The majority of us are aware that the elderly in particular, are vulnerable to loneliness. Mainly this is due to the loss of a spouse, often combined with the onset of frailty; an unfortunate bi-product associated with old age which disenables them from venturing far from home. But loneliness doesn’t just affect the elderly, it can affect any generation from school children to the elderly.

If you’re of the “old school” like me, almost as soon as you made an appearance into the world you were set daily routines, one of which was to have a regular sleep pattern. I like to think my parents’ diligence in sticking to this bedtime regime has gone a considerable way to creating a relatively healthy and moderately intelligent adult.

Recent research has shown that a lack of exposure to the countryside and more rural environments may have led to a vast increase in allergies. I really do wonder sometimes why it takes highly qualified scientists to spend years researching what, to me, is just plain old fashioned common sense!