Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

Lifting weights is obviously great for your strength, but it can also boost your brain power, improve your immune system, and even reverse signs of cellular ageing. Michael enlists Jenny, a self-confessed weight lifting novice, to try strength training at home using milk bottles and a sturdy rucksack. He speaks to Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose at University of British Columbia, Canada who has recently found that strength training can lead to better memory. She reveals how activating your muscles can release special chemicals called myokines which astonishingly, can travel around the body and cross your blood-brain-barrier where they can have beneficial effects on your brain.

Taking good care of your teeth can prevent tooth decay and boost your oral health - but, surprisingly, the benefits extend well beyond your mouth. Keeping your teeth and gums clean can help your heart and your brain, reducing the risk of diseases from diabetes to dementia. To find out why, Michael Mosley speaks to Dr. Sim Singhrao from the University of Central Lancashire School of Dentistry. She reveals bacteria in your mouth can travel from your gums into your blood causing problems in other organs, including your brain. Meanwhile, our volunteer Lowri has a go at brushing and using interdental brushes every day to see if it’s something she’d like to fit into her lifestyle.

Most of us in the UK use our phones for over three hours/day! They are incredibly useful - but using them just a little bit less can have big benefits for your health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that reducing your phone use by one hour each day can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can also increase life satisfaction, reduce smoking and enhance physical activity levels. On top of that, limiting social media use to 30 minutes a day has been found to reduce feelings of loneliness. But if you can’t bear doing any of that, just putting your phone out of sight whilst you’re doing something can have significant benefits. Michael Mosley speaks to Dr Adrian Ward from the University of Texas at Austin who has found that just the sight of your phone can have a powerful impact on your cognition. He finds out about the alluring pull of our phones on our brains (which can attract our attention even when they’re off), and why multitasking is a myth!

All alcohol is bad for you but if you’re already a drinker, switching out your usual drink with a small glass of red wine could bring surprising benefits to your health - improving blood sugar and fat levels and reducing the risk of diabetes. In this episode, Michael Mosley speaks to Dr Tim Spector, Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London to find out about the secret ingredient in red wine. He reveals why red wine is rich in chemicals called polyphenols. They raise a (metaphorical) glass to celebrate the effects of red wine on the diversity of our gut bacteria!

If you’re looking to add more exercise into your lifestyle why not consider Tai Chi. It’s an ancient Chinese martial art – it’s sometimes called “meditation in motion”. It’s a series of different postures that gently flow into each other in slow movements. One of the big benefits to Tai Chi is that it can significantly enhance the activity of our immune system. And although it looks gentle, it can be a surprisingly good workout! Michael Mosley speaks to Dr. Parco Siu from the University of Hong Kong, who has been studying the health benefits of Tai Chi for over a decade. His research has revealed that Tai Chi can lead to faster brain benefits than other exercises. He also found that Tai Chi was as effective as conventional exercise like moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or muscle strengthening activities for reducing body weight and visceral fat!

It turns out having friends has big benefits for your health. Fascinating research shows social contact can boost your immune system and your brain power. In this episode, Michael Mosley is joined by Professor Pamela Qualter from Manchester University, who explains how reaching out in the simplest of ways - from sending a simple text to helping your neighbours - can significantly reduce loneliness levels, helping you feel more connected and a part of a community. People appreciate being contacted much more than you think. So, the next time you wonder whether to reach out to a friend – just do it.

Cutting back on free sugars can not only do wonders for your waistline and your oral hygiene, surprising research shows it could also improve your memory and help your brain. But it can be hard to resist those sugar cravings! In this episode, Michael Mosley is joined by Dr Evelyn Medawar, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, who has been studying the effects of our gut microbiome on our eating preferences, and reveals a potential tip to help crack sugar cravings. The secret lies in dietary fibre, like that found in fruit. So, trade your sweet treats for fruit and learn how this healthy switch can transform your brain, biome and your life.

Get comfortable, let go of the cares of the day and take a sonic journey with Dr Michael Mosley. In this new sound-filled podcast series, designed to help you drift off, each episode focuses on a scientifically proven sleep technique and takes a deep dive through some incredible sleep-related bodily mechanisms.With sleep - because one size doesn’t fit all - you can benefit by listening more to your body and letting go of expectations. We invite you to meet a whole cast of biological characters that work together to pave the way to sleep.Guest: Professor Nicole Tang, Director of the Sleep and Pain Lab at the University of Warwick.Producer and Sound Designer: Richard Ward Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu Editor: Zoe Heron A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.

Get comfortable, let go of the cares of the day and take a sonic journey with Dr Michael Mosley. In this new sound-filled podcast series, designed to help you drift off, each episode focuses on a scientifically proven sleep technique and takes a deep dive through some incredible sleep-related bodily mechanisms.Discover a simple hack for the temperature-related, sleep-preparing systems of the body. Plus dilating blood vessels, shapeshifting and taking a hot bath.Guest: Anna Wirz-Justice, Emeritus Professor at the Centre for Chronobiology at the University of Basel, Switzerland.Producer and Sound Design: Richard Ward Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu Editor: Zoe Heron A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.

Get comfortable, let go of the cares of the day and take a sonic journey with Dr Michael Mosley. In this new sound-filled podcast series, designed to help you drift off, each episode focuses on a scientifically-proven sleep technique and takes a deep dive through some incredible sleep-related bodily mechanisms.There are some simple yet powerful steps you can follow to form new and positive connections around bedtime habits, your bed, and sleep itself. And encounter a chemical that’s in every cell in the body and which makes us drowsy.Guest: Dr Colleen Carney, Director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada.Producer and Sound Design: Richard Ward Assistant Producer: Gulnar Mimaroglu Editor: Zoe Heron A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.