Category Archives: Life

The Worst Mistake A Psychologist Says Demotivated People Make

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We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how feeling “meh” all the time can be a sign of anhedonia or dysthymia.

But according to psychologist Dr Bijal Chheda of Nos Curare, not feeling particularly motivated can be caused by a range of issues and conditions.

She said that demotivation is “one of the brain’s early responses to ongoing stress,” explaining, “As stress builds, the brain shifts into energy-saving mode, making focus and initiating tasks feel difficult, which can drain motivation.”

This can be common among those with ADHD, for instance, she added.

While many of us may try to will ourselves out of these periods, the psychologist said this is a mistake.

What should I do if I feel demotivated?

Sometimes, Dr Chheda said, the stress and self-blame you feel about not being productive can, ironically, take a lot of energy. “Overwhelm and perfectionism” are common culprits.

But believing you’re a failure when you don’t give everything 100% – and thinking you can will yourself back into an A-star performance – is a trap that can sap your motivation, she continued.

“If this sounds familiar, it can help to stop relying on willpower and instead lower the barrier to entry. Start with a messy first version, giving yourself permission to do it badly just to get it moving.”

I’ve seen success with half-assed workouts, which helped to keep me way more consistent than all-or-nothing exercise regimens I inevitably dropped out of. Science says that tiny shifts in our eating, sleep, and exercise routines – we’re talking two minutes more movement and grams more vegetables a day – can help you to live longer, too.

Actively deciding it’s OK to do a less-than-optimal version of whatever task you’re hoping to achieve “makes it easier to re-engage with the task, without feeling pressure to succeed the first time round,” the expert said.

Speak to an expert if demotivation lasts a long time

As we’ve mentioned before, feeling demotivated for a long time can be related to anhedonia or dysthymia.

“If you feel this is a consistent pattern, it may be worth exploring whether ADHD could be a factor with a qualified mental health professional,” Dr Chheda added.

The NHS says that low mood, which can include not enjoying things you used to, not being able to concentrate, and feeling helpless, can be signs of depression, for which you should consider speaking to a professional.

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A Professor Ranked The 41 Best Fruits And Veg To Fight Disease

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GP Dr Dawn Harper previously told HuffPost UK that she’s sceptical of “superfoods” – “there is no one single silver bullet that will enhance your chances of living a long and healthy life,” she said.

You might think that Dr Jennifer Di Noia, an Associate Professor of Sociology at William Paterson University, whose 2014 paper sought to find the best fruits and veg to reduce our disease risk, was more fond of terms like these.

But she had her own concerns. “Efforts to define… powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV), foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk… are lacking,” she wrote at the time.

So, the researcher set out research-backed terms.

What counts as “powerhouse fruits and vegetables” or PFVs?

In her study, “powerhouse” fruits and vegetables had to offer at least 10% more of 17 nutrients per 100 calories than other foods.

These nutrients the study looked at were:

  1. potassium,
  2. fibre,
  3. protein,
  4. calcium,
  5. iron,
  6. thiamin,
  7. riboflavin,
  8. niacin,
  9. folate,
  10. zinc,
  11. vitamin A,
  12. vitamin B,
  13. vitamin B,
  14. vitamin C,
  15. vitamin D,
  16. vitamin E, and
  17. vitamin K.

These nutrients had been deemed of public health importance by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and Institute of Medicine, the paper read.

The more of these a plant packed per calorie, the higher the PFV’s nutrient density score was.

However, the paper stressed that these aren’t the only potentially health-boosting components of food; therefore, these metrics could miss some produce that’s great for us.

41 fruits and vegetables, ranked by disease-fighting potential

Of the 47 foods the study author looked at, 41 met her criteria for “PFV”. (The six that missed the mark were raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onion, and blueberries).

In order, their nutrient density scores were:

  • Watercress – 100.00
  • Napa cabbage – 91.99
  • Chard – 89.27
  • Beetroot greens – 87.08
  • Spinach – 86.43
  • Chicory – 73.36
  • Leaf lettuce – 70.73
  • Parsley – 65.59
  • Romaine lettuce – 63.48
  • Collard greens – 62.49
  • Turnip greens – 62.12
  • Mustard leaves – 61.39
  • Endive – 60.44
  • Chive – 54.80
  • Kale – 49.07
  • Dandelion leaves – 46.34
  • Red pepper – 41.26
  • Rocket – 37.65
  • Broccoli – 34.89
  • Pumpkin – 33.82
  • Brussels sprouts – 32.23
  • Spring onion – 27.35
  • Kohlrabi – 25.92
  • Cauliflower – 25.13
  • Cabbage – 24.51
  • Carrot – 22.60
  • Tomato – 20.37
  • Lemon – 18.72
  • Iceberg lettuce – 18.28
  • Strawberry – 17.59
  • Radish – 16.91
  • Winter squash (all varieties) – 13.89
  • Orange – 12.91
  • Lime – 12.23
  • Grapefruit (pink and red) – 11.64
  • Swede – 11.58
  • Turnip – 11.43
  • Blackberries – 11.39
  • Leeks – 10.69
  • Sweet potato – 10.51
  • Grapefruit (white) – 10.47.

With that said, the best approach for a healthy diet is eating a balance of healthy foods. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables of all different kinds is liked to better heart health, the British Heart Foundation has said.

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Sorry, But Science Says Sleeping Naked In A Heatwave Is A Terrible Idea

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The UK just saw its hottest May day on record, and we’ve had some unusually hot “tropical nights” (over 20C) too.

That can ruin your sleep. One paper found that heatwaves are especially ruinous, causing us to lose crucial minutes of shut-eye.

But if you’ve been sleeping in the nip for a cooler night, Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, a resident sleep expert at MattressNextDay, says you might want to reconsider.

Why shouldn’t you sleep naked in a heatwave?

It has to do with how sweat, which needs to evaporate to cool us off, behaves.

You might think that water wicks away faster when we’re naked. But the sleep expert said that’s not always true,

The move “feels logical, but without breathable natural fibre bedding to wick sweat away, moisture simply sits on the skin and creates a clammy humid ‘microclimate’ that is more likely to wake you up in the middle of the night.” Pennicotte-Collier explained.

The same logic applies to your bedsheets – we “should replace [our duvet] with a lightweight breathable layer instead of sleeping completely uncovered,” she said.

Research has her (pyjamaed) back. One paper from the University of Birmingham found that linen bedding was linked to fewer wake-ups among younger participants in hot weather.

How can I get to sleep in a heatwave?

Sleeping on a lower level in your home might help, the Red Cross said, as heat rises.

And paradoxical as it might sound, taking a warm shower might help, too.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, Dr Seeta Shah from PANDA London said: “Many take a cold shower before bed in hot weather, but a shockingly cold shower can actually raise core body temperature as your body works to counteract the sudden cold.

“A lukewarm to slightly cool shower is better. It gently reduces body temperature and triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, helping your body wind down and enter a sleep-conducive state.”

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Common Speech Patterns Could Be Early Signs Of Cognitive Decline

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If you’re like most people, you probably rely on filler words like “um” and “uh” when speaking, whether you’re presenting at work or talking to old friends over coffee.

Use of filler words can be very, very normal, but new research found that in some cases, you may want to pay closer attention to your speech patterns for the sake of your cognitive health and dementia risk.

The research, which was led by experts from the Baycrest Corporate Centre for Geriatric Care, the University of Toronto and York University, found that certain speech patterns can be indicative of cognitive decline and a higher risk for dementia.

Folks who participated in the study were tasked with verbally describing what they saw in different detailed images and were recorded while explaining what they were looking at.

Researchers then used AI to analyse the speech patterns in the recordings, such as the use of filler words like “um” and “uh,” pauses in conversation and trouble with word-finding.

Participants also completed cognitive tests; how someone performed on the speech analysis predicted how well, or not well, someone did on their cognitive tests.

“We know that language is one of the domains of cognition that can be really affected by dementia, and certain types of dementia more than others, but in all types of dementia, difficulty finding common words is a feature that we look for, and that we know occurs,” said Dr. Heather Whitson, a distinguished professor in neuroscience at Duke School of Medicine in North Carolina. Whitson is not affiliated with the study.

This does not mean that every forgotten word or instance of calling a restaurant by the wrong name is cause for concern, experts told HuffPost.

New research found that certain speech patterns could be signs of cognitive decline.

Cavan Images via Getty Images

New research found that certain speech patterns could be signs of cognitive decline.

“All of us, probably starting around our 20s or 30s, start doing a little bit worse over time on many formal cognitive tests, and that does not mean that we’re on the way to dementia. It’s what we often refer to as healthy aging,” said Dr. Carolyn Fredericks, an assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut. Fredericks is not affiliated with the study.

“And some of the things that they were looking at in this study are things where everybody gets a little worse on these measures over time, but they’re picking up a signature where [in] some people, it’s just that much more so, and those are the ones who are vulnerable,” said Fredericks.

Again, difficulty finding words can be a normal part of aging, stressed Whitson.

“Usually it starts with proper nouns, so the person who’s saying, ‘I can remember everything about that actor, but I can’t think of their name right now,’” added Whitson.

There are also limitations to this study. “Speech patterns are very dependent on culture and even families,” said Whitson, and this study doesn’t address the aspect of speech differences.

For example, it’s common for folks in the south to speak slower and with more pauses than those in the north, and that is not a sign of cognitive decline.

More, this data was all “drawn from one time point,” Whitson said. So, there is nothing to compare someone’s speech patterns to. Meaning, someone’s use of the word “uh” may be normal and something they picked up in childhood, not a sign of cognitive decline.

Not all cognitive changes are worrisome, but there are some warning signs of dementia you should know

Again, not every “um” or pause in conversation is cause for concern, but there are some red flags that should warrant a visit to your doctor.

“The kinds of things I would worry about, number one … having a lot of difficulty expressing oneself, particularly with ordinary dictionary words, not just struggling to come up with the name of someone or the title of a book or movie,” Whitson said.

Short-term memory lapses are also concerning, Whitson noted. “That usually presents with either repeating one’s questions in a very short time span,” added Whitson.

“Other things is getting lost in familiar places, or repeatedly forgetting important appointments,” she said. Misplacing items and having no idea how the item got there in the first place is also a red flag, added Whitson.

Since cognitive decline is a part of healthy ageing, it can be hard to tell what is normal and what is not so normal. “Often it’s helpful to compare yourself to your peers,” said Fredericks.

For instance, if your peers are also occasionally forgetting the name of the new dentist in town, you’re likely in good company. But, if you find yourself misplacing items frequently, and don’t see that in others you age, it’s a good idea to talk to a doctor.

There are some lifestyle adjustments that can help lower your dementia risk

There are some modifiable lifestyle behaviours that can lower your risk of dementia. These are “the most actionable things that people can do in their 20s and beyond,” said Whitson.

Controlling high blood pressure is an important way to lower your dementia risk, Whitson said. “There’s even evidence that strict control of blood pressure down to a top number of 120 or less is associated with reduced dementia risk,” she added.

“Physical activity is one of the things that is most associated with lowering dementia risk, as well as almost every other kind of health risk,” Whitson said.
“So, I always tell people, if they’re going to change one thing about their lifestyle, increasing physical activity would be the thing to do.”

It’s also important to get good quality sleep and follow a nutritious diet. Fredericks recommends the Mediterranean diet or other heart-healthy diets.

“Making sure that people’s vision and hearing are optimised is associated with lowering our dementia risk, which kind of makes sense because our ears and our eyes are what feeds most information and activation to our brain,” added Whitson.

So, if you need glasses or hearing aids, it’s a good idea to see a doctor and get a prescription.

Protecting yourself from head injury by wearing a helmet when biking, for example, or during contact sports is another way to lower risk, Whitson said, in addition to not smoking.

Having regular social and intellectual stimulation is also recommended, noted Fredericks. This can impact your cognition and help your brain stay challenged and alert, Fredericks added.

This AI tool these researchers used to analyse the data is “very promising,” Whitson said. A tool that can pick up patterns in speech and reveal something about our brain function and cognition has great promise, Whitson noted.

But, don’t panic if you find yourself using “um” a lot or pausing in conversation. Instead, do what you can to lower your dementia risk and look out for other dementia red flags – and talk to a doctor if you are concerned.

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There’s A Reason Your Friends Have More Friends Than You

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In 2012, Pew Research found that while the typical Facebook user had 245 Facebook friends, the average *friend* someone has on Facebook had 359.

That sounds completely illogical at first. But it’s explained by the “friendship paradox,” a term resulting from sociologist Professor Scott Feld’s 1991 paper.

The phenomenon has since been translated into mathematical theories.

But what exactly is this “friendship paradox”, and what does it actually mean for our social lives?

What is the friendship paradox?

In a Purdue University video, Prof Feld said he was “surprised” to find “that it’s always true in social networks that friends in general have more friends on average than people do”.

If that sounds a bit like a head-scratcher, well, it is (hence the “paradox” part).

“People assume that if there’s a pair of friends, one must have more friends and the other must have [fewer] friends, so you would expect that half the people would have fewer friends than their friends,” he continued.

But instead, he said, some people have loads of friends, and naturally, those people are likelier to be friends with lots of people who have fewer friends than them.

And the other people who have fewer friends are less likely to be our mates.

In other words, it’s not so much that most people hover around an average amount of friends, with some having slightly more than others. Instead, very extroverted people throw the balance off a lot (a bit like counting billionaires when calculating people’s net worth).

“Each of us seems to be thinking that our friends have more friends than we do, which they, in fact, do, because our friends are the people who are friends with everybody,” said Prof Feld.

Later analysis found that the mathematical premise of the “friendship paradox” seems to bear out in real life.

So… what does that mean?

Well, Professor Feld said, one takeaway could be to remember that comparing yourself to your mates isn’t really a great indicator of your true standing: we should try to remember that this sample is “biased”.

Secondly, on a broader level, it means some people could spread more of anything – from ideas to disease and misinformation – than the average person might, meaning more of us are influenced than influencing.

“So if you want to stop the spread of a pandemic,” Prof Feld continued, “you really would like to vaccinate people’s friends more than you’d want to vaccinate random people.”

The same goes for switching people onto a certain product. Basically, whatever spread you want to create, track, or predict, you’re better off looking at other people’s mates’ habits than their own.

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Too Many Burps? Here’s What Excessive Belching Says About Your Health

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A few months ago, I started burping. Not in a funny, show-off-for-the-kids way, but in a constant, uncomfortable, what-is-happening-to-my-body kind of way.

I started counting: 30, 40 times a day. And like any adult in 2026, I immediately turned to Google to ask whether that was a normal amount of belching.

From the obvious offenders (sparkling water and speed-eating) to more serious underlying conditions like ulcers, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or, in rare cases, cancer, I spoke with gastroenterologists to break down when burping is harmless, and when it’s a signal that something else is going on.

What counts as ‘normal’ burping?

“Burping is normal,” Dr. Samantha Nazareth, a board-certified gastroenterologist and chief medical officer at metaME in New York, reassured me. “It’s air moving up from the food pipe (oesophagus) or the stomach.”

That said, “normal” isn’t exactly a fixed number. What feels like a lot to one person might barely register for someone else, and the range is wider than you’d think.

“It is difficult to give a ‘normal’ cutoff,” shared Dr. Rabia de Latour, a double board-certified gastroenterologist and therapeutic endoscopist in New York. “Some people burp infrequently, some burp 10-20 times a day, some only burp a few times after eating or drinking and some people can voluntarily produce a burp.”

Still, there are some benchmarks that can help put things in perspective. One 2020 study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that patients who burped more than 13 times a day were more likely to have an underlying gastrointestinal issue than healthy individuals, who averaged closer to two daily episodes.

“In general, we consider abnormal burping when it disrupts your daily activities or quality of life or occurs with any other symptoms like trouble swallowing or nausea or bloating,” explained Dr. Elena Ivanina, a triple board-certified integrative gastroenterologist and functional medicine doctor.

The most common (and totally harmless) reasons you’re burping more

Just because you’re burping more than 13 times a day doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. In many cases, it comes down to simple, everyday habits – especially how you eat.

One of the biggest culprits is swallowing excess air. That can happen when you eat too quickly, talk while eating, chew gum, smoke, suck on hard candies or drink through a straw.

“It can be purely behavioural,” de Latour said, noting that these habits can lead to more air entering the digestive tract, and eventually, more belching.

What you’re eating and drinking plays a role, too. If you’re a sparkling water person, for example, all that carbonation has to go somewhere. “Dietary factors often include increased carbonated beverages, chewing gum, sucking on candies, drinking through straws, high-fat or fried foods or food high in fermentable carbohydrates like lactose (dairy),” Ivanina explained.

A few lifestyle factors can quietly add to the mix. Stress and anxiety can increase how much air you swallow throughout the day, while slouching or lying down right after eating can make it harder for gas to move through your system. “Stress/anxiety can contribute to this,” Nazareth noted. “Slouching or lying down after eating can trap gas.”

Taken together, it means that a sudden uptick in burping isn’t always a red flag. Sometimes, it’s just your daily habits catching up with you.

It's critical to talk to your physician if burping feels excessive or like it's interfering with your daily life.

The Good Brigade via Getty Images

It’s critical to talk to your physician if burping feels excessive or like it’s interfering with your daily life.

When it might be something more than just air

But let’s say you’ve cut back on the LaCroix, slowed down your eating, and you’re still belching like a six-year-old at a birthday party… It might be time to pay attention.

De Latour flags these symptoms as ones to watch: bloating, abdominal pain, acid reflux, unintentional weight loss, heartburn, diarrhoea, blood in your stool or vomit, vomiting, loss of appetite, chest pain, new anaemia (especially iron deficiency), and early satiety – that’s feeling full faster than usual.

Beyond the physical symptoms, there’s a simpler gut-check (so to speak): if it’s disrupting your life, that’s the real red flag.

“It becomes problematic when it is bothering the patient; either because it is too frequent, uncontrollable or causing feelings of embarrassment due to any of the above or odour,” de Latour said.

As for when to pick up the phone, you don’t need to be checking every box. Even one or two symptoms from that list, especially if they’re new or persistent, is reason enough to loop in your doctor. Trust your gut. (Sorry, had to.)

What actually helps reduce excessive burping

The good news: most belching is fixable. A few things worth trying before you spiral into a gastroenterology rabbit hole:

Stop multitasking while eating

It sounds obvious, but Nazareth’s first recommendation to patients is simple – slow down, chew thoroughly, and stop talking with your mouth full.

Watch the usual suspects

Carbonated drinks, chewing gum, hard candy and straws all sneak in extra air.

Check your anxiety

Stress and nervous swallowing are surprisingly common triggers.

Look at your diet

Certain foods – onions, garlic, beans, cruciferous vegetables – are notorious for producing gas in the lower part of the digestive tract.

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This Walking Habit Might Be One Of The Easiest Ways To Improve Your Balance

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Walking on grass and sand helps you connect with nature, but it also has one unexpected benefit you might not know about.

Turns out, walking on uneven surfaces will activate your body’s alert system known as proprioception, an overlooked but critical sense that subconsciously tells you where your limbs and body are at all times.

If a surface is suddenly slanted, proprioception tells your body that “the position of your joint is different and so it would activate muscles in a different way so that you don’t fall over to the right,” said Claire Morrow, a physical therapist with Hinge Health.

When proprioception is working well, it’s automatic. Your feet will know where to land on the slope of a hill to keep your ankles stable without you looking.

But proprioception declines as you get older or after an injury, which is why you don’t want to ignore training this internal awareness system. You might just lose it if you stop using it.

For example, if you sprain your ankle, you can lose ligament stability and the proprioception “feedback loop” that prevents you from re-rolling your ankle and injuring yourself again, Morrow said. The good news is that with a few simple adjustments, you can hone this sense and train it to get better.

Training this sense doesn’t have to be intimidating

You don’t need to hike up a mountain to train your proprioception. Simply look for uneven surfaces that nature provides with grass, dirt or sand to give your body small challenges on your walk.

If you're used to only waking on sidewalks, try walking on grass to test your body's proprioception.

recep-bg via Getty Images

If you’re used to only waking on sidewalks, try walking on grass to test your body’s proprioception.

Walking on beach sand or soft grass in a park instead of predictably flat pavement can “give your body a challenge to react to something that was a little unexpected,” Morrow said, which is what’s needed to train your lower body’s proprioception.

She suggests starting on pressed dirt and then graduating to grass and sand. “If you don’t mind getting your feet dirty, then doing it barefoot is sometimes a fun way” to practice proprioception too, Morrow added.

If you’re nervous about your balance, you can use hiking poles on unstable surfaces to have the benefit of your foot testing different positions while still having support, Morrow said.

Since proprioception can decline with age, older adults at risk of falling should focus on honing this ability. One 2017 study of adults over 70 found that the loss of reliable proprioception was a key factor in why those adults were more likely to sway on their feet while standing.

Proprioception “can improve your balance, and with increased balance, you decrease the fall potential, especially in elderly people,” said Patrick Maloney, the lead athletic trainer at Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine in New Orleans.

“The danger of that impaired proprioception is you get into a position where you need to catch yourself, but you don’t have the quickness to catch yourself,” Morrow said.

Here is a quick proprioception test for yourself: Can you balance on one leg for 10 seconds? If you can’t, Morrow suggests working with a physical therapist who can give you exercises to improve this skill.

She also suggests consulting with a therapist if your walking pace has significantly declined or if you need to touch a wall or a railing while walking to stay balanced.

So the next time you go for a walk, try walking next to the sidewalk on some soft grass or dirt. It will give you a break from your usual routine and will also help train your body’s awareness to protect your health in the future.

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A Doctor Explains What It Can Mean If You Get Dizzy Standing Up

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Though you might think something as ordinary as feeling winded after taking the stairs is normal, Dr Katherine Pohlgeers previously told HuffPost that if your breathing “stay[s] elevated past three minutes or a prolonged period of time, that’s when it becomes more concerning”.

But what about feeling dizzy when you stand up?

We asked Dr Donald Grant, a GP and senior clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, what it could mean and when to see a doctor.

It could be normal, or it may be orthostatic hypotension

“Feeling dizzy when you stand up can be normal, and it usually occurs due to blood pressure changes, which means the brain gets less blood flow for a brief moment,” Dr Grant explained.

“This is particularly common after standing or sitting for extended periods, but outside of that, several potential causes shouldn’t be ignored.”

One of the most “common” of these, he added, is “postural hypotension” (also known as orthostatic hypotension), or a sudden lowering of blood pressure that happens when you go from sitting to standing.

“Other common signs of this include blurred vision, general weakness, confusion and nausea,” he explained.

The NHS said it’s important to see a doctor if you get repeated signs of low blood pressure, like dizziness and fainting.

Any other causes?

“Dizziness may also be caused by dehydration, so it’s important to drink enough fluids each day, especially as we approach the warmer months,” Dr Grant continued.

“While it can vary depending on age, health conditions and the weather, people should generally aim to drink six to eight cups of fluid each day.”

Additionally, some medications and pre-existing health conditions, like anaemia, diabetes, and heart problems, can make you feel dizzy when you stand up too.

When should I see a doctor about this?

“If dizziness occurs regularly or suddenly worsens, seek urgent medical attention. A qualified health professional can provide more tailored advice on potential causes and treatment,” shared Dr Grant.

In general, the NHS suggests you should see a doctor if your dizziness or vertigo keeps coming back or lasts a long time, or if hearing or speaking becomes difficult.

You should also visit your doctor if you experience tinnitus (ringing in the ears); double or blurred vision; numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs; changes in pulse; fainting; headaches or nausea, according to the health service.

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Don’t Lose Money Buying A Used Car – This History Checker Reveals Hidden Costs

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We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Buying a car is expensive. Between finance, dealership fees, road tax, maintenance, and insurance, choosing a new vehicle can be a costly decision.

With the price of new cars on the rise, it makes sense that more people are opting to buy used cars each year. Over 7.8 million used cars were bought in the UK in 2025, up 2.15% from the previous year and this is only projected to rise.

And while investing in a second hand car can save you thousands of pounds, it can also come with stratospheric hidden costs if you don’t properly investigate its past.

With the cost of new cars constantly fluctuating, and electronic vehicles being introduced into the market, it can be difficult to know whether you’re getting a fair deal on a used car.

As well as figuring out the fair price of a car, there is also its safety to consider.

Dishonest dealers can disguise themselves as private sellers to avoid having to be responsible for faulty cars, or those that have been written off by insurance.

If we learnt anything from Roald Dahl’s Mr Wormwood, it’s that there is also a risk that the mileage displayed on a car isn’t genuine.

In fact, one in 11 cars checked by HPI Check has a discrepancy with its mileage. This can not only reduce a car’s safety, but can lead to costly repairs further down the road.

And, we know what you’re thinking: it’s unlikely you’ll fall for a scam. But one in three cars run through HPI check has something to hide.

So to avoid being hit with unwanted bills and legal disputes down the line, using a car history check service can give you peace of mind.

To make sure you’re not gambling on whether the seller has been truthful about the history of your car, HPI check investigates everything you need to be aware of when buying a used car.

The HPI check covers:

  • If the car is reported as stolen
  • If the car is an insurance write-off
  • Whether there’s an outstanding loan or finance agreement on the car
  • The number of its previous owners
  • If the DVLA has marked the car as scrapped
  • If the logbook is legitimate
  • Mileage discrepancies
  • How many number plate changes the car has had.

This will reveal whether or not you’ll be the rightful owner of your new car, and uncover if it has a dangerous past you need to be aware of.

The HPI check will also help you investigate if the car you want to buy is roadworthy, which will help you learn the true market value of the car and negotiate a fair deal with the seller.

According to one HPI check reviewer, the service saved him money and a long journey. “I saw the car I wanted, checked it through the HPI check website, and how relieved I was that I did check its history,” he said.

“It was an insurance write-off and the mileage was incorrect. It saved me from a very bad situation and having a conman making my life a misery. Money well spent.”

But it’s not just money you could save: using HPI check could also give you the confidence to navigate buying a used car in future, and save you the stress of dealing with a faulty one.

Another reviewer said: “We used HPI check because we trusted their information on a used car that we wanted to purchase. In the world of used cars this proved to be invaluable advice, we would recommend anyone thinking of buying a quality used car to use this service.”

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31°C Scorcher Set To Fall This Bank Holiday Weekend, Says Met Office

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This upcoming bank holiday weekend (Friday 22-Monday 25 May) is set to be “very warm” with “plenty of sunshine,” the Met Office’s current forecast reads.

Per the BBC, some parts of the UK will see the mercury rise to 28°C on Thursday and Friday.

Though very high temperatures (hotter than the hottest day of the year so far, which was 26.6°C), those don’t necessarily mean we’ll be in an official heatwave.

Here’s where temperatures are expected to soar, what makes a heatwave a heatwave, and how long the conditions are expected to last.

Where is it expected to reach 31°C in the UK?

As of time of writing, The Met has forecast 28°C in the South-East, including London, on Saturday, 23 May, with temperatures reaching as high as 30°C on Sunday, 24 May.

And on Monday, the South-East (including London) will see a scorching 31°C, the Met’s interactive forecast map currently reads.

Other parts of the country will still be hot ― Manchester and Plymouth are expected to reach 26°C at the same time on Monday, while Cardiff will reach 27°C.

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Heard it’s warming up?

Temperatures are on the rise later in the week and after the recent chilly spell it will feel markedly warmer📈

It won’t be entirely dry; thunderstorms are possible on Saturday – but it will be a fine and warm long weekend for the vast majority🌤️🌡️ pic.twitter.com/zJzjfv5GEE

— Met Office (@metoffice) May 19, 2026

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Temperatures are on the rise later in the week and after the recent chilly spell it will feel markedly warmer📈 It won’t be entirely dry; thunderstorms are possible on Saturday – but it will be a fine and warm long weekend for the vast majority🌤️🌡️ pic.twitter.com/zJzjfv5GEE— Met Office (@metoffice) May 19, 2026\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/2056698970961829888/pu/img/A23jgsvSqbecIASQ.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":720,"title":"Met Office on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/2056698993757823407","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{"fonts":{"primary":{},"accent":{},"caption":{}}},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"life","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isMobile":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6a0d6622e4b0ceb40d485767","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/uk-heatwave-bank-holiday-weekend_uk_6a0d6622e4b0ceb40d485767","entryTagsList":"weather,heatwave","sectionSlug":"lifestyle","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"isShopping":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.lifestyle","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/4c2615b8-caae-4d5a-bab7-30953fac6785/1_th.jpg?crop=629:354,smart&width=629&height=354&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6a0d6622e4b0ceb40d485767","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"weather","slug":"weather","links":{"relativeLink":"news/weather","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/weather","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/weather"},"relegenceSubjectId":983981,"section":{"title":"News","slug":"news"},"topic":{"title":"Weather","slug":"weather","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/weather/"},{"name":"heatwave","slug":"heatwave","links":{"relativeLink":"news/heatwave","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/heatwave","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/heatwave"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/heatwave/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"signInUrl":"https://login.huffpost.com/login?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffpost.com%2Fentry%2Fuk-heatwave-bank-holiday-weekend_uk_6a0d6622e4b0ceb40d485767%3Fhp_auth_done%3D1","cetUnit":"buzz_body","enableIncontentPlayer":false,"bodyAds":["

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Heard it’s warming up?

Temperatures are on the rise later in the week and after the recent chilly spell it will feel markedly warmer📈

It won’t be entirely dry; thunderstorms are possible on Saturday – but it will be a fine and warm long weekend for the vast majority🌤️🌡️ pic.twitter.com/zJzjfv5GEE

— Met Office (@metoffice) May 19, 2026

Is that a heatwave?

A heatwave officially occurs when somewhere in the UK gets a minimum of three days in a row at or above the maximum temperature threshold.

In the UK, those maximums vary. The South-East is sunnier than the rest of the UK, meaning its temperature threshold is 28°C or 27°C. London’s threshold is 28°C.

As you head further North and West, that threshold reaches 25°C and 26°C.

London is predicted to reach or exceed these temperatures on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (Tuesday should be a scorcher too), so yes, if those predictions hold, we will be in an official heatwave. Other parts of the country, particularly in the South-East, are likely to qualify too.

How long will the heatwave last?

High pressure, which is responsible for sunny, dry conditions, is expected to last into the week following this Bank Holiday weekend, the Met Office said.

In fact, their long-range forecast reads that while we’ll likely see some rain and scattered showers in between, sunnier, warmer weather could last until “mid-June”.

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