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With 3.2 million views of the TikTok tag ‘bed rotting’ and copious videos, it seems Gen Z are embracing a slower pace of life, with self-care happening in bed. Creators are sharing their morning routines and experiences of bed rotting for self-care, but the trend has come under fire for its potential health implications. Content creator Vanessa Hill describes it in her video as: “When you do literally nothing but laying in bed. It is the end of optimisation.” According to psychologist and The Beekeeper House founder and CEO Robert Common, “Bed rotting is the practice of spending an extended amount of time during your normal waking hours, or even a whole day, lying in bed. You could be watching films, scrolling on social media, talking on the phone, eating, or anything you would normally do if you were at home relaxing. “This differs from bed rest to recover from illness or injury, and is often used as a method of dealing with stress or anxiety, or as a self-care tool,” he explains. This is a shunning of hustle culture and productivity in the pursuit of self-care. “Although bed rotting might be the hottest self-care method trending on TikTok, the idea behind it isn’t new,” says Common. “People have been taking ‘duvet days’ for a long time now, and many companies even have policies around this, allowing staff an entitlement to several duvet days per year. “What we are seeing with this trend is more a case of social media driving conversations among young people. It could be especially appealing to Gen Zs, as many report feeling more stressed than other generations, so taking time away from it all to recuperate mentally could be especially appealing,” he explains. But, is it actually self-care or is it doing more harm than good? The benefits There are some positive aspects to this grimly named practice. “Taking some mental downtime to recharge has many benefits,” says Common. “We live in a very fast-paced world, so stepping back, reconnecting with yourself, recharging your batteries and rebuilding some mental and physical energy is always a positive thing to do. In fact, it’s something that more of us should be scheduling into our routines if we can. “Having this downtime puts us in a stronger position to reassess our goals and find the motivation to reach for them, manage our commitments and explore personal interests and hobbies without burning ourselves out,” he explains. Damage to mental health and physical wellbeing “Spending the odd day here and there throughout the month bed rotting is unlikely to do you any damage – quite the reverse. However, as with all things in life, balance is key,” explains Common. For example, “If bed rotting becomes a dominating factor or behaviour in how you spend your free time, this could be an indicator of depression or burnout. If you suspect you’re experiencing these – or other underlying health issues – it’s important to seek appropriate support to help identify the root causes, and find healthy ways to manage them,” he says. Other practices may be more beneficial. “Whilst rest is important for wellbeing, exercise is also a powerful tool for maintaining good mental and physical health, so ultimately, it’s about not being on either extreme of the spectrum.” Impact on sleep Bed rotting can impact the amount and the quality of sleep you get, too. “An important factor of good sleep hygiene is reserving your bed for sleeping only,” Common says. “Watching Netflix, scrolling on your phone and eating are some of the most obvious activities that go hand-in-hand with bed rotting, but it can make it harder to follow a good sleep schedule. “It’s also important to expend enough energy during the day to fall asleep on time, and maximise the benefits that come with proper sleep,” he says. So, while a few duvet days here and there could be counted as self-care, bed rotting too often may leave you worn out and unhappy. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Beekeeping has gone viral – but how easy is it? Women in certain professions ‘may be at higher risk of ovarian cancer’ – study Everything you need to know about sleep in pregnancy

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Two new studies have found conclusive links between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) with increased cardiac disease risk, including heart attacks and strokes. The research, presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam, found highly processed food sold in stores across the world, such as fizzy drinks, cereals and ready-to-eat meals, may lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. Henry Dimbleby, the UK government’s former food tsar, said the findings should be a “wake-up call” for the country. “Britain is particularly bad for ultra-processed food. It is storing up problems for the future,” he told The Guardian. “If we do nothing, a tidal wave of harm is going to hit the NHS.” One of the studies, conducted by scientists from the Fourth Military Medical University in China, conducted a review of 10 studies that included 325,403 participants and 38,720 cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, including heart attack and stroke. It found a conclusive association between UPF and heart disease risk. Scientists found that a 10 per cent increase in UPF consumption in daily calorie intake is linked to a 6 per cent rise in heart disease risk. Researchers also observed that the lowest risk was at a less than 15 per cent per day of UPF consumption out of total calorie intake. However, heavy UPF consumption “was significantly and positively associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events,” scientists noted. The other research, also presented at the world’s largest heart health conference, assessed the link between UPF intake with CVD and hypertension in a population of middle-aged women in Australia. Scientists, including those from the University of Sydney, assessed health data of about 10,000 women aged 46-55 years who were recruited into the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health and followed for 15 years. They assessed the contribution of UPF in the daily dietary intake of these women as well as their self-reported heart disease and stroke, and/or hypertension incidences. The women included in the study had an average UPF intake of 26.6 per cent of total food dietary intake. Over their 15 years of follow-up, scientists found 1,038 incident CVD and 4,204 hypertension cases. Among the middle-aged women, scientists observed that a higher UPF intake was associated with higher risk of CVD and hypertension. “These findings lend support to minimising UPF intake as a component of a heart-healthy diet,” scientists wrote in the study. Taken together, the findings hinted that the harm caused by UPF may be more than just due to their high salt and fat content. “If there is something inherent in the processing of foods that is harmful, then that is a disaster,” said Mr Dimbleby. Read More First-of-its-kind study finds laughter is indeed good medicine, especially for the heart How many steps a day can cut risk of early death (and it’s not 10,000) Weight loss jabs improve heart failure symptoms in obese patients – study First-of-its-kind study finds laughter is indeed good medicine How many steps a day can cut risk of early death (and it’s not 10,000) ‘Boy moms’ called out for dubious logic behind teaching their sons to cook

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Consistently sleeping less than five hours a night could increase the risk of depression, research suggests. Poor sleep has been considered a side-effect of mental ill health in the past, but the new study found that the link between sleep and mental illness is more complex. People with a stronger genetic predisposition to short sleep – less than five hours in a given night – were more likely to develop depressive symptoms over four to 12 years, the study led by UCL researchers found. But those with a greater genetic predisposition to depression were not more likely to have short sleep. Using genetic susceptibility to disease, we determined that sleep likely precedes depressive symptoms, rather than the inverse Lead author Odessa Hamilton The experts also found that the link was not exclusive to those who were genetically inclined towards sleeping for shorter periods, and people who regularly dozed for five hours or less – without the genetic association – were also more likely to have depression. Lead author Odessa Hamilton, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “We have this chicken or egg scenario between suboptimal sleep duration and depression, they frequently co-occur, but which comes first is largely unresolved. “Using genetic susceptibility to disease, we determined that sleep likely precedes depressive symptoms, rather than the inverse.” Researchers used genetic and health data from 7,146 people recruited by the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), with an average age of 65. Short and long sleep durations, along with depression, are major contributors to (the) public health burden that are highly heritable Senior author Dr Olesya Ajnakina Analysis of genetic and health data suggested that short sleep was associated with the start of depressive symptoms, like feeling sad or lonely. Senior author Dr Olesya Ajnakina, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, said: “Short and long sleep durations, along with depression, are major contributors to (the) public health burden that are highly heritable. “Polygenic scores, indices of an individual’s genetic propensity for a trait, are thought to be key in beginning to understand the nature of sleep duration and depressive symptoms.” When looking at non-genetic associations between depressive symptoms and sleep duration, the researchers also found that people sleeping five hours or less were 2.5 times more likely to develop depressive symptoms. And people with signs of depression were a third more likely to suffer from short sleep. Suboptimal sleep and depression increase with age, and with the worldwide phenomenon of population ageing there is a growing need to better understand the mechanism connecting depression and a lack of sleep Professor Andrew Steptoe The study, published in Nature, Translational Psychiatry, also revealed a link between sleeping long and developing depressive symptoms. According to the findings, people who slept for more than nine hours were 1.5 times more likely to develop depressive symptoms than those who sleep an average of seven hours. However, depressive symptoms were not associated with sleeping longer four to 12 years later, which corresponded to the genetic findings. Professor Andrew Steptoe, head of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: “Suboptimal sleep and depression increase with age, and with the worldwide phenomenon of population ageing there is a growing need to better understand the mechanism connecting depression and a lack of sleep. “This study lays important groundwork for future investigations on the intersection of genetics, sleep, and depressive symptoms.” People enrolled in the study had an average of seven hours’ sleep a night. More than 10% slept for less than five hours a night at the start of the study period, rising to more than 15% at the end of the study. The proportion of people classed as having depressive symptoms increased by about three percentage points, from 8.75% to 11.47%. In the study, data on sleep and depressive symptoms were combined from two Elsa surveys conducted two years apart, as sleep duration and depression are known to fluctuate over time. Sleep duration and depression are both partly inherited from one generation to the next. Earlier studies have suggested depression is about 35% heritable, and that genetic differences account for 40% of the variance in sleep duration. Read More World Osteoporosis Day: The risk factors and early warning signs everyone needs to know about How to support a child with a stammer From colourful gowns to drones, these wedding trends are set take over 2024 Call The Midwife ‘should come with a health warning’ Halloween: 10 wicked ways to kit out your haunted house Black magic: Go back to black this season with the catwalk-inspired trend

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