How will 2019 be different?

Editor's note

Welcome to 2019! If you’ve woken up with a hangover and too little sleep, go easy on yourself. In fact, psychology expert Amy Reynolds reckons getting enough sleep should be on top of your New Year’s resolutions list. Whether you plan to exercise more, look at your smartphone less, or focus on your mental health and reducing stress this year, we’ve got something to get you started.

Fron Jackson-Webb

Deputy Editor/Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Getting enough sleep can help our memory, waistline and our performance at work. David Mao

Why getting enough sleep should be on your list of New Year’s resolutions

Amy Reynolds, CQUniversity Australia; Doug McEvoy, Flinders University; Robert Adams, University of Adelaide; Sally Ferguson, CQUniversity Australia

If you need an alarm to get up in the morning, you're probably not getting enough sleep.

Temporal landmarks act as demarcations between a past self, who has perhaps failed to meet goals, and the present self, who has goal pursuit at their fingertips. Lauren Hammond/Flickr

Time for a reset? How to make your New Year’s resolutions work

Lisa A Williams, UNSW

Recent psychological research highlights several reasons why New Year's resolutions might actually work - as well as simple ways to set yourself up for success.

Want a mentally healthy year? Don’t resolve to go on a diet. Unsplash/Cerys Lowe

New Year’s resolutions for better mental health

Fiona Kate Barlow, The University of Queensland

Usually our resolutions are related to our physical health: going on a diet, joining a gym or drinking less. But what about our mental health?

People who are chronically stressed are more than twice as likely to have a heart attack than those who aren’t. Tim Gouw

Three reasons to get your stress levels in check this year

Stephen Mattarollo, The University of Queensland; Michael Nissen, The University of Queensland

Stress has subtle, underlying effects on almost every part of the body, including the heart, gut and immune system.

Do you pull out your phone the instance you’re bored? You’re a zombie checker. rawpixel/Unsplash

Do you ‘zombie check’ your phone? How new tools can help you control technology over-use

Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University

Our unproductive 'zombie' screen hours can creep up – but they don't need to rule us. Here are four steps to help you use new tools to monitor and change your technology habits.

lzf/Shutterstock.com

Taking up running? Here’s what you need to know to make it to February

Vybarr Cregan-Reid, University of Kent

It's all about the Goldilocks Threshold.

Men respond better to structured “weigh-ins” than women. Rostislav_Sedlacek/Shutterstock

Health Check: should you weigh yourself regularly?

Clare Collins, University of Newcastle; Rebecca Williams, University of Newcastle

For some people, self-weighing could be the key to losing or keeping weight off; while for others, it may do harm.

Shutterstock.

If you want to lose weight, ask yourself: is this really self-improvement?

Heather Widdows, University of Birmingham

Western societies are obsessed with body image – and it's stopping self-improvement.

The sustainable choice for sustaining your brain? Pleple2000/Wikimedia Commons

Sorry, baristas: instant coffee has the smallest carbon footprint (but don’t overfill the kettle)

Maartje Sevenster, CSIRO

How you prepare your coffee at home (and wash up the mugs) can have a big impact on its carbon footprint. So fill that kettle carefully, and only brew what you know you'll drink.