I Don’t Have Time For My Friends. What Can I Do?

Posted on 18/10/2025 by Boris Clair

I don’t know if “hypocrite” is exactly the right word, but I’m definitely proof that knowing better does not always mean doing better.

For instance, I know how bad it is to check your clock and doom-scroll after waking up at 3am. And yet I still do it: my insomnia persists.

I’m also well aware that close, healthy relationships with other people are key to living a longer and healthier life. Having great mates can even lower your risk of dementia.

So why do I have 14 unread texts at the moment, and how come the idea of dragging my weary bones to an after-work event has made me sob in the past?

I love my friends, but if I’m honest, I am too exhausted by life and its endless admin to make plans as much as I’d like to.

This is not fair of me, and I feel awful about it, but it seems to be a common concern: a 2024 study found that less than half of us spend as much time as we’d like with our mates, which makes sense since we hang out under half the amount we used to 10 years ago.

And, per Dating.com, Google searches for “don’t have time for friends” have jumped +163% this month.

If you’re in the same boat, what should you do? Here’s what Dr Uma Darji, a family doctor, and Lee Thompson, co-founder of Flash Pack (a travel company that brings solo adventurers together), told us.

Feeling too tired for friends is, sadly, all too common

Ironically, you are not alone in feeling too fatigued to hang out.

Dr Darji admitted, “When you’re juggling work, family, and the daily chaos of adult life, friendship can start to feel like another item on your to-do list. I see this all the time in my patients, and honestly, I’ve felt it too.

“The truth is that mental and emotional exhaustion don’t just make us tired, but they also make us withdraw. Although catching up with a friend should feel energising, it can feel overwhelming when your brain is in survival mode.”

Thompson, meanwhile, said that he spent much of his 30s neglecting his friendships for the sake of his business.

“By the time I hit my 40s, the impact hit me hard – I felt long stretches of loneliness because I hadn’t nurtured the friendships that really mattered,” he shared.

Interestingly, both told me that some degree of letting go is crucial if you want to rebuild your friendships.

Dr Darji said you should try as hard as you can to release any guilt you might feel. “You’re not a bad friend for being tired. Adult friendships don’t have to look like they did in college,” she said.

“What matters most is staying emotionally connected, not necessarily seeing each other constantly.”

Thompson stated, “I’ve learned that friendship doesn’t need to be complicated.” He began lowering the expectations he had for himself and his friends, and has been much happier since.

How can I maintain friendships when I’m exhausted?

Like Thompson, Dr Darji said remodelling your social expectations to fit your adult life is key.

“I suggest adjusting expectations. If you aren’t up for a long dinner, try to engage with a short voice note or quick meme exchange to keep the lines of communication and connection alive without draining you,” she stated.

“Try to combine social time with activities you already do, such as walking with a friend while kids play or catching up while shopping for groceries, calling a friend when driving.

“Be honest with your friends, you don’t have to pretend that you can do it all.”

Thompson makes an important point, though; once you have adjusted your expectations to fit what is possible for you, stick to your new rules.

The business co-founder says he puts “one dinner in the diary every month with my closest friends, and we never cancel.

“It’s the most important meeting I have all month because it energises me, helps me feel seen, inspires me and gives me space to breathe outside work and family life.”

While it might sound exhausting, the two experts told me, the payoff is definitely worth it.

“Connecting with others is essential to our emotional well-being,” Dr Darji explained.

“A short interaction can refill our cups in ways that only rest can’t… always remember that.”

Thompson, meanwhile, called it a “small investment that pays off massively for your mental health and happiness”.

These May Be The Best (And Worst) Bedtimes For Heart Health

Posted on 15/10/2025 by Boris Clair

Turns out that while some of us have different “chronotypes,” or natural predispositions towards being either night owls or early birds, some research suggests we should all try to nod off before a certain point anyway.

“To age healthily, individuals should start sleeping before 1am, despite chronobiological preferences,” the 2024 paper read.

And a 2021 study published in the European Heart Journal suggested there’s a “golden hour” bedtime for heart health too.

The cohort study, which looked at 88,000 UK Biobank participants who were aged between 43 and 74, monitored participants’ sleep for a week before monitoring their heart health status over an average of 5.7 years.

They found that those who fell asleep between 10-11pm seemed the least likely to develop heart issues in that time.

What may be the best and worst sleep times for heart health?

Those who fell asleep between 11pm and midnight were 12% more likely to develop heart health and circulatory issues during the study.

For those who fell asleep after midnight, that rose to 25%. Those who kipped before 10pm had a 24% increased likelihood of developing heart health issues, too, though the number of people who had this earlier bedtime was small in the study.

And as we shared, 10-11pm seemed to be the bedtime linked to the lowest risk.

Women seemed to be more affected by the discrepancies than men, too.

This, however, was only an observational study. That means that the scientists couldn’t prove that differences in bedtime definitely caused the changes in heart health outcomes – it only showed an association, or link, between the two.

But they did posit that those who fall asleep after midnight might be less likely to see morning light, which we know can help to regulate our body clock.

So, should I definitely go to bed around 10-11pm?

According to Harvard Health, “nontraditional sleep times may disrupt the body’s 24-hour internal clock, or circadian rhythm, which plays a key role in regulating physical functioning”.

And Regina Giblin, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said, “This large study suggests that going to sleep between 10 and 11pm could be the sweet spot for most people to keep their heart healthy long-term.

“Getting enough sleep is important for our general wellbeing as well as our heart and circulatory health, and most adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night.”

But, both warn, this study can’t prove that bedtime itself is definitely the cause of heart issues.

“More research is needed into sleep timing and duration as a risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases,” Giblin said.

Sleep is not the only factor that can impact heart health either, she added.

“It’s also important to look at your lifestyle… knowing your numbers such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly, cutting down on salt and alcohol intake, and eating a balanced diet can also help to keep your heart healthy.”

I’m A Sweaty Sleeper. This Mattress And Duvet Combo Have Changed Everything

Posted on 24/09/2025 by Boris Clair

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.

As you will have noticed stepping out your door this morning – it is now bloody cold! The Autumnal equinox has come and gone and summer is well and truly over.

I look forward to spending the next month simultaneously boiling and freezing at various points during the day. (Layering clothing is more complicated than you’d think.) For many of us, the colder weather also prompts a new bedding dilemma.

For some of us this means wondering if now is the time to swap our duvet for a heavier tog, or turning our mattresses over to let them breathe a bit as we enter central heating season.

But for me, the effort and decision is minimal as I’ve finally found the most comfortable mattress ever, and the most convenient and comfortable duvet, as well.

The best duvet for all seasons (and sweat levels)

For those of us who are sweaty sleepers – whether naturally, or perimenopause-induced – the Simba Hybrid 3-in-1 Duvet really is a lifesaver.

As an American who has lived in the UK for nearly 20 years, it has taken me a very long time to get used to sleeping without a top sheet. (I tried again recently, and decided I think I actually hate it.)

I could never really get on with the idea of sleeping with a duvet in the warm, late summer months until I started using this duvet. Basically, it does what it says on the tin.

There are two parts to the duvet – one layer for the warmer months that’s only 3.5 tog, and another for the cooler months that’s 7 tog. If you’re terrible at fast maths, that’s a total of 10.5 tog if you’re wanting the warmest option available. Together, the layers become one fluffy, warm, cloud of a duvet. And on their own, still delightful.

The layers simply snap together with the little poppers on the edges of the duvet. This week I swapped the 3.5 tog for the 7 tog, and it’s the perfect weight and warmth for these funny months where it’s still warm in the day, and then brisk in the evenings and early mornings.

I’m also a big fan of sleeping with the window open – what’s more pleasant than a cool room and snuggling under a warm duvet? – so this is ideal for me.

The best mattress for hot sleepers

I usually find mattress shopping to be a stressful event. How do you choose without laying on a hundred different mattresses? How do you really know which ones are comfortable? How can you ever be sure?

This is where honest reviews come in handy, so when I say that I absolutely LOVE the Simba Hybrid Pro Mattress, I genuinely mean it.

This is the first mattress I’ve been able to decide on as a newly single person, and it felt like a very big deal. I got to choose the firmness and size that I wanted – and I have to say I feel like a genius for deciding on this one. I went for a King, and what I love about this mattress is that it has a breathable layer and I don’t feel like I’m being boiled alive by a hot hob when I’m sleeping (which some mattresses genuinely feel like).

It’s hard to believe when you first pull a rolled-up mattress out of a box that it’s going to actually unfurl into something that’s both comfortable and also thick enough to support you in your slumber – but it truly is. Because of how my move into my flat happened, I only had a few hours of the mattress being out of the box before I slept on it, and it was absolutely fine. By the next night, it was heavenly.

I continually find the height of this mattress to be really impressive. It has several fancy layers that I can’t exactly pretend to explain or understand all that they do, but crucially I know I can take off the top layer to have it washed, and that there’s a breathable wool layer, as well.

Firmness wise, this is excellent. As an elder millennial who just turned 40 – and spends a lot of money on physiotherapy – I can confirm that this is neither too hard, nor too soft. It’s comfortable and sturdy for all manner of nocturnal activities, and it doesn’t leave you with new cricks in your neck or kinks in your back when you wake. Ideal.

The combination of the Simba Hybrid 3-in-1 Duvet and Simba Hybrid Pro Mattress really have helped give me the most comfortable and supported sleep I’ve had in months. I can’t recommend either enough – particularly if you run hot overnight or like to have options when it comes to your duvet tog.

3 Foods An Expert Thinks Are Ruining Your Sleep

Posted on 24/09/2025 by Boris Clair

You might already know that sleep experts have preferred dinner times, because eating less than two to four hours before your bedtime can mess up your kip.

But speaking to HuffPost UK, sleep psychologist Dr Katherine Hall (who has paired with Comfybedss) shared that the type of food you eat matters, too.

“If you can’t fall asleep or struggle to stay asleep,” she advised, your diet might be at least partly to blame.

Here are three foods she skips before bedtime:

1) Salty food

“Sodium-rich meals result in fluid retention and increased blood pressure, making it hard for the body to switch off completely after eating snacks like crisps or salted nuts,” Dr Hall told us.

A 2006 paper found that salt can lead to delayed bedtimes, increased awakenings in the middle of the night, and less satisfying sleep.

That’s because, the sleep expert said, a salt overload leads to “superficial sleep, where the sleep isn’t very deep and can often involve disturbances like going to the toilet more”.

She recommends avoiding foods like gammon and bacon, as well as other salty snacks, before bed.

2) Acidic food

Though many associate these with heartburn, Dr Hall says not all acidic foods are created equal.

“If we take a deep dive into certain acidic foods, those struggling to sleep will want to avoid some more than others. Tyramine is an amino acid that is normally a great addition to anyone’s diet as it stimulates natural brain activity,” she said.

This acid encourages the release of norepinephrine, which can stimulate the brain too much and keep you awake.

“Foods that are high in tyramine include tomatoes, aubergines, soy sauce, red wine and cheeses,” the psychiatrist shared.

3) Spicy food

“For anyone struggling to sleep, avoid spicy foods altogether,” Dr Hall said.

That’s because “Digesting the various spices and chillies you have in your curries or other hot dishes can severely disrupt our body’s ability to thermoregulate, which essentially means managing our temperature”.

And anyone who’s suffered through a sleepless hot night will know how important temperature is to our sleep.

“Capsaicin is the chemical in spicy food that causes our temperature to skyrocket, so combine this with the energy your body needs to digest the remainder of the meal, and you can really struggle getting some solid sleep,” the expert ended.

3 Habits I Thought Were Normal But Were Actually Sleep Apnoea

Posted on 21/09/2025 by Boris Clair

Recently, my kids started teasing me about snoring. I didn’t realise I was snoring, so I headed down a Google rabbit hole.

I searched through the reasons why people snore, and soon I discovered that lifelong habits that I thought were normal were actually warning signs for obstructive sleep apnoea.

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition that involves a person’s airway closing when they sleep. It might close partially or completely.

Of the nearly 30 million Americans who live with obstructive sleep apnoea, up to 80% have never been diagnosed, according to a report from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

How are so many people missing the signs of sleep apnoea? I asked experts to break down the symptoms and explain why they can be easily overlooked.

Snoring is the biggest red flag ― but it’s not always consistent.

Snoring is a well-known sleep apnoea sign, but many people don’t realise they’re doing it. I missed this sign for years because I was asleep, my husband was asleep, and I wasn’t doing it consistently. Sleep apnoea can look a little different for women, and snoring isn’t always the No. 1 sign.

Snoring can also get easily overlooked by a person who lives alone. Eventually, they might move in with a significant other or share a room while traveling with friends who will point out their noisy sleep habits.

Once the person’s snoring becomes bothersome, they might decide to get checked by a specialist.

“The most common reason why people end up in my clinic is because they have what we like to call ‘unacceptable snoring,’” said Dr. Robson Capasso, chief of sleep surgery at Stanford Medicine in California.

While most snoring tends to feel unacceptable, it’s not always caused by sleep apnoea, and it’s not always a health risk. When you breathe, air passes the tissues at the back of your throat, causing them to vibrate and make noise. This is called primary snoring, and there’s no disruption to airflow. It might be annoying to others, but it’s not dangerous.

With sleep apnoea, those tissues can relax and collapse, causing your airway to become fully or partially blocked. Snoring is the sound of air working its way through the tissues. It can also cause pauses in breathing, choking or gasping, depending on the severity of the blockage.

“I would say that for almost everybody who has received complaints about their snoring, it really doesn’t hurt to have a further evaluation and see if this is primary snoring versus sleep apnoea,” Capasso said.

A sleep assessment will show if you are having drops in oxygen frequency, which point to sleep apnoea. It’s important to get treated since the condition can lead to health issues like heart disease, stroke, or accidents.

If you’re curious about whether you snore, Capasso recommended the SnoreLab app, which helps you track the frequency and intensity of your snoring. While it can’t diagnose sleep apnoea, it can give you a clearer picture of your habits, like whether you’re snoring for five minutes or several hours.

Don't ignore these three major indicators of sleep apnoea. — Don’t ignore these three major indicators of sleep apnoea.

Feeling tired during the day is also a sign (even more so if you believe you’ve had a full night’s rest).

We live in a rise-and-grind culture in which it’s easy to tie our exhaustion to a full-time job, a busy schedule or parenthood. But if you’re getting less oxygen and experiencing breathing disruptions all night long, you’re not just going to be tired. You’re going to be sleepy to the point of passing out at inappropriate times.

Ever since I started driving at age 16, I’ve had trouble staying awake on trips that take more than 20 minutes. It’s grown worse as I’ve aged, and I always thought this “highway hypnosis” was normal. Now, I’ve learned that it’s a warning sign.

In addition to getting sleepy while driving, sleep apnoea sufferers might drift off in situations in which a well-rested person wouldn’t be struggling to stay awake.

“You’re allowed to be bored, but dozing off or falling asleep whenever you are sedentary — watching TV, reading a book, sitting in the theatre —those are not normal things,” said Dr. R. Nisha Aurora, a sleep clinician and AASM spokesperson.

Of course, the key here is determining whether you’re still falling asleep in these situations despite getting consistent, lengthy sleep most nights.

“If you’re having a good number of hours of sleep … and the sleep schedule is regular … you shouldn’t be sleepy; if you are, you should see a sleep specialist,” Capasso said.

Before ordering a sleep test, physicians will typically evaluate environmental factors: Does the person work overnight shifts? Do they drink or smoke? Do they stay up late bingeing movies?

The first step is fixing those issues. Once good sleep hygiene is established, if problems persist, a provider might recommend a sleep test.

Sleep apnoea can also be confused with normal signs of aging or stress.

Beyond snoring and sleepiness, I was surprised to discover that insomnia, nighttime awakening, and certain daytime problems like mood changes and cognitive issues can be connected to sleep apnoea. These are symptoms that can easily be attributed to other conditions like aging, stress, menopause, or, in my case, the challenges of being a parent.

Aurora said that there’s a “glaring issue with underdiagnosis in women who really tend to present differently, especially once they’re post-menopausal.”

Many post-menopausal women experience insomnia, and physicians might focus on that rather than testing for sleep apnoea. Other markers of sleep apnoea in women can include headaches, depression, brain fog, and frequently waking up to urinate.

Research shows that the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea increases as women experience menopause, which can disguise the symptoms and make diagnosis even more difficult.

“We can’t just say, ‘this is normal, this is part of aging,’” said Aurora. “It could be just menopause alone … but they still should get checked out.”

So… what should you do?

Report any symptoms to your doctor, even if they seem “normal.” As awareness has increased, physicians are more likely to proactively evaluate a person with symptoms that look a little different.

“You’re always going to find that one paper that’s going to link sleep apnoea to almost everything… golf scores, hair loss, skin health,” Capasso said.

While sleep apnoea can affect various aspects of a person’s life, it’s important to avoid obsessing over sleep perfection or less-established symptoms.

“You hear sleep apnoea is underdiagnosed, and therefore, untreated,” Capasso said.

“My feelings are actually kind of mixed about this, as I believe there is a significant dichotomy. On one side, there is a community that’s super tuned to their health, longevity-oriented, wellness-oriented … I jokingly say there is almost hyperawareness of sleep apnoea, as sleep tests are positive in a significant percentage of adults.

“On the other hand, perimenopausal women, underserved communities, people with cardiovascular diseases – this is the population where we should work harder to increase awareness. This is a population that needs to be more proactively investigated.”

This Many Sleepless Nights A Week Could Raise Dementia Risk By 40%

Posted on 15/09/2025 by Boris Clair

Scientists already think that regular poor sleep, especially in midlife, might increase your odds of developing dementia (less than five hours a night has been associated with double the risk).

And sudden changes to how long you sleep for may be linked to the condition years before diagnosis.

We aren’t exactly sure how or why sleep could have this effect on the brain. But a recent paper has added to the existing associations.

The researchers involved in the study found that those with “chronic insomnia” could face an increased dementia risk.

How much bad sleep does it take to raise my dementia risk?

In this paper, “chronic insomnia” was defined as having trouble sleeping for at least three nights a week for at least three months.

Some 2,750 participants with an average age of 70 were tracked for 5.6 years. They were all dementia-free at the start of the study, and 16% had chronic insomnia.

After conducting memory and thinking tests as well as brain scans, the scientists found that those who reported insomniac sleep patterns had more amyloid plaque formation, which is linked to dementia development.

Of those who self-reported chronic insomnia at the start of the study, 14% went on to develop insomnia, compared to 10% among those who didn’t have sleep issues.

People with insomnia were 40% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia than those without insomnia.

Speaking to MedicalNewsToday, the study’s lead author, Dr Diego Z Carvalho, said: “In our models, the impact of insomnia on the risk of mild cognitive impairment/dementia was higher than having two cardiometabolic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, or being 3.5 years older than your actual age, which are known risk factors.”

Why might insomnia affect dementia risk?

We still can’t say for sure, but Dr Carvalho suggested this research has given him some ideas.

“We found that insomnia with reduced sleep was not only associated with Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers like amyloid, but also with poorer cerebrovascular health with greater evidence for small vessel disease as shown by white matter hyperintensities,” he said.

This matters because both the buildup of amyloid plaque proteins and poorer heart and vessel health are independently linked to increased dementia risk.

The lead researcher also recommended that more doctors include sleep tests in their regular screenings, especially with older patients.

I Gave Up Sleep Tracking For A Week, And I’ve Never Felt More Rested

Posted on 07/09/2025 by Boris Clair

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan from Oak Tree Mobility told us that “there’s a form of insomnia that has risen… called ‘orthosomia’, a term for the obsession with getting a good night’s sleep.”

It might affect type-A people and perfectionists more than others, she suggested, and could paradoxically make existing sleep problems worse.

She added, “Alongside the strategies and supplements for getting better sleep that are flooding the market, trackers have joined the sleep bandwagon. Trackers can (up to a point) be helpful, but I think they’re driving an unhelpful obsession.”

I have to confess that even though I know the importance of “clock blocking” and avoiding as much worry as I can at night, I’ve become obsessed with my own smart watch.

But after a little bit of skin irritation and frankly forgetting to put it back on my wrist after a previous charge, I accidentally ended up following Dr Ramalkhan’s advice: I haven’t been wearing the fitness tracker that logs my sleep for a week.

And honestly, I’ve already been impressed by how much more rested I feel.

Why might sleep tracking make sleep worse?

If trackers help you, that’s all the evidence you need to keep using them.

But as sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham, founder of The Insomnia Clinic, told Which?, they might make those with existing poor sleep (like me) panic more about their poor “performance”.

This stress forms a vicious cycle, ironically keeping worriers up at night.

This happened to me most nights. I would anxiously tell my partner I’d only had four to six hours last night, and spend the rest of the day battling fatigue and panic in equal, exhausting turns.

I’d avoid naps for fear of ruining my sleep cycle, then feel too awake, and too anxious at being awake, to fall asleep at night.

But by day two of not using a tracker, I noticed I wasn’t thinking about my sleep as much – since then, I’ve woken up far more refreshed.

This included nights I think my watch would have told me constituted a “bad” sleep. The less I knew about the supposed quality of my sleep – which some say trackers may not measure as accurately as experts like – the better I felt.

Perhaps it might be as Dr Ramlahkhan said: “With sleep trackers, unless you’re having your data measured in a lab, you need to take it all with a pinch of salt.

“Your tracker may say you didn’t get good sleep, but maybe you feel great. Check in with yourself before you check your data.”

How can I tell if I should give up sleep tracking?

Again, everyone’s different. But, per Dr Ramlahkhan, “An important thing is not to get too obsessed with the numbers, and take a break from tracking if you find yourself in that position.”

She also said many of us might be looking at the data from trackers with overly short sight, thereby accidentally misunderstanding their insights.

“Once you’ve been wearing it for a while (at least 6 months to a year), only then can you start to look at the trends,” she revealed.

“For example, if you change some elements of your life such as cutting back on caffeine, exercising more, and drinking less alcohol, then it can be helpful to see this reflected on the tracker.”

But if you think your tracker might be harming your sleep more than it helps, and if the data causes you more worry than curiosity, it might be time to put yours to bed.

7 ‘Normal’ Symptoms A Doctor Says You Should Never, Ever Ignore

Posted on 28/08/2025 by Boris Clair

Though everything from our nails to the colour of our poop can sometimes reveal health issues; often, variants in both are perfectly normal.

Besides, it feels like everyone is battling with issues like fatigue and back pain most of the time.

So what is “normal”, and what is worth seeing a doctor about?

Dr Kaywaan Khan, a GP at Harley Street’s Hannah London, told HuffPost UK about the seven signs you should never ignore – even if you feel fine.

1) Unexplained weight loss

If you’re shedding the pounds without even trying, Dr Khan warned that everything from thyroid imbalances to early diabetes, digestive disorders, and even stomach or pancreatic cancer could be to blame.

“Unexplained weight loss is typically defined as losing more than 5% of your body weight over a span of 6-12 months, without any changes in diet or physical activity levels,” he explained.

2) Constant exhaustion, even after rest

Though you probably hear “I’m so tired!” from every adult in your life, Dr Khan said it’s still worth seeing a doctor if exhaustion is affecting your day-to-day.

“Persistent fatigue can be linked to conditions such as anaemia, chronic infections like mononucleosis, or even early-stage heart disease… Sleep disorders like insomnia or mental health conditions can also leave you feeling drained and unmotivated on a daily basis, even without physical exertion,” he stated.

If adequate rest doesn’t leave you feeling refreshed, see your GP.

3) Changes in bowel habits

Sudden or long-term changes in your poop can also be worthy of alarm.

“Constipation and diarrhoea are typically just side effects of dietary changes, severe stress, or certain medications, but this could also be from underlying conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or coeliac disease (severe gluten intolerance),” Dr Khan told us.

And bleeding from your bottom may be haemorrhoids, but it could also be caused by stomach or colon cancers.

4) Frequent headaches

If your headaches happen all the time and/or affect your daily functioning, that’s well worth talking to a GP about, Dr Khan said.

And “if headaches are accompanied by other symptoms like vomiting, debilitating pain, vision changes or thunderclap onset, this should prompt urgent GP review,” he added.

The same goes if you notice numbness, weakness, or fainting alongside headaches.

“In these cases, I would advise asking your GP for a referral to a CT or MRI scan to see if there could be any brain-related causes like tumours or aneurysms that might not be visible through blood work alone.”

5) Being short of breath

OK, panting after a jog is normal. But if you can’t catch your breath after taking a few stairs or walking around the shops, that’s worth flagging to a doctor.

This could be down to “respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which you can get from smoking or long-term exposure to pollution and allergens,” Dr Khan said.

Additionally, “shortness of breath can also be linked to heart disease or blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), both of which can reduce oxygen supply and strain the heart, lungs, and blood flow all at once”.

If you have sudden shortness of breath alongside chest pain, blue lips, and/or numbness, seek urgent medical help.

6) Lumps and swellings

Sure, Dr Khan admitted, a lot of these are harmless.

“Yes, many lumps are typically benign, such as those that appear consistently in the breast area during menstruation or ovulation due to sudden hormonal changes,” he said, while common conditions can lead to swelling of the glands and abscesses.

“While these lumps are easily treatable, others could point to more serious conditions like breast cancer or lymphoma,” the doctor added. So, it’s always worth getting checked out.

7) Skin changes

Not only can changes to, or the sudden addition of, moles belie skin cancer, but “skin discolouration can also be a major clue”.

Per the GP, “yellowing of the skin (jaundice) warrants same-day assessment and may point to liver issues, bile duct obstruction or even pancreatic problems”.

“A bluish skin tinge to the skin could indicate poor circulation, while grey patches may be linked to autoimmune disorders like lupus,” he added.

Dry and scaly skin may be a sign of everything from dermatitis to allergies, he ended, which is better investigated than ignored.

So THAT’s Why You Keep Waking Up At 3AM

Posted on 21/07/2025 by Boris Clair

Even though I have insomnia, my issue doesn’t actually lie in getting to sleep.

Nope – I nod off just fine. My problem is staying in dreamland; more often than not, I wake up at 3am and simply cannot get back to sleep.

There are things I’ve learned to do to cope with the problem. “Clock blocking”, refusing to stay in bed for more than 20 minutes, and (paradoxically) willing myself to stay awake have all been effective at getting me back to sleep.

But given that almost a third of us wake up in the middle of the night at least three times a week – and that multiple friends had cited 3am as their most common early rising hour – I thought I’d ask Dr Seeta Shah from PANDA London if there’s anything “special” about that time.

Here’s what she told us…

Why do I always wake up at 3am?

“Waking up around 3am is a surprisingly common experience,” Dr Shah confirmed.

This, she said, could be down to a mixture of biological and lifestyle factors, like your body’s natural sleep cycle.

“During a typical night’s sleep, we go through multiple 90-minute cycles that include different stages of sleep, from light to deep and REM sleep,” the doctor said.

“Around 3am, most people are transitioning between cycles, and the sleep tends to be lighter at this point. That makes us more susceptible to waking, especially if there are external disturbances such as noise, light, temperature changes or even the need to use the loo.”

Then, she said, there’s a hormonal component. “In the early hours of the morning, the body begins to increase its production of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone,’ in preparation for waking,” she explained.

“This natural rise in cortisol, combined with a dip in melatonin (the sleep hormone), can make the body more alert and prone to waking around this time.”

Cortisol usually dips to a low at around midnight and slowly rises thereafter.

“If you’re feeling anxious or have an active mind, this early-morning wakefulness can quickly turn into prolonged sleeplessness,” Dr Shah told us.

How can I stop waking up at 3am?

“Lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, late-night screen use, inconsistent bedtimes, and even blood sugar dips can all contribute to waking at this hour,” the doctor explained.

If you suspect this may be the cause of your early morning wake-ups, consider changing your habits and seeing how it affects your kip.

But “if waking at 3am becomes a regular pattern, it’s worth examining both physical and mental health, as well as evening habits, to identify and address any underlying causes,” Dr Shah cautioned.

The NHS said that if poor sleep is affecting your day-to-day life and causing you distress, you should speak to your GP about it.

This Low-Impact Exercise May Land You 2 Extra Hours Of Sleep

Posted on 17/07/2025 by Boris Clair

Though exercising too close to your bedtime may actually harm your sleep more than it helps, the NHS says that getting enough movement in your day is key to consistently good slumber.

Johns Hopkins Medicine writes that we don’t actually know why physical activity helps you snooze. It might be because working out releases “happy chemicals”, endorphins, or because it raises your body’s core temperature, they suggest.

A half-hour of exercise is linked to better sleep that same night, nonetheless.

And now, a new review has been published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine that has named the low-impact exercise that could improve the sleep of insomniacs like me by almost two hours.

Yoga might give you two hours of extra sleep

The scientists looked at 22 previous randomised controlled trials involving over 1,300 people with insomnia.

They found that while cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was helpful for managing the condition, so too was exercise.

“Among the various modalities examined, yoga, Tai Chi, and walking or jogging appear to be particularly effective,” they wrote.

Not only did yoga improve sleep time by just under two hours on average, but it also helped participants to nod off half an hour earlier than usual.

The review found that the positive sleep effects of Tai Chi and CBT combined may last for as long as two years for people with insomnia, while those associated with aerobic activity or aerobic activity with strength training seemed to last for seven months.

Of the activities included in the research, though, yoga won out in sheer added minutes of kip.

The scientists encouraged more research into the topic

As we mentioned above, the relationship between sleep and exercise is still not fully understood.

Perhaps that’s why this study didn’t recommend an exact amount of yoga or time at which to do it.

“To confirm and extend these findings, future research should prioritise large-scale, high-quality RCTs with standardised intervention protocols,” they wrote in their paper.

The more data we have, the more exercise and sleep scientists can rest easy (sorry….).