(Abbey Lossing for The Washington Post)

By Allison Klein

Happy National Nothing Day! I am a big fan of this day, which is officially designated to give everyone a break. (I’m in! Raise your hand if you are, too.) This week, we’re writing about how to improve your sleep position, science-backed ways to cut your risk of dementia and whether elderberry supplements work. Plus, we’ve got our weekly “joy” snack. But before that …

This week’s must-reads:

• Want to improve your sleep in 2025? New science-based tips may help.
• Naps can help improve your cognition. Here’s how to take a better nap.
• Processed meats don’t just affect your heart. They may worsen cognition, too.
• Voices and delusions: Inside my life with schizophrenia
• Too many people still take low-dose daily aspirin. What you should know.
• Making your bed may have a small effect on dust mites

15 science-based ways to reduce dementia risk

A disturbing study has predicted that new cases of dementia will double by 2060, estimating that 1 million adults will develop the memory-destroying brain disease that ultimately renders people unable to handle the routine tasks of daily life, such as eating, bathing and dressing, driving and paying bills, writes Marlene Cimons.

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Marlene continues:

There is no cure, and it can’t be prevented. But you can reduce your risk. Many factors influence dementia, including family history and genetics. You can’t do anything about those, but experts say you can take lifestyle steps, including many things we should already be doing for good health. These include physical and mental exercise, not smoking or stopping, and managing chronic conditions that can lead to heart disease.

“All of the things that we know are good for health in general are good for preventing dementia,” said Christine E. Kistler, an associate professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s division of geriatric medicine.

The 15 tips include: Try a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, get vaccinated and try a daily multivitamin. The rest of the tips can be found in the story.

15 science-based ways to reduce your risk of dementia

(Abbey Lossing for The Washington Post)

Think twice before taking elderberry for cold and flu

Americans catch an estimated 1 billion cases of the cold each year. For centuries, people have been looking for an elixir to remedy runny noses and sore throats, reporter Teddy Amenabar writes.

Here’s more from Teddy:

Elderberry supplements — marketed as a boost to the immune system — have recently become one of the most popular herbal supplements in the country. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, consumers spent an estimated $175 million on elderberry pills, syrups and powders this past year.

But do they work?

A handful of small, often industry-funded studies show elderberry supplements may reduce the duration and severity of a cold or flu, but there’s no evidence the supplements can protect someone from catching a respiratory illness. In a review of the research, one group declared the results to be “uncertain” and said more studies are needed.

Learn more about elderberry below.

People are drinking elderberry to treat cold and flu. Experts say think twice.

Use an extra pillow to wake up feeling better

Our Ask a Doctor columnist is Trisha S. Pasricha, a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

I often wake up with aches in my neck and back. How can I avoid this, and which sleep position is best for my health?

Try this simple change to optimize your sleep position: Add one more pillow.

But not under your head. Place a pillow under your lower body.

Pasricha offers specific advice for advice for side sleepers, stomach sleepers and back sleepers.

She also advises considering raising the head of the bed 30 to 60 degrees with an extra pillow or two if you have sleep apnea, heart failure or are dealing with sinus congestion. The elevation helps that nasal fluid flow backward instead of forward through the nostrils.

Read her full response below. And use our Ask a Doctor form to submit a question, and we may answer it in a future column.

Column  Trisha Pasricha, MD How to improve your sleep position to wake up feeling better

Find your joy snack!

Here are a few things that brought us joy this week.

• Trains, buses and a Margaritaville cruise: 10 travel-tested reviews
• They finally got their wedding photos — 56 years after their big day
• Dog was attacked, left with crooked face. Now he’s a social media star.
• Watch man rescue woman and 4 dogs from Palisades Fire: ‘Just miraculous’
• Need a better night’s sleep? A new wave of smart earbuds claims to help.

Let’s keep the conversation going. We want to hear from you! Email us at wellbeing@washpost.com.

Want to know more about “joy” snacks? Our Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains. You can also read this story as a comic.