WORLD OF MEDICINE

COULD YOU SLEEP BETTER UNDER A WEIGHTED BLANKET?

Most people prefer to treat insomnia without drugs – for good reason, since sleeping pills can lead to a physical dependence and cause dizziness and falls. A Swedish trial recently tested a less risky option: weighted blankets. These blankets supplement the usual plush materials with pellets, chains or beads. The pressure the added weight puts on your body brings comfort and calm to some people. Compared to the study subjects who went to bed with a light cover, those who were given a six- or eight-kilogram blanket saw more improvement in both sleep and mental-health issues such as depression or anxiety.

BINGE DRINKING MAY RAISE DEMENTIA RISK

A paper published in JAMA Network Open looked at people’s drinking habits and the effects over a period of

12 to 30 years. Those who sometimes drank enough to lose consciousness were roughly twice as likely to eventually develop dementia. This held true regardless of how much they usually drank overall. So even if you’re a ‘moderate drinker’ (someone who consumes no more than the recommended ten standard drinks per week – one standard drink is 100ml wine or 285ml beer or cider), you should still be careful not to drink too much at once.

TO FEEL CONNECTED, PICK UP THE PHONE

Ever since emailing and texting came along, many of us have relied on these methods to stay in touch, in part because we think a call might feel intrusive. However, when the subjects in a Texan study were randomly assigned to reconnect with an old friend using either email or the phone, calling gave them a stronger feeling of being bonded – without the additional awkwardness many of them had expected. Feeling connected to others is essential for health and wellbeing, so when it comes to long-distance or socially distanced relationships, we should limit text-based communication, choosing calls or video chats more often.