Americans are having 'sleep divorces' to save their relationships, with over 2,000 people altering their sleep routine to help accommodate their other half. A recent study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that more than a third of participants opted for separate beds to ensure they have a good night's rest. More people used eye masks, ear plugs and even opted for an earlier or later bedtime to avoid sleep disruption. Dr Seema Khosla, a pulmonologist and spokesperson for the AASM, said: "We know that poor sleep can worsen your mood, and those who are sleep deprived are more likely to argue with their partners," "Getting a good night’s sleep is important for both health and happiness, so it’s no surprise that some couples choose to sleep apart for their overall well-being." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 'Sleep divorce' has even found its place on TikTok, with almost half a million views under the emerging trend. Urologist Rena (@renamalikmd) took to the platform to explore the concept, saying more and more people are moving towards it. "That doesn't mean that they're not having sexual relations," she disclaimed. "It's just that they either choose to sleep in separate beds in different rooms or different beds in the same room." Unsurprisingly, many viewers were on board with it, with several sharing how they do it themselves. "I've been doing that since I got married 29 years ago," one person wrote, while another added: "I sleep in different beds. Best sleep ever." "Nothing wrong with that," a third commented. "Especially if you don't want to be in a zombie state every day." "As humans, we should be sleeping separately to have good quality sleep," another user added. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Authorities have poured water on the suggestion that TikTok challenges are in some way responsible for recent drownings in the US. It was widely reported that a so-called “boat jumping” or “boat jump” trend had inadvertently claimed the lives of four people this year, after an official in Alabama issued a stark warning. Cpt. Jim Dennis, the head of Alabama’s Childersburg Rescue Squad, told local news site WBMA: “[Over the] last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable – they were doing a TikTok challenge.” He explained: “It’s where you get in a boat going at a high rate of speed, you jump off the side of the boat, don’t dive, you’re jumping off feet first and you just kinda lean into the water.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Cpt. Dennis’s comments were picked up by a number of news outlets, encouraging further discussion on the potentially nefarious power of social media trends. @tndtok First responders in Alabama are seeing a spike in drownings related to a TikTok boating challenge, where people jump off of a boat moving at high speeds. #boat #tiktokchallenge #alabama #firstresponders #jumpoffboat However, he later rowed back on his mention of the video-sharing app, insisting that remarks attributed to him were taken out of context during interviews he gave promoting boating safety, AL.com reports. “It got blown way out of proportion,’’ he said of the publicity. “We’ve had four drownings in the last six to eight months and some of those were just drownings,’’ he added. The first responder confirmed that he’d worked on one death of someone jumping from a boat, but admitted: “To say that’s the reason they died, I can’t say that. That would be a matter of opinion.” Meanwhile, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) issued its own statement on the issue, saying: “On Monday, July 3, a news story was shared regarding ‘first responders warning against a deadly boating TikTok trend after recent drownings’ in Alabama. “However, please be advised the information released to the news outlet was incorrect. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division does not have any record(s) of boating or marine-related fatalities in Alabama that can be directly linked to TikTok or a trend on TikTok.” They added: “One individual was fatality injured after jumping from a moving vessel in 2020 and a similar marine-related fatality occurred in 2021, however, both fatalities cannot be linked to TikTok.” Cpt. Dennis acknowledged that in one of the fatal cases he worked on, the victim did jump from a moving boat. But, he said he had no proof that it was linked to any TikTok challenge. A second person also died after jumping off a boat, but he said his squad had received conflicting statements as to whether the vessel was moving or stationary. He continued: “If we have a drowning, we may know unofficially what it is but to make an official statement, that would have to come from ALEA. Sometimes it’s a year or two before they get the final coroner’s report.” Still, the rescue chief was keen to emphasise the dangers of boat jumping. “Just from growing up around water, when you’re jumping off boats that are moving at a high rate of speed, things can happen,’’ he said. “Water is the hardest surface known to man. We cut diamonds and steel with it. When you’re moving at a high rate of speed and you hit the water wrong, it’s like hitting a brick wall. Your neck is the weakest part and you run the risk of breaking it. “There is a TikTok challenge, but I do know jumping off of a moving boat is nothing new,’’ he added. “As far as TikTok, there’s not a challenge on there that’s any good.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Bryan Johnson, the tech executive who has spent millions trying to reverse his aging, has said he is no longer getting blood plasma infusions from his teenage son after “no benefits” were detected. The 45-year-old has received a lot of attention as he documents his attempt to age backward, known as Project Blueprint. A video of Johnson receiving a blood infusion from his 17-year-old son, Talmage, went viral on social media as people tried to wrap their heads around Johnson’s project. Johnson tweeted saying he was “discontinuing” the “young plasma exchanges” after “no benefits detected.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Does not in my case stack benefit on top of my existing interventions,” he wrote. “Alternative methods of plasma exchange or young plasma fractions hold promise.” Johnson also gave some of his plasma to his father Richard, who is in his 70s, and that those results are “still pending”. For a while the claim that plasma from younger bodies can benefit older people’s health has floated around. Studies have previously been studies carried out on mice, however experts say the results are inconclusive. The FDA does not recommend the blood infusions Bryan has done. Many on social media have joked about Johnson’s $2 million a year regimen: His routine consists of daily exercise, eating strictly between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 a.m and consuming exactly 1,977 calories a day. He claims his routine has given him the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old and the lung capacity and fitness of an 18-year-old. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Mark Zuckerberg is seemingly in beast mode ahead of his rumoured fight with fellow tech mogul Elon Musk after he was spotted training with UFC champions. On Wednesday (12 July), fighters Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski shared a topless snap with the Meta boss. "No fugazi with Mark," Adesanya wrote. "This is Serious Business‼️" The post was also shared on Instagram, where Zuckerberg commented: "It’s an honor to train with you guys!" Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It comes after Lex Fridman shared a glimpse into his "impromptu training session" with Musk. The computer scientist and artificial intelligence researcher complimented Musk's "strength, power and skill, on the feet and on the ground." He added: "It's really inspiring to see Elon and Mark doing martial arts, but I think the world is served far better if they train martial arts but not fight in the cage. That said, as Elon says, the most entertaining outcome is the most likely... I'm there for them, no matter what." Of course, the back-and-forth has been prompted by the pair seemingly agreeing to a fight, after Musk said he was "up for a cage match" ahead of Zuckerberg's Twitter-rival app, Threads. Zuckerberg responded with a screenshot of Musk’s tweet with the caption "send me location". Things have since heated up, with Musk calling Zuck a "cuck". Musk responded to a screenshot of a Threads post saying: "Hey @zuck, you should go to space just to make him really mad lol." Zuckerberg replied with a crying laughing emoji, which prompted Musk to write on Twitter: "Zuck is a cuck." He also went on to reply to a Twitter parody account that called Zuckerberg "lizard boy". The real question on everyone's mind, is who would win? Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Colleen Ballinger’s legal team told Pop Crave that her apology song was not uploaded to iTunes and Apple Music by her or her team after social media continued to criticise the YouTube star. The video has now been removed from both iTunes and Apple Music. On Tuesday (July 11) Ethan Klein, host of the H3 Podcast, tweeted that Ballinger’s apology song had been uploaded to CD Baby under the name Toxic Gossip Train. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter CD Baby is a website that allows people to monetise their music by independently uploading their songs to platforms like YouTube. Klein shared that he had received a copyright claim due to using less than a minute of the song in his video. Shortly after, many realised that the song had also been uploaded to Ballinger’s official profile on iTunes and Apple Music. The 10-minute ukulele song was being sold for $10. The initial discovery sparked further outrage on Twitter. Adam McIntyre who alleges he was groomed and manipulated by Ballinger called her a “f***ing joke”. McIntyre also took the opportunity to point out the irony in the moment, in her song Ballinger had accused the public of ‘monetising’ her demise. Other users were shocked at the idea of Ballinger copyrighting those who featured the apology in videos talking about the subject, as well as charging $10 for the song on iTunes: After Pop Crave updated the story, Klein responded saying that “she still has our podcast claimed”. Ballinger herself has not made any public comment. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Gerry and Elizabeth Paulus love taking road trips across the United States, and soon they’ll be preparing for

A new item on the Burger King Thailand menu has gone viral for being the perfect meal for cheese lovers... The "real cheeseburger" doesn't contain meats but instead gets its size from the 20 slices of cheese packed between the buns - and nothing else. No sauce for anything, just pure cheese... Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter To get your hands on this food item, it will cost customers the price of 109 Thai baht ($3.1 and £2.41). Given the insane amount of cheese, it's no surprise the burger quickly went viral on social media as people bought the item to try it out for themselves. @thefadd_official กินเรียล ชีส เบอร์เกอร์ 5ลูก 11500 แคลอรี่ รีวิวตามจริง @Burger King #realcheeseburger #burger #cheese #burgerking #ชีส #เบอเกอร์ชีส #เบอเกอร์ #10000calories #10000caloriechallenge #โป้งปั้น #โป้งปั้นเดอะแฝด #thefadd #เดอะแฝด #นักกินจุ People have been sharing their reactions to this burger online, and let's just say some aren't exactly keen on trying the burger themselves. One person said: "Who the f*** thought this was a good idea." "20 slices of American cheese I think if you order this you become a paranormal creature," another person wrote. Someone else added: "wake up babe, a new abomination against god just dropped." "Death sentence for lactose mfs," a fourth person commented. Meanwhile, others believe that because there is no meat or patty that it should be classed as a grilled cheese rather than a burger. "So does this make it a grilled cheese?" one person asked. Another added: "Well now… that isn’t a burger, is it? Grilled cheese on a bun." "Forbidden grilled cheese," someone else commented. Elsewhere, last year Burger King Germany sold pregnancy Whoppers with oddly popular food pairings such as a vanilla ice cream and olive burger to help with women's pregnant cravings. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A mum has gone viral after modifying her little girl’s Barbie by adding stretch marks to the doll to normalise “tiger stripes” – using nail varnish. Kate Claxton hit the headlines earlier this year after sharing her experience with postnatal anxiety, which led to her quitting her job as a marketing manager. The 35-year-old mum from Swindon is married to husband Tony, 35, with whom she has a three-year-old daughter [name omitted at case study’s request]. Kate, now a children’s author, has written a book about her “tiger stripes” – and is taking to Instagram to reveal why she drew these onto her child’s doll. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “We're really open with our daughter about the ways bodies are different and I'm keen for her toys and books to reflect this,” the mum told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk . “She loves Barbies and while we do have a diverse mix of dolls, there were none with stretch marks, so I decided to decorate my own! “We'd had a long day of crafts and play to avoid the rain and I needed the chill time. “Once she'd gone to bed, I spent maybe an hour or less making the marks with nail varnish actually. “It dried quickly and I put the Barbie's vet outfit back on to go in the toy box ready for the morning. “I bought a new doll to do this with, just in case I got told off for marking a favourite!” Kate says she approaches conversations with her daughter around beauty and body positivity “honestly and openly” but “worries” about the future. She said: “I don't force it on her but if she ever has questions about bodies, or if I notice her watching or playing with something that allows us to bring it up naturally, I'll always do my best to make it normal. “I think representation is getting much better, but you have to seek these things out for yourself a lot of the time. “I do worry for my daughter heading into a world that still judges girls on how they look and pits them against each other.” Kate was inspired by her own children’s book, My Mum’s a Tiger, and hopes that her creation might inspire Mattel, the brand that owns Barbie, to create a similar doll. She said: “I hate that new mums in particular are faced with the negativity around skin and body changes at a time when hormones and sleep and responsibilities are all over the place. “People have loved the reel on Instagram and lots of people are asking how I did it – I hope that means there will be lots more DIY dolls popping up in toy boxes. “I'd love if Barbie could bring out their own permanently-marked version to show children it's normal and nothing to be worried about.” Social media users have come out in droves to praise the mum for her DIY doll. A subtracted version of her post reads: “… [..] Eliza is SO into dolls and getting them dressed and undressed at the moment that it was important for me to make some modifications to this gal and give her the stripes so many of us cover up. “Let's take what makes us different and instead of trying to hide, let's be more like animals and wear our marks with pride.” “My little girl asks me about my ‘tiger stripes’ every time I have a shower or get changed,” said Sammy. “Love this!! Just genius!!!” added someone else. Ella Lucie said: “Really love this.” “Great idea,” added another person. “Love this! I am one of those who are guilty of hiding my stretch marks but your wonderful book and posts always remind me of why I’ve got those tiger stripes,” said Jessica. “I have SO much love for this and totally agree that @barbie should add them to some of their dolls,” said someone else, tagging Mattel’s brand. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The FBI have jumped on the hype around Taylor Swift’s release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) to try and get people to send them tips on federal crimes. On Monday (July 10), the FBI Washington Field tweeted their own version of the Speak Now track list, which included ‘songs’ such as 'Terrorism (FBI’s Version)', 'Public Corruption (FBI’s Version),' and 'Weapons of Mass Destruction (FBI’s Version).' In the caption, they played on songs by Swift such as 'Better than Revenge' and 'Superman', writing: “Justice is better than revenge. You may not be Superman, but you can help the #FBI protect the country.” “If you have information about a federal crime, speak now. Call 1-800-225-5324 or visit http://tips.fbi.gov to submit a tip,” the post reads. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter For a fandom that is known for its commitment to uncovering easter eggs and secrets left for them by Swift, you can see why the FBI chose to use Swift’s music in an attempt to encourage people to get in touch. Twitter couldn’t believe that the FBI had referenced Taylor Swift, and many shared the tweet in disbelief and found it hilarious: Republican Congressman Mike Johnson responded to the tweet quoting lyrics from Swift’s ‘Should’ve Said No’, mocking the FBI’s decision to tweet. Johnson has previously accused the FBI of abusing its power. This isn’t the first time government officials and politicians have quoted Swift’s work. During a Judiciary Committee hearing on consolidation in the ticketing industry after the disaster surrounding Ticketmaster and the sale of Swift’s Eras Tour, many senators used Swift’s lyrics to make their points. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal had quoted the song 'Anti-Hero' during the hearing telling Live Nation that the company should look in the mirror and say: “I’m the problem, it’s me.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Adult actress Lena the Plug has hit back at haters calling her husband a "simp" for allowing her to film a NSFW with another man. For the blissfully unaware, a simp is "when a male is overly submissive to a female and gains nothing from it," according to Urban Dictionary. It comes after Lena announced her latest collaboration with fellow pornstar Jason Luv in a handful of promo posts on Instagram. One of the uploads shows her and her husband, Adam 'Adam 22' Grandmaison, discussing the adult scene, with Lena saying she couldn't wait for him to watch it. This prompted many followers to flood the comments calling Adam a simp. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Lena later addressed the criticisms to TMZ while outside a supermarket. "I feel bad for him [Adam] because I'm having a lot of positive reaction whilst he's having a lot of negative reaction," she told the outlet. "I'm getting hated too, but I do feel like there's a big dump on him. He can handle it, he's a big boy." She continued: "I feel like everyone should do what makes them happy as long as they're not hurting anyone. There's way weirder sexual things out there than what we currently have going on." "I've had 200 threesomes with him and women. Is that a simp?" Lena added. "Someone who's been given all of this sexual experience and I get one guy and it's like a big deal?" Adam has also spoken out about the scene in a Twitter post, where he admitted to feeling "a little jealous at first but overall it wasn't that big a deal." He continued: "She’s watched me sleep with hundreds of girls and it’s never affected our relationship. Sleeping with that gentleman has been amazing for both her career and our business." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Artificial intelligence has revealed what the most conventionally attractive man looks like according to the tastes of different countries. AI technology has advanced to mind-boggling capabilities, leaving many fearful for what the future may hold if it ends up in the wrong hands. But until then, others have decided to have fun with AI and use it to decipher the peak of physical attraction in men across the globe. Midjourney is a generative artificial intelligence program and it has been used to make images featuring men mostly with large muscles and chiselled jaws, representing the “Most attractive man in a country”. The reel of photos included the most attractive men in 20 different countries including, Greece, Syria, the USA and North Korea and the results were shared on the Midjourney Reddit community. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The candidate for North Korea could be seen wearing what appears to be a military uniform and had a portrait of a leader behind him. Reddit - Dive into anything from midjourney The most attractive man in the Central African Republic had dark brown skin and chest tattoos and wore lots of beaded necklaces. Some Reddit users compared the Kazakhstani man to a “Disney adaptation villain” or a “spicy Harry Styles” as the AI version resembled some of the singer’s features such as his eyes and hair. The AI-generated American man featured shoulder-lengthed light brown and blonde hair with blue eyes, a beard and big muscles. One Redditor commented: “I like how USA is literally just Chris Hemsworth lol.” Another said: “Men of Reddit take note: to be attractive you must look concerned, sincere or intense ... ideally all three at once.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Cardi B and her husband Offset went above and beyond for their daughter's fifth birthday by gifting her a Hermes Birkin bag. Birkins are the holy grail of the fashion world. Not just anyone can walk in and purchase one, they must have a purchase history with Hermes. They're so exclusive that people are sharing tips online on how to be offered the chance to buy a bag, costing anywhere from $11,000 to $2 million. It's safe to say it's come a long way since its $2,000 price tag in 1984 when it was first released. Now, Cardi's daughter Kulture is now a proud owner of a pink Birkin. In a string of wholesome birthday photos, the rapper wrote: "My baby is five….Happy birthday to my pretty princess," she wrote as the Instagram caption. "It’s beautiful seeing my girl grow yet makes me a lil sad that my baby is not my little baby no more... light lil turn up today till the weekend???. [sic]" One photo saw Kulture sitting at a grand hot pink piano with the Birkin in shot. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter On the auction site Sotheby's, the bag was described as "Bubblegum Pink epsom leather with palladium hardware and has contrast stitching, front toggle closure, clochette with lock and two keys, and double rolled handles". It retails at a staggering $20,000 (£15,500). Cardi has recently arrived home from Paris Couture Fashion Couture Week. In a video, she hilariously told Vogue: "Everybody thinks I came here for Couture Week, but I really came here to buy a Birkin bag. I cannot find it nowhere in the States." "Let me tell you something," she continued. "I’ve been looking for this Birkin for two months, and then my Hermès plug said that it was coming to New York, and I think she sold it to somebody else." "It’s ok because I came here to get it myself." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.