Lifestyle

Spiders, dogs and the dark are among the top 40 things we fear the most as children, along with beards, boiled eggs and bagels! Other common phobias include monsters under the bed, clowns, going to the loo and the tooth fairy, with some of the more unique fears experienced by some kids including buttons, gravy and the sound of cutlery rubbing together. Around seven in ten mums and dads said they had a fear as a child and 68 per...

Regular endurance training such as running marathons helps mend broken hearts and keeps the organ young a new study found. A hard work out increases the expression of genes used to repair damaged DNA. And even one session can be as important to maintaining heart health as reducing bad cholesterol and having a health diet. Mice who exercised had longer telomeres - tiny caps found on the ends of strands of DNA that have been likened to the plastic tips...

It’s hard to understand what it must be like to have a high pitched screech ringing in your ears, every minute of every day. But that is exactly what life is like for 22-year old Clara Lilley, a fundraising campaign manager from London, who has tinnitus, the often debilitating hearing condition. Here, as part of Tinnitus Awareness Week (6-12 February), Clara explains how she has finally learnt to live with her diagnosis. “At about 14-years old I started going to...

The smart home revolution has roared into action, with Nest leading the charge towards a more connected abode, and Apple Homekit not far behind. But investing in a thermostat that automatically turns on when you wake up doesn't come cheap, so you'll want to make sure you keep your tech-enhanced home safe from break-ins. We might assume the best way to protect our tech is with—yes, you guessed it—more tech. But while there’s a wealth of cameras and smart locks...

A 79-year-old has revealed he has slept with over 2,000 women - more than Playboy boss Hugh Hefner. Lothario Chris Culleton says he has been a ladies' man all his life and has bedded 2,084 partners. Chris claims he met many of the women he's been with while working as a music promoter bringing bands to Warrington in Cheshire. He says he was such a romantic he turned down jobs with the Rolling Stones and Radio Caroline because of love....

Writer Amy Sharpe, 26, tells how she survived when her boyfriend opted to do 'Dry January' - when all she wanted to do was drink gin Call me selfish, but when my boyfriend told me he was going dry for January my first thought was: “but what about me?” Throughout my three-year relationship with Jon, alcohol has been a very welcome third-wheel. Kronenburg eased the awkwardness when first got chatting, Gordon's was a witness the first time we pulled and...

The upcoming weekend is the perfect time to spend more time with family and bring the changes into your usual Saturday or Sunday routine. Here is the list of fun family activities to do with your partner and kids — pick one or try them all to enjoy the most entertaining weekend of the season. 1.   Live Escape Game These live games have become pretty popular recently and there is a reason for it. Escape rooms like Escape Hour are...

Worrying new information has been released which will panic many people regarding their heart health. The British Heart Foundation believe that over 600,000 carry a faulty gene, which acts to increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. If this inherited heart condition can be deadly, currently twelve people a day tragically die from a sudden cardiac attack. Even more worryingly most people who have this faulty gene do not know that are at risk. The British Heart Foundation have released...

An SOS service for the elderly which turns any mobile phone into a personal alarm promises to save families and the NHS millions of pounds a year. My SOS Family allows pensioners to alert relatives by touching a single button on a mobile phone if they suffer a fall or health emergency. The system then auto-dials, texts and emails relatives, who can then respond accordingly. Families currently pay up to £500-a-year for a manned call centre-based monitoring systems which operate via...