‘Wellness’ makes you feel bad. Our new section focuses on living a good life

Most of us want to feel better – but what is in our hands and what is beyond our control? Well Actually will explore this question

Will my genital herpes mean I never have sex again?

I tell men about my condition and they never stick around. I don’t know what to do

Everything from our sleep to our hormones relies on the dark. So why are we so intent on destroying it?

Humans have always feared the night – and now we are wiping it out, one streetlight at a time. That’s terrible news for our bodies and minds – and the rest of nature

‘I watch the sun rise from a hammock in the garden’ – 15 ways to start your day well now the clocks have gone back

From yoga in bed to a bracing cold shower, readers share how they brighten up their mornings as the seasons change and winter approaches

Should I worry about getting less exercise in winter?

As the light levels fall and the temperature drops, is it OK to just hunker down and take it easy till spring? Or will that bring on the blues?

A dinner party for dead guests serves up surprising connections

My friends came to a silent supper with their dead friends and relatives so that we could grieve our loved ones together

Want to live to 116? The secret to longevity is less complicated than you think

Good humour, a positive outlook and staying away from toxic people is more important than genes, ice baths or spartan diets

Sober raving, beekeeping and playing Dungeons and Dragons – how people with stressful jobs decompress

A junior doctor, a deputy head, a social worker and others tell us how they destress and relax after work

A moment that changed me: I had a heart attack at 37 – so I went to live in a cave

I wanted to heal and thought the Colorado wilderness was the best place to do it. So I began six months of hunting and foraging, with a pile of leaves for a bed

Time for separate beds? What to do when your partner snores, hogs the duvet, can’t sleep without a light on …

It’s hard not to hate someone whose sleeping style keeps you awake night after night. Here’s how everyone can get some shuteye