If there were such a thing as leagues, people prefer to go for partners that are out of them, preferring those who would be considered more desirable.
Both women and men are more likely to swipe right on those who are more popular than themselves on the dating site, and good for them.
The phenomenon now has a name, as any good phenomena must; that name is mountaineering.
Coined by matchmaking site Plenty of Fish, it refers to people who reach for the mountain top, regardless of the perceived attractiveness of their potential mate.
They know what they want, and they’re prepared to climb to get it. Absolute troopers.
Shannon Smith, spokesperson for Plenty of Fish says, ‘The fact that so many daters are happy to engage in a bit of mountaineering to win over a potential partner shows just how determined we can be when it comes to finding ‘the one’.
‘It’s great that singletons, especially the younger generations have the confidence not to let someone else’s perceptions hold them back and that more conversations are happening amongst daters to help them climb that mountain!’
There’s no definitive answer on whether mountaineers are aware of their ambitiousness when scouting for a partner. Either they’re oblivious, or simply don’t care about the silly social constructs that determine who’s attractive or not.
Either way, mad respect to them.
God loves a trier. We all love an underdog. Mountaineers love to shoot for the stars.
As long as they’re bringing the goods respect, personality, and humour wise once they get with their ten out of ten beau, everybody wins.
The 24 finalists in the 2018 Shed of the Year competition are pretty impressive – especially if your shed is a dingy pile of wood you haven’t gone in for years thanks to all the spiders.
The competition received nearly 3,000 entries, all competing for a prize in one of the right categories, which include eco-friendly creations, budget sheds, and historic outbuildings.
A cash prize of £1,000, a giant crown, a winner’s plaque, and £100 worth of garden woodwork products are all up for grabs.
Now the entries have been wittled down to 24 finalists, it’s up to the general public to decide who wins. Voting is open until 28 August.
To help you choose wisely, take a look at some of the best sheds of the bunch.
The Limes, owned by Michael Long, London
(Picture: PA)
Tudor Playhouse, owned by Craig Clavin, Norfolk
(Picture: PA)
The Taxi, owned by Lee Connelly, Colchester, Essex
(Picture: PA)
Bush Inn, owned by John Parks, West Sussex, Hull
(Picture: PA)
Boat Pod, owned by Barnaby Dearsly, Exeter
(Picture: PA)
The Bricks and Water shed, owned by Geoff Pike, Wiltshire, Salisbury
(Picture: PA)
Noah’s, owned by David Morris in Blackwood,Caerphilly
(Picture: PA)
O’Smithers, owned by Doug Smith, Blackpool
(Picture: PA)
The Admiral’s Head, owned by Lee Carrie, Essex
(Picture: PA)
Big Top Den, owned by Steve Burrows, Longcot
(Picture: PA)
The Buenai Vista, owned by Hywel Jones, Gwynedd
(Picture: PA)
The Piano Raft, owned by Ben Cummins in West Yorkshire, Saltaire
(Picture: PA)
Scaffold Board Summer House, owned by Scott Stickland, Thruxton
It’s hard to keep up with dating trends, especially online.
Whether it’s mountaineering or preating, there’s always something going on in the world of romance. Whatever happened to the good old days of going to a bar and just catching someone’s eye?
Well, service website Bark wants to make it just that bit easier for you to attract the right person. You can now hire a wingman or wingwoman to help you graft.
And if you’re more on the lucky side of love and want to become a wingperson yourself, you can expect to get paid £30-an-hour.
Those looking for some help will be asked to provide dating preferences, relationship history, and location when booking the service.
(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
It’s recommended that professionals and their clients meet to discuss details further ahead of the first night out, so you both have an idea of what kind of person to approach.
So, who can become a real-life Hitch?
Obviously, you need to be smooth as butter and have a bucket load of sauce (not the condiment) to apply for the role.
There are some rules you have to stick to though:
Professionals must be over 18 years old to get into clubs and bars with clients
Professionals must be confident in talking to clients’ potential partners and introducing clients
Professionals cannot flirt or try to get dates themselves while out with clients
The professionals must be able to provide advice to their client and demonstrate wooing techniques.
Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said: ‘We’ve received hundreds of requests this year looking for dating professionals on the platform. The main reason we’ve seen is that online dating isn’t working for them and/or their friends are all coupled up and can’t help them anymore.’
If you want to sign up, you can do so here. Who knows? You might just land a date.
Forget choosing between your two favourite pairs of shorts, because a designer fashion brand has created some a design that makes you look like you’re wearing two pairs at once.
Because what’s better than a pair of jorts? Two pairs of jorts.
R13, a super expensive denim fashion brand, has released a pair of double back shorts, which are essentially a pair of shorts with half of another pair on the back.
The high rise shorts feature a distressed hem at the front, with a shorter hemline.
(Picture: R13)
On the back you’ll spot that same pair of shorts, plus another pair in a lighter shade of denim stuck on the back.
(Picture: R13)
We have to ask: When did one pair of shorts stop being enough?
(Picture: R13)
Apparently a lot of people have been desperately waiting for such a pair of jorts, as the £440 shorts are already sold out.
But don’t worry, if you’re that keen to try them you could make your own by buying two pairs of shorts, ripping them up and stitching them together.
This isn’t the first bizarre pair of shorts we’ve seen this month – recently we wrote about Pretty Little Thing’s denim thong shorts, which were also a sell out.
The shorts come both in blue, mid wash denim and black.
(Picture: Pretty Little Thing)
The shorts are made with denim and feature a high rise style and a thong back.
The product description reads: ‘Dare to wear these fierce denim knickers girl. Featuring a denim material in a seriously flattering high rise style.
‘Team these with some killer chap trousers and matching bralet for a show-stopping festival outfit that is gonna get you noticed for all of the right reasons.’
We don’t fancy having to walk around commando with uncomfortable denim riding up our bums.
A mother was reduced to tears after she was insulted by a cafe customer for breastfeeding her eight-week-old daughter.
32-year-old Nikki Davis was left ‘distressed’ after a customer eating at the same cafe as her told her she was ‘putting her off her teacake’.
Nikki, who was out with friends, says she also overheard the customer describe them as the ‘mammary brigade’.
She said: ‘This was really distressing to hear and actually made me cry.
‘I met two friends from my National Childbirth Trust class. We’ve all recently had babies so wanted to meet up to support each other at the café at Mistley Park Place.
‘I then overheard a woman describe us to her family as the “mammary brigade” and stated we were “putting her off her teacake” by breastfeeding our babies.’
(Picture: Newsquest / SWNS.com)
Nikki decided to confront the lady with a friend to let her know the comments had hurt her.
But apparently, the woman didn’t care.
Nikki said: ‘The woman responded stating she found it offensive and we should feed our babies in the toilet.
‘This whole incident has really knocked my confidence as a new mum.
‘It really is difficult, which is why the UK has the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, with only 1% of babies still being exclusively breastfed at six months despite the health benefits of breast feeding.
‘My main hope is that people will just be kind to breastfeeding mums and realise it is a tough job and we are doing our best.
‘Ostracising us for doing something so natural does cause a lot of upset and has the potential to stop mums breastfeeding despite the health benefits to babies.’
(Picture: Newsquest / SWNS.com)
Nikki is now encouraging businesses to register as baby friendly locations to welcome breastfeeding mums.
Peter Taylor, owner of Mistley Place Park Café, where the incident took place, said breastfeeding mums were welcome. He said: ‘We have got no problem with women breastfeeding at all as it’s just a natural thing to do.’
This comes after a single mother was left ‘humiliated’ after she was thrown out of a West End show for breast feeding her baby daughter.
Sam Lucas, 33, had gone to see the Broadway musical American Idiot at the Arts Theatre in central London, with her 10-month-old and sister Jackie, 32, when staff told her to leave.
Another mum, from Cardiff was also reduced to tears after a man objected to her breastfeeding at a restaurant.
Keely McMahon-Perry, 35, was enjoying her daughter Matilda’s fourth birthday dinner with her husband and children when she needed to feed her baby son Joseph.
(Picture: Newsquest / SWNS.com)
A man was staring at the her whilst breastfeeding and said he was ‘trying to eat his dinner’ and continued to stare at Keely and make inappropriate comments.
A third mum was left ‘shocked’ after she claims Costa Coffee staff told her to cover up while breastfeeding – as it offended another customer.
Rosey Hughes was at the cafe in Streford Mall, Manchester with a friend when staff told her to stop feeding her five-month-old daughter after the other customer complained.
This just goes to show just how many breastfeeding mums are being affected by judgemental comments – and how many people still don’t seem to understand that breastfeeding is a perfectly natural thing to do.
Why should a baby go hungry because someone can’t deal with a bit of (covered) boob?
A mum says she will never send her kids back to mainstream education after her eldest son was bullied by a teacher for being vegan.
23-year-old student nurse Kirsty Rother, from Queensland, Australia, homeschools her three kids, letting them choose what they want to learn each day.
She says her eldest son, Byron Marley, six, was taken out of reception because she and her husband, who are also parents to Matilda Rainbow, two, and Luna Peaches, ten months, because he was singled out by a teacher who mocked him for being vegan.
Kirsty, who refers to her kids as her ‘Flower Children’, says at first homeschooling was a disaster, and he even went back to school for a couple of months, but now she’s planned out the best way to teach Byron.
Kirsty no longer makes her kids stick to a routine – as she likes being able to spend time with her family seven days a week.
She said: ‘Sending Byron to school is not something we would ever consider again.
(Picture: Kirsty Rother / MDWfeatures)
‘We actually decided to homeschool when Byron was in reception, but it turned out to be a massive flop.
‘We returned him to school, then only months later realised it was a mistake and schooling wasn’t suited to him as an individual or us as a family.
‘So, we put a plan in place the second time and it’s been successful ever since.
‘Regular school didn’t work for us because it needed a set routine. We were also extremely upset when Byron was bullied by a teacher who didn’t agree with him being vegan and singled him out because of it.
‘I found that a lot of what they were teaching Byron was the opposite of what we were teaching in the first place, so it was extremely counterproductive.’
Kirsty enjoys homeschooling her children because she’s no longer restricted to weekends or school holidays to do things with them.
She explained: ‘We can trial and error and adjust our learning program to what suits us at that particular time. Byron can choose what he wants to learn, rather than be told.
(Picture: Kirsty Rother / MDWfeatures)
‘You also learn a lot about your children – their strengths, their weaknesses and their personalities. I believe seven days a week with them compared to just two makes a huge difference.
‘We usually start the morning off with yoga, meditation and affirmations to give them a positive start to the day. The children start their yoga or meditation anywhere from 5am to 6.30am depending on when they wake up.
‘Then we plan Byron’s day out with a whiteboard with his usual learning program and ask him something in particular he is interested in learning that day, so we can incorporate that into his learning.
‘We teach them things such as geography, culture, art as well as the classics of science, maths and English. Byron is incredible at maths and he really enjoys it.
‘For example, yesterday we spent the whole day on English, so we did four hours of reading, activities and handwriting. But sometimes we may only spend a couple of hours doing it or we won’t even need to focus on English in a day.
‘In the meantime, we can organise activities to keep Matilda entertained so that she is also learning but at her own level. She really loves things like reading and art.
(Picture: Kirsty Rother / MDWfeatures)
‘She’s still very young but has managed to pick up an incredible amount so far.
All five members of Kirsty’s family are vegan, even down to Luna Peaches who drinks vegan smoothies from her baby bottle.
‘We are happier and healthier within ourselves and so far, I’ve lost 7st since going vegan,’ said Kirsty.
‘We don’t contribute to any of the industries who condone animal suffering. We wouldn’t ever want to go back to consuming animal products.’
Kirsty has faced criticism in the past for choosing to homeschool her children because of the possible effects this can have on the child’s sociability and the level of education they receive.
But she’s adamant her kids don’t miss out on anything.
(Picture: Kirsty Rother / MDWfeatures)
She said: ‘Some people say that home-schooled children don’t get any socialisation, but I find this funny because I remember when I was in school and my teacher would regularly say “you aren’t here to socialise”, but our children socialise regularly.
‘We have met quite a few friends from places such as local libraries, parks or home-schooling events.
‘I also believe that in a classroom with thirty students and just one teacher it’s impossible to spend that individual time with each student. But now we home-school Byron we have the time to sit with him as an individual and really help him to understand concepts.’
She added: ‘School was a very negative experience for me. I had teachers that damaged my self-esteem which lead me down a path of not caring for my education.
‘By home-schooling them myself, I hope that we can have many memories together, that our children have close relationships and that our children aren’t moulded into the same person, but they can remain an individual.
‘We receive more positive comments than negative ones, but like anything in life, if people don’t know enough about it they tend to criticise it. But we just ignore the negativity.’
A man with Down’s Syndrome has celebrated his 72nd birthday – surviving five times his life expectancy.
Terry Culley was given a life expectancy of just 14 at birth, and didn’t learn to walk until he was ten years old.
Often people with the condition often don’t live past their 50s or 60s, and when Terry was born in 1946 the life expectancy was much lower.
Terry, who’s an avid film lover, has lived in the same care home for 27 years, at The Laurel, in Swindon.
He can speak, but sometimes needs an interpreter to help communicate.
Care home manager Susie Clavery said: ‘He keeps active and he has very good care and support, which helps him stay healthy.
‘He was really poorly earlier this year and had to spend three months in hospital with sepsis and pneumonia.
‘We weren’t sure if he would pull through but he’s back to his old self now.
(Picture: Swindon Advertiser / SWNS.com)
‘He wants to do everything, he’s such a loving and caring guy who’s always eager to help out.’
Susie says Terry absolutely loves singing, dancing, playing the harmonica and the drums. He also takes part in fitness classes, mows the lawn and helps care for the care home’s vegetable patch.
Gabbie Hillier, part of the Laurel’s staff team, said: ‘I think moving here has really improved his quality of life.
‘He’s very cheeky, very determined, and has a real zest for life.
(Picture: Swindon Advertiser / SWNS.com)
‘He also loves his films, all those films behind him are his and every his time his brother Eric comes over they watch one.
‘He also likes going to the Outlet and walking into town, going on holidays and day trips. Terry keeps fit for a man his age.’
Terry is going to be having a little party to celebrate turning 72, and the care home hopes to get the Salvation Army musicians to play – as he used to play drums for them.
Then they came for mayonnaise, and there was no one left to speak for me, because all the other baby boomers were too busy crying about pointless stuff while calling young people snowflakes.
These are the *exaggerated by me* sentiments of a person who is angry because mayonnaise sales have dropped in recent years.
In an article for Philadelphia Magazine which many online think/hope was a parody, Sandy Hingston laments the fact that nobody wants her mayo-laden potato salad, so delicately spiced with celery seed though it is.
Hingston is funny as hell. She’s got some solid mayo puns and takes things too far in the way only your dad’s weird pub mate – drunk on Radler at a barbecue and having recently heard that someone goes to Goldsmiths and is nonbinary – can.
Here’s a little tidbit to illustrate to you how far this mayo-related annoyance goes for them, as well as how much they romanticise the white, gloopy condiment of their fondest memories:
My son Jake, who’s 25, eats mayo. He’s a practical young man who works in computers and adores macaroni salad. He’s a good son. I also have a daughter. She was a women’s and gender studies major in college. Naturally, she loathes mayonnaise.
Good boy Jake eats up his mayo like a very obedient son. Nameless daughter on the other hand won’t even gulp it down when mummy pretends the spoon is a plane and makes a zoomy noise. She’s too busy growing her armpit hair and reading Gloria Steinem.
As funny as taking sides with their kids based on their condiment preference is, it is true that people don’t seem to have as much love for mayo as they did in the good old days (y’know, back when you could still leave your door unlocked at night and women weren’t allowed to vote).
(Picture: Giphy)
Although there isn’t data in the Philadelphia Mag piece, Business Insider reported that sales of the white stuff has dropped, and companies like Hellmann’s are having to innovate to keep people interested.
That doesn’t mean it’s all young people’s fault, however. Maybe people are just branching out, broadening their horizons, and getting more out of that massive jar in the back of the fridge while they also try sriracha and tahini and a sexy little chilli number from the farmer’s market.
Hingston calls young mayo-enjoyers ‘outliers’ in their piece, citing some Buzzfeed articles and comments from influencers who say it looks like it was squeezed out of a zit.
Wake up, Sandy, you’re hanging out with the wrong crowd. I’m fighting anecdotes with anecdotes here, but among the millennials I know, mayo is a God tier sauce.
Prajay, 27, tells us: ‘Mayo is godly. Eat it with burgers, chips, sandwiches. GET SOME LEMON JUICE, MAYO AND SOME GARLIC IN A BLENDER. GET SOME F*CKIN CHIPOTLE LIME AND MAYO IN A BLENDER ASWELL OH MY GOOOOOOOOD.’
Have you ever read a more passionate – or millennial – response?!
Ilinca, 26, takes exception to Sandy’s assertions: ‘Can you imagine being the kind of person who gets angry about what other people season their food with, though? Can you imagine being that guy, staring angrily into someone else’s mayoless plate, and seeing the collapse of the American dream?’
She refers back to a dish from her native Romania called salata de boeuf, which heavily features mayo alongside chopped meat and pickled veg. Ilinca concludes: ‘Whatever else happens, I’ll still need mayo in my life for that.’
Controversial. Brave. Beautiful.
According to George, 26, mayonnaise is ‘WD40 but for chips,’ and Hebe, 25, told us, ‘It’s the best condiment IMO’. That means ‘in my opinion’, boomers, get with the program.
No one I spoke to had a bad word to say about the allegedly maligned sauce, which scientifically proves that there’s a strong camp of people backing mayonnaise.
Haters gonna hate, but they’re prevalent in every generation. Age isn’t a factor in why they’ll never know the true joy of a big bottle of garlic mayo being squidged with gay abandon onto their 3am kebab.
Hellmann’s, you will live to fight another day. And Sandy, maybe people don’t eat your potato salad because it just isn’t that good. Sorry.
Chocolate lovers, rejoice: Salted Caramel KitKat Chunky bars are a thing.
Products UK, an Instagram account dedicated to sharing information on the latest foods in stores, revealed the brand new chocolate bars, which can be found in Sainsbury’s.
The chocolate bars feature the signature wafer, with a salted caramel fudge filling, encased in Nestle chocolate.
Though there’s no information on the price just yet, specialty KitKat Chunkys, such as the cheesecake edition, cost 65p.
Since the photo has been shared online it’s gone on to receive 194 likes and plenty of comments from excited users.
One person tagged their friend, writing: ‘Right up your street!’
Another person said: ‘Eek! Defo need to try’.
Though salted caramel is a new flavour for the KitKat Chunky, it’s not entirely new to KitKat.
(Picture: Nestle)
Nestle’s other release, the Kit Kat Senses, has originally featured this flavour alongside hazelnut and double chocolate.
The chocolate bars are bite-sized and individually wrapped, and are basically teeny versions of the KitKat.
A chocolate-covered wafer is covered with a layer of praline, with either hazelnut, salted caramel flakes or a rich ganache with chunks of milk chocolate on top, smothered in Nestle chocolate.
Another reason to eat breakfast, beyond the pure, unadulterated joy of a hash brown dunked in egg yolk: a morning meal might make your workouts more effective.
Eating breakfast before you exercise may prep the body to burn more carbohydrates during a workout, research from the University of Bath has found.
A pre-workout meal may also help you more rapidly digest food once you’re done exercising.
Researchers looked at the effect of eating breakfast – a bowl of porridge made with milk – versus fasting overnight before an hour’s cycling. In a control test, porridge was followed by three hours of rest.
Researchers then tested the blood glucose levels and muscle glycogen levels of the 12 healthy male volunteers who took part, and found that eating breakfast increased the rate at which their bodies burned carbohydrates during exercise, and increased the rate their bodies metabolised food eaten after their workouts.
Essentially, that suggests that eating breakfast could get your body in gear to burn more calories and digest things more smoothly. You’re basically your best physical self when you have a morning meal.
(Picture: Getty Images)
Dr Javier Gonzalez, senior lecturer in the Department of Health, said: ‘This is the first study to examine the ways in which breakfast before exercise influences our responses to meals after exercise.
‘We found that, compared to skipping breakfast, eating breakfast before exercise increases the speed at which we digest, absorb and metabolise carbohydrate that we may eat after exercise.’
Rob Edinburgh, a PhD student who co-led the study, said: ‘We also found that breakfast before exercise increases carbohydrate burning during exercise, and that this carbohydrate wasn’t just coming from the breakfast that was just eaten, but also from carbohydrate stored in our muscles as glycogen.
‘This increase in the use of muscle glycogen may explain why there was more rapid clearance of blood sugar after lunch when breakfast had been consumed before exercise.
‘This study suggests that, at least after a single bout of exercise, eating breakfast before exercise may “prime” our body, ready for rapid storage of nutrition when we eat meals after exercise.’
It’s worth noting that the study used a very small sample size of only men, so we can’t generalise the results for the entirety of the world just yet. More research is needed before it can be said definitively that eating breakfast will boost your workout.
But hey, if you needed an excuse to have a bacon sarnie, you’ve got one. Congrats.
It is an endemic form of violence against women and girls, perpetuated by the deep-rooted beliefs that women’s and girls’ bodies belong to men and are there for them to control, and it puts millions at risk worldwide.
In northern Ghana, where I am from, these beliefs are very ingrained, meaning the rates of forced marriages are high and often start with a brutal abduction.
I want to see an end to this; I want to put the smiles back on the faces of these girls.
Through my work at ActionAid, I’m breaking the social norm and working with the police and law enforcement agencies, including community leaders and my supervisor, to save these girls.
To save girls like Ama [not her real name], who was taken by two men on motorbikes when she was on her way home from school to be married.
She shouted and cried for help but her friends, who were scared, ran away. No one else heard her cries.
The men managed to lock her in a pitch-dark room and keep her there for a whole day before her father found out where she was and told them he was getting help.
He came to me because I am known in the region for combatting child marriages, and I immediately followed him to where Ama was being held captive.
She said she was so scared and thought she would be trapped there ‘doing nothing but having babies’.
As soon as her captors saw me, they knew there would be consequences – I work closely with community ‘combat squads’ who are trained to rescue the girls and report the case to the police –and they let her go.
When Ama realised that Madam Abiba was in the compound of that house, and she was free, she just started laughing and ran to embrace me.
Abiba Nibaradun and Ama (Picture: Ruth McDowall/ActionAid)
I felt so happy that this innocent girl could go back to school.
Sometimes I may not go directly to the rescue.
Someone might call my office for advice when confronting parents who believe child marriage is the right thing to do, for example.
So I say, ‘Ok, who else do the parents respect in the community? Can we get the chief on board?’
This has made me realise that when I am able to sit down and talk to people, I can create long-term change, and so I spend a lot of time meeting with different leaders within the local villages: chiefs, religious leaders, assembly men as well as whole families.
Ultimately, I try to see if I can get their buy-in to the concept of fighting social norms and the idea that girls are not equal to boys.
I encourage them to see that by educating a girl, they can benefit the whole community and its future. This helps them to understand why child marriage is wrong, and then they agree to do certain things to end it.
They agree to host our girls’ clubs, which teach young girls about their right to choose if, when and who they marry, and empower women and girls to stand up to violence in their own home.
Growing up as an orphan, I was regularly transferred from one person to another to be looked after.
This made me serious about my education – I kept telling myself it was the only thing that would save me, so I stayed focused until I graduated from university.
Abiba Nibaradun with some of the girls she’s worked with (Picture: Ruth McDowall/ActionAid)
So now I pass on this advice to the girls I meet. I’d say, ‘you can really make it, don’t give in and get married – go to school and try to learn whatever you don’t understand,’ and they listen to me.
They see me, and how I’m able to come down to their level and share my experience with them, and they think ‘I can also be like her’.
Fundamentally, this is why I do what I do. Since 2013, I have rescued more than 50 girls.
This year, we received funding from the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery that allowed us to build a safe house for those who have reported domestic violence to the police, for example, so they are confident they will be protected when pursuing justice.
Although I can sometimes be out after seven or eight in the evenings – which is precious time away from my own children – I have seen a lot of attitudes change because of these discussions.
Initially people can be like ‘this is normal, why are we even talking about it?’ Some have even said we are emphasising girls’ rights too much, but eventually they change their minds.
Considering the fact that so many girls continue to be at risk of child marriage – worldwide, more than 250 million women alive today were married before their 15th birthday – it is important work.
But in spite of all the benefits of nestling in bed for eight hours, we can’t stop scrolling Twitter, watching Netflix, or just staring at the ceiling worrying about general existence.
Perhaps the latest risk of not getting enough sleep will push us into slumber.
A new study suggests that when you’re sleep deprived, you’re likely to feel lonelier – and you can pass that loneliness on to other people.
So if we keep up our terrible sleeping habits, we’ll all be tired, lonely, socially isolated people. Not good.
Researchers gathered 18 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 24, challenging them to tasks after they’d had a normal night’s sleep and again after they had been deprived of sleep for an entire night.
Those tasks included a ‘social distance task’, which asked participants to tell a person to ‘stop’ when they were too close to them.
Participants kept people at a greater distance when they were sleep-deprived. When they’d had a proper night’s sleep, they were comfortable with people getting closer by between 13% to 18%.
Through brain scans, researchers found that when people were sleep-deprived they perceived people as threats.
So that means that when you’re tired, you’re might be more likely to isolate yourself and be distrusting of people.
(Picture: Erin Aniker for Metro.co.uk)
To see if those findings apply to the real world, researchers then asked 140 people to track their sleep for two nights. Those who had poor sleep reported an increase in feelings of loneliness the next day.
The more tired you are, the more lonely you might feel – and then you’ll keep yourself isolated as a result of your tiredness, which makes you more lonely. It’s a terrible cycle.
But what’s especially worrying is that cycle can spread to people who are getting plenty of sleep.
Researchers had 1,000 people watch videos of the participants being interviewed when they were sleep-deprived or well-rested, and asked them to rate the participants in terms of loneliness and whether they’d want to collaborate with them.
It’s probably not surprising that the sleep-deprived people were perceived as lonelier and less desirable to work with, but what is interesting is that the people watching the videos reported feeling lonelier themselves after watching an interview with a sleep-deprived person.
That suggests that we can ‘pass on’ feelings of loneliness just by being bloody exhausted. No wonder we all feel so tired and isolated.
Lead study author Eti Ben Simon said: ‘It’s perhaps no coincidence that the past few decades have seen a marked increase in loneliness and an equally dramatic decrease in sleep duration.
‘Without sufficient sleep, we become a social turnoff, and loneliness soon kicks in.’
All sounds a bit miserable, right?
So the good news: Those who slept well reported feeling less lonely the next day. They were also less threatened by people, less anxious, and were more socially attractive to others.
‘Just one night of good sleep makes you feel more outgoing and socially confident and, furthermore, will attract others to you,’ said senior study author Matthew Walker.
In short: Get some rest. It’s good for you and everyone around you.
Six easy ways to improve your sleep:
Give yourself a bedtime – and stick to it even at the weekends
Use the hour before bed as quiet, relaxing time free of technology
Our obsession with watching gross but satisfying things has moved on from the pimple popping and ingrown hair tweezing videos you’ve slowly grown accustomed to.
Those still rage on, obviously (may we never tire of watching pus squirt from a lump on someone’s forehead like a volcano), but the hot new trend is dandruff scraping.
Take a gander on YouTube and Instagram and you’ll find a bunch of ASMR-style videos showing someone scraping flakes of skin from their scalp, titles declaring there are ‘BIG FLAKES’ and a ‘peeler’s paradise’.
Usually scrapers will use a fine-tooth comb, a picking tool, or long nails, zooming in close to show flakes of dry skin lifting and falling away from the scalp.
It’s really vital to see dandruff scraping to understand it, so take a look at the video below:
You’ll either find the videos so repulsive you want to close the tab straight away (hi, hello, that’s me) or so oddly satisfying that you can’t stop watching.
Judging from the thousands of views these videos receive, a lot of people fall into the second camp.
And that’s okay – no judgement if something other people consider weird fills you with peace and joy.
But if you’re considering getting into the dandruff scraping scene as someone participating in the videos, proceed carefully.
As tempting as scratching and scraping your scalp may be, it’s really not a great way to deal with dandruff. In fact, it can end up making dandruff worse, causing irritation and inflammation.
‘Scratching is a natural reaction to an itch but unfortunately scratching dandruff can cause an unhealthy scalp as well as damage your hair,’ Dr Imogen Bexfield, director of White Swan Aesthetics, tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Over scratching the head can lead to inflammation, causing the skin to become tender and sore and can even result in wounds and scabs.’
The more distressed your scalp becomes, the more it’ll react with itchiness, soreness, and dry flakes of skin.
That’s good news if you’re trying to make money from scraping away as much dandruff as humanly possible, but it’s not going to be pleasant during the times you’re not filming. A constantly itchy and painful scalp is no fun.
It’s also worth noting that in many of the videos, what’s being scraped away isn’t actually dandruff; the standard flakes of dry skin anyone can experience. In many cases we’re looking at seborrheic dermatitis, an advanced type of dandruff caused by excess levels of the yeast malessezia furfur which causes sensitivity, inflammation, and large, oily flakes of skin.
While the occasional scratch of dandruff isn’t great, scraping at seborrheic dermatitis can be extremely damaging.
Underneath those flakes, skin with seborrheic dermatitis can be sore and red, and scraping away the skin can expose the scalp to infection.
Large dandruff flakes can also be pityriasis amiantacea, an even more severe form of seborrheic dermatitis which can be caused by a fungal infection. Getting in there with a tool or your nails could introduce further bacteria, making the scalp a hotbed for all kinds of nasty stuff.
If you have severe dandruff, the best thing you can do is seek treatment from a dermatologist and avoid scraping and scratching.
But if we’re talking about a small amount of dandruff, you can treat that at home without getting a camera and scratching at your scalp.
Dr Bexfield advises: ‘Use a dedicated anti-dandruff shampoo, this will reduce the yeast and help the dandruff to break down.
‘Dandruff is often caused by an imbalance of pH levels on your scalp, so a natural alternative would be lemon juice as its acidic content will help balance the pH levels and break down the dandruff scales.’
Tea tree oil can also do the trick.
In short: Yes, watching someone scratch away flakes of skin can be oddly satisfying, but it’s not wise to get involved in the trend hands-on. Keep any scraping implements away from your scalp, treat your skin with some care, and try some ASMR that won’t leave you with a sore head and a scalp infection.
Have you ever watched a film or TV show and wondered how much an animal has gotten paid for the gig?
Well, it turns out if they’re particularly good at their craft, they earn more than most of us combined.
The Grumpy Cat meme, for example, was the gift that kept giving as the famous feline racked up a worth of $99,500,000 (£78,199,040).
Since the picture of the bemused cat went viral, she’s had a film made about her, has her own merchandise empire and has a staggering 2.5m followers on Instagram.
The data, compiled by comparison website Compare the Market, found that the rich pet list was topped by a German Shephard called Gunther IV.
Gunther IV lives a bougie life; he eats steak and caviar and has multi-million dollar homes. Oh and he’s worth more than Kim Kardashian.
Bart the Bear II is a famous actor who has appeared in loads of Hollywood films. One of his most recent roles was in Game of Thrones when he was pitted against Jamie Lannister and Brienne of Tarthe.
Gigoo is the richest chicken in the world, with a net worth of $15m (£11,797,500). To put that into perspective, that’s $2m (£1,573,000) more than model Gigi Hadid.
Richest pets in the world
Gunther IV, German Shephard from Germany, $375,000,000, source of earnings = inheritance
Grumpy Cat, cat from U.S, $99,500,000, source of earnings = merchandising, sponsorship, media appearances and film
Olivia Benson, cat from U.S, $97,000,000, source of earnings = commercials – Diet Coke, Ked Shoes
Sadie, Sunny, Lauren, Layla and Luke, dogs from U.S, source of earnings = trust fund
Gigoo, chicken from UK, $15,000,000, source of earnings = inheritance
Social media stars such as Juniper the Fox, Doug the Pug, and Lil Bub are all Insta famous pets. Doug has multiple celeb friends including Ed Sheehan and has also appeared in one of Fall Out Boy’s music videos.
Which is more than any of us can say.
It’s not just cats and dogs that make up the list of rich pets. Bubbles the chimpanzee, Missy the cow, Csoki the African parrot, and Big Tibby the tortoise are also making some serious dosh.
Being a teenager is a traumatic enough experience. Then you get a dreaded outbreak of acne and it feels as though life, as you know it, is over.
According to the NHS, 85% of 12 to 25-year-olds suffer from acne – and adult acne is on the rise too.
Unless you’ve experienced this painful, unrelenting skin condition, you’ll never truly understand how soul-destroying it can be.
But you know what’s just as bad? Finally being rid of spots and scars, only to then have your skin plagued by another equally frustrating condition – pigmentation.
Unfortunately, I can fully relate to both.
I was what you might call an ‘early bloomer’ in regards to puberty. My period arrived just a few days after my 12th birthday, but actually, the effects of the menstrual changes came a lot earlier.
When my facial acne started, I was still in primary school, around the age of 10.
While all my school friends were enjoying themselves in the playground, I was not-so-enjoying multiple hospital visits to find out what the devil was happening to my face. It was like this for several years to no avail until, at the age of 15 and after much badgering, my local GP gave in and finally recommended something of use.
The so-called saving grace would turn out to be PanOxyl (10%), a strong gel cream containing benzoyl peroxide. Commonly used to treat acne, benzoyl peroxide is also known as a powerful bleaching agent.
The process, I was warned, would be brutal.
After applying a small amount of the cream directly to the spots, my skin would dry and scab over before shedding and eventually settling.
At the time, I was in the middle of my GCSEs so couldn’t afford to hide away and miss school. This meant leaving the house and sitting in classes with my face scaled like an alligator and shedding like a snake.
There are some heartwarming moments that happen in life which are hard to forget. For me, one of these came when I was feeling particularly low and depressed about my skin condition.
(Picture: Metro.co.uk)
A school friend pulled me aside and said that my current nightmare was temporary and the skin condition not definitive of my character. Even if I didn’t believe her in that moment, the reassurance was needed and appreciated.
She was right, that particular shedding process was temporary. But the ordeal wasn’t over just yet.
Hypo-what now?
Admittedly, PanOxyl did clear the majority of my acne. I was still getting spots regularly, though nowhere near as bad as before. My GP advised me to continue applying the product directly onto the spots, which I did.
When asked how long I should use PanOxyl for, he stated: ‘As long as you keep getting spots.’
So I did, for quite some time after. Eventually, I began noticing that my facial skin colour was lightening in some places and becoming patchy. As a dark skin black woman, the discolouration, as you could imagine, was highlighted even more.
It’s important to note that I was prescribed the highest concentration available of benzoyl peroxide at 10%. The lowest starts at 2.5%.
At this point, I stopped using PanOxyl and consulted my GP, who didn’t seem to have a solution for the hypopigmentation – this is reduced pigment or lightening of the skin, whereas hyperpigmentation refers to increased pigment or darker patches.
‘There’s nothing I can do,’ he told me. ‘It’ll fade on its own.’
‘How long?’ I desperately asked, to which he replied, ‘could take years.’
Erm, ‘years’ wasn’t really an option when I had very prominent white circles on my face from where my skin looked like it had been bleached. I visited a dermatologist to explore other options but, as a young student, it was an expense I couldn’t afford.
I have often wondered whether people of colour are more susceptible to pigmentation when using highly-concentrated acne creams.
Dr Aamer Khan, co-founder of Harley Street Skin Clinic, told Metro.co.uk: ‘There is a risk of hypopigmentation with higher concentrations such as over 5%, as they can cause skin bleaching. The risk with current preparations of 2.5% is very low.’
According to Dr Khan, people of colour with acne do require more care as ‘they can be more reactive and less predictable in their response to the condition and the treatments’.
(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
However, he does state that, as acne is such a common skin condition in the UK, the NHS may not have the time or resources to monitor those with darker skin specifically.
Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist at the Cadogan Clinic, agrees, explaining: ‘What can happen with both Asian and black skin is, our skin is much more sensitive to discolouration if irritation or inflammation has occurred. So if you’ve used a treatment like benzoyl peroxide for a long period of time it becomes an irritant.’
Unfortunately, the effects of acne and pigmentation are not just physical. During the height of my own ordeal, I suffered bouts of low self-esteem.
Addressing the psychological effects of acne, Dr Mahto explained: ‘Having acne is bad enough, we know it affects your self esteem, body image, how you interact with people, your relationships.
‘But in darker skin, the other additional problem is the pigmentation issue that acne and treatments sometimes leave behind.
‘Unfortunately for [people of colour], the pigmentation bothers us just as much as what caused the pigmentation in the first place. People of colour have that additional thing to deal with where often the pigmentation is just as psychologically damaging as the spots that caused it.’
In addition to seeking professional help from counsellors and psychologists, Dr Mahto also recommends, where possible, speaking to a medical consultant who is experienced in dealing with darker skin tones.
In 2015, PanOxyl was discontinued in the UK due to EU regulations, but it is still available to purchase in the US and through some online outlets under a new formula.
For those hoping to buy similar acne treatment products online, Dr Khan has strong warnings: ‘Absolutely not. All treatments should be prescribed and supervised and monitored by a specialist. Otherwise, severe and permanent, irreversible damage can occur to the skin.’
Fortunately, my hypopigmentation has gradually faded over the years, like my GP predicted, and I am able to finally go foundation free confidently (all the hours spent watching ‘clear skin routines’ on YouTube may have also paid off).
But I do realise this is not the case for everyone. If you’re going through a similar ordeal, I understand what it’s like. You’re absolutely not alone.
As my dear school friend assured me: Your current nightmare may not be forever and it certainly does not define your character. So, talk to someone, seek the right medical advice and, like that good ol’ George Michael classic, have a little faith.
Vicky and Jeff Piper, from Dayton, Ohio, are getting loads of love from parents after sharing a hilarious photoshoot to mark dropping their youngest child off at college and becoming ’empty nesters’.
The couple posed with an empty birds nest that Jeff found in their back garden.
Vicky wrote in a Facebook post: ’20 years ago we didn’t have gender reveal parties, portraits in beautiful fields with baby shoes to announce a pregnancy.’
‘Nor did we have baby photos on a blanket with a circle around a number showing how old they were. We drove our babies to Sears or Olan Mills to get their photo.
‘So in honor of our next chapter… here you go.’
(Picture: Vicky Piper/Facebook)
The pictures of Vicky and Jeff with the empty nest have been liked more than 15,000 times and shared by over 37,000 people.
The empty nest photoshoot gave the Pipers a chance to share their own ‘reveal’ moment, something they had previously missed out on.
In an interview with Today, Vicky said: ‘If you’re in your 40s or 50s, when you had your kids, you missed all these beautiful photo opportunities kids do now.
‘So there was definitely an element of: “Let’s join those whippersnappers.”‘
Jeff found the nest in the couple’s back garden. (Picture: Vicky Piper/Facebook)
Now both 18-year-old Cameron and 20-year-old Caitlyn have gone to college, Vicky and Jeff can embrace the new challenge of enjoying life without having their children at home.
Their 25th wedding anniversary is coming up in September, so silver gifts will be on the cards.
‘For the last twenty years, we’ve been focused on the kids and trying to take care of ourselves too.’
‘And now we can focus on us.’
Having your last child leave home can be a bittersweet experience, but Vicky and Jeff approached the occasion with humour.
Vicky said that she wanted to capture the moment: ‘Not just for the kid that’s leaving the home, but for Mom and Dad too.’
Average life expectancy is now 47 years with the advancement of medical treatments but being told I would die young made me want to live fearlessly and fully.
I am now 27-years-old and at my healthiest, so I don’t see myself as having a particular life span; I am simply dedicating my life to doing the things that keep me alive and fighting in mind and body.
Cystic fibrosis isn’t the most glamorous of diseases, with the 80 daily medications, hospital visits, intravenous treatments and bronchoscopies. But it has made me appreciate life – every day is a gift, and I want to make my life be the best story told.
I enjoy extreme adventures and physical challenges that push my mind and body, make me realise my true capabilities and defy the odds – I like to see myself as the female Bear Grylls.
(Photo: Sophie Grace Holmes)
So far I have already summited Mount Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc and Grand Paridiso and run a 100km ultra marathon, and I am set to trek the Himalayas and run 100km through the Sahara desert.
The more I push myself, the more experience I gain and the more resilient I become, the more I want to live.
I thrive on overcoming challenges, proving anything is possible but CF isn’t as easy as I make it look. Every day is gruelling, especially when I feel unwell.
I have one of the most difficult times in my life to thank for my positive outlook.
When I was 19, I became very unwell and was hospitalised with an uncertain future. I was given a few years to live.
I firmly believe that it is OK to feel different emotions so long as we don’t spend too long dwelling.
I am responsible for what happens next and it is in my power to achieve anything.
If something makes you upset, allow it, give yourself some self love and then find a way through by adding positivity into the situation – it could be anything from my favourite food to booking a new experience, and practicing gratitude every day.
Since then I’ve dedicated my time around work to training smart and eating nutritious food to fuel my body and it is the best decision I ever made – it saved my life.
What you put out comes back and I am thankful for the harder, more upsetting times, as they are the ones that really make you strong.
Being told that my life may be shorter than most has given me the opportunity to see the world in a very different way. My biggest fear is regret – it is the most common feeling among those who look back over their life.
I am responsible for what happens next and it is in my power to achieve anything, I just have to put my mind to it and take action.
I feel lucky; I realise many people won’t understand that mentality towards something that could kill me, but that’s the beauty of it. CF has given me the courage to chase adventure and live life on my terms with no looking back or hesitation.
I want to have an impact on others in an empowering and positive way, to inspire them to live without fear. I do it in the hope that, even if someone has a terminal diagnosis, I can help them through it.
I share my highs and lows via social media and receive hundreds of messages of people from all over the world with and without CF thanking me for inspiring them to live.
If I can just help one person, or save one life, then that would be the most fulfilling feeling.
Could beer have an impact on your vaginal health? (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)
Yeast infections are no fun.
Just ask anyone who’s ever had to put up with a sore, itchy vagina and painful sex at the hands of thrush. You’ll have plenty of people to quiz, considering thrush affects 3 in 4 women.
While thrush – also known as yeast infections and vaginal candidiasis – can seem to appear out of nowhere, we know the infection is caused by an overgrowth of a yeast-like fungus called candida albicans, which happens when the vagina’s healthy bacterial balance is disrupted.
That can be caused by using scented cleaning products, wearing tight clothing, wiping back to front, or sex (thrush isn’t a sexually transmitted disease, but you may find that penetrative sex disrupts vagina’s pH balance, leading to infection).
But given that the infection is an overgrowth of a yeast-like fungus, and it’s got ‘yeast’ in the name, we’ve always wondered: Do yeast infections have anything to do with eating bread or drinking beer, both of which also contain yeast?
So does drinking beer and eating bread increase your likelihood of developing yeast infections? And what happens if your beer-drinking partner goes down on you? Are you doomed to the itchy power of thrush?
It’s complicated.
No research has been done on how drinking beer (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
No research has been done on how drinking beer and then performing oral sex affects the vagina, sadly, so information is extremely limited.
We spoke to GP Dr Roger Henderson, speaking on behalf of thrush experts Canesten, who told us that we don’t need to worry too much about turning down oral if we’ve been down the pub.
‘If your partner drinks beer and then goes down on you, there is little chance of this causing a vaginal yeast infection,’ Dr Henderson tells Metro.co.uk.
Think about it – even if beer did have an impact on yeast when applied directly to the vagina, there would be such small amounts being transferred through oral that it’s highly unlikely to have an effect – especially as by the time it’s served beer has left most of its yeast behind in the brewing process.
Oral is risky, however, if your partner has oral thrush, as this can be passed on through oral.
‘If they have oral thrush then there is a definite risk of them passing this on to you vaginally and you may then develop the symptoms of vaginal thrush shortly afterwards,’ Dr Henderson explains.
In terms of drinking beer and downing bread yourself, it’s really not clear whether this has any impact on your likelihood to develop yeast infections. Again, there hasn’t been enough research into the area, but some people do report a reduction in yeast infection occurrence when they have a low-yeast diet.
What you choose to eat does have an impact on your vaginal health, but it won’t necessarily be bread and beer that’s the cause of any issues.
Dr Henderson tells us: ‘Some people with chronic yeast infections do report that their symptoms appear to improve if they change to a low-yeast diet.
Is bread to blame for your itchy vag? (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
‘Eating foods that are very high in sugar – especially if you suffer from diabetes – has been associated with yeast infections, and occasionally recurrent yeast infections may be linked to a poor diet if you are not getting enough iron and you develop an iron-deficiency anaemia.
‘A poor diet can also increase your risk of obesity and therefore yeast infections, as people who are very overweight have more skin folds that are warm and moist and so are prone to yeast infections there.’
It’s also worth noting that alcohol of any kind – including beer – can weaken the immune system, which may make it trickier to banish thrush and other infections. Your body needs to be fighting fit and alcohol-free to recover.
So to be clear: If you currently have someone keen to go to town, but they happened to drink one beer earlier, don’t hold back out of fear of yeast infections. As long as you’re both sufficiently sober to consent, of course.
In the short-term, a beer or a slice of bread will not land you with thrush. You’re only in trouble if your diet is heavy in sugar and your body responds to that by making your vagina panic.
If you have thrush, avoid drinking beer or other alcohol so you can recover speedily, but beyond that, your vagina doesn’t have to prevent you from enjoying all your carby and carnal delights.
If you do find yourself having recurrent yeast infections, chat to your GP or gynaecologist to check there’s nothing to worry about, then take more conventional steps to preventing infection before reducing your (or your partner’s) beer and bread intake.
Easy tips to prevent thrush:
Avoid using scented products around your vulva and vagina – warm water to clean the vulva is all you need
Wipe from front to back, never back to front
Choose underwear made from natural fabrics
Take a break from wearing tights and skinny jeans to give your vagina a little room to breathe
Change your underwear after working out
Don’t put things in your vagina that aren’t supposed to be there – no detox balls, cucumbers, or anything else that could disrupt your bacterial balance
The Old School near Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales looks like it’s straight from the wizarding world.
The former school building has four double bedrooms, all complete with en suites, three dressing rooms and two fitted kitchens.
It also comes with a host of other features that will please dedicated Potter fans.
Hidden doorways and secret passageways are waiting to be discovered – with or without the held of the Marauder’s Map.
There’s a wrought iron staircase that wouldn’t look out of place in one of the Hogwarts towers, and a living room complete with cosy armchairs, an original wooden floor and a log burning stove, meaning that occupants can easily imagine themselves to be in the Gryffindor common room.
At least there’s no password needed.
We’re getting serious Hogwarts vibes from this library. We wouldn’t be surprised to find a copy of Moste Potente Potions, where Hermione first learned how to transform herself, Harry and Ron with a Polyjuice concoction. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The house also boasts an impressive library – thankfully without a Restricted Section – and in at least one bedroom, the bed is built into a little cubby. You could easily add drapes for the perfect Hogwarts dormitory feel, and imagine that Hedwig and Errol will deliver parcels of hand-knitted goodies from Molly Weasley on Christmas morning.
The surrounding landscape is perfect for those who want to imagine themselves in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, with woodlands and mountains giving the perfect backdrop to this Potter-friendly pad.
There’s also ‘very ample’ off-road parking, meaning that you can station your flying Ford Anglia safely.
Brooms, however, should be stored inside to prevent any Muggles from asking tricky questions.
Even the outside of the house fits in with the Potter universe with it’s small steeple and rustic stone build, and wouldn’t look out of place in Godrick’s Hollow or even Ottery St. Catchpole.
The Old School is unique, magical and up for grabs for just £350,000 – less than the price of a small flat in London.
Let’s have a look inside.
The rustic kitchen, where Molly Weasley wouldn’t look out of place, directing the pots on the stove to stir themselves. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
This bedroom is practically part of the Gryffindor boys’ dormitory, where Harry, Ron, Dean, Seamus and Neville slept. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Is this… Hagrid’s hut? (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The living room is reminiscent of the Gryffindor common room – thankfully without a stack of Support Cedric Diggory/Potter Stinks badges on the coffee table. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The library looks even more magical from above. It’s lined with enough books to keep even the most diligent Hogwarts student busy. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
It’s not quite the Prefect’s bathroom, but you could definitely open a golden egg underwater in here. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
We’re not entirely sure that the pictures and statue aren’t going to move. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
We can easily imagine this as part of the friendly Burrow, a welcome relief after the darkness of Grimmauld Place. (Picture: PurpleBricks/WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Though it’s rare, dogs can pass on the bacteria capnocytophaga through their saliva, which can be dangerous.
Animal owners or anyone who’s been bitten by a dog might want to seek medical help.
The chances of being severely infected by the bacteria are very rare. If you have come into contact with the bacteria, the symptoms might not be severe.
Once the bacteria passes from a dog to person, the person may experience fever, fatigue, headaches, and muscle pains.
Pregnant people, young children, senior citizens, or those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk if they come into large quantities of the bacteria.
What to do if a dog bites you
To care for a dog bite injury at home:
Place a clean towel over the injury to stop any bleeding.
Try to keep the injured area elevated.
Wash the bite carefully with soap and water.
Apply a sterile bandage to the wound.
Apply antibiotic ointment to the injury every day to prevent infection.
If you develops redness, swelling, puffiness, pain or a discharge, around the bite area or after being licked, you should seek medical attention as it could be a sign of sepsis.
Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection. It develops when the chemicals the immune system releases into the bloodstream to fight an infection cause inflammation throughout the entire body instead.
Symptoms include fever, high heart and respiratory rates and sudden changes in mental state.
