Americans are (still) drinking less than ever before

Plus: nose harmonicas, COVID’s summer surge, and a robot that draws blood  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | August 21, 2026     Bottoms down. People are drinking less alcohol than ever before, according to a new Gallup poll that my colleague Dominique Mosbergen wrote about for TIME. It’s a continuation of a downward trend in drinking across all age groups. Why are Americans shying away from alcohol? Multiple factors are at play, but a big one appears to be health, as scientists continue to turn up evidence that no amount of drinking is safe. TODAY’S TOPICS Dream experiments get weird COVID’s summer encore Got a question for us? When robots draw blood         QUICK CHAT Can we shape dreams? When it comes to influencing what you dream about, Karen Konkoly, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., believes in the power of weirdness. For my recent feature on the new science of dreaming, I visited Konkoly and participated in her current experiment. We also chatted about one of her earlier studies. —Veronique Greenwood, Staff Writer This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Will Matsuda for TIME When I spoke to other researchers about your work, they told me to ask about nose harmonicas.  Yes! We were thinking of tasks people could do just before sleep that would be interesting and memorable—and could potentially change the way they breathed during dreams. If their breathing changed, we would have a way to tell, in real time, that they were dreaming about the task. We decided participants would learn a harmonica duet with an experimenter using only nasal inhalations. I got very good at it. We told participants they were being graded and evaluated, and they progressed through three different songs to keep the task challenging and engaging. The other task was a bubble-blowing competition against a different experimenter using only nasal exhalations. There was an archery target, and participants had to guide a bubble toward it with at least three distinct sniffs. Each round lasted 45 seconds, and we kept track of their scores on a leaderboard. We also tried to wear weird clothes so people would be more likely to dream about us, because unusual experiences are more likely to be incorporated into dreams. This sounds really complicated! Yeah, everyone kept saying, “Karen, I think you should use computer tasks to make it more regulated.” And I was like, “I don’t want it to be regulated. I want it to be weird.” I wanted it to be a real-world experience, because people dream about experimenters and the settings where they fall asleep. So what did you find? We found that people dreamed a lot about both tasks. When we played musical cues linked to each task while participants slept, those cues also made them more likely to dream about the corresponding task. Could you tell from their breathing—in real time—what they were dreaming about? Honestly, no—we didn’t see clear differences, and it was hard to figure out how to measure subtler variations in breathing. But the sniffing work is continuing. I still think that if we can find a way to make it work, it could be really interesting.         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.         TODAY I LEARNED We’re in the middle of COVID’s summer surge COVID’s now-familiar summer surge is upon us. “We are seeing an increase in COVID across the country right now, and that’s something people should be aware of,” says Marlene Wolfe, assistant professor at Emory University and co-principal investigator at WastewaterSCAN, which tests wastewater samples from across the U.S. for more than a dozen pathogens. SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater are 120% higher so far in August than they were in July, Wolfe says, reflecting the virus’s typical gradual climb over the summer. Concentrations are currently similar to those recorded last summer, though it’s unclear whether they will continue to rise. Summer travel and hot weather—which sends more people indoors—can increase close contact and make it easier for viruses to spread. Protection from fall vaccinations may also wane by summer, leaving people more vulnerable to infection. Wastewater surveillance gives local health departments another way to track COVID and other infectious diseases. It is “one piece of the ecosystem of data on infectious-disease outbreaks that helps us respond appropriately,” Wolfe says. —Alice Park, Senior Correspondent         SPONSORED Claim 25% off OS-01 HAIR There are many products for hair thinning on the market, but they don’t all deliver on their claims. OneSkin’s OS-01 HAIR SCALP SERUM is the only peptide-powered scalp formula scientifically proven to target cellular senescence, a leading driver of age-related thinning, for thicker hair over time. Claim 25% off OS-01 HAIR Explore the claims at oneskin.co         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’ll weigh in weekly in the newsletter.         SPONSORED 1,000,000 Men Switched Shampoos. Here's Why. Most shampoos strip the scalp — SLS, salt, parabens quietly work against your hair while cleaning it. Particle Shampoo is SLS-free, salt-free, paraben-free. Science-backed, rebuilds from root to tip. 30-day money-back guarantee. 20% off with code BH20. Try It Risk-Free         WHAT WE’RE READING Would you let a robot draw your blood? Ella Jeffries at Becker’s Hospital Review reports on the first FDA-authorized standalone machine that can find a vein, insert the needle, and collect samples without hands-on help. The new U.S. dietary guidelines, released in January, were drawn up by a “secret panel” that was “rife with conflicts of interest,” the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine alleges in a new lawsuit against HHS and the USDA, Rachael Robertson writes for MedPage Today.  The FDA is conducting onsite inspections at iceberg-lettuce growers in Mexico as it investigates a Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened 10,930 people. The recalled lettuce is no longer on the market, the agency says.     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

12 leaders shaping how we live longer—and better

Plus: Call Grandma before ChatGPT—and more health news  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | August 20, 2026     Today, we launched TIME’s 2026 Longevity Leaders: 12 trailblazers marking the way to a longer, healthier life. We set out to find some of the most innovative leaders who are starting to show concrete results in helping us to live longer, better. A few are on a mission to reverse cellular aging in different parts of the body. Others have stepped up to separate legitimate science from snake oil. Still others are addressing the important question of how our society should change to accommodate an older population. Read the full list here. TODAY’S TOPICS Call a wise woman The new weight-loss math Got a health question for us? The age-friendly ER         ONE SMALL CHANGE Before you ask AI for life advice, call an older woman you trust Maybe it’s your grandmother, a neighbor, or the former colleague who always knew what really mattered. Ask her: “What’s the most important thing you’ve learned that you’d like to pass on?” Then make it practical: “What could I do this week to put that lesson into practice?” You might come away with a new habit—and make both of you feel a little more connected. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness         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         BIG NUMBER 140% The amount by which GLP-1 use rose between 2022 and 2024, according to a newly released report from Wells Fargo. Meanwhile, bariatric surgery volume fell 34.1% over the same time period. The weight-loss drugs are dramatically improving the health of many overweight Americans, reducing major cardiovascular events and leading to better long-term health, the report found. —Alana Semuels, Senior Correspondent SOURCE: WELLS-FARGO INDUSTRY INSIGHTS         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. Get 20% Off Today         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’ll weigh in weekly in the newsletter.         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 As global temperatures rise, older adults will face a substantial increase in the risk of heat-related illness and death, a study in The Lancet Planetary Health finds. What happens when an AI chatbot becomes the one place someone shares what they won’t tell a human? Rhitu Chatterjee at NPR reconstructs one family’s devastating experience. What does an ER look like when it’s actually designed for older people? Paula Span at KFF Health News visits geriatric emergency departments using everything from thicker mattresses to delirium screening.     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