Latest news with #UniversityofSurrey
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Health
- Newsweek
New Sleep Model Reveals Why Babies Just Won't Nap Some Days
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. If you've ever wondered why your baby naps inconsistently, the answer may lie not in parenting guides or alarm clocks—but in mathematics. A new study by researchers from the University of Surrey, England, has applied mathematical modeling to explain how and why sleep patterns change over a lifetime. The research focused on refining a long-standing concept known as the two-process model ("2PM") of sleep regulation, originally introduced in the 1980s, which considers both biological sleep pressure (how the longer you are awake, the more sleepy you get) and our internal body clocks to understand when and how we sleep. But this latest study takes the model further, incorporating the mathematics of light exposure to show how environmental cues—like indoor lighting or late-night screen time—interact with biology to shape our sleep. The result is an expanded "2PM plus light" model that offers a unified explanation for a host of sleep mysteries—from unpredictable baby naps to the early morning habits of older adults. High angle shot of little Black child dressed in knitted jumpsuit of blue color serenely sleeping in cozy wooden crib with baby mobiles hanging above, while mother checking on daughter in bedroom. High angle shot of little Black child dressed in knitted jumpsuit of blue color serenely sleeping in cozy wooden crib with baby mobiles hanging above, while mother checking on daughter in bedroom. SeventyFour "This model gives us hope that sleep problems can be better understood and tackled," said paper author and mathematician professor Anne Skeldon of the University of Surrey in a statement. "By using math, we can see how small changes in light, routine or biology shift our sleep—and test practical ways to support better sleep for everyone." One of the more curious phenomena explained by the model is why babies nap on some days but not others, even when their schedule seems consistent. Oscillator theorists refer to this behavior as the Devil's staircase—a mathematical term for sudden jumps or skips in patterns. The researchers showed how the interplay between a baby's rising sleep pressure and immature circadian rhythms can create seemingly erratic nap behavior that, in reality, follows a mathematically predictable pattern. The same model explains why teenagers tend to go to bed and wake up later than younger children. The mathematical simulations revealed that adolescents experience a slower buildup of sleep pressure, allowing them to stay awake longer. Combined with bright light exposure in the evening—from devices, indoor lighting or nighttime socializing—this can delay their sleep even further, shifting their rhythms into a cycle that is out of sync with early school start times. With models like 2PM plus light, scientists can simulate the impact of small changes in lighting, bedtime routines or social schedules—potentially leading to personalized interventions for people struggling with sleep in our increasingly 24/7 world. "This work shows how math can bring clarity to something as complex and personal as sleep," said paper co-author and Surrey sleep researcher professor Derk-Jan Dijk. "With the right data and models, we can give more tailored advice and develop novel interventions to improve sleep patterns for those whose rest is affected by modern routines, ageing or health conditions," he concluded. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about sleep? Let us know via health@ Reference Skeldon, A. C., & Dijk, D.-J. (2025). The complexity and commonness of the two-process model of sleep regulation from a mathematical perspective. npj Biological Timing and Sleep, 2(24).
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I have helped more than 300 people reverse their diabetes – here's how
'The traditional view of type 2 diabetes is that it's chronic and progressive,' says registered dietitian Helen Gowers. This will be a recognisable characterisation of the condition for the 4.1 million people in the UK who have it and, upon diagnosis, were swiftly put on to a lifetime course of medication, typically metformin and then insulin, to keep their blood sugar levels at bay. 'However, our approach is to undo insulin resistance by removing the visceral fat that's clogging up key organs – the root cause of type 2 diabetes – so everything starts working normally again,' Gowers says. 'You can't achieve that with medication, it has to be done through weight loss and diet.' Doctors now recognise that reversing type 2 diabetes through diet is a very real possibility for many patients. A study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health in 2023, showed a diet low in carbohydrates (found in bread, potatoes and pasta) helped 51 per cent of the 186 type 2 diabetes patients involved achieve remission within three years – meaning their blood sugar levels were below the type 2 diabetes range and they no longer needed medication. To spread this method to the masses, Gowers joined the charity Public Health Collaboration in 2021, offering an eight-week diet and lifestyle course called The Lifestyle Club (TLC) for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes patients to help them reverse the condition. So far, more than 1,340 people have completed the course, and based on a recent TLC service evaluation in collaboration with the University of Surrey, she estimates 308 of them will have achieved remission or reversed prediabetes. Their study found a 23 per cent remission rate for a TLC cohort in Guildford after six months, which will have reduced their risk of developing diabetes-related complications, such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease. What causes type 2 diabetes and how can it be reversed? Scientists are still trying to unpick the exact mechanism behind type 2 diabetes. However, it is known that a build-up of fat in the liver and pancreas are major contributors. We all have a personal threshold for being able to store body fat, Gowers says. 'Once you've reached that level, the only place you're going to be able to store extra calories is in your abdominal area as visceral fat, which surrounds the liver and pancreas.' Eventually, the liver and pancreas then become clogged up with fat, which contributes to insulin resistance, meaning that the cells stop responding to insulin – a hormone vital for bringing down blood sugar levels. 'The pancreas then churns out more and more insulin as the insulin resistance gets worse to try and overcome it, and it's only when it finally can't produce enough that blood sugar goes up and remains high,' Gowers explains. It is at this point that type 2 diabetes is diagnosed. 'Diabetes is literally just the end of the show.' While needing to pass urine frequently, being very thirsty and feeling very tired are all symptoms, a lot of people experience no symptoms. 'The body's so incredible in the way that it manages all of this quietly,' Gowers says. Is remission possible for everyone? When it comes to putting type 2 diabetes into remission, the goal is to drain the liver and pancreas of fat, so their function can return to normal, reversing insulin resistance – meaning that people can come off their medication. 'For people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the last year, that remission rate shoots up to 77 per cent,' Gowers says. 'For prediabetes, it's 93 per cent. The earlier in the journey that you find people, the better.' However, there are cases of patients who had type 2 diabetes for decades being able to reverse it. Even if you're unable to hit remission, there are still benefits of following a low-carb diet in an attempt to reverse it, she notes. Weight loss is one of them. 'We've had people who have had diabetes for 20, 30 years and they make phenomenal progress,' she says. 'They'll reduce their medication, their blood pressure will come down, they'll lose a bit of weight, they'll feel more energetic. There will always be improvements, even if we don't call it remission, so it's definitely worth a go.' How to reverse type 2 diabetes Reduce your sugar and carb intake Cutting out sugar and dramatically reducing your intake of carbohydrates, both of which cause surges in blood glucose, are the main changes needed to reverse type 2 diabetes, Gowers explains. 'You want to reduce them as low as required to achieve your goals, and this varies from person to person,' she says. The reason is that these foods raise insulin levels, and when these are high, you can't lose body fat, Gowers says. A low-carbohydrate diet means having no more than 130g per day. When you do have carbs, it should be whole-grain varieties, such as brown rice, pasta or bread. In practice, this means cutting out food including white bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, crackers and cereal. Patients are advised to cut out added sugar – found in sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and fizzy drinks – and avoid foods that are high in natural sugar, such as honey and certain fruit. While blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are allowed as they are lower in natural sugar, it's recommended not to have some tropical fruit, such as bananas, oranges, grapes, mangoes or pineapple, because their sugar content is very high. It's also key to ditch low-fat foods, which are typically high in sugar. 'Go for full-fat dairy, fish, meat and eggs,' Gowers says. 'The natural fat that comes with those foods is fine. It's turning the current dietary guidelines on their head, really.' Consider options such as coleslaw for a tasty, low-carb side, and cheese, avocado and mayonnaise can also be enjoyed, she notes. Breakfast is a good place to start, when it comes to adopting the low-carb diet. 'People tend to consume a lot of carbs at breakfast, whether it's bread, cereal or pastries,' Gowers says. 'The human body only needs one teaspoon of glucose in the bloodstream at any one time and if you're having toast, cereal and orange juice for breakfast, that's going to break down into about 16 teaspoons of sugar. 'Full-fat yogurt and berries or eggs won't cause spikes in blood glucose and they're really nutrient-dense, meaning they will fill you up for the rest of the morning.' Fasting, which can be done by pushing back your first meal of the day until lunchtime, can also be a helpful tool in sticking to the low-carb diet, Gowers notes. You don't need to be worried about skipping a meal, she says. 'You're not starving – your body is going to be using fat stores, which is great. Think of it in terms of, I can either fuel my body with food or I can use my own fat stores as fuel.' However, she recommends anyone taking medication to seek advice before changing their meal patterns. Rather than a quick fix, the idea is that low-carb and low or no sugar are diet principles that you carry forward for life, she says. 'Some people might go all out for eight weeks to reverse their diabetes and then think, 'There's no way they can be as strict in the long term,' so make concessions to keep their diabetes status within the range they're happy with,' Gowers notes. This may mean that they are able to reduce their medication or put themselves into the prediabetes category, rather than fully reversing it, she says. Base meals on 'real' foods If you begin cutting out carbohydrates and sugar, you may naturally find yourself gravitating towards whole foods, such as protein, vegetables and dairy, Gowers says. 'Make sure you have a good amount of veg to fill you up – it also offers lots of fibre,' she notes. A large portion of broccoli, courgette or green beans can substitute mash, pasta or rice – and they can still be covered with gravy, Bolognese or curry. Thinly sliced cabbage that has been lightly boiled is a great low-carb option instead of tagliatelle, she notes. 'The idea is that the fewer carbs you're eating, your body shifts to burning fat, so you're going to be able to utilise your stored fat to fuel your body, rather than the sugar you were eating before,' she explains. 'The note of caution is that you don't want to add loads of extra fat when you're trying to lose weight – but it will fill you up. It's just eating real food and the fat that comes with that food.' It's also recommended not to eat too much processed meat, which includes ham, bacon and sausages. Snacking is generally not recommended, though some crudités with full-fat hummus, a couple of squares of dark chocolate or a few plain nuts won't spike your blood sugar or leave you feeling hungry, she says. 'But people find that they don't need all of those extra snacks that they were used to having before.' Have enough water and salt In the early stages of following the low-carb diet, it's important to make sure you're drinking plenty of water and having enough salt, Gowers says. 'When you switch over from having a diet that's very high in carbohydrates to low-carb, you may initially become dehydrated and get headaches or constipation,' she says. 'Insulin disrupts the way you process salt so you're releasing a lot of the salt and water that your kidneys were holding on to,' she explains. 'One of the reasons that people lose weight quite quickly is because you're losing all of that water retention.' As a result, you need to make sure you're replacing the lost salt, which you can simply do by adding salt to your meals as you cook them or adding an extra stock cube to your meals, as these are high in salt, she says. 'Having sufficient water and salt means you're not going to be dehydrated and you're less likely to get headaches, cramps and feel a bit lethargic as you transition to using fat as your fuel.' Have a support network When overhauling your diet, it's vital to have a support network around you to help you stay on track, Gowers says. 'Long-term support is what makes the difference,' she notes. It's especially important that it's available when people feel like they've drifted off their diet and are trying to get back on it again. On the eight-week TLC course, there are weekly 90-minute Zoom sessions overseen by a health coach. Once the course is finished, people are invited to monthly catch-up meetings, where there are guest speakers, such as consultants and chefs. There are also Facebook and WhatsApp groups for people to chat to each other or suggest low-carb meal ideas, and some meet for coffee or go for walks together, she says. 'It's keeping the momentum going,' she says. If you don't join the course, you can enlist the help of friends and family to keep you on track. It's initial intensive support, as well as the long-term support after the course, that is vital to ensure patients stick to the healthy changes they've made, Gowers explains. 'People can dip in and dip out; it's not that everybody needs the support all the time but you've got to be there so that when someone needs it, you're there to help and get them back on track.' Prioritise diet over exercise While exercise is excellent for health, diet is the focus when it comes to reversing type 2 diabetes, according to Gowers. 'It's what's going to give you 70 per cent of the benefits,' she says. However, you're much more likely to maintain your dietary changes if you bring in some exercise as well, so it's important to be more active, even if it's not straight away when you first try the diet, she notes. 'Once you've regained some metabolic health, you've lost a bit of weight, you're feeling so much better, you are much more likely to want to do some exercise. 'Don't beat yourself up trying to go to the gym three times a week at the beginning; start with diet and naturally you will feel more like moving about as time goes on.' 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Metro
3 days ago
- Health
- Metro
Almost half of people don't wash their hands after using hospital toilets
It's one of the simplest steps in stopping germs from spreading – but nearly half of hospital toilet users are failing to wash their hands, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Surrey put sensors on toilet and sink pipes to monitor hygiene behaviours at a hospital in Denmark. Over the roughly five-month period, they found that 43.7% of users did not wash their hands after using the loo. The figure, which jumped to 61.8% on some of the weeks, has raised the alarm about hygiene practices that some might have assumed had become commonplace after the pandemic. Dr Pablo Pereira Doel from the University of Surrey said people failing to wash their hands could 'directly affect patient safety' in hospitals. People were especially bad at washing their hands at the start and end of the day, as well as during mealtimes. NHS guidance says hand washing is 'one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and others from illnesses'. The advice hit the headlines at the start of the pandemic when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the nation to 'wash your hands for 20 seconds or more'. Professor Benjamin Gardner, from the University of Surrey, said: 'Strategies that raise awareness at the crucial point in a bathroom visit and easily understood messaging about how to wash effectively – like singing Happy Birthday twice over – can help people form handwashing habits that last.' The study took place at Bispebjerg hospital in Copenhagen, recording 2,636 over the course of 19 weeks. More Trending Professor Carrie Newlands, also of the University of Surrey, added the latest findings are 'not surprising'. 'Even simple behaviours like handwashing can lapse without reinforcement. 'In hospitals, lapses like these can have serious consequences – for patients and for the wider healthcare system. 'It's time we moved beyond posters and hand gel stations to more effective behavioural strategies.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 21 seconds to go: The golden rule for how long it should take you to pee MORE: The reason why this famous TV doctor travelled 360 miles for surgery MORE: I'm a millennial – please stop sending me perimenopause memes
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Nearly half of hospital toilet users skip handwashing, study says
Almost one in two of people that use a hospital toilet do not wash their hands, according to new research from the University of 19-week study, in partnership with Bispebjerg hospital in Denmark, put sensors on toilet and sink pipes to monitor hygiene 2,636 flushes, it revealed 43.7% (1,153 flushes) of people using a hospital toilet skipped handwashing, with figures peaking at 61.8% on certain assumptions that handwashing may be "second nature" after Covid-19, Dr Pablo Pereira Doel from the University of Surrey said this behaviour could "directly affect patient safety". The study noted that handwashing figures were especially down at the start and end of each day, including typical Benjamin Gardner, from the University of Surrey, said: "Strategies that raise awareness at the crucial point in a bathroom visit and easily understood messaging about how to wash effectively – like singing Happy Birthday twice over – can help people form handwashing habits that last."Guidance from NHS England says handwashing is one of the easiest ways of preventing food poisoning and other illnesses, such as the flu, especially in hospital settings."These findings are worrying but not surprising," Prof Carrie Newlands from the University of Surrey Newlands wants visual reinforcements, such as posters and hand-gel stations, to be replaced by "more effective behavioural strategies".
BBC News
7 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
University of Surrey report urges rethink over future water use
Customers and the water industry must work together to reduce water use, an academic study has from the University of Surrey's Institute for Sustainability have been working with more than 100 professionals, including some from nine UK water university's report said companies should do more to understand how their customers use water, before helping them change their habits to help conserve also said installing more smart meters and fixing leaks would not be enough, with England projected to face a daily shortfall of five billion litres by 2055. How can I reduce my water usage?England needs more hosepipe bans and smart water meters - watchdog Prof Benjamin Gardner, lead author of the report and professor of psychology at the University of Surrey, said: "Most people don't know how much water they use. "The sector has focused on smart meters, which will raise awareness of water use – but smart meters alone won't cut it."The real challenge is in helping people to better recognise and understand how they use water and supporting them to continue doing their everyday activities, but in a more water-wise way. "To do that, the sector needs to make better use of behavioural science." 'The human factor' It suggests focussing on issues such as fixing leaks in their homes, taking shorter showers and not flushing toilets so often, and says the water industry should focus on technology to work alongside these Russell from Waterwise, a non-profit organisation which promotes water efficiency that took part in the study, said: "Research into behaviour helps us design smarter policies, technologies and communications that support people to use water more wisely."We can't afford to ignore the human factor. Water efficiency isn't just about infrastructure - it's about people, choices, habits, and values."
