The official world record for staying awake, possible killers lurking in our mattresses, a continent's war against naps and more
By Jason StahlProvided by Discover Magazine
From msn.com
1. Chronic snoring can be treated by uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a surgical procedure that tightens the tissues of the soft palate and throat. Possible side effects include changes in voice frequency.
2. Another option involves injecting the palate with a chemical to harden the soft tissue. This is called a snoroplasty, derived from the Greek word "plastos," meaning "molded," and somewhat lamely from the English word snore, meaning "snore."
3. Baaaad idea: A 2002 study by Oxford University researchers concluded, brilliantly, that the traditional practice of counting sheep is an ineffective cure for insomnia. The mental activity is so boring that other problems and concerns inevitably surface.
4. Mattresses have an average life span of eight to 10 years. They grow some nasty stuff in that time; one study links mattress bacteria to sudden infant death syndrome.
5. An adult bed bug can survive up to one year without feeding.
6. In 2004, Americans filled more than 35 million prescriptions for sleeping pills. The number of adults aged 20 to 44 taking pills to help them fall asleep has doubled in the last four years.
7. More than 100,000 car crashes in the United States each year result from drowsiness. Drivers talking on cell phones increase the rate by 6 percent, so don't call someone if you get tired.
8. Your alarm is set for 6 a.m. -- why do you wake up at 5:59 a.m.? The body's internal alarm clock, which enables some people to wake up naturally at the time they desire, is triggered by the stress hormone adrenocorticotropin. The levels of this hormone begin to rise an hour or two before an expected wake-up call, to prepare the body gradually for the stress of waking up.
9. A six-year study of a million adults showed that people who get only six to seven hours of sleep a night have a lower death rate than those who get eight hours. Maybe it's those late nights watching QVC.
10. In 1964, 17-year-old Randy Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours and 12 minutes, the officially recognized world record. He then slept for 15 hours -- not a record, but not bad.
11. Let's sleep on it first: In a gesture of integration with the European Union, Spain has launched a campaign to eliminate the tradition of siestas, or afternoon naps.
12. Thanks in part to their afternoon naps, Spaniards sleep an average of 40 minutes less per night than other Europeans. Spain also has the highest rate of workplace accidents in the EU and the third lowest productivity rate.
13. Who knew it was that easy? A Muslim couple in India is being forced to split up after the husband uttered the word "talaq," the Arabic word for divorce, three times in his sleep. According to Muslim law, the "triple talaq" is an actual divorce.
14. The idea that it is dangerous to wake a sleepwalker is a myth. Given the things sleepwalkers get up to do, like climb roofs and fix insanely large sandwiches, it is probably more risky not to wake them.
15. Whales and dolphins can literally fall half asleep. Their brain hemispheres alternate sleeping, so the animals can continue to surface and breathe.
16. Dreaming is related to bursts of electrical activity that blow through the brain stem every 90 minutes during REM sleep. Over a lifetime, an average person spends more than six years dreaming, clocking more than 136,000 dreams in all.
17. But nobody knows why we dream.
18. Hey, be glad she doesn't have a telethon: More than 5 million American children suffer from nocturnal enuresis, better known as bed wetting. Actress Suzanne Somers used to be one of them, according to her autobiography.
19. Somniphobia is the fear of sleep.
20. So far, there are no known celebrity somniphobes.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Parents Face New Reality: Digital Photos Can't Escape Facebook
As a mother of an underage college student, this scares the heck out of me!
From The Hartford Courant
We have met Big Brother, and he is us.
The rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and the ubiquitous cellphone camera have combined to create a society under surveillance.
For decades, people were concerned about omnipotent governments or colossal corporations peering into every corner of their lives. These days, it could be a friend, co-worker or relative that lays bare your life to the world.
"Big Brother has come in through the back door," said BJ Fogg, who teaches classes on the psychology of Facebook at Stanford University.
It's something Theodore and Laura Berent are learning the hard way. Police have charged the Glastonbury couple with nine counts each of permitting minors to possess alcohol during an 18th birthday party for their daughter at their home.
As dubious as the idea may have been, Laura Berent reportedly stood at the front door and collected car keys from anyone who planned to drink. In hindsight, it may have been wise to also collect their camera phones.
Photos of the February party posted on Facebook were eventually shown to Glastonbury High School officials, who alerted police. More than 30 teenagers attended the party, police said. Five students who were on school teams were kicked off or sanctioned.
Telephone messages left for the Berents and their attorney Wednesday were not returned.
Glastonbury police Sgt. Joel B. White said police frequently use social networking sites in criminal investigations.
"I don't think most people grasp how much personal information can be gleaned off these websites," White said.
The incident illustrates the cultural gulf between young people who have grown up with the Internet and their parents, who often come to it in fits and starts. Facebook had been exclusively for students — first for those in college, then in high school — since its inception at Harvard University in 2004, but anyone over 13 has been allowed to join since October 2006. Opening the door to parents was bemoaned by many Facebook users who had come to cherish it as a place to display their youthful shenanigans.
Vanessa Van Petten, 23, who writes about youths and technology at her blog, www.onteenstoday.com, said the lines that traditionally separated home life, social life and public life have been blurred for young people.
"There's the idea that everything and anything I do can be viewed, so nothing I do is private," Van Petten said.
Annie Vaughn, a Trinity College freshman from Los Angeles, said when her friends are getting dressed for a night out, they may consider what will look good on Facebook.
"You go out at night kind of expecting the night to be documented," Vaughn said.
The teenagers who attended the Glastonbury party may have anticipated it would end up on the Internet, but the adults involved may not have seen it coming.
"For parents, the question is, 'Why would you put that on the Internet?'" Van Petten said. "For teenagers it's, 'Why wouldn't I?'"
Facebook users, who now number about 175 million worldwide, can limit access to their profiles to authorized "friends," creating another skirmish line between parents and their children.
What do you do when mom or dad wants to "friend" you?
Ben Speicher, a Trinity sophomore, said he would be reluctant to say yes, even though he doesn't have anything in particular to hide. But in the evolving online social order, he said he's close to some of his friends' parents and has allowed them access, with a caveat.
"I wouldn't 'friend' them if I knew they were snooping," Speicher said.
Media reports of people getting arrested after advertising their own indiscretions, from vandalism to drug and weapons possession, are increasingly common, although it's rare for parents to get swept up in it.
Negotiating the perils of social networking sites has become yet another right of passage for young people. Van Petten says she advises teenagers to make pacts with each other about what they will and will not post about each other to avoid problems.
"They don't think it can happen to them," she said, "until it happens."
Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Magik Mirror Letter
The Magik Mirror, 69 Broad St:
Open regular hours until 3/26.
We will be closed from 3/27-3/31 to make the move.
We will be open in the new location, 234 NEW HAVEN AVENUE, ON APRIL 1ST. This is located near Healthy Foods Plus, Nello's Restaurant, and Innovations Salon.
We will still be holding the workshop, A Gathering of EarthAngels, on March 28th, even though the store will be closed. We do require pre-registration and pre-payment for this workshop prior to 3/25.
Bright Blessings,
Bev
Intellect Doubles in Teens who Eat Fish
Submitted by Kathleen Blanchard RN on Mar 10th, 2009
Posted under:
Teen Health
If your teenager is suffering from bad grades, you may want to consider serving up a plate of fish once a week. The results of a new study show that male teenagers who consumed one serving of fish weekly scored higher on cognitive function tests, designed to measure intellect. Teenagers who ate fish more than once a week scored even higher. Eating fish, more than once a week, doubled the teenager’s cognitive scores.
Cognitive testing measures the ability to process information, speed of information processing, memory retention, language, executive functions, and attention – all attributes that help teenagers succeed with setting goals and following through. The Swedish study shows that teenagers who eat fish scored higher in all areas of cognitive testing, and those who ate the most fish scored even higher.
Professor Kjell Torén from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, a contributing researcher, says, "We found a clear link between frequent fish consumption and higher scores when male teenagers ate fish at least once a week. When they ate fish more than once a week the improvement almost doubled”.
The teenagers studied ranged in age from 15 to 18, an essential time to for advances in learning, says Torén…“when educational achievements can help to shape the rest of a young man's life.” It seems that fish consumption during formidable teenage years may greatly contribute to cognitive performance.
The researchers compared cognitive testing scores of 3,972 males to responses the teenagers submitted in a survey three years prior. Test results were taken from the teenager’s Swedish Military Conscription records.
Sixty-eight percent of the teenagers ate fish regularly. Twenty percent of those ate fish more than once a week. Teenagers who ate fish once a week scored seven percent higher in intellect. Those who ate fish more often scored twelve percent higher. Verbal intelligence skills were four and nine percent higher in the teenagers who ate fish once a week and more than once a week, respectively. Visuospatial scores were also higher in the teenagers who ate fish. Intelligence scores were even higher when the teenagers ate fish more than once a week. Teenagers who ate fish more than once a week scored eleven percent higher on Visuospatial skills, compared to teenagers who ate fish once a week.
Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are the most likely explanation as to why teenagers doubled their intelligence scores from eating more fish. "The most widely held theory is that it is the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish that have positive effects on cognitive performance," says Professor Torén. Perhaps Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids accumulate in the brain, in the same way as when a fetus develops, leading to improved brain function.
The researchers plan to study exactly which kind of fish provide the most benefit for improving cognitive function in teenagers – lean fish or fatty fish, such as mackerel.The study also found that after adjusting for all other variables, including intellect of the teenager’s parents, eating fish was clearly associated with increased cognitive scores among the male teenagers.
The study shows that adding beneficial fatty acids from fish to your teenager’s diet can make a difference in contributing to teenage intellectual development.
Aberg et al. Acta Paediatrica. 98.3, pp 555-560. (March 2009).
Source: Kathleen Blanchard RN
From exmaxhealth.com
Posted under:
Teen Health
If your teenager is suffering from bad grades, you may want to consider serving up a plate of fish once a week. The results of a new study show that male teenagers who consumed one serving of fish weekly scored higher on cognitive function tests, designed to measure intellect. Teenagers who ate fish more than once a week scored even higher. Eating fish, more than once a week, doubled the teenager’s cognitive scores.
Cognitive testing measures the ability to process information, speed of information processing, memory retention, language, executive functions, and attention – all attributes that help teenagers succeed with setting goals and following through. The Swedish study shows that teenagers who eat fish scored higher in all areas of cognitive testing, and those who ate the most fish scored even higher.
Professor Kjell Torén from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, a contributing researcher, says, "We found a clear link between frequent fish consumption and higher scores when male teenagers ate fish at least once a week. When they ate fish more than once a week the improvement almost doubled”.
The teenagers studied ranged in age from 15 to 18, an essential time to for advances in learning, says Torén…“when educational achievements can help to shape the rest of a young man's life.” It seems that fish consumption during formidable teenage years may greatly contribute to cognitive performance.
The researchers compared cognitive testing scores of 3,972 males to responses the teenagers submitted in a survey three years prior. Test results were taken from the teenager’s Swedish Military Conscription records.
Sixty-eight percent of the teenagers ate fish regularly. Twenty percent of those ate fish more than once a week. Teenagers who ate fish once a week scored seven percent higher in intellect. Those who ate fish more often scored twelve percent higher. Verbal intelligence skills were four and nine percent higher in the teenagers who ate fish once a week and more than once a week, respectively. Visuospatial scores were also higher in the teenagers who ate fish. Intelligence scores were even higher when the teenagers ate fish more than once a week. Teenagers who ate fish more than once a week scored eleven percent higher on Visuospatial skills, compared to teenagers who ate fish once a week.
Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are the most likely explanation as to why teenagers doubled their intelligence scores from eating more fish. "The most widely held theory is that it is the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish that have positive effects on cognitive performance," says Professor Torén. Perhaps Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids accumulate in the brain, in the same way as when a fetus develops, leading to improved brain function.
The researchers plan to study exactly which kind of fish provide the most benefit for improving cognitive function in teenagers – lean fish or fatty fish, such as mackerel.The study also found that after adjusting for all other variables, including intellect of the teenager’s parents, eating fish was clearly associated with increased cognitive scores among the male teenagers.
The study shows that adding beneficial fatty acids from fish to your teenager’s diet can make a difference in contributing to teenage intellectual development.
Aberg et al. Acta Paediatrica. 98.3, pp 555-560. (March 2009).
Source: Kathleen Blanchard RN
From exmaxhealth.com
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Magik Mirror Moving
Hi Everyone,
The Magik Mirror, along with many other small businesses, is being affected by internet purchases and the tough economy. It is in the best interest of the store to move to a location that has a better chance of surviving economically. We hope that you will continue to support us in our new location.
The new address is 234 New Haven Avenue , Milford .
We will contact you with specific details, including our new opening date.
These are some of the items that are 40-50% off:
All clothing, Beeswax candles, Windchimes, Chalice set, Ravenwood Essential Oils, all the books on the sale case.
Other sale items are:
Music demos - Buy 1 get 1 free
7 day insert candles - $4.00
7 day insert w/jar candles - $6
All Bumper stickers - $1.00
Nag Champa Soy candles - $9.99
A variety of incense packages from $2.00-$3.00
and more!
Bright Blessings!
Bev
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