Boredom shortens life expectancy, scientists say

It would be more reasonable to conclude from the findings that less healthy people have fewer options and are hence more likely to be bored

Boredom could be shaving years off your life, scientists have found. Researchers say that people who complain of boredom are more likely to die young, and that those who experienced "high levels" of tedium are more than 2½ times as likely to die from heart disease or stroke than those satisfied with their lot.

More than 7000 civil servants were studied over 25 years – and those who said they were bored were nearly 40 per cent more likely to have died by the end of study than those who did not. The scientists said this could be a result of those unhappy with their lives turning to such unhealthy habits as smoking or drinking, which would cut their life expectancy.

Specialists from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London looked at data from 7524 civil servants, aged between 35 and 55, interviewed between 1985 and 1988 about their levels of boredom. They then found out whether they had died by April last year. Those who reported feeling a great deal of boredom were 37 per cent more likely to have died by the end of the study.

Researcher Martin Shipley, who co-wrote the report to be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology this week, said: "The findings on heart disease show there was sufficient evidence to say there is a link with boredom."

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Forget drugs, a jab of water helps ease birthing pain

This sounds like very good news

INJECTIONS of tiny amounts of water into the lower back are giving women drug-free pain relief during childbirth. Reynieze Petersen Leota, 17, who delivered her first baby Geoita at the Mater Mothers' Hospital in Brisbane yesterday, said an injection of sterile water during labour relieved her back pain for about six hours. "The pain was really bad. I couldn't handle it and then the midwife told me about the water injections," she said. "The pain went away straight away."

The Mater Mothers' Hospital has offered the injections since last year and has launched a study to investigate the most effective technique for delivering them. Midwife Nigel Lee, of the Mater Mothers' Research Centre, said the treatment, involving less than 1 ml of water being injected just under the skin, provided fast relief from back pain to about 85 per cent of women who received it.

He said the injections worked by stimulating nerve transmitters, blocking pain signals being sent to the brain. Mr Lee said they had benefits over traditional drug treatments, such as epidurals and laughing gas, although he stressed the water injections only worked to relieve back pain.

"The woman can still walk around. She doesn't have to stay on the bed," he said. "We can repeat it, as needed. There's no side effects because it's effectively just water. There's no effects on the baby at all." He said they had been available for years in Northern Europe, but the Mater Mothers' Hospital was one of the few facilities in Australia offering them on a routine basis to expectant mothers.

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