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Why is it good to sleep with white noise? It can be an effective tool for "noise masking" and help avoid trouble sleeping. Studies indicate that listening to white noise for sleep can have some payoffs, such as by blocking out other sounds that can startle you out of sleep.

Researchers believe that white noise is a noise that makes someone's hearing threshold level (阀域值) reach its maximum rate, which means the presence sounds in the background become less capable of stimulating the cerebral cortex (大脑皮层) region of the brain during sleep.

A study published in 2021 examined the effects of white noise on sleep for 10 New York City residents who live in a high-noise environment. While the sample size is small, the data showed that "white noise significantly improved sleep based on subjective and objective measurements in subjects complaining of difficulty sleeping due to high levels of environmental noise." Further researches confirms these findings. For instance, white noise helped improved average total sleep time in patients admitted to a coronary care unit in a 2016 study, while research published in 2022 found that critically ill patients improved their sleep quality with the use of white noise.

White noise are now widely available. There's one option to use a sleep machine app on your phone if you don't want to purchase a device. If using white noise while studying, try listening to YouTube videos on your computer or phone completely for free, which can play in the background and drown out other distracting sounds.

Gerald Ruzindana, a nutrition and wellness expert, says protein is a vital nutrient that plays a key role in maintaining and repairing the body, and legumes (豆科植物) are high in amino acids (氨基酸), the building blocks of protein. He says that people should consider consuming legumes on a daily basis. "With their presence of proteins, consuming legumes helps heal and make new tissues in the body," he says. Legumes are also linked to significantly lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure according to studies.

"It's surprising how many people still don't understand the benefits that come with consuming legumes," says Erick Musengimana, a nutritionist at Rwanda Diabetes Association. He adds that legumes provide fibre, protein, carbohydrate, B vitamins, and because they are plant foods, they are cholesterol free as well, which makes them a perfect option. From studies, one serving of legumes, which is one-half cup, provides about 115 calories, 20g of carbohydrate, 7–9g of fibre, 8g of protein, and 1g of fat. It has also been established that legumes are an essential part of many healthy eating patterns, including the Mediterranean style of eating and vegetarian.

Along with being a highly nutritious food, evidence shows that legumes can play an important role in the prevention and management of a number of health conditions. Also, nutritionists say that a diet that regularly includes legumes may help with weight control, because of its fibre content and protein, as this means that it will slowly get digested after consumption, therefore, aiding in satiety.

My sons, Fred, 12, and Arthur, 8, were overwhelmed by the stacks of gifts under the tree, and my husband, Baz, was stuck building toys and searching for batteries, while I slaved over turkey and the trimmings. When we sat down to dinner, the children refused to eat most of it, then started arguing. We couldn't even go for a family walk because the weather was so miserable and, I hid myself outside for some peace, my thoughts turned to loved ones lost over the years. "I am not doing this again," I told my husband that evening. "Christmas is supposed to be fun."

Within days, I'd found a solution. Instead of our traditional Christmas at home or with our extended families, I'd booked a holiday park for the following year. We would pay for it by decreasing the numbers of gifts and when we explained to the children that Santa would only be able to deliver a stocking and one large present, they were so thrilled about the holiday to mind. It was the right decision because Christmas 2024 was the best one we could remember. And beforehand, all I had to do was packing the suitcase and buying a few necessities.

We spent Christmas Day at the pool for bowling, and dined at an Italian restaurant. The boys were so excited to eat their favorite food, pizza, for Christmas dinner!

It felt as festive as anything we could have created at home and everyone was happy. Best of all, we made lots of special memories that the boys still talk about today.

I am so glad we broke free from the tradition. It feels as if we have regained the spirit of Christmas by doing what works for us, and we've created our own new traditions instead. Quality family time is so much more precious than any gift that Santa could bring.

Our annual poetry competition celebrating the best of mental health writing is back. Seasoned professional or fresh newbie, wherever you are in your writing journey, you are personally invited to enter the The Happiful Poetry Prize 2026.

We are looking for poems to explore the topic of mental health and well-being in unique, engaging, and empowering ways. The competition is free to enter, and no prior experience is necessary; the only thing you need is a passion for writing!

The winner will receive £100, and four shortlisted poets will receive a £25 National Book Token. All five poems will be published in issue 108 of Happiful.

Please submit:

·One entry per person, of a poem no more than 25 lines long.

·Your poem's title.

·Your full name and address.

·A short biography, no more than 50 words long.

To enter, visit happiful.com/poetry-prize

The deadline for entries is midday on Friday 14 November 2025. All poets will be contacted with the results by the end of February, 2026. GOOD LUCK.