Are you one of those people who can’t drop off to sleep if it’s “too quiet”? If so, you’re not alone. According to a 2023 survey of UK participants, 50% of people listen to some kind of noise to help fall asleep.

Many people have turned to pink, white or brown noise to help them drift off. But a new study has found listening to pink noise, an alternative to white noise, even to drown out irritating background sounds, can disrupt the quality of sleep you get.

What is pink noise?

Not all noises are equal though when it comes to sleep. Noises range from structured sound like music and speech, with patterns and meaning, through to others that have some arrangement and perhaps calming effect, like birdsong, ocean waves or wind chimes to noise with no order at all.

We can describe sounds by how much energy each frequency of the sound has. White noise is a totally random sound. Each different frequency in white noise has the same energy, so it sounds like a hissy continuous sound. A 2017 study found white noise seems to help some people concentrate.

Pink noise is different. Instead of equal energy at each frequency, the energy halves with every doubling of frequency (so 500Hz has twice the energy of 1000Hz). This mimics a lot of sounds in nature (like running water) and gives a deeper, more rumbly sound. It sounds less harsh than white noise.

You can also get brown noise – stop laughing – which is named after 18th-century scientist Robert Brown rather than anything bowel related. It is sometimes referred to as red noise instead. Higher frequencies have less energy
(500Hz has four times the energy of 1000Hz). It is even more bass-heavy than pink noise, sounding like heavy rain or a roaring waterfall.

What did the study find?

The new study by the University of Pennsylvania, sponsored by the US Federal Aviation Authority, compared the affect of pink noise and earplugs upon participants’ sleep when intermittent noise of planes flying overhead was played over a loudspeaker.

The control condition here was a noise-free night where the participants were monitored, but were not having their sleep interrupted. The researchers then tested the same participants under different conditions on different nights of their stay during the experiment. They measured brain activity, heart rate and muscle activity while participants slept, which allowed them to analyse the different stages of sleep.

The researchers first looked at how pink noise affected participants’ sleep when there was no other background noise and compared the effect to the control night. They found that pink noise led to a reduction of the amount of participants’ rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which should make up about a quarter of our sleep. REM sleep isn’t considered a restful type of sleep but it is the sleep state in which we dream. REM is important for memory formation, brain plasticity and emotion regulation, particularly for children.

In the next phase of the experiment, they found that the environmental noise, by contrast, reduced the amount of so-called N3 sleep compared to the control night. This is the deepest non-REM type of sleep. It is where the body grows and repairs itself, and about a quarter of sleep should normally be of this type too.

The researchers then tried to block the environmental noise. When they used earplugs to see if they would help participants’ sleep, they worked well, restoring about three quarters of the lost N3 sleep. When they tried pink noise to see if it could help, they found that it actually made the sleep structure worse, reducing both N3 and REM sleep.

So is silence best?

Perhaps, and especially for babies and toddlers whose brains are still undergoing the most change and development. For adults though, there does seem to be some suggestion playing nighttime sounds helps. A 2022 review found that there was widespread, but low-quality, evidence that sounds at night time (especially pink noise) helps with the amount of sleep people get and also that people felt that it was better quality sleep. This was self-reported, rather than measured using equipment like in the new study from Pennsylvania, which might help to explain the different findings.

Other things may stop you getting to sleep. Many people experience tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing sound in the head or ears, which can be worst before bed and affect sleep quality. A silent room can make it seem even louder. Some people find a background sound, whether a “colour” of noise, nature sound, music or a podcast, helpful here to get to sleep. Being able to pick which “colour” of random sound you prefer has been shown to help people with tinnitus.

However, there are reports of potential harm from using any of these “random” sounds to help with tinnitus instead of more patterned noise like music or speech. This is because the random sounds can show the same kind of effect as ageing does on the brain. How this works, whether potential noise-induced hearing loss acts as an step in the chain, and how broadly it happens, remain areas of investigation.

So it’s not quite time to put the story of sleep quality and noise to bed just yet. In the meantime, trying some earplugs if there is unwanted sound, or keeping any noises calm, not too loud and relaxing for you may be the best bet for a good night’s sleep.

Ben Shephard’s new ITV reality series The Summit has left viewers issuing the same complaint.

Viewers of ITV’s new reality show The Summit have delivered their judgement mere minutes into the opening episode.

The high-stakes competition, fronted by This Morning presenter Ben Shephard, follows 14 participants attempting to scale a mountain peak in New Zealand’s stunning South Island Alps.

Across a fortnight, they’ll be trekking towards the summit with the chance of claiming their portion of a £200,000 jackpot.

The line-up includes former Gladiator Ace and Gillian McKeith’s daughter, alongside a social media influencer and a tour guide.

Tonight’s premiere (Tuesday 10 February) saw contestants tackle the initial stage of their journey whilst getting acquainted, as competing personalities vied for control and friction started to emerge, reports Wales Online.

They also confronted a nerve-wracking task involving balancing on ropes suspended high above the ground to traverse between sections of the mountain.

Yet audiences remained unconvinced, with one raging: “Like Lord of the Rings but with annoying people”.

Another remarked: “This is going to be like I’m A Celebrity up a mountain, already one saying he don’t like heights.”

“This looks as bad as I suspected,” someone else criticised, whilst another viewer commented: “This is boring. Just wannabees climbing a mountain for no reason.”

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“Crikey this is s***te – all seems set up as well,” another declared, while someone else raged: “This is going to be enjoyable. NOT they are bloody arguing already.”

Yet another viewer slammed: “This is a bloody tough watch. Maybe there’s some paint drying on another channel…”

Other fans were more convinced, with one writing: “Been waiting for this, hope it’s decent!” Someone else said: “Oh, this is going to be good!”

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Teasing what to expect ahead of the series airing, host Ben previously said: “It’s fourteen ordinary people, trying to achieve something truly extraordinary.”

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“It’s an adventure, and challenge based show that’s going to take all sorts of mental focus and ingenuity, to not only climb the mountain and get over the challenges, but also navigate the pitfalls of keeping the rest of the climbers on side to ensure, when they get to the top, they take home as much money as they can.

“The added twist, that all the participants are carrying their winnings with them up the mountain, if one of them falls or drops off, their money goes too, that adds even more drama to it. It’s some of the best reality drama you’ll ever see, crossed with adventure on an epic scale.”

The Summit continues tomorrow night at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Chelsea had come to play, then, and they had also come to scrap. Leeds always offer a physical challenge and Estêvão Willian, Chelsea’s teenage winger, showed he was not intimidated by the bigger lads in white. At the end of the first half, Estêvão shoved Leeds centre-back Joe Rodon into the advertising boards.

It felt, in these moments, like one of Chelsea’s best performances of the season. Especially when Palmer struck the second from the penalty spot, after João Pedro was foolishly shoved to the ground by Leeds defender Jaka Bijol.

Game over? The home crowd probably felt so. Perhaps the home players did too. But then the game switched on one mistake by Caicedo, who tripped Jayden Bogle inside the area. Nmecha converted and suddenly the mood changed. Leeds grew strong.

Within six minutes, they had their equaliser. A horrible goal to concede, and a delightfully easy one for Okafor to score. A collection of Chelsea players could not clear the ball, with two of them instead getting in their own way. At the end of it all, Okafor simply rolled into the net.

Chelsea complained that Bogle had handled in the build-up, and they might have had a point, but the bigger issue for them was their loss of control in the game. It was remarkable how quickly the night had turned, with Chelsea cruising and then suddenly panicking.

The DWP has outlined five key points on Personal Independence Payment including eligibility criteria, how to apply, and the assessment process

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The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) has produced a series of four videos about Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ). They are designed to help people understand what the benefit entails, who it’s intended for, how to apply, and the assessment process. These YouTube videos are accompanied by an online document outlining five key points everyone should know about PIP.

Recent statistics from the DWP reveal that as of the end of October, nearly 3.9 million people in England and Wales were claiming PIP. Comparable data shows that nearly half a million people are now claiming the Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which replaced PIP for people in Scotland.

The DWP’s YouTube videos direct viewers to the dedicated PIP pages on GOV.UK, where more comprehensive information is available, including the process for people nearing the end of life. Viewers of the videos on the official DWP YouTube channel are encouraged to visit the website to ensure they have all the necessary information about PIP eligibility before submitting a new claim, according to the Daily Record.

The DWP has outlined five key points for anyone considering making a PIP claim. These include:

• Entitlement to PIP is not based on an individual’s health condition or disability alone but on how much a long-term health condition or disability impacts an individual’s daily life or mobility.
• To qualify for PIP, the impacts of a health condition or disability must have been present for three months and be expected to last at least another nine months.
• PIP claimants will undergo a functional assessment of how their health condition or disability affects 12 key everyday activities, which are fundamental to living an independent life.
• If an individual can manage the PIP daily living and mobility activities safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period, without being supported by someone or using equipment, it is unlikely they will get PIP.
• When applying for PIP, individuals should provide any relevant information they already have about how their health condition affects them. This may mean that a health professional can assess the claim using this information without a face-to-face or virtual consultation, and that a decision can be made more quickly. DWP says people should not request new documents for their application as these can incur a fee, for example, from GPs.

On Monday evening (February 9), Fifty Two at Rudding Park in Harrogate was revealed among the 20 new one-Michelin Star restaurants.

Fifty Two is an immersive dining experience where its bespoke open kitchen and garden “take centre stage” and the twist is, there is no official menu.

The newly announced Michelin Star restaurant (a first for Harrogate) is designed to “create a sense of food theatre”.

The Michelin Guide commented: “Five repurposed shipping containers in the grounds of the Rudding Park hotel provide the setting for a quite theatrical experience, with Adam Degg’s open kitchen and his chefs acting as the stage and its players.

“The restaurant is named after the number of raised beds in the garden, which provide plenty of the produce for the creative dishes.

“Don’t be fooled by the occasional playfulness – there is real skill on show here.”

Head chef of Fifty Two says winning Michelin Star ‘means the world’

In a post on Instagram, Fifty Two’s head chef and host Adam who has featured on the Great British Menu, shared: “Winning this honestly means the world to us. When we opened, the goal was to create something genuine, fun and rooted in the incredible produce we grow in our kitchen garden. I have to give huge credit to Emma [Pugh] and her garden team, whose work shapes every dish we serve.

“Thank you to my team – Other Adam™, Jess, Callum, Finn & Robbie. This recognition is a reflection of your energy, creativity and belief in what we’re building. I’m also deeply grateful to the Mackaness family for trusting me with this project and giving me the freedom to create my dream restaurant.

“Most importantly, thanks to everyone who walks in, sees no menu, and says ‘go on then.’

“Last night was a highlight of my career – a personal milestone. A reminder of how far we’ve come.

“For those yet to discover… the best parties happen in the kitchen!”

If you’re wondering what to expect when visiting Fifty Two, its website reveals: “An arrival drink will be served on the FIFTY TWO terrace at 7pm with dinner served at 7.15pm (Sundays arrival time will be 6pm with dinner served at 6.15pm). If the weather is suitable, there will be an opportunity to walk around the Kitchen Garden before dinner.

“The evening continues with a series of dishes; a selection of snacks, freshly-baked bread; assortment of plates leading up to the main event, followed by dessert and selection of liqueurs.”

Why are so many UK pubs closing?

It adds: “Like a dinner party with friends, there’s no menu and you place your faith in the cooking skills of your host!

“At FIFTY TWO, we use the highest quality ingredients cultivated in our kitchen garden (as such we are in the hands of mother nature!) or selected from trusted local producers and purveyors.”

Head kitchen gardener Emma Pugh and her team grow over 500 different edible plants.

Fifty Two’s website continues: “Using organic and no-dig principles, the gardeners enrich the soil with a variety of organic matter so the crops are packed with nutrients giving the freshest seasonal flavours and textures on your plate.”

Over on Tripadvisor, the restaurant located on Rudding Lane, which also has 3 AA Rosettes, has an impressive 5/5 rating.

‘For those yet to discover… the best parties happen in the kitchen!’ (Image: Tripadvisor)

A recent diner posted: “A superb gastronomic and fun evening at Fifty Two with great service and stunning surroundings.

“The service is relaxed and fun and good with all chefs Adam, Other Adam and Finley and Jess involved.

“All super friendly and confident yet fun and it all meant we had a great dinning experience with food that was inspirational ,and exceptional.”

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Another wrote: “Lovely atmosphere, good and informal welcome, excellent food together with a commentary for each course. An interesting touch was asking guests to chose a music track.”

This guest put: “Adam has a wonderful team at fifty two. The food tonight was dazzling. The wine pairing was exceptional.

“The tasting menu was a rollercoaster of excitement honouring garden grown and regional fresh produce.

“My wife and I are honoured your team looked after us so well. Phenomenal food. Phenomenal friendly team. Thankyou.”

Will you be heading to Fifty Two at Rudding Park after its Michelin Star success? Let us know if you have been by leaving a comment below.

Henry Pease, one of the fathers of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, once described seeing “a prophetic vision of a town arising on the cliff and the quiet, unfrequented and sheltered glen turned into a lovely garden.”

Today, Saltburn is better known for its colourful beach huts, quirky funicular cliff lift, and Victorian charm.

The town’s history, once linked to smuggling, is centred around the Ship Inn.

Saltburn Cliff Tramway. (Image: Dave Charnley Photography)

John Andrew, the pub’s landlord in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was known locally as the “King of the Smugglers.”

Now, the town perched on the North Yorkshire coast, has been named one of the top places to live in the UK.

A guide from Muddy Stilettos shines a light on the country’s “loveliest city spots, towns and villages” with the best schools, shopping and pubs.

The Northern Lights over Saltburn beach. (Image: Chris Martin)

Muddy Stilettos described Saltburn as having: “A cool, laid-back vibe.

“This seaside gem ticks all the boxes.”

The town also boasts a thriving surf scene and a growing creative community.

Its attractions include the only remaining pleasure pier on the North East and Yorkshire coast as well as one of the oldest funicular lifts in the world, the Saltburn Cliff Tramway.

Saltburn has recently attracted high-profile visitors, including Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.

Mr Plant stayed at the Spa Hotel over Christmas while touring with his band Saving Grace, and performed a sold-out show in Middlesbrough Town Hall on the Sunday before Christmas.

It appears the “prophetic vision” of a thriving town on the cliff has well and truly come to life.

The seven-time world champion finished third in the biathlon – which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting – behind champion Johan-Olav Botn, a fellow Norwegian, and Eric Perrot of France.

It is a second Olympic medal for Laegreid, who won gold in the relay at the 2022 Games.

Asked about his admission in the news conference later, he added: “Of course, now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s day.

“I don’t know if it was the right choice or not, but it was the choice I made.

“I made the choice to tell the world what I did so maybe there’s a chance she will see what she really means to me – maybe not, but I don’t want to think I didn’t try everything to get her back.

“I don’t want to steal the show. I hope this is just like a day-or-two thing. Then you are an Olympic gold medallist forever.”

Five-time Olympic champion Johannes Thingnes Boe, who is now a biathlete expert with broadcasters NRK, questioned the timing of Laegreid’s admission.

“It came as a complete surprise. His action was wrong – we saw a repentant lad standing there. Unfortunately, the time, place and timing are all wrong,” said Boe, a former team-mate of Laegreid.

Botn shouted the name of late team-mate Sivert Guttorm Bakken as he crossed the line to win gold.

Bakken was found dead on 23 December in a hotel room in northern Italy, about two hours from where the biathlon was held.

“I was racing with him the entire last loop. And, yeah, it was more like a feeling of crossing the finish line together, and seeing the number one beside my name was really special,” an emotional Botn said.

Laegreid added: “We were five guys on the start line, and one of them was watching from above. This was for Sivert, really.”

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Today, Keir Starmer says that he will “never walk away from the country that I love” after surviving a turbulent 24 hours that saw the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar call for him to step down.

Speaking to the BBC, his energy secretary Ed Miliband said the Labour Party had “looked over the precipice” and decided to back their leader leading to a rallying of support from the cabinet and other senior party figures.

So, the Prime Minister is in the clear for now, but is he truly safe? Alex and James break down another turbulent 24 hours in Westminster before catching up with Daniela Relph senior royal correspondent and Caitríona Perry, BBC News chief presenter in Washington to discuss the wider fallout from the Epstein files in the US and for the royal family.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you’re in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Anna Harris with Shiler Mahmoudi and Chloe Scannapieco. The technical producer was Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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Just over three months since her transplant surgery, she is now growing in strength each day and walking has helped with her recovery.

A Co Down woman says she has been given the ‘amazing gift of life’ having recently undergone a heart transplant.

Valerie McIlveen from Donaghadee lived with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) for 20 years after being diagnosed at the age of 46. DCM is a disease of your heart muscle where your heart chambers become enlarged and your heart’s muscle wall becomes thinner and weaker.

The 66-year-old golfer and former Ladies Captain of Donaghadee Golf Club said: “I was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy in 2006 and because of my deteriorating condition, I was assessed in the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne in September 2025.

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“After being accepted onto the Urgent Heart Transplant List I was admitted to the Pre-Transplant Unit at the Freeman Hospital. Just four weeks after admission, I was in the fortunate position to receive an offer of a donor heart last November.”

Just over three months since Valerie’s transplant surgery, she is now growing in strength each day and walking has helped with her recovery.

Now Valerie is on a mission for Heart Month in February to complete the British Heart Foundation’s ‘Walk for Hearts’ challenge. She is walking a mile a day throughout this month to raise much-needed funds for BHF’s research into cardiovascular disease.

Valerie, who has already raised over £1,400 to help fund research into cardiovascular disease, said: “I’m feeling fit enough to take up the BHF challenge to walk one mile per day in the month of February. I’m so thankful to everyone who is supporting me in my recovery.

“The journey to regaining full recovery will be long, but each month brings increased quality of life. I would also like to highlight the huge nationwide need for organ donation.

“During my time spent in the Pre Transplant Unit, I met and became friends with other patients who have been waiting years for a heart transplant. I would therefore like to encourage everyone to seriously consider becoming organ donors and having the necessary conversation with their loved ones.”

Valerie added: “I am so grateful for the amazing gift of life offered to me by the donor’s family.”

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Fearghal McKinney, Head of BHF Northern Ireland, said: “Valerie’s strength and resilience throughout the last number of months is really inspirational. We’re so thankful for her fundraising support of BHF’s Walk for Hearts challenge during Heart Month and for raising vital awareness of the urgency of cardiovascular disease and the need for organ donors.

“If you are one of the 230,000 people in Northern Ireland living with cardiovascular disease and you are able to exercise, walking could be especially helpful, as it is low impact and you can build up slowly at a pace that’s suitable for you. Valerie was checked by medical professionals and deemed well enough for this challenge and it’s important to speak with your own doctor for personalised advice.”

Fearghal added: “Every three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease. Through our incredible supporters like Valerie, British Heart Foundation can power research that will enable people to live longer, healthier lives.”

To support Valerie, go to https://www.justgiving.com/page/valerie-mcilveen-1#sharePage. Participants can sign up for ‘Walk for Hearts’ until February 14th. To find out more, visit www.bhf.org.uk/walkforhearts.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

As excitement continues to build ahead of the show’s US broadcast on MASTERPIECE | PBS, the much-loved cast took part in a light-hearted challenge that saw them step into each other’s shoes, with predictably hilarious results.

All Creatures Great and Small (Image: CHANNEL 5)

In the clip, viewers are invited to imagine an alternative Darrowby, as Nicholas Ralph delivers lines as Tristan Farnon, while Callum Woodhouse takes on the role of James Herriot, completely flipping the script on the familiar period drama.

The playful video sees the actors reading out iconic lines normally spoken by their co-stars, giving them “a taste of life on the other side of the scene” and offering fans a glimpse of the strong camaraderie that exists off-screen.

MASTERPIECE | PBS shared the clip with the caption: “Nicholas Ralph as Tristan? Callum Woodhouse as James? The script’s been flipped! Join the All Creatures Great and Small actors as they swap roles and get a taste of life on the other side of the scene.”

Fans were quick to respond, with many praising the cast’s sense of humour and chemistry, and joking about how “convincing” and “mischievous”.

The video is the latest in a series of promotional clips released following the end of Series 6 in the UK, which concluded with a Christmas Eve episode set in 1945 as the Second World War came to an end.

While the show is known for its storytelling and emotional depth, moments like this have delighted viewers by revealing the fun and warmth shared by the cast behind the scenes.

All Creatures Great and Small, filmed across the Yorkshire Dales including Grassington, Broughton Hall and Oakworth Station, continues to enjoy huge popularity both at home and overseas.

With Series 7 and 8 already confirmed in the UK, fans on both sides of the Atlantic are eagerly awaiting a return to Darrowby.