Restless sleepers know that the bedtime struggle is real. They’ve tried everything from meditation apps to white noise machines in their efforts to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. But could the trick to better sleep lie with your blanket choice? Those who swear by weighted blankets think so.

Bearaby Cotton Napper

Price range:$259 to $279

Available weights: 15 pounds to 25 pounds

A weighted blanket like nothing you’ve ever seen, Bearaby’s braided (编织) blanket is among the best weighted blankets we’ve ever tried. The braided effect is not only extraordinary but it also provides airflow so you can’t get too hot while wrapped up in it, making it a comfortable and popular option.

YnM Weighted Blanket

Price range:$49.90 to $89

Available weights: 5 pounds to 30 pounds

With a 4.6-star rating from over 21,000 reviews, this blanket has been tested by customers and comes out on top. It comes in a ton of fin colors and patterns, plus it has many uses, since the blanket can be used along with a duvet (羽绒被) cover or on its own.

Luna Weighted Blanket

Price range: $99.99 to $169.99

Available weights: 5 pounds to 30 pounds

This 400-thread-count lightweight blanket is made from a natural, sustainable cotton that’s free from any harmful chemicals. It comes with a 365- night money-back guarantee, so if you decide a weighted blanket isn’t for you, you can send it back for a full refund (退款). But you probably won’t want to-this blanket has more than 10,000 5-star reviews.

YnM Duvet Covers

Price range: $89.90 to $179

Available weights: 5 pounds to 30 pounds

This lighter weighted blanket from YnM is perfect for kids and even comes with two inter changeable, machine-washable duvet covers. One cover is soft and cozy to keep your kids warm on cold nights, and the other is made from cooling materials to ensure they don’t wake up sweaty when summer rolls around.

My name is Destiny, working at a Psychological Counselling Center. In my teens, there was nothing special about me. My older sister, Antia, is beautiful. My younger brother, Tye, is a talent at the age 13. He completely skipped the sixth grade. How do I compete with that?

My mom and I were home alone one day. I went into the room where she was watching television and I blurted out (脱口而出), “Mom, is there anything special about me?”

She thought about it for a moment and then turned down TV. She took a deep breath, took my hand and exhaled (呼气).

“You have the ability to say just the right thing at just the right time.”

“Really? Is that it, words?” I tried to keep my voice steady (稳定的) but I could hear the anger even as I fought to control it.

“It’s more than words, Destiny,” my mom said. I know my mother meant well but I felt worse than ever. I burst into tears.

The next day is when my whole life changed. I went to school earlier than before and noticed Darwin sitting across the room which was strange because no one ever noticed Darwin. Suddenly, Darwin stood up and threw away all his books, shouting loudly. I could hear screaming and crying but the sounds seemed distant as I focused my full attention on Darwin six feet in front of me. I felt the words swell up in me. “Darwin,” I heard myself say with a calm, steady voice. “I have family and friends with so much talent and potential and I have none. There is nothing special about me.” From the corner of my eye, I could see others staring at me in silence. I continued talking. “You are so smart. You can answer questions that the teacher hasn’t even asked yet. Do you know that everyone in this class is envious (嫉妒的) of you?” Hearing my words, he calmed down and gave me a big hug.

Then the teacher came. Learning about what happened, the teacher smiled, “That was a great job you did, young lady. Superman could not have done a better job than you did here today.” I couldn’t believe that she compared me to Super man. I work at Psychological Counselling Center now. There is a cork board over my desk filed with thank-you cards and letters from people who say they owe their lives, careers, or their families to my words. But tome, they are more than words. They are my super power!

Heat, cold and touch are crucial for experiencing the world around us and for our own survival. But how our bodies actually do it had been one of the great mysteries (神秘) of biology. Scientists who discovered how our bodies feel the warmth of the sun or the hug of a loved one have won the Nobel Prize.

David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, from the US, share the 2021 prize in Medicine or Physiology for their work on sensing touch and temperature. They explored how our bodies convert physical sensations into electrical messages in the nervous system. Their findings could lead to new ways of treating pain.

Thomas Perlman, from the Nobel Prize Committee, said: “It was a very important and profound discovery.” Prof David Julius’s breakthrough, at the University of Calfornia, San Francisco, came from investigating the burning pain we feel from eating a hot chilli pepper (辣椒) . He experimented with the source of a chilli’s heat and discovered the specific type of receptor (感觉器官) that responded to it. Further tests showed the receptor was responding to heat and kicked in at “painful“ temperatures. This is what happens, for example，if you you’re your hand on a cup of coffee.

This led to a senses of other temperature sensors being discovered. Prof Julius and Prof Ardem Palapoutian found one that could detect cold. Meanwhile, Prof Patapoutian, working at the Scrips Research institute, was also analyzing cells in a dish. Those experiments led to the discovery of a different type of receptor that a was activated (激活)in response to mechanical force or touch. When you walk along a beach and feel the sand under your feet-it is these receptors that are sending signals to the brain.

The first heat sensor is also involved’ in lasting pain and how our body regulates its core temperature. The touch receptor has multiple roles, from urinating to blood pressure. The Prize Committee said their work had “allowed us to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate the nerve impulses (刺激) that allow us to perceive and adapt to the world around us.

Society tells us we should socialize to the fullest, and that those who are surrounded by people are the most successful and the happiest. These days, we’re almost always connected, whether in person or through our phone screens and online social networks. But there’s something to be said for solitude (独处) Being alone “ doesn’t necessarily mean ” being lonely”. In fact, spending time by yourself is an essential element of self-care.

Around the globe, different cultures have wide-ranging perspectives on what it means to spend time alone. If you live or have spent time in the United States, you’re probably aware that Americans tend to reject solitude. For many younger people, weekends are packed with social activities, ranging from brunch with friends to dinner parties to game nights to drinking at bars and everything in between.

The United States isn’t the only place where you’ll find a heavy emphasis on social time. Across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom is known for being an extremely extroverted (外向型的) country. A survey of Brits found that more than half had never done and would be unwilling to do activities like going to theme parks or seeing live music alone. Most Brits spend almost twice as much of their leisure time socializing with others a as they do being alone.

The home can be a place of rest, relaxation and recharge-that is, if you live by yourself or have the space to be alone in your home. The country in which people are least likely to live alone is India, at about 4 percent of the population. China is also quite fond of multiple-person households, with only about 10 percent of people living by themselves. In more collectivist cultures like these, many aspects of life revolve(围绕) around community. Thus, spending time alone isn’t as ingrained (根深蒂固的) as a social convention in places like these, and the good of the group takes priority over the needs of one person.