Prism reading glasses A ‘novel’ festival idea
For writing fiends and imaginative thinkers, this October the ‘Dalkey Creates Writing Festival’ will give aspiring writers the opportunity to improve their craft and help them on the difficult journey to being published. The festival offers writing courses from published authors in an encouraging and supportive environment.
There will also be a range of talks from authors, focusing on different topics such as murder mysteries and historical fiction to even courses for beginners. For want-to-be publishers, ‘The Writer’s Forum’ – an informal, conference style event – is the go to place for finding out from insider information about the publishing industry in and Ireland and the UK.
Alongside all of this there is DCJr – a programme of events for kids – and a family day planned. Writers and scribblers of all descriptions should head south to the beautiful seaside town of Dalkey for this wonderful literary weekend in October.
Reading made easy
Before most people switch off the lamp at night for some well-deserved sleep, they usually indulge in a few pages from a book they’re currently reading.
While this is a great practice to get into, and one that will enrich your mind, those who have posture difficulties or sitting up straight may find this an arduous task, especially if their neck is looking down towards the book for a prolonged period of time. Prism glasses solve this problem, as they allow you to read while you lie down flat on the bed.
The glasses act as a periscope meaning you can see every word with ease without the fear of developing neck or back pain. The gadget is ideal for those with mobility issues like the elderly or individuals with a physical disability.
Best of all once you’re finished reading, you’re already in the correct position to snooze off!
It’s bedtime!
Everybody is aware that getting a good night’s sleep is important for your body to properly function especially if you’re working all day – but research is also showing that regular bedtimes are key to a person’s heart health and the good functioning of their metabolism.
A new study from Duke University Medical Centre led by Jessica Lunsford-Avery, Ph.D, examined the link between bedtime patterns and markers of cardiometabolic risk, and found that volunteers with irregular bedtimes had a higher body mass index (BMI), higher levels of blood sugar and higher blood pressure.
The volunteers were also more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke in the following decade than individuals with regular sleeping patterns. “Sleep irregularity may represent a target for early identification and prevention of cardiometabolic disease,” the authors concluded.
However, they also pointed out that their study is observational and cannot say anything about causality.