If you thought you’d have to change why buy an advance ticket? The whole point is that it’s only valid on one train. Always has been, that’s nothing to do with the TOCs. If you want flexibility you buy an open ticket…

That would be because an an ‘any time’ return from the East Coast site is £239, booking in advance it was £90.

I’m happy to pay an appropriate fee to change the ticket but wanting the price of a whole ticket or paying an extra £149 for flexibility with no guarantee of a seat on one of the busiest rush hour trains out of King Cross, like I say THIEVES

In sleep medicine we talk about sleep hygene and the need to maintain a routine in order to avoid poor sleep habits

Personal Habits

Fix a bedtime and an awakening time. Do not be one of those people who allows bedtime and awakening time to drift. The body “gets used” to falling asleep at a certain time, but only if this is relatively fixed. Even if you are retired or not working, this is an essential component of good sleeping habits.

Avoid napping during the day. If you nap throughout the day, it is no wonder that you will not be able to sleep at night. The late afternoon for most people is a “sleepy time.” Many people will take a nap at that time. This is generally not a bad thing to do, provided you limit the nap to 30-45 minutes and can sleep well at night.

Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime. Many people believe that alcohol helps them sleep. While alcohol has an immediate sleep-inducing effect, a few hours later as the alcohol levels in your blood start to fall, there is a stimulant or wake-up effect.

Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime. This includes caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and many soft drinks, as well as chocolate, so be careful.

Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bedtime.
These can affect your ability to stay asleep.

Exercise regularly, but not right before bed. Regular exercise, particularly in the afternoon, can help deepen sleep. Strenuous exercise within the 2 hours before bedtime, however, can decrease your ability to fall asleep.

Your Sleeping Environment

Use comfortable bedding. Uncomfortable bedding can prevent good sleep. Evaluate whether or not this is a source of your problem, and make appropriate changes.

Find a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping and keep the room well ventilated. If your bedroom is too cold or too hot, it can keep you awake. A cool (not cold) bedroom is often the most conducive to sleep.

Block out all distracting noise, and eliminate as much light as possible.

Reserve the bed for sleep and sex. Don’t use the bed as an office, workroom or recreation room. Let your body “know” that the bed is associated with sleeping.

Getting Ready For Bed

Try a light snack before bed. Warm milk and foods high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as bananas, may help you to sleep.

Practice relaxation techniques before bed. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing and others may help relieve anxiety and reduce muscle tension.

Don’t take your worries to bed. Leave your worries about job, school, daily life, etc., behind when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a “worry period” during the evening or late afternoon to deal with these issues.

Establish a pre-sleep ritual. Pre-sleep rituals, such as a warm bath or a few minutes of reading, can help you sleep.

Get into your favorite sleeping position. If you don’t fall asleep within 15-30 minutes, get up, go into another room, and read until sleepy.

Getting Up in the Middle of the Night

Most people wake up one or two times a night for various reasons. If you find that you get up in the middle of night and cannot get back to sleep within 15-20 minutes, then do not remain in the bed “trying hard” to sleep. Get out of bed. Leave the bedroom. Read, have a light snack, do some quiet activity, or take a bath. You will generally find that you can get back to sleep 20 minutes or so later. Do not perform challenging or engaging activity such as office work, housework, etc. Do not watch television.

A Word About Television

Many people fall asleep with the television on in their room. Watching television before bedtime is often a bad idea. Television is a very engaging medium that tends to keep people up. We generally recommend that the television not be in the bedroom. At the appropriate bedtime, the TV should be turned off and the patient should go to bed. Some people find that the radio helps them go to sleep. Since radio is a less engaging medium than TV, this is probably a good idea.

Other Factors

Several physical factors are known to upset sleep. These include arthritis, acid reflux with heartburn, menstruation, headaches and hot flashes.

Psychological and mental health problems like depression, anxiety and stress are often associated with sleeping difficulty. In many cases, difficulty staying asleep may be the only presenting sign of depression. A doctor should be consulted about these issues to help determine the problem and the best treatment.

Many medications can cause sleeplessness as a side effect. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if medications you are taking can lead to sleeplessness.

To help overall improvement in sleep patterns, your doctor may prescribe sleep medications for short-term relief of a sleep problem. The decision to take sleeping aids is a medical one to be made in the context of your overall health picture.

The goal is to rediscover how to sleep naturally.

tell me about it!

I travelled back from a meeting in London to Leeds yesterday with an advanced ticket booked on the 17.03; the meeting finished early so went to King Cross and asked the guard on the 15.03 if I could get that that one, quite literally empty carriages along the length of the train…..NO, I’d have to buy a new ticket, absolute robbing barstewards

A bit cynical there Al

I do enjoy cold and windy.

Exactly, can’t been a turn on the front of a pack in the wind and rain but despite mud tyres it’s just very draggy round North Leeds at the moment and simply not enjoyable

Autumnal bush
Betty and Phyllis
Daryl

Aye, when it comes to paracetamol take care; I cared for a girl on ICU with liver failure who’d taken 12 tablets, 50 pence in the corner shop.

Several EU countries include Acetylcysteine (the antidote to liver toxicity) in their over the counter paracetamol but then drug companies in the UK wouldn’t make so much profit.

Captain, you’ve made my day, I salute you

it’s one of societies failings unfortunately.

is it a failing of society? Ultimately we’re talking monkeys and some people can’t cope with life.

That isn’t meant to be a harsh response but as someone who’s known several suicides very close to his family, people try to help, there are plenty of people who haven’t failed them but for some people it is their time, its an act that can’t be rationalised.

Although I hope he doesn’t retire, who’d take his place?

I like Bruce Parry but Sir David, and I don’t want to sound wet, is such a part on my life since a child I can’t imagine such integrity being carried forward

When I was a child, I remember lying with my eyes closed waiting for Santa to come.

Then there was the awkward silence as he got dressed and left.

I was so out of character I had to think something was wrong

Also people of South Asian, Eastern European, Southeast Asian descent are more left-handed than any other ethnic groups in the world, while people of Western European, Northern European, and African descent are less left-handed..

Based on Wiki, I’d say left handed

Can’t we just accept that Tonys experience of theft on sites where he has worked has involved people of non UK origin.

He’s not said all theft on every site is due to non UK types, just the stuff he has witnessed on his sites.

I’m in full agreement regarding xenophobia/racism but you don’t half get our handbags out at times

In my eyes, some of the best fun you can have on a bicycle!

And that is why you can come 2nd and 3rd: I’ve only visited but but you can see the emptiness in people eyes as they ride by

When I bought my wife engagement ring the card company actually rang me, within minutes, to check it was a legitimate transaction.

The response you’ve had suggesting it’s your choice is mind blowing, your trying to alert them to a potential fraud and they bat it back at you?

I’d refund it as if your asking us then you’re obviously unsure

2nd and 3rd at the Puffer

Good work mate, in my eyes the toughest race in the UK

For Crhistmas I would like-

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

The God Collar by Marcus Brigstocke

Anyone read them? I heard Brigstocke being interview by Aled Jones on Radio 2 one Sunday morning and it seemed quite interesting

Glad its not just me who’s struggling to MTFU

+1

I’m fortunate I can get a daylight ride in on a weekend but given the choice between a freezing, muddy, windy wet ride in the dark or the Sufferfest I’m on the turbo every time this year.

I was significantly more manly last year but I’m actually REALLY enjoying the Sufferfest downloads more than real riding at moment.

This is at Wythenshawe hospital Manchester….

I am Jacks complete lack of suprise.

I do some work in Wythenshawe Hospital and my sister works at Lloyds HQ nearby and, apologies if any of the Wythie crew are reading, it is like Shamless x infinity

Hora, without sounding cliched it does get better.

My youngest (3) is pretty much sleeping 8pm til 6am now having woken almost hourly since birth and there’s nothing wrong with saying you understand how fathers walk out on young families; at my most sleep deprived I twice invented business trips just to stay in a hotel over night and sleep.

Certainly where I live in Leeds there was an nocturnal underground pram club for fathers, loads of times I’d be walking my youngest around the neighbourhood at 3 in the morning and see a dark shadowy figure coming towards me and when they got close enough realise it was another member of pram club.

Aye Tricky I know, but now you can get the T-shirt

Back to Basics

Series 2 is showing on Virgin catch up

so true, the ending Fridays episode was actually quite moving; can you say that about US zombie shoes?

First singe was this

First album was Depeche Mode-Speak and Spell

+100000 for Stephen Graham and everything he’s ever done

my dad’s just been through a very similar situation with his dog who was 14.

Best advice he was given was “he’s been faithful to you, now it’s time for you to be faithful to him”.

Sounds like your better prepared than my dad was and wreckers advice is spot on

Can I check I’ve got this right? You agreed to be shafted and now you’re complaining because they shafted you?

That’s what I was trying to say

so basically you did originally give up your holidays because you wanted to do the project and then retrospectively found funding that the company kept.

What would have happened if you didn’t do the project?

Why did you go to the effort of getting the funding? did you tell your boss your expectations when you were getting the funding?

Sounds like you need to MTFU and stop whining

With regards to Anthonys main restaurant on Boar Lane, avoid it like the plague, we had a VERY poor experience there.

Starting with the Russel Brand alike hipster on the desk who failed to get us a drink and kept us waiting for 30 mins before seating us despite the place being half full, the main courses coming out 15 mins apart and one of them being wrong despite it being a table of two, the £180 bill and the nerve of the staff to tell us we’d only left a 5% tip when most people leave 20%.

My father in law will leaves us a fair whack when his time is up

It’s a terrible time when you’ve got to figure in your dead parents wealth in order to retire but I have the same thoughts

I think Sheesh Mahal on Kirkstall Rd (plenty of free parking) is the best curry house in Leeds.

Very true

+2 for Hora.

5 year olds should be playing and having fun.

My 3 year old would be having fun at his gymnastics class right now but we arrived at the leisure centre to find it ring fenced by picketers so he’s crying instead, but strikers making kids cry is a different thread.

8 years in the NHS final salary (will pay out £2.5 KPA at current value) and a private pension that I pay 7% salary and the company pays 5% in.

I’ve got 30 years left to work so I’m sure it will all sort itself out.

I was trying to think of Chauprya as per Ric B, it is good.

I should add I’ve never been to Bibis but it’s been around for 30 years so may be worth a punt but if people say its crap listen to them as well

BiBis (Italian been around forever), Riverplate (Argentinian steak house) or Whitebait ( fish), Akbars on the headrow

Not Jamie Olivers place.

If you want to head up to Headingley then Salvos is one the the best Italians I’ve been to.

Cup of tea anyone?

Clinical applications specialist for a global medical devices company

crotchrocket, you remind me of this fella