Seasonal Allergies Ruining Your Sleep? 8 Tips to Try for Relief

Allergy season can be miserable. Between watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and congestion, just making it through the day can be a struggle, to say nothing of getting quality sleep. In addition to exacerbating sleep issues like snoring or obstructive sleep apnea, allergies can also increase the time it takes to fall asleep — and prevent you from staying asleep once you do manage to drift off.

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The more severe your symptoms, the higher the chances your allergies are disrupting your rest. Quality sleep is crucial for your body’s immune system to properly function, and for your overall health in general. Use the tips below to help your body curb the allergy symptoms that keep you awake, so you can get better sleep tonight. 

This story is part of Sleep Awareness Month 2024, CNET’s deep dive into how sleep impacts your overall health and why it’s crucial to all aspects of life.

Need more sleep tips? Here are pointers on how to sleep better while dealing with cold symptoms, and here’s a look at natural cold remedies for a sick child. 

8 ways to ease allergy symptoms for better sleep

1. Take a shower before bed

Rinse off each night before bed to remove pollen and prevent yourself from taking allergens to bed with you. Showering before bed is a good activity to incorporate into your nighttime routine as it helps you relax and promotes better sleep. 

2. Keep doors and windows closed 

Prevent pollen and other allergens from blowing into your home through windows and doors by keeping them closed. 

3. Sleep apart from your pets 

We all love our pets, but by letting them sleep in your bed with you, you’re inviting pet dander (and any other allergens they might bring along) into your sleeping space. Train

Lawsuit claiming Flo Health app shared intimate data with Facebook greenlit as Canadian class action

A Canadian class-action lawsuit accusing a popular fertility tracking app of sending users’ intimate health information — including details about their periods, sex lives and pregnancies — to companies like Facebook without their knowledge has been allowed to go ahead.

The claim, certified in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday, said Flo Health collected their highly sensitive personal information, promised to keep that information private and then knowingly shared the data with third parties. 

“There’s been a significant disclosure of the private information of Canadian women, and we’re excited to be proceeding to the next step with the case,” said Richard Parsons, who is co-counsel on the case.

The ruling is a pivotal step forward for the case. It will test lagging Canadian privacy laws in a time when millions of people regularly pour their personal information into their phones. If the claim succeeds, more than one million people who used Flo in Canada over a three-year period will be eligible to claim damages.

None of the lawsuit’s claims have been proven in court. In a statement to CBC News on Friday, Flo said it “has never sold user information or shared user information with third parties for the purposes of advertising.”

“Flo will vigorously defend against allegations stipulated in the case.”

Lead plaintiff used app while trying to get pregnant

Flo is an app that tracks users’ fertility and periods. Users enter personal information about their height, weight, sex lives and reproductive cycles — including details about their periods, vaginal discharge, pregnancies, miscarriages, births and postpartum symptoms.

Jamie Kah Cate Lam, the lead plaintiff in the class action, said she used the Flo app for 18 months while she and her husband were trying to conceive. The B.C. woman gave the app information about the different stages of her menstrual

Fashion stylist reveals how popular velvet hangers are RUINING your clothing – particularly if you’re petite

A professional fashion stylist has revealed why you need to ditch the velvet hangers in your closet immediately – especially if you’re petite.

The tip was shared by Los Angeles-based stylist Becca Kahane in a video posted to TikTok this week.

Kahane, who also works as a personal shopper, often takes to her social media accounts to share her wardrobe styling tips and tricks, as well as trend predictions.

In a new clip, Kahane explained her reasoning for urging people to avoid velvet hangers, explaining that she had originally learned the tip from a professional wardrobe archiver.

In a new video posted to TikTok, Los Angeles-based stylist Becca Kahane revealed why you should not use velvet hangers in your closet

In a new video posted to TikTok, Los Angeles-based stylist Becca Kahane revealed why you should not use velvet hangers in your closet

Kahane often makes videos sharing her fashion and styling tips, tricks and other various secrets

Kahane often makes videos sharing her fashion and styling tips, tricks and other various secrets

‘Do not use these types of hangers, especially if you are a petite woman under a size six,’ Kahane began.

‘You do not want to use these for tops, dresses, sweaters, jackets,’ she continued.

The stylist revealed that when you hang your clothes on velvet hangers, it will stretch out the shoulders of the garments, explaining that the size of the closet accessories combined with the fact that they cling to the fabric of your clothing can lead to disaster. 

She also demonstrated why this occurs, revealing that the hanger’s width is typically much bigger than the width of her own shoulders.

‘So, if you put a top on it, it will stretch out the top and the shoulder area, so your sleeve won’t fall properly where it’s supposed to, and it will create a little dip,’ she said.

‘You don’t want that, it will ruin your shirts.’

The solution?

Instead of buying velvet hangers, Kahane recommended buying kids’ size hangers.

The styling expert warned viewers that using large velvet hangers can stretch out the shoulders of your clothing

The styling expert warned

Mobile County Health Department discusses uptick in STD cases

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Talking about STDs is something a lot of people shy away from, but in Mobile County, STD numbers are staggering.

News 5’s Cherish Lombard was joined by Cherrite Peterson and Ashlee Fountain-Jones from the Mobile County Health Department in studio Friday to discuss the rise in sexually transmitted disease cases.

The highest rates of STDs in the country are found in the 20 to 29 age group with a rate above 227% per 100,000 residents.

“So here in Mobile County, we have about 300,000 residents,” Peterson said. “Out of that 300,000, every 100,000, 227% of those people have tested positive for STDs, so that is extremely high for a county such as Mobile. So we’re definitely encouraging people to get tested so that we can get those numbers down.”

Peterson said chlamydia is the most common STD found in Mobile, but it is a treatable STD. She said in 2023, Mobile County saw 4,500 cases of chlamydia.

Mobile County also saw a 3.6% increase in human immunodeficiency virus cases, Peterson said.

Women and young girls are more likely to be impacted by STDs than men or boys.

“So we have more women seeking care,” Fountain-Jones said. “They are going in because they are having more symptoms. They are going in for their GYN exams, and they are getting tested more often.”

Still, many who may have these kinds of issues don’t see a doctor, which can lead to major health problems.

“Yes, it can definitely lead to different things like infertility,” Peterson said.

“Chlamydia, so chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which is

The Weekly Wrap: It’s time to have the private health-care conversation

This week‘s edition of The Hub’s Weekly Wrap reflects on some of the past week’s biggest stories, including what the upcoming federal budget might bring, new polling showing increasing support for private health-care options, and recent criticisms from both the Left and the Right.

Will a desperate Trudeau double down on class conflict to save his skin?

This week we learned that federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will table the budget on April 16, which is one of the latest budgets outside of an election or some other extenuating circumstances in forty years. 

The minister was generally circumspect about the budget’s priorities, though she did nod to the anticipated inclusion of pharmacare. National Post columnist John Ivison wrote that it’s likely to be a free-spending budget in light of the government’s struggle for its political survival. 

But the budget’s real story may not be new spending. It may instead come in the form of new taxes targeting big business and wealthy individuals. The Trudeau government might just try to survive by appealing to class warfare.  

The Hub published an article this week by the Business Council of Canada CEO Goldy Hyder that warned about growing rumours that the government is considering an excess profits (or “windfall”) tax on large corporations. 

The basic details are somewhat unclear, but the Trudeau government has previously imposed excess profits taxes on banks and life insurance companies and threatened them on the grocery sector. The implication here is that they could be extended to other parts of the economy. 

The negative effects of such a policy in terms of employment, investment, and wages could be significant. A report last year for the European Parliament for instance warned that windfall taxes can create big distortions—particularly in a globalized economy. The result could be a lot of

‘How to Be Old’ offers lessons to redefine your style at any age

One day in 2019, Lyn Slater looked at the racks and racks of beautiful clothes in her New York City apartment — and despaired.

Slater was 66, a former social worker turned social media star. She had begun documenting her style on the blog Accidental Icon at age 61. Her sleek gray bob, omnipresent shades and slouchy, twisted Yohji Yamamoto suits gave her a funky hauteur — and hordes of admirers. Her Instagram (@iconaccidental) boasts some 770,000 followers. Designers flew her to Paris and London to attend their runway shows and fragrance launches. Brands showered her with gifts: purses, jackets and so many dresses, in every color of the rainbow. She starred in campaigns for Valentino and Kate Spade.

Yet, at that moment, Slater had an overwhelming desire to go to her sewing kit, take out her seam ripper and “take all those garments apart, piece by piece.”

“I was lost,” Slater, now 70, told The Washington Post.

It’s a feeling that many women have experienced: the anxiety that comes with the realization that your clothes no longer serve you — or the person you’ve become.

“I see my clothes as materials that I use to convey a certain identity, to convey a certain role,” Slater said. Her ensembles communicate her desires, her thoughts and her very soul. “Having what I wear be coherent with who I am makes me feel like a whole person,” she said. When she began letting brands dictate the items she would put on her body, she no longer felt fully herself.

That has changed. Today, Slater calls herself a “reformed influencer.” She has culled her wardrobe, moved from Manhattan to an old house upstate — in Peekskill, N.Y. — and traded her designer duds for vintage Gap overalls and silk pajama

The Ottawa Hospital and YouTube Health partner to increase access to health information in Canada


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Through evidence-based videos in English and French, this partnership aims to make health information more available for everyone.

In an effort to increase access to local health resources and information, The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and YouTube Health have partnered to deliver quality health information to Canadians. Through videos in both English and French, TOH will develop critical information that Canadians need on a variety of common health conditions, including the common cold, HIV, infertility and meningitis.

“There is a need to make health information — especially in French — more accessible and readily available to folks in the community,” said Melanie Gruer, Chief Communications Officer at The Ottawa Hospital. “Partnering with YouTube Health allows our medical experts to connect with viewers and share information about common health conditions through a platform they are already familiar with.”

YouTube currently reaches 98 per cent of Canadians ages 18 years and older. This partnership will help ensure that local YouTube viewers have access to accurate and high-quality health information. Other conditions that will be covered in these videos include Alzheimer’s disease, appendicitis, fatty liver disease, myocarditis, anemia, coronary artery disease and many more. 

“Our focus at YouTube Health is to make high-quality health information accessible to all Canadians,” said Soneeka Patel, YouTube Canada’s Health Lead. “Through our partnership with The Ottawa Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Canada, we’ll be able to leverage the scale of YouTube to connect Canadians with health information that is both evidence-based and culturally relevant.”

The Ottawa Hospital is always focused on improving access to health resources. The partnership with YouTube Health is

Primary-care summit may be step toward end of solo practices in N.B.

The Department of Health and the New Brunswick Medical Society plan to co-host a provincial summit on primary health care at the end of May that could lay the groundwork for doing away with solo practices.

“Stakeholders from throughout the provincial health system will be invited to collaborate and discuss opportunities for transitioning to team-based primary care in New Brunswick,” said department spokesperson Sean Hatchard.

No other details have been provided.

About 74,000 New Brunswickers do not have a primary care provider, deputy minister Eric Beaulieu recently told the legislature’s standing committee on public accounts, although the actual number is likely higher since some people may not have registered.

Of those, roughly 54,000 people now have access to a team of primary care providers through NB Health Link, launched in 2022, while they wait for a permanent provider, he said.

The government and stakeholders continue to seek solutions as the province faces challenges with recruitment and retention and as the population continues to grow and age.

“We look forward to continued discussion with our partners as we work to tackle the ongoing challenges within the province’s health-care system,” Hatchard said in an emailed statement.

‘Physicians want this’

The medical society, which represents more than 2,000 practising, future and retired physicians in the province, supports the move toward team-based care, according to the president.

“We would like ideally, in the longer term, to have transformation and have everybody working within a primary health-care multidisciplinary team,” said Dr. Paula Keating.

“Physicians want this. We just need support, and we need to work together with the regional health authorities and Department of Health to make this happen.”

Keating said she hopes stakeholders will be able to agree at the summit “on a path going forward together to improve health care.”

Call to release

Winnipeg residents living with disabilities left struggling amid health-care support worker strike – Winnipeg

On Wednesday, 160 health-care support workers walked off the job at Ten Ten Sinclair, a housing development company in the city for people with various physical disabilities.

The job action has left tenants at the company’s Forkus properties feeling like they have fallen through the cracks.

“I have received one shower assistance since Wednesday, and otherwise, I’ve just been trying to do sponge baths myself. It’s been very difficult,” said Kristianna Huege, Fokus tenant.

Tenants have said the lack of support has been causing major anxiety as they navigate difficult tasks such as getting out of bed and emptying foley bags.


Click to play video: 'Manitoba unions, employers wrestling over whether replacement workers during strikes are OK'


Manitoba unions, employers wrestling over whether replacement workers during strikes are OK


“I’m scared I’m going to be put into bed and left there for how many hours or how many days, not having any help, any communication,” said Tenant, Lisa Quiring.

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As a temporary measure, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) brought in more workers to help fill the gaps left by the strike but the tenants say staffing is still limited and many of them are not aware of their specific needs, resulting in tenants having to assist the workers.


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“They came to me and said, ‘Ok, what needs to be done, who are we looking at?’ Now, all of that should have been taken care of, all of that should have been handled, but obviously, it fell through,” said resident Lori Ross.

Ross says a lot of people who

Medieval women used informal social networks to share health problems and medical advice | Media Centre

In the medieval period, medical science was still dominated by the ancient writings of Hippocrates from the fifth century and Galen of Pergamon from the second century. Research has shown that women were increasingly being taken seriously as healers and as bearers of wisdom about women’s bodies and health. But despite this, men were preferred while women faced restrictions.

Informal networks developed in response, as a way for women to practise medicine in secret – and pass on their medical wisdom outside the male bastions.

The Distaff Gospels, first published in France around 1480, is a collection of “gospels” around pregnancy, childbirth and health. It was created during secretive meetings of French women who had gathered with their drop spindles and distaffs to spin flax.

These women, who were mostly from the regions of Flanders and Picardy, agreed to meet over the long nights between Christmas and early February to gather the wisdom of their ancestors and pass it on to the women who came after them. The meetings are believed to have been organised by a local villager who selected six older women, each chairing one night, who would recount their advice on a range of topics such as pregnancy, childbirth and marriage.

A scribe was appointed to record the advice, which had previously only been preserved through the oral story tradition of peasant women. What is most fascinating is that although the text is mediated by a male scribe, The Distaff Gospels presents the often-silent voices of the lower working-class women. One such gospel advises:

Young women should never be given hares’ heads to eat, for fear they might think about it later, once they are married, especially while they are pregnant; in that case, for sure, their children would have split lips.

‘Deviant women’

The advice

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