Older people who sleep 5 hours or less at higher risk of multiple health issues

Oct 19 2022

A large new study has shown that people over the age of 50 and older who sleep 5 hours or less at night are at higher risk of developing multiple chronic diseases.

The study was published Tuesday and took a closer look at a group of around 8,000 civil servants in the UK who had no chronic disease at age 50.

Scientists asked the participants to report on how much sleep they got during clinic examinations every 4 to 5 years for the next 25 years. Those whose sleep was tracked at age 50, people who slept 5 hours of less a night faced a 30% higher risk of developing chronic disease.

At 60, the chances increased to 32%, and at age 70 it increased to 40%. The diseases for which risk increases include:

Diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, depression, dementia, mental disorders, Parkinson’s and arthritis.

Unlike other studies, this new study did not find that those who slept longer than 9 hours had health problems. However, few people in the study slept that long, possibly impacting the results.

The study concluded that short sleep duration in midlife and old age is associated with higher risk of onset of chronic disease and multi-morbidity. in short, make sure to get a decent amount of sleep, whether you’re 15 or 75.

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56 new recruits join the Malta Police Force

Oct 19 2022

56 new recruits have just joined Malta’s police corps as they officially begin their journey working to serve and protect the Maltese community.

Their swearing in was attended by Minister for Minister for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement Byron Camilleri.

Speaking to the new police officers joining the ranks, Camilleri said that these new recruits will be joining a force which has been undergoing various changes throughout the years to improve the overall service and efficiency.

The changes also saw a drop in overall crime all across the island as well as an increased trust in the force by the public.

‘I reminded them that trust is difficult to earn, but it is very easy to lose. I urged them to work hand-in-hand with the local community in a just manner and to work to further secure our communities’ said the Minister.

Statistics issued earlier this month revealed that there are currently less officers sworn in than there were in 2014. The data presented in parliament, which also anticipated the new recruits, revealed that there are currently around 2,152 current officers, which means there is one officer for every 240 residents.

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Photo Source: Byron Camilleri/DOI – Clodagh O’Neill

Singer Christabelle and husband Jordan welcome baby girl

Oct 19 2022

Singer and entrepreneur Christabelle Borg and her husband and Neptunes waterpolo player Jordan welcomed baby Valentina into the world yesterday at 0652 am.

Jordan announced the news on social media, revealing the name of their newborn daughter and saying that Christabelle was a ‘superstar throughout.’

Both mother and baby are doing well following the birth, and Jordan thanked the amazing team at the delivery suite at Mater Dei Hospital.

‘We are eternally grateful for the care and support at this special time’ said Jordan on behalf of the on the now family of 3. Both are well-known locally, with Christabelle being one of the entrepreneur judges on Shark Tank.

On behalf of MaltaDaily, we wish both Christabelle and Jordan a big congratulations and wish them all the best as a new chapter in their life begins.

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Dancing from Malta to LA: DeeDee pushes the local dance scene to the US

Oct 19 2022

Deedee Clark is one of the top Maltese dancers and choreographers as well as the co-founder of the group The Unit Collective who is currently training in Los Angeles.

She has been going back and forth from LA since 2019, with a pause during COVID-19. But as of the beginning of 2022, she has been consistently dancing at the prestigious Millennium Dance Complex, also known as the ‘studio with the red wall’. It is currently the most famous studio for Jazz Funk and Hip Hop in the world.

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A post shared by Deedee Clark (@deedee.clarkk)

Back in May, Deedee worked on a prestigious job that was held in Malta with choreographers Barry Lather (choreographer to Usher, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Carrie Underwood), Jason Young and Paul Kirkland, which helped drive her to start the process of getting her talent visa in the US.

She’s become a familiar face in Malta, having worked with artists such as Emma Muscat, Ira Losco, Destiny, The Travellers, Maxine Pace, Brooke and worked on shows such as X Factor, Malta’s Got Talent, Eurovision and Isle of MTV whilst also teaching a weekly class at Alison White Dance Studio.

During her time in Los Angeles, she was fortunate enough to assist Hamilton Evans, Dana Alexa and Hero Thomas at Millennium Dance Complex. This meant she also got the chance to sit in on creative sessions with them in preparation for classes.

It’s always been a dream of hers to dance in Los Angeles and once she peaked locally, it was her sign to go. She has worked on the biggest shows and with the biggest artists in Malta and although she has a passion for it, she wanted to keep learning and progressing as a performer so she took the leap.

Although Malta has gotten better, the lack of appreciation towards dance (and many other art forms) is evident. Dancers like Deedee still need to go overseas to continue learning and to chase opportunities that aren’t widely available locally.

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A post shared by Deedee Clark (@deedee.clarkk)

She has said that she misses home but that she is also very proud to be Maltese and amongst the dance community in Los Angeles.

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Photo source: Max Russ. DeeDee Clark IG