was partly inspired by one major criticism of the first Joker film in which Joaquin encounters Bruce Wayne as a young boy.

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“One of the things that people never understood about the first movie was, ‘I don’t get it. He visits Bruce Wayne and he’s 30 years older than Bruce Wayne. What kind of geriatric Joker is going to fight in the future?’,” the filmmaker said.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the script of the first movie. The first film is called Joker. It’s not called The Joker, it’s called Joker.”

Todd continued: “The first film under the script always said ‘An origin story’. It never said the origin story. It was this idea that maybe this isn’t the Joker. Maybe this is the inspiration for the Joker.

“So, in essence at the end of this movie, the thing you’re being left with is ‘Wait, what is that thing happening behind him? Is that the guy?’.”

Lady Gaga, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix in London
Lady Gaga, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix in London

via Associated Press

Meanwhile, Todd also confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that a scene towards the end of the film in which Harvey Dent’s face is disfigured in the courtroom bombing is intended as a new origin story for the Batman villain Two Face.

“All we’re doing is saying, let’s use this lore as a foundation, but run it through a realistic lens, or at least a different lens than it’s been run through in other things, to make it our own,” he said, claiming that Industry actor Harry Lawtey is “playing the character before that character” in Folie À Deux.

Joker: Folie À Deux is in cinemas now.

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