Why teenage tantrums take their toll 24/7

March 31, 2010

MOODY, morose and monosyllabic: such and more characterise today’s teenager. While such features may be said to have afflicted teenagers of all generations, the grumpiness has intensified in recent years. For this, thank “night owl” activities, from computer games to all-night TV, twittering and text messaging.

One of the biggest social changes has been the arrival of the 24/7 age. Don’t be surprised when teenagers take advantage of the wee small hours and “time shift” their sleep to school lessons. Little wonder schoolchildren in Glasgow are now being given lessons in how to sleep at night in an attempt to put some sparkle into their morning conversation and performance into their classroom work.

But such is the trend towards ever more of our waking hours spent in front of computer and TV screens, it is not just moody teenagers that result. Another is the trend towards so-called lazy foods, with shoppers spending more on pre-prepared products. Consumers spend an average £63 a year on food that is ready-grated, sliced or chopped – up 14 per cent over the past 12 months.

Perhaps the parents are too exhausted coping with their morose offspring to eat as once they did. Alternatively, why need they endure long breakfasts when pre-sliced grapefruit and pre-boiled egg can speed through the silences that pass for conversation?

Source: www.news.scotsman.com

Teens in Scotland attend ‘sleep schools’ to learn how to get more shut-eye

March 31, 2010

Sleep-deprived students in Scotland are taking lessons in how to get enough shuteye. Sleep Scotland, a charity, is trying to teach the Glasgow teens why they should sleep for more than nine hours a night and refrain from late-night TV, according to BBC News.

When teenagers go to bed at 11 p.m. or midnight, they stay up for hours watching TV, playing video games and going online, research shows, according to BBC News. The result is that some teenagers sleep just four or five hours and wake up grumpy. Sleep deprivation is associated with a higher risk of depression risk and obesity.

At Bellahouston Academy in Glasgow, one of the schools participating in the sleep lessons, Fiona Patterson, head of health and well-being, called the survey results “absolutely shocking.”

“It doesn’t surprise me,” she told BBC News. “They can’t function on so little sleep.”

Getting sufficient shuteye not only can boost grades, but helps teens perform better at sports, Sleep Scotland says. The hope is that this pilot program of offering sleep lessons may develop into a program that could be offered in schools around Scotland.

“You wouldn’t send somebody to school without having the right amount of food, so why would you send them without enough sleep?” asked Sleep Scotland Director Jane Ansell, according to BBC News.

In the U.S., some 15% of teenagers don’t get enough sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Though they need 9¼ hours to be at their best, most don’t get this amount.

And teen’s irregular sleep patterns  – staying up late and sleeping late on the weekends affect their biological clock and harms the quality of their sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

The official advice for teens from the Foundation? Avoid the computer, the TV and the phone, and stick to “quiet, calm activities” instead.

But just try getting the typical American teenager to follow that advice – you may end up sleep-deprived yourself.

Article Source: www.nydailynews.com

Would you answer 5 questions for a $20 discount?

March 30, 2010

We are right in the middle of a huge overhaul of the system – including a brand new website design – and it suddenly struck me that it would actually make a LOT of sense to find out who exactly is coming to visit us!

I don’t normally ask for any information, but it’s obviously in everyone’s interest if I have a rough idea of who you all are – and what you’re looking to get from the pzizz.com experience.

Anyway, that’s why I thought it would be sensible to ask you 5 simple questions when you come to pzizz.com – and, in return for filling out the survey, I’ll give you a 20% discount code to use if you decide to buy the pzizz bundle.

I haven’t tried this before, so it will be interesting to see what you think of my offer!

So, will you answer my 5 question survey for $20?

Happy pzizzing everyone!

edward

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Please check home page for details of any promotions or contests

Children taught the A to Zzzzz of a good night’s sleep

March 30, 2010

PARENTS have struggled for years to encourage children to go to bed on time. In Scotland, however, all the family should be enjoying sweet dreams in the future, as pupils are to be given lessons in how to sleep.

The charity Sleep Scotland is providing free classes in a pilot scheme at three schools in Glasgow in an attempt to tackle problems caused by a lack of sleep.

Glasgow City Council estimates that as many as one in four teenagers are not getting the appropriate nine hours of slumber a night and said there was ”increasing evidence” suggesting a link between lack of sleep and obesity, lower academic achievement and depression.

The director and founder of Sleep Scotland, Jane Anstell, said lack of sleep among teenagers was a ”huge problem”.

”We started off working with kids with special needs with sleep problems,” she said. ”And basically in my teenage clinic I felt I’d got a lot of kids who maybe didn’t have ADHD or Asperger’s – they had total sleep deprivation.”

The classes could help improve teenagers’ behaviour, and she hoped to roll out lessons across Scotland.

The classes will be offered as workshops for groups of 20 secondary school pupils, with an after-school session for parents and staff advising how to support teenagers to get good sleep. A sleep counsellor at Sleep Scotland, Nikki Cameron, said just two classes could successfully advise pupils on how to adjust their sleeping habits for the better.

Paul Rooney from Glasgow City Council said it was important to make parents aware of the importance of good sleep. ”We are committed to providing guidance to young people so they can do what they can to get the right amount of sleep and maximise their learning potential.”

Article Source: www.smh.com.au

Stress: Don’t Let It Grind You Down

March 27, 2010

People who are stressed by daily problems or trouble at work seem to be more likely to grind their teeth at night. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Head & Face Medicine studied the causes of ‘sleep bruxism’, gnashing teeth during the night, finding that it was especially common in those who try to cope with stress by escaping from difficult situations.

Maria Giraki, from Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany, worked with a team of researchers to study the condition in 69 people, of whom 48 were ‘bruxers’. She said, “Bruxing can lead to abrasive tooth wear, looseness and sensitivity of teeth, and growth and pain in the muscles responsible for chewing. Its causes are still relatively unknown, but stress has been implicated. We aimed to investigate whether different stress-factors, and different coping strategies, were more or less associated with these bruxism symptoms.”

Tooth grinding was measured by thin plates that were placed in trial participants mouths’ overnight, while stress and coping techniques were assessed by three questionnaires. Bruxing was not associated with age, sex or education level, but was more common in people who claimed to experience daily stress and trouble at work.

More about this article from sciencedaily.com

When Aches and Pains Disrupt Sleep-Sleep tips for women.

March 27, 2010

Pains Cause Sleep Disturbances

For millions of people around the world, aches and pains cause sleepless nights. A remarkable percentage, however, of women are affected by the issue of pain, whether it is acute or chronic by nature. Whether it’s back pain caused by lifting heavy objects to help out a friend moving into the neighborhood, pain caused by doing household chores the whole day and night, the terrible pain experienced by women having menstrual cramps, lupus or fibromyalgia, or plainly overexerting during a typical workout at the gym ñ they all cause women to have disruptions during their sleep.

Pain and sleep disturbances are bad enough separately but put the two together and they get even worse. These two create a brutal cycle: pain causes the woman to have difficulty of sleeping while deprivation of sleep causes the pain to be worse by decreasing one’s tolerance to pain. The blending of pain and sleep deprivation not only makes a woman experience the feeling of unease but it also affects all the other aspects of her life.

It may affect the way she performs at work and even how she manages the household and with the way she handles her children and spouse. A woman in pain may spend more time resting in her room, hoping it would all go away, while compromising all the other areas of her life such as having a good quality time with her children or even just socializing with her friends and relatives.

What to Do Before Going to Sleep

Professionals highly recommend engaging in certain practices right before going to sleep for women and even for men. These recommendations may not be specific for the management of pain but it helps a woman have an easier time trying to make herself go to sleep sound and comfortable. Food and beverages that contain high levels of caffeine such as coffee, cola, tea and chocolate should be minimized if not totally avoided.

What can Caffeine do?

Caffeine may temporarily help your overworked body but it won’t help you go to sleep either. It is important to engage in moderate physical activities consistently to help the woman sleep later during the night. Avoid eating large meals and totally avoid drinking alcohol during the evening. Relax right before going to bed. Avoid discussions with the spouse or the children that will make you feel stressed out right before going to bed. Take a warm bath and read a book at the same time.

Seeking Advice from A Medical Professional

In the case when these simple interventions fail, it is very important to seek the advice of a doctor. The doctor may prescribe medications specific to the cause of pain or advice and prescribe clients to take sleep aids or even medications specifically for alleviating anxiety during the night. Always follow the instructions of the doctor and if the pain doesn’t go away then it is important to go back to the doctor and tell him or her about it.

Women should always keep in mind to never belittle the pain they experience because it could adversely affect their lives if not treated properly and in a timely manner. If in the event that a woman is not able to manage pain on her own, seeking the advice of an expert doctor is always of the essence. There is no sensible reason to just keep it all to herself.

The Truth About Beauty Sleep

March 26, 2010

The Day’s Demands

After a day’s work in the office, meeting the boss’s demands and taking in the effects of work-related stress, for a moment, we feel so relieved to finally turn relaxation into full realization. But by the time we get home we have to recognize the fact that there is so much to do at the house. Household routines like cooking for the family, cleaning the house and taking care of hyperactive kids with a lot more needs and demands than what our work asks for makes up for the rest of our time supposedly spent for relaxation and in preparation for what’s ahead for the next day.

The next thing we know a lot of our time has been spent so much on the demands for that day that we only have six or less hours left for sleeping. By the time we wake up, we feel so irritable, our eyelids are sagging, skin is dull, our body generally feels messed up and has lesser energy critically needed to carry out work for the day.

Sleep Deprivation

Most people who look for answers about effects of sleep deprivation do it mainly to gain knowledge about how it affects skin and beauty overall. Researches, however, look for answers and explanations as to how sleep deprivation affects the physiologic functioning of humans. Time and time again, it has been proven that sleeping below the prescribed seven or eight hours really takes a toll on the body but what is surprising is that a significant number of people prioritize other health-related activities such as consistent exercise and a healthy, well-balanced diet but much lesser priority given in sleep.

Health Benefits of A Good Night’s Sleep

Doctors, researchers and specialists have found out that good quality sleep helps us recover the energy we need for the next day but it also boosts our immune system that helps in fighting off all sorts of infection. It has also been found out that significant levels of growth hormone are released with less sleep and the less sleep we get, the process of cell growth and tissue repair slows down.

Sleep deprivation also releases increased levels of cortisol in the blood which increases stress levels eventually at increased risk for acquiring heart diseases. Suppressed immune system plus heart diseases equals poor health which makes us feel and look less beautiful.

If you are one of the people guilty of depriving one’s self from sleep then there’s not much to worry as long as the need for change in sleep patterns is recognized. There is always room for change. If you have difficulty sleeping, there are ways to help put yourself in your cozy mattress and pillows and have a good night’s sleep.

Keeping A Consistent Schedule

You should sleep on a consistent schedule. Time yourself when going to sleep so that your body will recognize when it’s time to sleep. Give yourself short naps during the day and engage in frequent, consistent exercise. Do not eat large meals and a lot of alcohol during the evenings. Provide yourself a warm bath, soothing music and a good book to read prior to going to bed and the next thing you’ll know you’re already sleeping comfortably and have more energy and optimism to battle through the day.

Asthma UK Comment On Research Linking Pre-natal Stress And Asthma Development In Young Children

March 26, 2010

Pregnancy-related Stress

A director of Research at Asthma UK, Leanne Metcalf, stated that there is now a strong and growing affirmation which suggests that a pregnant mother undergoing significant levels of stress before the conception of her child may have increased risk of developing asthma later on in life.

Social stressors such as difficulty in managing finances, work-related stress, issues with spouses, and many other stressors may have certain effects on the fetus during pre-conception. Although, family history is also an important risk factor in the development of asthma, the development of asthma has now been theorized as not strictly genetic in origin.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a respiratory disorder that has the ability to exacerbate and go into remissions and is characterized by repeating episodes of difficulty of breathing caused by occlusion of the bronchi, vigorous coughing and production of thick mucoid respiratory secretions. The episodes are in part precipitated by inhalation of allergens or pollutants, bacterial or viral infections, cold, humid air, excessive physical activity and emotional stressors.

Certain allergens such as dust, pollen or animal dander increase the risk of developing asthma in children but a mother’s stress levels during pre-conception can also have consequences to a child or infant’s flourishing immune system. Recent studies also do suggest that the association of both stress and allergen exposure even during pregnancy may intensify the effects on the immune system of an infant.

What the Studies Say

Researchers conducting a study on pregnant mothers in Boston took blood samples of fetal cord blood in pregnant mothers while exposed to relatively high levels of stress and exposure to certain allergens. They soon discovered that mothers who experienced high levels of stress have increased levels of immunoglobulin E, which is primarily responsible for the development of symptoms in asthma, that intensified effects of allergen exposure on the offspring’s immune response at birth even though the child was exposed to lower levels of allergen after birth.

According to Dr. Wright, one of the doctors heading and conducting the research in Boston, the research adds to a developing framework of knowledge and evidence that links maternal stressors such as issues of finances, marital relationships, or other factors that provide significant amounts of stress, to the development of a child’s immune system, even during pregnancy. While these findings are important, Dr. Wright noted that only continuing follow-up with these children is the only way for them to know if indeed the observations that they initially gathered really do provide increased risks in the development of asthma in children.

Causes, Signs, and Symptoms

According to Asthma UK, a child is sent to the hospital in the United Kingdom at least every 19 minutes. Causes have been suggested but clear cut evidence of these causes is pretty much primarily unknown. Studies like the ones held in Boston prove to be very important as they provide researchers and health practitioners with valuable information regarding factors promoting the development of asthma.

This, in turn, will provide measures that can be done to prevent the development of asthma and advance newer and better ways to alleviate symptoms in the child having an asthma attack, ultimately preventing its progression to more severe forms.

The Links Between Stress And Diet

March 25, 2010

About the Link

For many years now, countless studies have been made to prove the link between stress and diet. Recent studies have shown that there is a very strong link that occurs between the level of stress one receives and its consequent effects to diet and ultimately to the body. Some of these studies, however, negate findings of other studies regarding the relationship between the two. Despite this, there exists a dominant agreement that a healthy diet promotes decreased stress levels and even stress levels have a role in how individuals make choices with regard to their eating behaviors.

Also, certain biochemical reactions and neurotransmitters in the brain have been found to be factors influencing between these links and, as scientists are having a better understanding among these factors, there may be real solutions to the epidemic of gaining weight caused by stress and improper diet.

Any Harmful Aspects

The most harmful aspect between the stress and diet is that most people tend to eat more when they are much under stress with the attempt to make their selves feel more at ease. This behavior tends to reinforce the vicious cycle of eating and being stressed out. The more stress we have, the more we tend to make wrong decisions about eating and when we gain weight this makes us feel more depressed and feel more stressed out. And the choice of food makes the process even worse.

People tend to eat foods high in fat and sugar because these are the kinds of food that makes us feel comforted and makes us gain weight. There are also times, however, that when stressed out we tend to skip meals and when we do, glucose in our blood becomes so low that the body signals our brain to eat more than what we ought to have contributing to the cycle.

What Studies Conclude

Studies have shown that specific hormones and neurotransmitters found in the blood and brain play a role between the links. Cortisol is a hormone produced naturally in the adrenal gland which is released in the blood in response to long-term stress. Cortisol acts out by releasing glucose into the bloodstream, in response to stress, which may be later stored to other parts in the body in the form of fats. Cortisol may increase one’s appetite and one’s cravings with high fat and sugary foods.

When we feel hungry we tend to reach for the wrong foods and when we eat them our brain cells produce a naturally occurring neurotransmitter found chiefly in the brain called serotonin which makes us feel good and which also makes us eat more. More recent studies show that certain chemicals in our nerve cells called neuropeptide Y is released in response to stress and plays a part in fat accumulation in the body.

Breaking the Cycle

There are ways to break the cruel cycle of being stressed out and eating in response to it. As mentioned earlier, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to become too hungry because it causes a drop in blood sugar or glucose which causes us to feel weak, hungry and irrational. And when we’re not thinking straight we are bound to eat anything that crosses our mouth. Always keep in mind the portions of our meals.

Eat small, frequent meals, six times a day instead of three large meals. And most important of all, we have to deal with our stress. Exercise regularly, find time to relax and hang out with friends. Find other ways to put stress to a minimum and take control of our lives.

Exactly What Are Your Natural Remedies For Insomnia

March 25, 2010

Importance of Sleep

Sleep is important and is a kind of resting and relaxation method that helps a person restore the optimum level of functioning. A person experiencing sleepless nights is normal, especially if he or she is under stress. Persistent episodes of sleepless nights, difficulty falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep is what makes the person experience unusual sleeping patterns. This is termed as insomnia.

Patterns of Insomnia

Patterns of insomnia starts from difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night followed by difficulty returning to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night or waking up too early in the morning which is commonly called as “middle of the night insomnia”. Difficulty maintaining asleep or waking during the middle of the night is called middle insomnia. Another pattern is the terminal or late insomnia which is waking up early morning.

Classifications of Insomnia

Insomnia can be classified in three. First is the transient insomnia from which a person is having difficulty of falling asleep in consecutive nights that lasts for less than a week. Next is the acute type of insomnia. This is when a person has an inability of getting well sleep that lasts for less than a month. And the last type of is the chronic insomnia which lasts for a month or so.

If a person encounters one of the above mentioned types of insomnia, a remedy should be a concern. There are ways on how to combat insomnia. Remedy could be either natural or artificial. Natural remedy is simply applying all natural resorts while artificial is using synthetic remedy like medicines.

The Natural Remedies

Question is, exactly what are your natural remedies for insomnia? As I used the search engine and look into the details to answer the said question, I was lead to a certain site that gives suggestions about natural remedies. Starting with the natural hormone that can be found naturally in one’s body called Melatonin. Natural herbs like the valerian have been accepted as over-the-counter remedy in some western countries and an anti-anxiety herb named kava which is helpful for anxiety-related insomnia.

Relaxation

Relaxation techniques are also a sort of remedy from which increases sleeping time, fall asleep faster and feel more rested after waking up. Diet can be a factor too by avoiding stimulants and eating foods that can help to get sleep. A folk remedy to help people fall asleep using the scent of English lavender is called as aromatherapy. Music therapy is another remedy that helps a person improves sleep without medication using gentle and slow music. Also exercise can be a remedy. Lack of doing exercise contributes to poor sleep. Muscle tension and stress build in the body which promotes insomnia.

Physical Exercise

Exercise can promote deep sleep in a night. Hence, extreme exercise before going to bed can increase the levels of adrenaline leading to insomnia. Feng Shui is also recommended that may help promote relaxing sleep. All other natural remedies that often used for insomnia include chamomile, hops, passionflower, lemon balm, and ashwagandha. It’s up to the insomniac person on which remedy he or she will use.

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