Health Report - Separate stories podcast Can a multivitamin slow the ageing process?
Mar 13, 2026
They discuss a large review finding daily screen use shifts bedtimes but has little effect on sleep duration or quality in youth. They cover pain relief for children's limb injuries and evidence that ibuprofen alone works as first-line treatment. They explore a trial testing multivitamins and epigenetic clocks and the limits of using supplements to slow biological ageing.
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Screen Use Delays Bedtime But Doesn’t Cut Average Sleep
- Within-person studies (child as their own control) found screen use may delay bedtime but did not meaningfully reduce sleep duration or quality.
- The meta-analysis of 25 studies (4,500+ participants, ages 3–25) showed average sleep time and latency were unaffected, though using screens after bedtime did interrupt sleep.
Keep Screens Out Of Post Bedtime Hours
- Continue sleep hygiene practices because screens after bedtime or during supposed sleep do interrupt rest.
- Preeya Alexander and Norman Swan recommend keeping screens out of post-bedtime periods despite average measures showing little overall effect.
Ibuprofen Alone Effective For Many Child Limb Injuries
- For children with non-operative limb injuries, adding paracetamol or an opioid to ibuprofen did not improve pain control.
- The trial found opioids produced about four times more side effects than ibuprofen alone, supporting ibuprofen as first-line treatment.