14 May 2026 · 4 min read
How to Sleep Better: 6 Evidence-Based Habits
Sleep advice that doesn't need supplements or gadgets. 6 habits, anchored in chronobiology and sleep medicine research, that genuinely shift sleep quality.
Evidence-based writing on health topics.
Every article written or reviewed by Dr James Coleman, a practising, GMC-registered GP. No affiliate links, no alarmist headlines.
13 May 2026 · 14 min read
Why am I always tired? A GP's guide to the real causes of fatigue and what to do about it
A practising GP explains the common causes of feeling tired all the time, the red-flag symptoms that should prompt urgent medical care rather than a private blood test, and which blood tests actually help identify treatable contributors.
5 April 2026 · 5 min read
Blood Tests for Fatigue: Which Tests to Get and What They Actually Tell You
Fatigue is one of the most common reasons people visit their GP. It's also one of the hardest to pin down, because dozens of conditions can cause it and many of them overlap.
4 April 2026 · 8 min read
Low Libido and Testosterone in Women: What a Blood Test Can Actually Tell You
Low sex drive is very common and many women suffer in silence. They might think it's stress, or just getting older, or something they should learn to accept. Sometimes those explanations are worth exploring.
1 April 2026 · 6 min read
Blood Tests Before HRT: What to Check and Why
If you are considering HRT, one of the first questions you will probably ask is whether you need blood tests beforehand. The answer depends on what the tests are for.
28 March 2026 · 7 min read
The Annual Health MOT: Which Blood Tests Should You Get Every Year?
Most of us only think about blood tests when something feels wrong. But by the time symptoms show up, the underlying change has often been building for months or years.
27 March 2026 · 5 min read
PSA Testing: Making an Informed Decision About Prostate Cancer Screening
Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in England, with over 58,000 men diagnosed in 2024 alone [NPCA State of the Nation Report, 2025]. Across the UK, the figure is higher still.
26 March 2026 · 5 min read
HbA1c and Pre-diabetes: What Your Blood Sugar Test Really Means
Pre-diabetes means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes.
25 March 2026 · 5 min read
Blood Tests and Mental Health: The Physical Causes of Low Mood, Anxiety, and Brain Fog That Get Missed
When someone visits their GP with low mood, anxiety, fatigue, or brain fog, the conversation often moves towards psychological explanations. Stress, sleep, work pressure, relationship difficulties.
24 March 2026 · 6 min read
Tired All the Time? 6 Blood Tests a GP Runs
GP-written guide to the 6 blood tests behind chronic fatigue: TFT, ferritin, B12, folate, vit D, FBC. Private kit or clinic, results explained by a doctor.
23 March 2026 · 5 min read
Ferritin and Fatigue: The Blood Test Your GP Might Not Be Running
Fatigue is one of the most common reasons people visit their GP, and one of the hardest to investigate. The list of potential causes is long, and standard blood tests do not always capture the problem.
21 March 2026 · 5 min read
Seasonal Vitamin D Testing: When to Check, What Your Level Means, and Why Winter Matters
Between October and March in the UK, the sun sits too low in the sky for your skin to produce any meaningful vitamin D.
20 March 2026 · 7 min read
Perimenopause Blood Tests: What to Ask For and What the Results Mean
Most women I see in clinic who are perimenopausal have already spent months feeling "off" before they book an appointment. The fatigue, the broken sleep, the cycles that suddenly make no sense.
18 March 2026 · 4 min read
B12 Deficiency: The Neurological Symptoms That Blood Tests Can Explain
Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common than many people realise, and its consequences extend far beyond fatigue.
17 March 2026 · 5 min read
Iron Deficiency vs Anaemia: Why They Are Not the Same Thing
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide, and it's particularly prevalent among premenopausal women in the UK.
16 March 2026 · 6 min read
What a Full Blood Count Tells You: The Most Common Blood Test Explained
Full Blood Count The full blood count (FBC) is the single most frequently requested blood test in the UK. It's included in virtually every routine blood panel and screening assessment.
15 March 2026 · 7 min read
2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: Normal Levels Explained by a GP
In March 2026, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association published their first major update to cholesterol management guidelines since 2018.
12 March 2026 · 5 min read
Thyroid Function Explained: What Your TSH, T4, and T3 Results Actually Mean
Thyroid disorders are among the most common endocrine conditions in the UK, affecting an estimated 1 in 20 people, with women around ten times more likely to be affected than men [1].
8 March 2026 · 5 min read
Coeliac Disease: Why Most People With It Don't Know They Have It
A Common Condition Hiding in Plain Sight Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people in the UK [1], yet according to Coeliac UK, only around 36% of cases are currently diagnosed [2].
7 March 2026 · 6 min read
Why Men's Testosterone Is Falling - and What a Blood Test Can and Can't Tell You
If you're a man in your thirties or forties noticing that your energy isn't what it used to be, you've probably come across the idea that testosterone levels are falling across the population.
6 March 2026 · 5 min read
Burnout Isn't Just in Your Head - Here's What a Blood Test Can and Can't Tell You
Burnout has real physiological consequences. But what can a cortisol blood test actually reveal, and where are its limits?
5 March 2026 · 6 min read
Low Vitamin D Symptoms: What Your Blood Test Results Really Mean
Why Late Winter Is the Worst Time for Your Vitamin D After months of limited sunlight, your body's vitamin D stores are at their lowest.
4 March 2026 · 6 min read
PCOS: What the 2023 Guidelines Changed and What Blood Tests Can Tell You
Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common hormonal condition in women of reproductive age, affecting between 10 and 13% of the global female population [Teede et al., 2023].