4 d. ago I tried everything to get better sleep. These five items actually helped

I tested popular apps, earplugs and a speaker for under a pillow to uncover the secret to getting the elusive rest I needThe best sleep masks in the US: I spent six weeks testing 24 masks, and these are my favoritesSign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better thingsI’ve struggled with a lack of sleep and its after-effects for years. Besides a chronic pain condition that interferes with my sleep schedule, my sensitivity to sound and light means that it doesn’t take much to snap me out of slumber after I get there. At least I’m in good company: according to the National Institutes of Health, more than 50 million Americans struggle with such sleep disorders.After trying almost everything, I finally turned to tech about a year ago. I had skeptically dismissed these sleep-focused devices as snake oil – and some are – but a few have been genuinely helpful. From simple noise-canceling earplugs to a headband that literally interferes with your brain waves,...

Politics

8 d. ago Millions exploited by ‘menopause gold rush’ amid lack of reliable information, say UK experts

Women’s health academics at UCL call for national education programme to combat misinformation and unregulated adviceMillions of women are being exploited by a “menopause gold rush” as companies, celebrities and influencers take advantage of a “dearth” of reliable information on the issue, experts have said.Healthcare companies and content creators saw menopause as a “lucrative market” and were trying to profit from gaps in public knowledge, women’s health academics at UCL said. Continue reading...

Science

1 week ago Experts reveal you can be overweight and in shape as Pete Hegseth slams 'fat' troops

Experts have revealed that even obese people can still be physically fit and able to serve in high-demand positions like the military, as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has slammed troops.

Politics

2 w. ago Is UK National Screening Committee really going to deny prostate tests for sake of £18 a patient? Report estimates targeted screening would save thousands of men's lives

A lifesaving prostate screening programme would require only five more MRI scanners and 75 extra staff, including four urologists, Prostate Cancer Research says.

Economics

2 w. ago ‘Damage is done’: Mass firings and dysfunction at CDC spark chaos for public health, critics warn

The firings of hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and their sudden reinstatement after an “error” sent layoff notices to critical staff, has sparked chaos at the nation’s public health agency, which has endured a hectic 10 months under Donald Trump’s administration.

Events

2 w. ago Crohn's disease sufferers given new hope as NHS GP details 'new treatment coming to UK'

Following successful studies, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a new drug for adults with moderately or severely active Crohn’s

Politics

2 w. ago Scrapping plans for nationwide prostate tests 'will cost lives', cancer survivors and campaigners warn

Reports emerged last week the UK National Screening Committee will advise the Government to dismiss proposals to offer men most at risk of the disease an NHS test due to cost concerns.

Events

2 w. ago Diane Keaton's reclusive final months revealed after her death at 79, as details of the astonishing $100M fortune she leaves her two adopted children emerge

Accompanied by her beloved dog Reggie, Diane Keaton showed no sign of ill health as she promoted National Pet Day with Instagram followers in April.

Events

2 w. ago Diane Keaton's reclusive final months: How legendary actress retreated from public life and stunned friends by putting the 'dream home' she swore she'd never leave on the market 

Accompanied by her beloved dog Reggie, Diane Keaton showed no sign of ill health as she promoted National Pet Day with Instagram followers in April.

Politics

2 w. ago NHS waiting list progress grinds to a halt as top medic flags 'critical issues'

Labour’s NHS recovery is on a knife edge and the health service needs a cash injection to increase capacity, surgeons warn

Politics

2 w. ago US ‘undermining global health’ by threatening to strip funding from aid projects that do not fit its political agenda

Trump administration reported to be planning expansion of ‘global gag rule’ to halt any initiatives promoting diversity, equity and inclusionThe Trump administration plans to export its “war on woke” by forcing foreign governments, non-governmental organisations and international bodies to abandon working on diversity, equity and inclusion or face being stripped of US funding.The plans have been called an attack on other nations’ sovereignty and one health organisation warned of “unimaginable effects” including a rise in deaths and violence, as safe clinics for vulnerable groups close. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Change to NHS drug analysis on the table to stave off US tariffs – reports

It is understood that plans have been outlined to increase the amount the NHS pays for drugs.

Events

2 w. ago Six former surgeons general unite for rare warning over RFK Jr’s actions: ‘endangering the health of the nation’

"Secretary Kennedy is entitled to his views. But he is not entitled to put people’s health at risk,” the surgeons general wrote in the joint statement

Events

3 w. ago Six former US surgeons general warn RFK Jr is ‘endangering nation’s health’

Former top doctors condemn health secretary’s vaccine, research policies, saying ideology replaced science at HHSSix former US surgeons general – the top medical posting in Washington – warned in an opinion column published on Tuesday that policy changes enacted by the health and human services (HHS) secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, are “endangering the health of the nation”.The surgeons general – Jerome Adams, Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Vivek Murthy, Antonia Novello and David Satcher – who served under both Republican and Democrat administrations, identified changes in vaccine policy, medical research funding, a shift in priorities from rationality to ideology, plunging morale, and changes to staffing as areas of concern. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago The real science of weight loss with the US’s leading nutritional scientist – podcast

Kevin Hall spent 21 years at the US National Institutes of Health and became known globally for his pioneering work on ultra-processed foods. In April he unexpectedly took early retirement, citing censorship under the Trump administration.Now he has co-authored a book with the journalist Julia Belluz that aims to bust myths and challenge wellness orthodoxy on everything from weight loss and metabolism to supplements and wearables. Hall tells Ian Sample what he wants us all to understand about diet, exercise and weight loss, and what led to his departure from the job he lovedOrder Kevin’s book from Guardian BookshopSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Alan Partridge is back at rock bottom – and it’s the funniest he’s been in years

After stadium tour success, the delusional broadcaster is back where he belongs: self-funding a series about the nation’s mental health. As comedy goes, it couldn’t be more pleasurableLike anyone who has grown up in the shadow of Alan Partridge’s three-decade dominion over British comedy, I want only the very best for Norwich’s most relentless broadcaster. By which I mean the absolute worst. For me, Partridge is at his finest when he’s scrabbling around the media’s outer fringes, rebranding past humiliations as glories and furiously name-dropping 1980s television personalities to the nonplussed acquaintances he genuinely believes to be his closest friends.Sadly, Alan has been riding (relatively) high in recent years. In 2022, Steve Coogan’s creation – now co-written by Rob and Neil Gibbons – embarked on a UK arena tour as a motivational speaker, imparting dubious advice to tens of thousands of adoring fans. Before that, he landed the job of a lifetime: a presenting gig on the BBC’s ...

Politics

3 w. ago Snoring on the rise among Brits as nation gets fatter, study finds

Bad news for anyone who doesn't want to share a bed with a partner who sounds like an asthmatic walrus - snoring is set to dramatically rise in the UK because we are getting fatter.

Politics

3 w. ago Democrats liken Trump to Putin after call to use US cities for military training

Illinois governor JB Pritzker and others condemn the US president for suggesting cities be used as military training groundsA leading Democrat has compared Donald Trump to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin after the US president told military leaders on Tuesday that the armed forces should use US cities as “training grounds”.JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, which is bracing for Trump to deploy national guard troops to his state, questioned the president’s mental health and accused him of behaving like an autocrat. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Sir Keir Starmer says 'a new world is coming' as he announces major NHS change

The National Health Service could look completely different – with new plans to make 'digital hospitals' as shared by Sir Keir Starmer in the Labour Party Conference

Politics

4 w. ago FA warned incident which led to Billy Vigar’s death is ‘ticking time bomb’

Chichester City player Vigar died last week aged 21 after he collided with a concrete barrier.

Events