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The Proven Health Benefits of the Best Weighted Blanket

Weighted blankets are underrated, with many people not realising the health perks.

Weighted blankets are used for children with autism spectrum disorder, but much more to these valuable bedding items. Weighted blankets have been scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety in adults and help reduce insomnia! So, if you’re having trouble sleeping or find yourself overly stressed at work or home, a weighted blanket might be the solution you’re looking for.

1 – Weighted blankets improve sleep.

A weighted blanket is designed to increase serotonin and melatonin levels in your body, allowing you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Serotonin and melatonin relax the body, so if you’ve been tossing and turning all night long, a weighted blanket may be the easy fix you need.

2 – Weighted blankets improve your mood and decrease anxiety.

Weighted blankets help to regulate cortisol levels in the body, which reduces feelings of stress and anxiety. The pressure from these blankets also improves sleep quality by regulating breathing patterns and heart rate. So when you’re feeling anxious throughout the day, take a nap with your weighted blanket to reduce feelings of stress significantly.

3 – Weighted blankets give you more energy throughout the day.

Weighted blankets increase serotonin, dopamine, and endorphin levels in the brain, providing a natural boost to your energy levels. So instead of relying on caffeine or sugary snacks for energy boosts, turn to your weighted blanket. A few minutes under this blanket can improve your mood and give you the energy boost you need each day.

4 – Weighted blankets help with weight loss.

Weighted blankets work by putting pressure on the body, but they also cause a release in serotonin in the brain, a well-known appetite suppressant. In addition, weighted blankets can improve sleep, which helps lower cortisol levels and boost metabolism. All these factors contribute to losing weight more quickly!

5 – Weighted blankets are used for children with an autism spectrum disorder.

Weighted blankets have proven themselves to be an effective treatment for children who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The pressure of these blankets is known to calm anxious children and can significantly reduce outbursts. If your child experiences sensory overload, a weighted blanket may be the key to calming them down. Weighted blankets are also an effective way of increasing sleep time with autistic children, who typically have trouble sleeping through the night.

Children with autism experience heightened senses, best weighted blanket are an effective way to calm them down. This allows their minds to relax, and they can finally get the rest that they need. You may have seen weighted blankets before but probably not realised what they were for! These valuable gems are easy to use and provide so many health benefits. So if you’re looking for a way to sleep better, reduce stress or anxiety, and give yourself a natural energy boost, then a weighted blanket is the solution you’ve been looking for! Not only are these blankets great for adults, but children with autism have shown impressive results when using them.

The best weighted blanket isn’t just beneficial to those who suffer from various disorders and those who suffer from sleeping problems. So, if you’re having trouble sleeping at night, it may be time to invest in a weighted blanket.
How a Snake Bite and Self-Love Motivated Dawn to Lose 100 Pounds

Dawn Smith wasn’t happy about her weight. Watch how one wrong step put her on the path to a healthier life.

The post How a Snake Bite and Self-Love Motivated Dawn to Lose 100 Pounds appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.
All the Details on The Bachelorette Season 18 Episode 5 Fashion – E! Online

We independently selected these products because we love them, and we hope you do too. Shop with E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!.

Last week’s episode of The Bachelorette ended on a dramatic note (as per usual). This week, Michelle Young brought the guys to her home state, Minnesota. She had a solo date with Joe Coleman, visiting some of her favorite places. She introduced Nayte Olukoya to two of her close friends on their boating date. The rest of the guys participated in Viking challenges at a football stadium for a group date.

Each week, we get to see more strong connections form as Michelle’s decisions get tougher to make. And, obviously, we cannot forget about the fashions. Michelle, Tayshia Adams, and Kaitlyn Bristowe have been blessing our televisions with some great looks. We pressed pause, took screenshots, and did the research to find the outfits from this week’s episode so you don’t have to.

Keep on scrolling to see some rose-worthy styles from , , , Amazon, ,, MyTheresa, , ,, , and.
‘You belong’: Sesame Street to introduce first Asian American muppet in Thanksgiving special

In addition to being the first Asian American muppet, Ji-Young, in an interview with the Associated Press, shared that her name has special meaning.

“In Korean, traditionally the two syllables, they each mean something different. And Ji means, like, smart or wise. And Young means, like, brave or courageous and strong,” she said. “But we were looking it up and guess what? Ji also means sesame.”

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Meet Ji-Young — the first Asian American muppet on “Sesame Street.”

She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding. She’ll be formally introduced in a special that drops on Thanksgiving. pic.twitter.com/mZDgwTZJK3

— NPR (@NPR) November 15, 2021

According to Sesame Workshop, this year’s Thanksgiving special celebrates “the rich diversity of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities as part of the organization’s ongoing racial justice initiative.” It was “created to support families of all backgrounds through ongoing conversations about race” and will offer the opportunity to discuss anti-Asian racism.

“It’s a powerful thing when kids see people like themselves represented on screen and in stories—it supports them as they figure out who they are and who they want to be,” long-time cast member and co-director of “See Us Coming Together” Alan Muraokasaid in a press release. “We can’t wait for families to get to know Ji-Young—in this special and in future seasons of Sesame Street—and celebrate some of the Asian and Pacific Islander people in our neighborhood!”

Muraokasaid also noted the importance of the timing of the special, as it comes amid a rise in attacks against Asian Americans. According to TODAY, in an offscreen incident, another child is seen telling Ji-Young to “go home.” This incident serves as an example of discrimination AAPI individuals face. Sesame Workshop shows how Ji-Young handles the situation by depicting her reaching out to friends and grown-ups who remind her she’s exactly where she belongs.

“What’s really cool about Sesame Street is that, no matter what you look like, or how you play, or where you come from, you belong, and that’s really cool,” Ji-Young said in an interview on TODAY. “I feel very welcome, and it’s the best neighborhood in the whole world.

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I am so excited, thrilled and honored to announce that I’ll be appearing on @sesamestreet this Thanksgiving day, welcoming its newest resident, a 7-year-old Korean-American girl named Ji-Young! It’s crazy and surreal to even write these words but as a young immigrant boy… pic.twitter.com/CA1yFtm1VW

— Jim Lee (@JimLee) November 15, 2021

Although Koren American, Ji-Young’s character is meant to represent multiple Asian identities. Her existence follows a series of recent events including a rise in Asian American hate. Speaking to the Associated Press, Kathleen Kim, who voices Ji-Young, said it was crucial that Ji-Young not be “generically pan-Asian.”

“Because that’s something that all Asian Americans have experienced. They kind of want to lump us into this monolithic ‘Asian,’” Kim said. “So it was very important that she was specifically Korean American, not just like, generically Korean, but she was born here.”

“I remember like the Atlanta shootings and how terrifying that was for me,” Kim continued. “My one hope, obviously, is to actually help teach what racism is, help teach kids to be able to recognize it and then speak out against it. But then my other hope for Ji-Young is that she just normalizes seeing different kinds of looking kids on TV.”

Sesame Workshop has continued to play its part in keeping parents and young children aware of social issues by creating programming on a variety of topics including town halls on racism and episodes including refugees and other displaced children as muppets.

“Today, we uphold that mission by empowering children and families of all races, ethnicities, and cultures to value their unique identities,” Sesame Workshop’s executive vice president of creative and production, Kay Wilson Stallings told TODAY, when speaking of the company’s mission.

Research has proven that the media not only influences the view of children but how they perceive themselves.

“This new special continues Sesame Street’s proud legacy of representation with an engaging story that encourages empathy and acceptance and uplifts Asian and Pacific Islander communities.”

“See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special” will debut on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 25.

Watch Ji-Young’s special song with her and Elmo’s band below:
The Biden-Xi meeting left one big question unanswered, says analyst

The U.S. and China flags stand behind a microphone at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on April 9, 2009.

Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images

The U.S. and China have just emerged from a high-profile meeting between their two leaders, with both sides striking a positive tone about their relationship going forward — but one big question remains unanswered, said an analyst.

“The open question for the broader relationship is whether the US and China can constructively manage the slow-motion collision that is now unfolding between their very different worldviews,” said Stephen Olson, senior research fellow at Hinrich Foundation, in Tuesday note after the virtual summit.

The U.S. and China still face “hard-edged, irreconcilable differences” that are deeply entrenched — and it remains to be seen whether the fallout between them will ease after the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, said Olson.

“Neither country is going to disappear. Neither country will accede to the other’s view. The prudent path forward would be to find plausible ways for each side’s divergent narratives to coexist,” he said.

Hard-edged, irreconcilable differences are embedded in each side’s view of the other. These cannot be wished away.

Stephen Olson

senior research fellow, Hinrich Foundation

Olson explained that China views the U.S. as a declining power at a time when Beijing appears more confident on the global stage. The U.S. sees the circumstances around China’s rise as antithetical to its own interests, and it must be prepared to “more forcefully confront and challenge” China, he added.

“Hard-edged, irreconcilable differences are embedded in each side’s view of the other. These cannot be wished away,” said Olson.

Biden appeared to acknowledge the challenge, too. He said there was a “need for common-sense guardrails to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict and to keep lines of communication open,” according to White House readout after his meeting with Xi.

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Meanwhile, Xi said during the meeting that for China and the U.S. to get along “in a new era,” they should abide by principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, according to China’s official English-language readout.

Beijing typically uses language like “mutual respect” in calling for more favorable terms from the U.S.

‘Things can only get better’

The virtual meeting between Biden and Xi was the closest communication between the two leaders since Biden took office in January.

U.S.-China relations have been rocky in the past few years, with both sides clashing on issues ranging from policies on trade and technology, to human rights and the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Biden-Xi meeting yielded little concrete deliverables, but it was still an important step in stabilizing relations between the two countries, observers said.

“It’s good that the two leaders met. From here, things can only get better,” Gary Locke, a former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and U.S. ambassador to China, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” Wednesday.

“The two countries do need each other, and the world needs both countries to be cooperating and working together to solve so many issues,” said Locke, now interim president of Bellevue College.

— CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.
Decathlon halts canoe sales to curb English Channel migrant crossings

Decathlon’s decision comes after a sharp rise in attempts to reach the UK from northern France.
Enjoy These Magical Details About Your Favorite Disney Movies – E! Online

24. This 1989 classic set off what is widely known as the Disney Renaissance. On the heels of Oliver & Company, The Black Cauldron and several live-action films in the Herbie franchise, the success of Ariel and co. was followed by extremely well-received ’90s fare: Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story…

25. Give the opening scene with King Triton a rewatch: Eagle-eyed viewers (or, you know, those of us with the ability to press pause) can spot Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck in the underwater crowd, continuing the studio’s popular tradition of giving nods to other members of its vast oeuvre.

26. Color was key for the ocean-set picture. According to the official Walt Disney Company blog, Ariel’s red locks were chosen to help differentiate her from Daryl Hannah‘s blonde mermaid in 1994’s Splash and to complement the blue-green of her fin, a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab and named Ariel.

27. As for her facial features, those were inspired by then-Who’s the Boss? star Alyssa Milano. “I didn’t know that when it was going on,” the actress told Wendy Williams in 2013. “But they asked me to host The Making of The Little Mermaid and it came there that the drawing and likeness of The Little Mermaid was based on pictures of me from when I was younger, which is so cool!”
News Roundup: Biden promises infrastructure is ‘just the beginning’; Republicans defend Gosar

In the news today: While President Biden vows the newly passed infrastructure bill is “just the beginning” of revitalization efforts, House Republicans are still focused on protecting even their worst members from consequences for their acts. Another revelation seems to confirm that Trump’s most vocal advocates for nullifying the election were swimming in a whole sea of crackpot conspiracy theories—and demanding Trump’s military act on them.

Meanwhile, a new poll of Republicans solidly demonstrates that the party’s members don’t know and don’t care what “CRT” is. What they want banned are school lessons about racism in America, period.

Here’s some of what you may have missed:
Antibiotic-resistant infections could be a new ‘hidden pandemic,’ UK experts warn

Rodolfo Parulan Jr. | Moment | Getty Images

LONDON — The coronavirus pandemic grabbed the world’s attention in early 2020 and has failed to let go ever since, but U.K. experts are warning that antibiotic-resistant infections, often described as a “hidden pandemic,” should be the next big concern.

One in five people in the U.K. with a bloodstream infection in 2020 had an antibiotic-resistant one, according to the U.K Health Security Agency, and that was even after a decline in the number of antibiotic resistant infections recorded in 2019.

There are now fears that, as winter approaches and we slowly emerge from the global Covid-19 outbreak, antibiotic resistance could increase again.

“Antimicrobial resistance has been described as a hidden pandemic and it’s important that we do not come out of Covid-19 and enter into another crisis,” Dr. Susan Hopkins, the chief medical advisor at the UKHSA, said Wednesday.

“It is likely that Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 including enhanced infection, prevention and control measures … played a part in driving down antibiotic resistance and prescribing. While these measures were severe, serious antibiotic-resistant infections will rise once again if we don’t act responsibly and that can be as simple as regular and thorough handwashing.”

Antibiotics are vital for the treatment of bacterial infections that cause pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis and modern medical care often relies on them as they protect against infections during common medical interventions such as chemotherapy, caesareans and other surgeries.

Problematically, however, antibiotics have often been prescribed to treat coughs, earache and sore throats where they may have little or no effect.

Worse still, the prescription of antibiotics when they were not effective or necessary has led to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, which occurs when bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics, potentially causing serious complications, including bloodstream infections and hospitalizations.

Hidden pandemic

Experts have been warning for years that antibiotic resistance could be one of the biggest threats to humanity. The World Health Organization describes it as “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.”

The UKSHA’s Hopkins added that taking antibiotics when you don’t need them only puts you and your loved ones at more risk in the future.

“As we head into winter, with increasing amounts of respiratory infections in circulation, it’s important to remember that antibiotics are not needed for many cold-like symptoms. Stay at home if you feel unwell,” she said.

During the Covid pandemic, antibiotic resistant bloodstream infections fell. New data published by the UKHSA on Wednesday showed such infections falling from 65,583 in 2019, to 55,384 last year.

It’s the first time such infections have fallen for the first time since 2016, but they still remain at a higher level than six years ago.

The decline was “largely driven by a reduction in recorded bloodstream infections overall, likely due to less social mixing, enhanced hand hygiene and changes to healthcare access and delivery,” the UKHSA said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nonetheless, analysis of the bacteria that most commonly cause bloodstream infections, including E. coli, revealed that although the overall number of bloodstream infections decreased in 2020 compared with 2016, the overall proportion of infections that were resistant to antibiotics increased over the same time frame, the agency added.

With one in five people with an infection in 2020 having an antibiotic-resistant one, the UKHSA has warned that the data “suggests that resistant infections are likely to rise in the post-pandemic years and will require ongoing action.”
Deadly storm cuts transport links around Vancouver

A woman has died in what one official described as the “worst weather storm in a century”.

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