Scientists have found the ideal nighttime bedroom temperatures in which older adults can get their most restful sleep. Previous research has shown that older adults often experience inadequate, restless and disrupted sleep. And the findings of the current research, published recently in the journal Science of The Total Environment, also underscore the potential impact of the climate crisis on sleep quality in older adults, particularly those with lower socioeconomic status. This in turn influences many of their health outcomes such as cognitive and physical function, mood and affect, irritability and reaction to stress, productivity, diabetes management and risk of cardiovascular diseases. Scientists, including those from Harvard Medical School in the US, have found in their current research that sleep can be most efficient and restful for older adults when nighttime bedroom temperatures are between 20-25 degrees Celsius. The study also observed an overall trend of about 5-10 per cent drop in sleep efficiency once the nighttime ambient temperature increased from 25-30C. While poor sleep is disproportionately more common among older adults, research on its causes has not focused substantially on the environment the person sleeps in, said scientists. In the latest study, scientists examined the association between bedroom nighttime temperature and sleep quality in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. They monitored sleep duration, efficiency and restlessness of the participants using wearable sleep monitors and environmental sensors over an extended period within their homes, while controlling for potential confounders and covariates. Overall, researchers collected nearly 11,000 person-nights of sleep and environmental data from 50 older adults. “These results highlight the potential to enhance sleep quality in older adults by optimizing home thermal environments and emphasizing the importance of personalized temperature adjustments based on individual needs and circumstances,” study lead scientist Amir Baniassadi said in a statement. “Our study underscores the potential impact of climate change on sleep quality in older adults, particularly those with lower socioeconomic status,” the scientist said. In further studies, scientists plan to continue this line of work by focusing on the potential impact of the climate crisis on sleep in low-income older adults, and develop interventions to optimise their environment. Read More The top things to make you feel good and boost your mood, according to study A broad genetic test saved one newborn's life. Research suggests it could help millions of others Snoring before age 50 is a health ‘red flag’, experts suggest

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A British three-year-old girl who was stabbed in a playground attack in France was awake and watching television on Friday Emmanuel Macron said – as he also praised the heroism of a young Catholic pilgrim who fended off the knifeman with a backpack. The French president said he had heard “positive” news about the four children – aged between 22 months and three years old – injured in the attack in a lakeside park in Annecy. Two men in their 70s were also injured. Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte, visited three of the children and their families in hospital in Grenoble about 100km (62 miles) from Annecy. The British girl who received surgery, named as Ettie, had “woken up” and was “watching TV”, said President Macron. According to Agence-France Presse, he added: “Doctors are optimistic” suggesting that “everything is going the right way”. A Dutch toddler – who was being treated in Geneva – and two French cousins aged two and three, were also said to be in a stable condition. Mr and Ms Macron later travelled to Annecy, where they sat at the bedside of one of the injured men, who was both knifed and wounded by a shot that police fired as they detained the suspected attacker. Mr Macron said he is regaining consciousness. The second injured adult was discharged from a hospital and was among dozens of people that Mr Macron met and thanked, his left elbow still bandaged. “The first thing doctors told me ... is that these children were saved by the swiftness of the collective intervention,” Mr Macron said. “Thank you immeasurably for your courage.” One of those was Henri, 24, a Catholic pilgrim who is on a nine-month walking and hitchhiking tour of France’s cathedrals and happened to be in the Alpine town of Annecy when the attack occurred. French media hailed Henri as “the hero with a backpack” after he was shown in a video using a weighty backpack he was carrying to swing at the assailant and fend off his blade. “You experienced very hard moments, traumatising,” Mr Macron said. “I am very proud of you.” Henri had a heavy backpack and was holding another in his hand when the attacker slashed at him. Henri continued to harass him, pursuing the man inside a playground – where he stabbed a child in a stroller – and then out of the park again, carrying his backpacks. Henri appeared to hurl one at the assailant at one point and then pick it up again to take another swing. Henri said he was powered by his Catholic faith. “When you know that you’re loved by God and that he saved our lives, you can act without thinking too much about your own [life] to try and save those of the children,” he told French broadcaster BFMTV. Henri asked Mr Macron to be invited to the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris next year, following repairs to the cathedral damaged in a fire in 2019. “I’ll take care of it personally,” the French leader replied. The management graduate said to BFMTV that that he was not the only civilian who put themselves in harm’s way. He had “acted like any French person would”, he said. “Many other people intervened in whatever way they could. I saw a park employee try to hit the attacker with his big plastic spade.” Henri’s father, Francois, said he believed that his son’s dogged pursuit helped dissuade the attacker from stabbing more victims before police wrestled him to the ground. “He took a lot of risks – when he wasn’t armed, with just his backpacks,” the father said. “He didn’t stop running after him for many minutes, to stop him from coming back and massacring the kids even more ... Really very courageous.” Francois asked that their last name not be published, expressing concerns about their family being thrust suddenly and inadvertently into the public eye at a time of shock and outrage in France provoked by the attack. Henri had posted on Instagram in late May about being two months into a nine-month pilgrimage which would see him walk and hitchhike across France, having started in Provence. Many flocked to his social media pages to hail his courage, with one person writing: “May God bless you. You did what you could at that moment, you did not give up, you did not run. You are an angel.” “Bravo for your courage and bravery, you saved lives today, you can be proud of yourself my friend,” wrote one commenter, while another said: “France has a hero tonight, a humble hero.” Many of the hundreds who wrote to share their thanks and “deep respect” for his “incredible” bravery called for him to be awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit, while others living across France offered to host him as he continues his pilgrimage. The suspect – a Syrian man with refugee status in Sweden – has had his custody extended and is due to undergo a psychiatric assessment. The 31-year-old is thought to have been living homeless in Annecy and recently had an asylum claim rejected in France, thanks to already holding the status in Sweden. On that French application he said he was a “Syrian Christian”. No terrorist motive is suspected. Commenting on the suggestion that the suspect in Thursday’s attacks also identifies as a Christian, Henri said it was “profoundly unchristian to attack the vulnerable”. A mass was held in Annecy Cathedral in tribute to the victims and their families later on Friday, church authorities said. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More ‘You are an angel’: France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack Everything we know about suspected France playground attacker after toddlers stabbed British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack Annecy locals attend mass as Mayor says injured children are ‘stable’

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Amy Dowden has shared an update after announcing she has breast cancer. The dancer told fans that she underwent a single mastectomy to treat stage three breast cancer after she was first diagnosed in May. But last month, she was told she needed chemotherapy after further tumours were discovered following the surgery. Since receiving her diagnosis, Dowden, who is best known for working as a professional dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing since 2017, has been raising awareness of breast cancer and updating her followers throughout her treatment. In her latest update, Dowden shared a series of posts to her Instagram Stories showing her followers the bespoke wig she had made as undergoes chemotherapy. Both Dowden and the owner of Be Unique Wigs by Charlotte shared a screenshot of their messages, as Dowden thanked her for making the wig. Charlotte, the wigmaker, wrote: “I’ve been working on a wig for the beautiful @amy_dowden and just received this lovely message from her! “I love her,” wrote Dowden in the messages, asking if she could order another one. “Thank you so so so very much.” The wigmaker said in an Instagram post that it was an ‘honour” to make the wig for the Strictly professional. “I’m hoping it will give you some comfort in a difficult time, I’ve said many times on here... it’s not just hair!” said the wigmaker. “Losing your hair can make such a difference to your confidence it’s almost like losing part of your identity,” Charlotte added. Last month, in an Instagram Live conversation for the charity CoppaFeel!, Dowden spoke about being told she’d need chemotherapy after more tumours were discovered following her mastectomy. “For me my journey everything changed,” she explained. “I was originally going to have a lumpectomy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. But then, after my MRI, they found another tumour so then it changed into a mastectomy and then, after my mastectomy, unfortunately, they found even more tumours. “They found another type of cancer and then they told me I needed chemo – for me that was a massive blow,” she continued. “It wasn’t in the plan, originally – and I know the plan you can’t get fixated on.” Dowden also added that would not be able to dance in a competitive capacity on this year’s Strictly. “This year, it means I’m not going to be able to dance with a celebrity on Strictly, but I’m in such regular contact with the team – the BBC have just been utterly incredible,” she said. “The rest of the year looked very different to what was planned but hopefully I’ll enter 2024 cancer free and I’ll never take anything for granted and promise to live life to the full,” she wrote in a post last month. Dowden joined Strictly in 2017, and has competed in every series since, reaching the final in 2019 with kids’ TV presenter Karim Zeroual. Find the full Strictly Come Dancing 2023 lineup here. Read More What I gained (and lost) by walking 10,000 steps each day for 5 months Pink fan who went into labour during concert names newborn son after pop star Woman behind viral ‘not real’ plane tirade says her life has been ‘blown up’ Strictly’s Amy Dowden shares health update following second cancer diagnosis How to sleep during hot weather, according to experts What is rheumatoid arthritis?

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Wildlife charity WWF Germany is being praised for its inventive use of the Twitter X logo to highlight the threat of extinction facing many of the world’s animals. Recently, Twitter CEO Elon Musk made the bizarre choice to change the recognisable Twitter logo depicting a blue bird to a very forgettable “X” in a move that has baffled industry experts. Since 2006, Twitter has had some variation of a blue bird as its logo and advertising company McCann Germany came up with a concept for WWF’s campaign to highlight extinction by using them. The camping depicted the five different iterations of the Twitter logo throughout the years, from the very first logo in 2006 to the one people came to know and love in 2012 – the simple portrait of a blue bird. Next in line was the new 2023 Twitter logo ‘X’, showing the very stark end of the classic bird Twitter logo. Text on the image read: “Protect our wildlife before it's too late!” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The very creative campaign has drawn a huge amount of praise for being simple yet effective. “This is brilliant,” one person wrote. Someone else commented: “Well played.” Another said: “Beautiful (and simple) idea from WWF Germany. Credit to McCann Germany.” “Brilliant real time marketing by WWF, Germany,” praised another. One Twitter user said: “Kudos to WWF for timely and imaginative work. Props to McCann Germany as well.” According to WWF Germany, around a million species are at risk of going extinct in the next few decades if ecosystems continue to be destroyed. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.