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How dangerous is insomnia? How fear of what it’s doing to your body can wreck your sleep

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leon-lack-1142">Leon Lack</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicole-lovato-60684">Nicole Lovato</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p>I (Leon) have recently seen several patients who were concerned their insomnia symptoms would increase their risk for dementia. They were in their 70s and were awakening two or three times a night, which they took to be insomnia. But they were not impaired in the daytime in a way typical of insomnia.</p> <p>Their brief awakenings are normal for most people and <a href="https://theconversation.com/broken-sleep-its-a-rollercoaster-ride-1792">completely harmless</a>. Brief awakenings emerge from the periodic phases of light sleep that occur naturally between the four or five 90-minute deep sleep cycles. If you’re unaware of this “rollercoaster” of 90-minute cycles, you might think such awakenings are a sign of disease. In fact, they are perfectly normal and experienced more as people age when sleep naturally becomes lighter and shorter – <a href="https://theconversation.com/mondays-medical-myth-you-need-eight-hours-of-continuous-sleep-each-night-5643">with no ill effect</a>.</p> <p>Therefore, I reassured them their sleep patters were normal and they did not have insomnia. This requires daytime impairments – fatigue, cognitive problems, mild depression, irritability, distress or anxiety – in addition to night time symptoms.</p> <p>I trust they were reassured, and so they avoided the type of fear and worry that would have triggered a cascade of events leading to insomnia.</p> <h2>Is it really insomnia?</h2> <p>So where did my patients get the notion their sleep symptoms could lead to dementia? Let’s pick apart this tsunami of alarming information.</p> <p>It usually starts with very <a href="https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-018-1623-0">large surveys</a> that find a statistically significant relationship between measures of sleep problems and subsequently developing dementia.</p> <p>First, most of these studies ask participants to report how long they typically sleep. Those reporting less than six hours a night show a small but statistically elevated risk of developing dementia.</p> <p>These studies do not say if people have clinical insomnia diagnosed by a health professional. Instead they rely solely on participants guessing how long they’ve slept, which <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/25/5/559/2750164?login=false">can be inaccurate</a>.</p> <p>The studies would have also included many people without insomnia who are not allowing themselves adequate opportunity for sleep. Perhaps they’d been in the habit of socialising or playing computer games late at night.</p> <p>In other words, we don’t know what proportion of these short-sleepers are simply over-estimating their sleep problems, or restricting their sleep and experiencing chronic sleep loss rather than insomnia.</p> <h2>What do the numbers really mean?</h2> <p>A second problem is with interpreting the meaning of “statistically significant”. This only means the results were unlikely to be due to pure chance. If a single study shows a 20% increased risk of a physical health problem associated with insomnia, how worried should we be? This single finding does not necessarily mean it’s worth considering in our everyday lives.</p> <p>Studies relating insomnia to health risks are also typically inconsistent. For example, although some studies have found small increases in dementia risk with having insomnia, a very <a href="https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/ebmental/26/1/e300719.full.pdf">large UK study</a> did not find any relationship between the amount of sleep or sleeping difficulties and dementia risk.</p> <h2>What’s the context?</h2> <p>A third problem is communicating a balanced perspective to the public about the potential dangers of insomnia. Some in the mainstream media, with the help of the researcher’s institution, will report on studies showing a statistically significant increase in the risk of a frightening disease, such as dementia.</p> <p>But <a href="https://theconversation.com/essays-on-health-reporting-medical-news-is-too-important-to-mess-up-68920">not all media reports</a> ask about how clinically meaningful the risk is, whether there are alternative explanations, or how this result compares with what other researchers have found. So the public is left with no context to temper the scary, “increased risk” narrative. This narrative is then shared on social media, amplifying the scary finding.</p> <h2>Obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure</h2> <p>We’ve used dementia as one example of how fears about potential risks to physical health from insomnia arise and are magnified. But we could have used a potential increased risk of obesity, diabetes or high blood pressure. All have been associated with shorter sleep, but researchers are debating whether these links are real, meaningful or related to insomnia.</p> <p>When we looked at the impact of sleep problems on life expectancy, we found <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30529432/">no evidence</a> sleep symptoms alone shorten your life. Only when daytime symptoms such as fatigue, memory problems and distress are included is there a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-36016-4">small increased risk</a> of dying prematurely. However, it’s difficult to know if that excess mortality can be explained by undiagnosed heart, kidney, liver or brain disease causing those daytime symptoms.</p> <h2>We should be talking about mental health</h2> <p>However, there is stronger evidence of increased <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-link-between-insomnia-and-mental-illness-49597">mental health</a> problems, especially depression, with insomnia.</p> <p>The typical daytime impairments of fatigue, distress, cognitive impairments and irritability certainly lower the quality of life. Life becomes more of a challenge and less enjoyable. Over time, this can trigger <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-whats-the-link-between-insomnia-and-mental-illness-49597">hopelessness and depression</a> in some people. This is enough reason to seek help to improve sleep and quality of life.</p> <p>People with these problems should seek help from a health practitioner. The good news is there is an effective, long-term, non-drug treatment with no side effects – cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia <a href="https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2296-13-40">or CBTi</a>. Even better, successful CBTi also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945720303828">decreases</a> symptoms of depression and other mental distress.</p> <p>What is not helpful is unnecessary fear triggered by reports suggesting serious physical health dangers of insomnia. This fear is only likely to increase insomnia rather than mitigate it.</p> <hr /> <p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212248/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leon-lack-1142"><em>Leon Lack</em></a><em>, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicole-lovato-60684">Nicole Lovato</a>, Associate Professor, Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-dangerous-is-insomnia-how-fear-of-what-its-doing-to-your-body-can-wreck-your-sleep-212248">original article</a>.</p>

Body

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Titanic at 25: like the ship itself, James Cameron’s film is a bit of a wreck

<p>When it was released 25 years ago, James Cameron’s <em>Titanic</em> was enormous. It made stars of its two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Reviews overwhelmingly heaped praise not only on the technical aspects of the film but also the acting and storyline. </p> <p>In 1997, <em>Titanic</em> was, in the oft-quoted line from the film, “king of the world!”</p> <p>At the time we were all swept up in the romantic tale of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, the star-crossed lovers whose infatuation on the doomed ship ended when Jack made the ultimate sacrifice, freezing in the icy Atlantic to save his truly beloved. </p> <p>But over the years, critics and audiences alike have re-examined the film and found, like the ship itself, it is a bit of a wreck.</p> <p>When it was originally released, a <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/image/258048661/?clipping_id=97758112&amp;fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjI1ODA0ODY2MSwiaWF0IjoxNjc1MzQ2NDQ1LCJleHAiOjE2NzU0MzI4NDV9.zwnunz556NCc1QF_m4T6QFNTGu2W4b00ograrsGd8Fg">small</a> <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/image/175704135/?clipping_id=97762030&amp;fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE3NTcwNDEzNSwiaWF0IjoxNjc1MzQ2NTYxLCJleHAiOjE2NzU0MzI5NjF9.pkc0x_OXwU9EdMc-d95Q6-aXrCOMQf7Sf8ph9svWrv0">number</a> of <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97760857/titanic-1/">critics</a> deeply disliked <em>Titanic</em>.</p> <p>Today, <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/titanic/reviews?page=3&amp;type=user">more and more</a> people are re-evaluating their originally positive response to the film and are changing their opinions. From the characters, to the story, to the ending, there are a number of issues with <em>Titanic</em> that appear questionable at best, and deeply unsettling at worst. </p> <p>It’s even gone far enough that <a href="https://thetempest.co/2016/09/28/entertainment/5-reasons-titanic-is-the-worst-movie-ever/">some critics</a> are calling it the worst film ever made – but that may be taking it too far.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I7c1etV7D7g" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h2>An unhealthy obsession</h2> <p>At the beginning of the film, we find upper-class Rose being forced into marriage with “Cal” Hockley by her widowed mother, Ruth, to save the family fortune and keep their status in society. So unhappy with her situation, Rose decides to jump from the ship. She is rescued by the penniless drifter, Jack. </p> <p>So begins the plot of the film as the pair constantly run and hide from the authorities to be together.</p> <p>Jack’s relentless pursuit of Rose around the ship is obsessive. We learn virtually nothing about the character of Jack Dawson apart from him being a poor orphaned artist, he wants Rose, and he will do anything to have her – even though they’ve only known each other for a few days. </p> <p>Is this a healthy relationship?</p> <p>Rose is only 17 years old and possibly too inexperienced to identify a stalker or manipulator. Influenced by Jack’s charm, Rose turns against her mother, fiancé and pretty much everyone else in her life. And how could she not? On board the Titanic, almost every wealthy and upper-class person is portrayed as a villain while the people in third class, or steerage, are shown as a salt-of-the-earth, decent and virtuous. Rose’s fiancé is at every turn just a mean, callous man who cares nothing for Rose or for anyone but himself.</p> <p>Even when the ship is sinking, the officers on board discriminate against the steerage passengers, ensuring only the well-to-do board the lifeboats – just one of the many <a href="https://screenrant.com/titanic-james-cameron-historial-inaccuracies-right/">historical inaccuracies</a>. </p> <p>All of the upper-class characters we meet on Titanic get little screen time, apart from when they are being desultory, cruel or malicious. They appear two-dimensional, lacking meaningful emotions.</p> <h2>True love?</h2> <p>One of the main themes of the film, that true love goes on beyond death, also appears overly sentimental and simplistic in modern times. We understand young teens often lack maturity in relationships and often <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/love/young-love-can-be-a-confusing-emotion/">mistake</a> lust or infatuation for love. </p> <p>Would Jack and Rose’s relationship have lasted if Jack had survived? He was broke with no visible means of support. She was 17. Their love affair is a fantasy of no responsibility while on board the ship. Where would it have gone in the real world?</p> <p>This directs us to another issue. Rose survives the sinking and goes on to marry another man and have a family with children and grandchildren. However, when Rose dies at the end of the film her “spirit” descends to the wreck of the ship where she is reunited with the “love of her life” Jack. </p> <p>Surely this is a slap in the face to her deceased husband and family. She lived her entire life with these people, yet the film ends up with Rose in the afterlife with someone she knew for a few days.</p> <h2>Filled with holes</h2> <p>Often, critiquing films with modern sensibilities can be unfair. However, <em>Titanic</em> includes a fair number of issues that, even considered with the social mores of the time in which it was made, appear problematic. </p> <p>This does not take away from the enjoyment many people have gained from the film over the years, and its technical brilliance. But it does give increased weight to the critics who spoke against the film in 1997. </p> <p>Like the ship itself, the film <em>Titanic</em> is a relic of a different time. Revisiting it can make you wonder why you never noticed the holes in it in the first place.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/titanic-at-25-like-the-ship-itself-james-camerons-film-is-a-bit-of-a-wreck-199171" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Movies

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"World's most difficult shipwreck search" comes to an end

<p>The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance has been found off the coast of Antarctica 107 years after it sank. The lost ship of the Anglo-Irish explorer had not been seen since it was crushed by ice and sank in the Weddell Sea on the 21st of November, 1915.</p> <p>Last month, the Endurance22 Expedition set off from Cape Town in South Africa on a mission to find the vessel, one month after the 100th anniversary of Sir Ernest’s death.</p> <p>Endurance was finally spotted at a depth of 3008 metres and some six kilometres south of the position recorded by the ship’s Captain Frank Worsley, according to the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.</p> <p>Even though the wreck has been sitting in water for more than a century, the expedition’s director of exploration said Endurance was “by far the finest wooden shipwreck” he has ever seen.</p> <p>Mensun Bound, who has now fulfilled a dream ambition in his near 50-year career, said: “We are overwhelmed by our good fortune in having located and captured images of Endurance.</p> <p>“This is a milestone in polar history.”</p> <p>The ship is said to look much the same as when it was photographed for the final time by Shackleton’s filmmaker, Frank Hurley, in 1915. The team even spotted some boots and crockery on board.</p> <p>Mr Bound told the BBC: “Beside the companion way, you can see a porthole that is Shackleton’s cabin.</p> <p>“We found the wreck a hundred years to the day after Shackleton’s funeral. I don’t usually go with this sort of stuff at all, but this one I found a bit spooky.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Huge congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/Endurance_22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Endurance_22</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NatGeo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NatGeo</a> for finding the wreck of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Shackleton?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Shackleton</a>’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Endurance?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Endurance</a>. The wreck is amazing but can we also talk about some of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Antarctic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Antarctic</a> sea floor creatures that now call it home! Add any others you spot to the thread! (1) <a href="https://t.co/QULEJkoiW4">pic.twitter.com/QULEJkoiW4</a></p> <p>— Huw Griffiths (@griffiths_huw) <a href="https://twitter.com/griffiths_huw/status/1501492716517171201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Dr John Shears, the expedition leader, described the moment cameras landed on the ship’s name as “jaw-dropping”.</p> <p>He said: “The discovery of the wreck is an incredible achievement.</p> <p>“We have successfully completed the world’s most difficult shipwreck search, battling constantly shifting sea-ice, blizzards, and temperatures dropping down to -18C.</p> <p>“We have achieved what many people said was impossible.”</p> <p>He added: “In addition, we have undertaken important scientific research in a part of the world that directly affects the global climate and environment.”</p> <p>Sir Ernest had set out to make the first land crossing of Antarctica - but he had to abandon the quest when Endurance was trapped and holed by sea-ice.</p> <p>The mission to find the lost ship was launched by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust using a South African icebreaker, Agulhas II - equipped with remotely operated submersibles.</p> <p>The shipwreck is a designated monument under the international Antarctic Treaty and must not be disturbed in any way.</p> <p>Deep-sea polar biologist Dr Michelle Taylor from Essex University said: “It would appear that there is little wood deterioration, inferring that the wood-munching animals found in other areas of our ocean are, perhaps unsurprisingly, not in the forest-free Antarctic region.</p> <p>The icebreaker is now on its way back to Cape Town. The team plan is to make a stop at the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia where Shackleton is buried to pay their respects.</p> <p><em>Image: Twitter</em></p>

International Travel

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New Lamborghini wrecked 20 minutes after owner bought it

<p>A brand new Lamborghini has been written off 20 minutes after its new owner picked it up.</p> <p>The car had broken down due to a mechanical failure and was hit from behind by an "innocent motorist".</p> <p>The supercar is worth an estimated $360,000 and was hit by a van.</p> <p>Photos of the incident were shared by the Twitter account of West Yorkshire Police in the UK which shows the damage.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">M1 Ossett today - It’s only a car ! But on this occasion a 20 minute old brand new Lamborghini that stopped due mechanical failure in lane 3 them hit from behind by an innocent motorist <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/couldhavecried?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#couldhavecried</a> <a href="https://t.co/S1f9YEQGcD">pic.twitter.com/S1f9YEQGcD</a></p> — WYP Roads Policing Unit (@WYP_RPU) <a href="https://twitter.com/WYP_RPU/status/1275860418058235904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>The officers seemed to take the incident to heart as they used the hashtag #couldhavecried.</p> <p>There are no details on how the owner feels, but Twitter users had a lot to say about the incident.</p> <p>“I don’t even know the person and could cry for them,” one person responded.</p> <p>“I really hope that was insured,” another wrote.</p> <p>Some were confused as to why the car broke down.</p> <p>“Feel sorry for the Lamborghini showroom that sold it! Boy are they gonna get an angry phone call!” one person wrote.</p> <p>“Mechanical failure after twenty minutes? So my ten-year-old Kia is better than a Lamborghini. Good to know,” another said.</p> <p>Others hoped that everyone left the incident unscathed.</p> <p>“Assuming nobody was hurt, I can’t help but find this hilarious,” one person commented.</p> <p>“The insurance company might be crying when they get the bill ... as will the driver who hit it,” another suggested.</p> <p>“I hope there were no injuries, other than the owner’s pride,” a third added.</p>

Travel Trouble

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The surprising things in your home that could be wrecking your Wi-Fi connection

<p>We’ve all become so addicted to Wi-Fi these days, it’s gotten to the point where a slow internet connection is almost completely unbearable. And while you can fork over a mint to get your hands on the “best” plan, there are many things you’re doing around the house day-to-day that could be dramatically slowing your connection.</p> <p>And it all comes down to the placement of your router.</p> <p>Something as simple as placing your router near an electronic device like a TV, fish tank or event Christmas tree lights can result in a dramatic drop in speeds.</p> <p>The reason this is the case is that every day electrical objects all emit signals that can interfere with that of your Wi-Fi connection, restricting your potential speed.</p> <p>“We are increasingly reliant on the internet for so many aspects of our lives and it's therefore so important that we can trust in the reliability of our service,” said Meredith Sharples, director at Post Office Telecoms.</p> <p>“However, the public told us they suffer from a slow internet connection, have had their connection drop at random times and experience a poor Wi-Fi connection in certain rooms.</p> <p>“We also learned that many are not aware of the simple steps they can take to ensure their home is optimised to receive the best broadband connections possible.”</p> <p><strong>Ways to increase your Wi-Fi speed:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Place router away from other electronic devices</li> <li>Ensure the Wi-Fi router is plugged into your master socket</li> <li>Protect your router with a password</li> <li>Use the latest version of your internet browser</li> </ul> <p>Are you happy with your Wi-Fi connection?</p>

Technology