We all love our little furry friends. They make us feel happy. But it is no longer just a feeling, but a scientifically proven fact. A new study published in PLOS One highlighted that playing with a dog just for 15 minutes can significantly reduce a person's stress. This could also help stressed students. It was found that when stressed students interact with a friendly dog, they reported less stress, they also had a reduced heart rate and had lower levels of stress hormone cortisol in their saliva.

The experience is the same with the dog too. So, not just humans benefit from the dogs, the furry friends too feel happier! Based on the fecal test, it was found that canine cortisol levels were lower a week after hanging with a human.

The senior investigator Jaruwan Khonmee of the Chiang Mai University Thailand, said, "Even brief interactions with dogs can significantly reduce stress levels among university undergraduate students."

How Was The Study Conducted?

The researchers recruited six friendly dogs between 3 and 6 years of age. They were to interact with college students. This included chihuahuas raised by veterinarians and a Shetland sheepdog raised by a psychologist.

It is important to note that none of these dogs were certified for therapy work.

Researchers enlisted 122 university students and conducted a series of tests to measure their stress levels before and after a short session with a dog. These tests included self-reported stress assessments, blood pressure and pulse readings, and saliva samples for cortisol testing—a key indicator of stress.

What Happened During the Session?

Each student was introduced to a dog, including its name, personality traits, and preferred interactions. They were then given 15 minutes to engage with the dog in any way they preferred—whether it was petting, playing, hugging, giving treats, or simply observing.

After the session, students underwent the same stress tests to measure any changes. Additionally, the dogs themselves provided saliva and fecal samples before and after their interactions with the students to determine if they, too, experienced any physiological changes.

The Results: A Noticeable Drop in Stress

Findings showed a significant reduction in student stress levels. According to the study:

• Self-reported stress levels dropped by 33.5% after just 15 minutes of interaction with a dog.
• Physiological improvements were noted, including lower pulse rates and decreased cortisol levels in students, indicating reduced stress.

What About the Dogs?

Interestingly, while the dogs’ salivary cortisol levels remained unchanged on the day of the play session, their fecal cortisol levels were lower a week later. This suggests that although the immediate stress response in dogs was not evident, prolonged exposure to human interaction might have a long-term calming effect on them as well.

Why This Matters

This study reinforces the idea that human-animal interactions can have a measurable impact on stress reduction. The findings highlight two key takeaways:

Dogs can be effective stress relievers for students – even those not trained for therapy purposes.

Animal well-being should also be considered in canine-assisted interventions to ensure that the experience is beneficial for both humans and dogs.

The Bigger Picture: Expanding Canine-Assisted Therapy

While therapy dogs and trained handlers are often used in structured mental health interventions, this research suggests that even non-certified dogs can provide mental health benefits. In settings where professional therapy animals are not available, the presence of friendly, well-behaved dogs may still offer stress relief to individuals facing high-pressure situations.

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in kids vaping all over the world. A popular habit among young teens as well as young adults, vaping is the act of inhaling aerosol from electronic cigarettes or vape. But this popular habit has cost the health and well-being of this 24-year-old, who took to social media to warn people about this habit, as reported by the People.

“I Have Been Vaping Since The Age Of 12”

A young man is taking to social media with a serious warning for anyone who uses e-cigarettes. He claims that vaping caused him to suffer a heart attack at just 24 years old and has led to lasting lung damage. Through a series of TikTok videos, Jacob Temple from Kentucky is urging people to quit vaping right away.

Temple, who started vaping at age 12, now says his lungs are like those of a 70-year-old man. He explained that he has permanent scarring on part of his lungs, meaning he can never fully inflate or deflate them again. "It feels like I’m breathing through a straw constantly, always, just never getting enough air and there’s nothing that can be done," he shared. This damage means he'll forever feel like he's not getting enough oxygen.

Lung Damage As Well As Suffering Heart Health

Temple also revealed that his vaping habit directly led to a "minor" heart attack, specifically an anterior myocardial infarction. He described the terrifying experience, saying, "My whole body was fighting to stay alive at a certain point." While the physical damage to his lungs can't be fixed, he hopes his story will motivate others to stop vaping before it's too late for them.

Temple admits he still has "good days and bad days." On some days, he can be active with the help of his rescue inhaler. However, on other days, he can barely function and struggles to sleep. He reflected on his past habit, saying, "It was fun while it lasted, but now I am paying for it dearly." His struggle highlights the long-term, painful consequences of what might seem like a harmless habit.

Research Warns Against Vaping

In a 2021 BMJ Case Reports study, researchers explored the link between vaping spontaneous pneumothorax, which is when air leaks into the space between your lung and chest wall, causing the lung to collapse. They also presented a case study of a A 34-year-old man, who was a healthy weight, came to the emergency room struggling to breathe and experiencing back pain for a full day.

An X-ray of his chest showed a large collapsed lung on his right side. He had quit regular cigarettes three years prior and switched entirely to vaping. A more detailed CT scan revealed bullae (air-filled sacs) in his lungs, and he had to undergo surgery to remove part of his lung. Lab tests on the removed tissue showed mild inflammation.

There are many other studies like the same, prompting researchers and healthcare professionals to issue warnings.

Temple’s case is not an isolated incident; there are many who have suffered the same fate.

How To Quit Vaping?

According to Heart Organization, quitting smoking or vaping for good can seem tough, but it's totally possible. Just take it one step at a time. Here are five easy steps to help you on your journey to a healthier life.

Pick Your "Quit Day" and Make a Promise

Choose a day within the next week when you'll completely stop. This is your "Quit Day"! Promise yourself and tell supportive friends you're quitting. Slowly cut down before this day.

Choose How You'll Quit

You have options: go "cold turkey" and stop all at once, or cut down slowly each day. For example, reduce cigarettes from 20 to 10, then 5. Or take fewer puffs from each one.

Talk to Your Doctor About Help

Speak with your doctor. They can tell you if medicines or other support tools, like patches or gum, would make quitting easier for you. Get their personalized advice to help you succeed.

Plan for Your Quit Day and Beyond

Get ready for your Quit Day! Have healthy snacks ready, like fruits or gum. Plan fun activities to keep busy when you feel like smoking. Try a walk, movie, or new hobby to keep your hands busy.

“Health is Wealth” is something we all teach our kids so that they learn to put themselves first, however many times they fail to learn it as we ourselves do not follow it.

While we are constantly urged to take care of our health above anything else, it is a message not many of us take seriously. Many people in the UK are putting their health on the back burner, claiming they're simply too busy.

A recent study reveals that one in five Brits are neglecting their own well-being, often skipping important appointments like eye exams, dental visits, and doctor's check-ups. In fact, three-quarters of people have either missed or postponed a health appointment because their schedules were too packed.

Why Are We So Busy?

The main culprits for these missed appointments seem to be work demands and childcare responsibilities. On top of that, the sheer stress of arranging the appointments themselves is another big reason adults avoid necessary blood tests or eye exams. This research, commissioned by Specsavers for Glaucoma Awareness Week, aims to shed light on glaucoma, often called the "silent thief of sight."

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma refers to a group of eye diseases that can lead to vision loss and even blindness. It does this by harming your optic nerve, which is like a cable at the back of your eye that sends images to your brain.

The tricky part about glaucoma is that its symptoms often begin so slowly you might not even notice them. This is why it's often called the "silent thief of sight." The only way to truly find out if you have it is by getting a thorough eye exam where your pupils are dilated.

While there's no cure for glaucoma, catching it early and starting treatment can often stop the damage and help protect your vision from getting worse.

Don't Wait for Symptoms

A spokesperson highlighted that it's easy to push check-ups aside when you feel fine and life is hectic. However, conditions like glaucoma can develop slowly without any noticeable symptoms. By the time you notice an issue, "irreversible damage" might have already occurred. That's why it's crucial not to wait for symptoms to appear; regular check-ups can help protect your long-term health.

Initially, glaucoma usually has no noticeable symptoms. This is a big reason why about half of the people who have it don't even know it.

Over time, you might slowly start to lose your vision. This often begins with your side (peripheral) vision, especially the part closest to your nose. Because this happens so gradually, many people don't realize their vision is changing at first. As the disease worsens without treatment, you may begin to notice significant blind spots and, eventually, it can lead to complete blindness.

Simple Tasks Often Overlooked

The study also found that busy adults often neglect other simple health tasks due to lack of time. These include getting a full night's sleep or drinking enough water. A significant number of people (one-fifth) admitted they've been so focused on work that they haven't taken proper screen breaks or even moved from their seats for long periods.

Among those who don't prioritize their own health, 28% put their children's needs first, while 19% prioritize housework. Sadly, over a third confessed that only a health scare or a clear symptom would finally push them to book a delayed check-up. Many understand the need for appointments but find them easy to forget.

Making Health a Priority

Many Brits believe that easier booking systems (four in ten) or simply more time in their day (a third) would help them focus more on their health. Specsavers emphasized that even though schedules are busy, ignoring eye care isn't an option. A quick eye check every couple of years can protect you from serious long-term problems. Your vision is incredibly valuable and deserves your attention.

Sleep is one of the most important pillars of health. How much you sleep, what times as well as how well you sleep are things that heavily affect your body and lifestyle. Many people think sleep is something they can always recover from. Stayed up too late but still going to work early in the morning? Or you slept on time but woke up due to some issue, making you unable to sleep the rest of the night. These are issues we have all faced, and we figure that we’ll sleep when our day ends.

However, this is not an issue to be taken lightly, as researchers found that lack of sleep can essentially shorten your lifespan.

A 2025 study published in Springer Nature Link have found a clear link between how long you sleep and your risk of dying. They say there's a "golden window" of two hours that most people should aim for to stay healthy and avoid bad consequences. To figure this out, scientists looked at almost 80 past studies, which included information from over two million people, giving them a lot of data to understand sleep patterns better.

Dangers of Too Much (or Too Little) Sleep

The research shows risks for both sleeping too little and sleeping too much. If you regularly sleep for more than nine hours each night, you could face a 34% higher risk of death. On the other hand, those who sleep for less than seven hours faced a 14% increased risk of dying. This ideal sleep range matches what health groups like the NHS suggest for most healthy adults, though it's noted that everyone's needs can be a bit different based on things like age.

Why Long Sleep Might Be a Warning Sign

The study's authors, from a university in Hungary, think that sleeping too much might actually be a sign of hidden health problems. For example, if someone has a heart issue that hasn't been found yet, it could make them feel extra tired, causing them to sleep more. This means the higher risk isn't just from the sleep itself, but possibly from an underlying sickness. Interestingly, women who slept over nine hours had an even higher risk – 41% greater – compared to women who got a normal amount of sleep.

Perfect Amount: 7 to 8 Hours

After looking at all that information from millions of people, the research strongly points to sleeping between seven and eight hours as the best amount for staying healthy. This time seems to be just right for your body and mind to rest and work well. However, the researchers did notice that different studies on long sleep times sometimes showed slightly different results. This means we might need more research to fully understand all the ways sleeping too much can affect our health and specific causes of death.

Why Good Sleep Matters for Everything

A good night's sleep is absolutely essential and does much more than just make you feel rested. It helps your mental health, gives you enough physical energy for your day, and keeps your brain sharp so you can think and focus clearly. Health experts also warn that ongoing sleep problems can negatively affect your relationships, social life, and even simple daily tasks. These continuous issues can make you feel constantly tired, lead to eating more, and make you less productive at work or school.

Can You Recover Lost Sleep?

Recovering lost sleep is not as simple as you may think it is. The more hours you lose, the more you accumulate sleep debt. Sleep debt, according to the Sleep Foundation, is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and how much you are actually getting.

While short naps (10-20 minutes) can refresh you, and sleeping in on weekends might feel good, they often aren't enough for true recovery. Research shows it can take four days to bounce back from just one hour of lost sleep, and even longer to fully erase "sleep debt" and restore your body's normal function. Your brain needs more than a weekend to recover fully from ongoing sleep restriction.