The new science of dreaming

Plus: an experimental cancer treatment, switching therapists, and more health news  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | August 18, 2026     I first learned about lucid dreaming in college. The idea that you could recognize you're in a dream—and then exert some agency over it—enthralled me. But all of my attempts to "go lucid" failed. Veronique Greenwood's new feature on the latest developments in dreaming science might inspire me to try again. She traveled to a sleep laboratory at the University of Cambridge to take part in a study about dreaming, and when she wasn’t being a guinea pig, she interviewed some of the world's leading lucid-dreaming experts who are trying to figure out what dreams do and how we might use them to our advantage. TODAY’S TOPICS New hope for pediatric cancer Breaking up with your therapist Health insurance’s “death spiral”         BIG NUMBER 69% That’s how much a teenager’s tumor shrank during the first six months of treatment with an experimental T-cell therapy, according to a new paper I wrote about for TIME. —Veronique Greenwood, Staff Writer SOURCE: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY         SPONSORED Skincare built by longevity scientists Most skincare treats the symptoms of aging. OS-01 FACE was built by longevity scientists to address the cause. With age, some skin cells stop functioning – accelerating the visible skin decline that most skincare was never designed to address. OneSkin is different. It's skincare with better science and real results. Save 15% on OS-01 FACE *Explore the claims at oneskin.co         PLEASE ADVISE Here’s a great question we received from a reader: My new therapist shares a lot about her own life, and our sessions feel more like coffee breaks than therapy. How can I end the relationship, transfer my records, and find someone else who accepts Medicare—without offending her? You’re allowed to break up with your therapist, and you don’t need to feel guilty about it. But before ending things, if you generally find something valuable in the sessions, it might be worth giving her one opportunity to adjust. I asked Juliann Siwicki, a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland, what she’d say. Her suggestion: “I feel like our sessions have become more personal and casual than what I’m looking for. I need more feedback and direction. Is that something we can work on?” A good therapist should be able to hear that without becoming defensive. And while therapists sometimes share personal experiences to help clients feel understood or less alone, Siwicki says it’s gone too far when you spend your appointment listening to the therapist’s stories—or feel like you need to take care of her. If you’ve already made up your mind, keep the breakup short: “Thank you for the time we’ve worked together. I don’t think this is the right fit for me, and I’m going to look for another therapist. Can you tell me how to have my records transferred?” Once you’ve chosen a new therapist, their office can provide a release-of-information form that lets you specify which records your former therapist can send. As you search, use Medicare’s Care Compare directory—or your plan’s provider directory if you have Medicare Advantage—then call offices to confirm they take the insurance and are accepting new patients. During consultations, be upfront about wanting a therapist who offers insight, feedback, and direction, and who takes a more active, structured approach. Finding the right fit might take a few tries, but you don’t need to stay in unhelpful therapy to spare anyone’s feelings. “The therapist is supposed to be able to handle that conversation,” Siwicki says. “You’re not responsible for taking care of their feelings.” –Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness Got a social dilemma of your own? Send it our way to healthmatters@time.com, and we might tackle it in a future edition.         SPONSORED Short on cash? Get up to $750, no credit check. Access up to $750* from your upcoming paycheck within minutes for a small fee, or wait 3 days and get it for free. No credit check. No late fees.  Get Started Now *Not all users will qualify. Advances range from $25–$750; average advance is $170. Express transfer fees may apply.         WHAT WE’RE READING Catherine Baab at Quartz explains the health insurance “death spiral”: As premiums rise, younger and healthier people drop coverage, leaving a costlier pool of enrollees that drives premiums even higher. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history, report Akanksha Khushi, Ayen Deng Bior, and Clement Bonnerot for Reuters. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s mission to find a cause for autism isn’t going very well, KFF’s Amanda Seitz and Stephanie Armour report.         SPONSORED 1,000,000 Men Use This. You Probably Know One. Most men don't think about their skin until eye bags, dark spots, and wrinkles show up at once. Particle Face Cream is a groundbreaking men's formula that fights all three, while also restoring firmness and hydrating deeply. No complicated routine. Trusted by over a million men. 30-day money-back guarantee. 20% off with code BH20. 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Frailty may be more reversible than you think

Plus: a mysterious memory lapse, an egg recall, and more health news  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | August 17, 2026     Aging is inevitable, if you're lucky. But frailty doesn't have to be. The condition—sometimes signaled by a slower walk or weaker hand grip—is projected to increase sharply in the near future, my colleague Veronique Greenwood wrote in a new story today. Exercise (surprise, surprise!) is a key to preventing it and even reversing it, which is possible to a certain extent. That’s yet another good reason to get up and move today. TODAY’S TOPICS Living—and laughing—with Stage IV cancer When memory suddenly disappears Got a health question for us? An intergenerational antidote to loneliness         QUICK CHAT A diagnosis, not an identity Last week, I wrote a story about what hospice workers recommend saying to someone who’s dying. It quickly became one of the week’s most-read stories, which made me realize how many people are navigating these conversations While reporting it, I spoke with Barbara Andes, an 88-year-old in Orange County, Calif., who has Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Her conversation didn’t make it into the piece—we ended up talking less about dying than about how she wants to live—but it’s stuck with me ever since.  —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Peter Dazeley—Getty Images You seem remarkably energetic and optimistic. What's your secret? Cancer is part of my life, but it doesn't define my life. I've accepted that I have an incurable cancer and that someday it will take my life. But while I'm here, I'm 100% into living. I've always been an optimistic person. I don't dwell on bad things, and I haven't changed because of this diagnosis. I'm enjoying every day of my life. What advice would you give someone who just received a diagnosis like yours? Don't let the cancer control you. Accept that it's part of your life, follow your doctor's advice, and expect good things to happen. You really can live a happy life even with a diagnosis like mine. I think having faith has helped me tremendously, but whatever gives you hope, hold onto it. Someone told me you have one very specific philosophy about getting dressed every morning. Yes! Get up, take your shower, put your makeup on, do your hair, and wear nice clothes. Don't live in sweatpants. Wear color. It lifts your spirits, and I think it lifts other people's spirits, too. At [my treatment center] City of Hope, I see so many people dressed in gray and beige, and it makes me sad. I like to think that if I walk in wearing bright colors and looking put together, maybe I've brightened someone else's day. Besides colorful clothes, what keeps you feeling good? I eat well, especially protein. I sleep soundly every night. I love to read, and I walk every day because I love being outside, hearing the birds, and seeing people. I live in a retirement community, so I'm surrounded by neighbors and friends. Those relationships, along with good nutrition, good sleep, and staying active, have made a tremendous difference for me.         SPONSORED         TODAY I LEARNED Memory, interrupted Katie Couric suffered from transient global amnesia (TGA), an episode of sudden and temporary memory loss, while at the Aspen Ideas Festival this summer. She spoke in detail last week about the scary episode with Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician, on his Substack column Inside Medicine.  “I couldn't tell you anything about the interviews I did, the panel I was on, what I said, what the other panelists said. I don't remember going to the ER. I don't remember getting an MRI,” Couric told Faust of the day she “will always forget.” TGA affects about 3 to 10 people out of every 100,000 each year. “In patients over the age of 50 years it can be considered relatively common,” according to one study on this topic.    Doctors still don’t know what causes TGA, and the condition is considered harmless, though it can be disconcerting. Still, Faust recommends that anyone who experiences sudden confusion and memory loss go to the ER to rule out other causes, such as strokes or seizures. “Yes, it's benign, but let us in the ER determine that. —Dominique Mosbergen         SPONSORED         PLEASE ADVISE Ask the health team Have a burning health or wellness question? Wondering how to handle a tricky social situation? Please write to healthmatters@time.com, and we might tackle it in a future edition of the newsletter.         SPONSORED         WHAT WE’RE READING Can a college student be an antidote to an older person’s loneliness? Kevin Simpson at the Colorado Sun follows a program pairing students and seniors for conversation, crafts, music, and friendship. A recall of nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs linked to a Salmonella outbreak has been upgraded to the FDA’s highest risk level, Rebecca Schneid reports for TIME. Want to make the most of your next vacation? David Robson at BBC Future writes about looking for “extraordinary grandeur” while letting go of the urge to optimize a trip.     EMAIL US: healthmatters@time.com More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe