Do you really know?

It's often said that drinking water while eating can make the stomach swell, causing bloating. But in reality, there are no studies to back that up. Similarly, drinking or avoiding drinking while eating also has no impact on the effectiveness of digestive juices or on any supposed difficulty in secreting them and therefore on digestion.

We know that that water helps soften food boluses being digested by the body. A bolus is a ball-like mixture of food and saliva that forms in the mouth when we chew. Water also has the advantage of curbing hunger, thereby regulating our appetite. 

What do we know for sure about drinking water with meals? When is the best time of day to drink water? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠Why do some people sleep with their mouths open?⁠⁠

⁠⁠How can you avoid bed bugs when you travel?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What is microwork?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast : 16/10/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve no doubt heard references to the existence of body clocks, and it’s no surprise because all of our bodily functions are regulated by the circadian system. To put it simply, our circadian rhythms optimise bodily functions. In this episode, we explain why it is important.

They are managed by a master clock known as the circadian pacemaker which is formed of around 20,000 neurons. It’s situated in the brain, more specifically in the hypothalamus. The sleep-wake cycle is an obvious example of a circadian rhythm. But these cycles help many other systems to function too, like hunger, organ activity, memory consolidation and pain perception. The word “circadian” actually comes from the Latin “circa diem”, meaning “around a day”.

What are the dangers of a disrupted circadian rhythm? What’s the best way to stop circadian rhythms from getting disrupted? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠Do tongue scrapers actually help with bad breath?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Do our brains really tell the whole story about us?⁠⁠

⁠⁠How can heatwaves impact our mental health?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 28/10/22

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortsightedness or myopia affects long distance vision, preventing people from seeing objects over a few yards away. You may remember we covered the subject on Do You Really Know? a while back and that it has been labelled an epidemic due to ever increasing prevalence worldwide.

It’s estimated that a third of all people suffer from myopia, and the World Health Organisation has suggested that half of all human beings in the world will be shortsighted by 2050, with excessive screen use and a lack of time spent outdoors largely to blame. If you simply can't stand contacts or glasses, laser surgery is another option. It's been in fashion since the turn of the century and according to Optegra, over 15,000 Brits choose to go down that route each year.

Can all shortsighted people get laser eye surgery? How does the laser work? Does it work every time? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

⁠⁠What is Sisu?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What does Mercury in retrograde mean?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Does the Mediterranean diet lower risks of dementia?⁠⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 2/4/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever been sure about a memory only to be told you’ve got it wrong? It’s a common experience: you confidently recall a detail from the past, only for someone to insist it didn’t happen that way.

Or maybe you’re convinced you saw something with your own eyes when in reality, you only heard about it repeatedly. These are examples of false memories. They don’t mean you’re lying; in fact, you probably have no idea the memory’s been altered.

Why does our brain reshape memories in the first place? Does that mean memory-recovery techniques aren’t always reliable? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠Why do children have imaginary friends?⁠

⁠What are umbrella species?⁠

⁠Why do we get travel sick?⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever cursed your luck at having a partner who snores, or spends the whole night tossing and turning in bed? It can be tempting to consider abandoning them to go and sleep on the sofa instead.

Evidence suggests that sleeping next to someone does indeed have a pretty significant impact on adults’ sleep, whether that’s a partner, family member or even a pet. Researchers from the University of Arizona looked into the matter, and published the results of their study in Sleep journal in June 2022, under the title Bed Sharing Versus Sleeping Alone Associated with Sleep Health and Mental Health. 

Was it a positive impact? And what if my partner snores loudly or wakes up suddenly during the night? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠How long do I have to wait to swim after eating?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What are the world's least safe travel destinations?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Why do we get travel sick?⁠⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 23/09/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to a study conducted by the Statistic Brain Research Institute in 2016, 74% of the global population feels uncomfortable speaking in front of an audience. That might be an oral exam at school, a presentation at work, or even making a toast at a birthday party for example.

The symptoms are often the same: sweaty palms, shortness of breath and a racing heart. You may feel like you’re frozen! The level of anxiety can range from light nervousness to total panic. And it’s not always easy to shift this kind of stage fright.

Is there a specific name for this fear? How can you overcome glossophobia then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠How did Ozempic get so popular?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Will AI steal my job?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What is Pokémon?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 10/8/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The microwave first emerged in the 1950s and has since become a common fixture in kitchens worldwide. 2018 data from Statista showed that 93% of UK household now own a microwave, with that figure also being over 90% in the United States according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Love it or hate it; you can’t deny that it’s hard to beat the microwave for convenience when it comes to quickly reheating food. It operates using the principle of electromagnetic wave radiation, by agitating the water molecules in our food to generate heat. 

What kinds of foods are you talking about? What about meat and fish? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠What does eating junk food do to our brains?⁠⁠

⁠⁠How can you use Tinder safely?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Can naps keep the brain healthy?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 27/01/2024

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve probably seen the photos of stars like Courteney Cox or Simon Cowell, who have recently revealed a more natural look after removing their facial fillers or perhaps are one of Kylie Jenner’s 381 million followers and saw that she had recently dissolved her lip filler. But what prompted this change?

Fillers are injectable substances that are used to plump up areas of the face that have lost volume due to aging, weight loss, or other factors. They can also be used to enhance features like lips, cheeks, or jawlines.

What are cosmetic fillers? Why are celebrities dissolving their fillers? But do fillers ever fully dissolve? How do you dissolve fillers? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here :

⁠⁠How can I recognise a narcissistic pervert?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What is a man child?⁠⁠

⁠⁠How to interact with ChatGPT?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue.

First Broadcast: 24/8/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Figuring out how well the economy is doing might seem like the preserve of those working in big accounting firms or financial institutions, dealing with complicated graphs and calculations on a daily basis.

But in reality, we’re exposed to certain clues going about our everyday lives, without even realising that they offer insight into our spending habits. An interesting example to look out for is whether people are buying popcorn in your local cinema.

What does popcorn have to do with the economy? What are the orthers index ? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠How does the 3-30-300 rule affect my mental health?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Are you an “ambivert”?⁠⁠

⁠⁠How does the "Scully Effect" raise young women's interest in science fields?⁠⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 15/11/2024

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might assume that your toilet bowl is the dirtiest place in your flat or house, but in fact that’s pretty far from the truth.

Our homes are actually filled with items that are perfect hosts for germs and bacteria, and sometimes it’s the objects you least suspect. For example those in your kitchen or bathroom in particular. According to BBC Food, the domestic kitchen is to blame for a fair share of the 2.4 million cases of food poisoning that occur in the UK each year.

What’s the dirtiest item in the kitchen then? What other items should I be cleaning more often? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠⁠Which are the dirtiest parts of our bodies?⁠⁠

⁠⁠What's the ideal temperature to stay healthy at home?⁠⁠

⁠⁠Why should you be happy to see spiders in your home?⁠⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 16/9/2024

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices