Iceland is a tiny island nation, with a population of about 330,000. It is so far north that from mid-May to mid-August, the sun only sets for about three hours per day, so Icelanders go to sleep while it’s still light.
Things you might not know about Iceland
1) In summer the sun barely sets
Iceland is a tiny island nation, with a population of about 330,000. It is so far north that from mid-May to mid-August, the sun only sets for about three hours per day, so Icelanders go to sleep while it’s still light. Even during the three hours of night, it’s not fully dark.
During winter it’s the opposite - it’s completely dark apart from five hours each day, so it feels like the night-time almost all day long.
2) The national sport is handball
There’s no denying they did pretty well at football at the Euros, but in Iceland, handball is actually a more popular sport.
The Icelandic handball team is one of the best in the world. They took silver in the Beijing Olympics, but missed out on a medal at London 2012.
3) The arctic fox is Iceland’s only native mammal
The Arctic fox is the only species of land mammal that has always lived in Iceland. Other mammals, such as reindeer and horses, have been brought in by people. Polar bears have also made their way to the island naturally over the centuries.
4) Iceland is one of the most volcanic places on Earth
The country has between 150-200 volcanoes, including 35 that are still active. Iceland is also home to some of the most famous geysers in the world, where volcanic activity sends massive jets of water into the air.
5) It’s one of the happiest countries in the world
That’s according to the 2016 World Happiness Report, which compared 158 countries, looking at things like people’s health, family lives and jobs to measure how happy they were.
Iceland came third, just behind Denmark and Switzerland.
How heartbreak can hurt your actual heart
A growing body of research is showing that the death or loss of a person close to you cannot only feel like heartbreak - it can actually cause physical changes that can lead to serious heart problems.
Researchers have long studied a phenomenon called ‘stress cardiomyopathy’ (or broken heart syndrome), which is when a highly stressful event, such as the death of a spouse, causes a person to feel like they’re having a heart attack. This can include shortness of breath and chest pain, but without the telltale blocked arteries. Experts suspect a surge of stress hormones that are trigged by an emotional event could be responsible. Sometimes, the condition isn’t spurred by grief, but other stressful situations, like the excitement that can accompany a big sports win.
We can’t stop stressful situations from coming up in our lives but there may be ways to change the way stress affects our bodies. Several things can increase parasympathetic nervous system activity, such as regular exercise, meditation, yoga and deep breathing.
