SLEEP..SLEEP...SLEEP...

SLEEP...HOW IMPORTANT..

SLEEP : Dynamic Activity

Nerve-signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters control whether we are asleep or awake by acting on different groups of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. Neurons in the brainstem, which connects the brain with the spinal cord, produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine that keep some parts of the brain active while we are awake. Other neurons at the base of the brain begin signaling when we fall asleep. These neurons appear to "switch off" the signals that keep us awake. Research also suggests that a chemical called adenosine builds up in our blood while we are awake and causes drowsiness. This chemical gradually breaks down while we sleep.

During sleep, we usually pass through five phases of sleep: stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. These stages progress in a cycle from stage 1 to REM sleep, then the cycle starts over again with stage 1. We spend almost 50 percent of our total sleep time in stage 2 sleep, about 20 percent in REM sleep, and the remaining 30 percent in the other stages. Infants, by contrast, spend about half of their sleep time in REM sleep.

SLEEP'S STAGES

stage 1,

which is light sleep, we drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily.
Our eyes move very slowly and muscle activity slows.
People awakened from stage 1 sleep often remember fragmented visual images.
Many also experience sudden muscle contractions called hypnic myoclonia,
often preceded by a sensation of starting to fall.
These sudden movements are similar to the "jump" we make when startled.

stage 2,

Our eye movements stop and our brain waves (fluctuations of electrical activity that can be measured by electrodes) become slower, with occasional bursts of rapid waves called sleep spindles.

stage 3,

extremely slow brain waves called delta waves begin to appear, interspersed with smaller, faster waves.

stage 4,

the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. It is very difficult to wake someone during stages 3 and 4, which together are called deep sleep. There is no eye movement or muscle activity. People awakened during deep sleep do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes after they wake up. Some children experience bedwetting, night terrors, or sleepwalking during deep sleep.

REM sleep,

our breathing becomes more rapid, irregular, and shallow, our eyes jerk rapidly in various directions, and our limb muscles become temporarily paralyzed. Our heart rate increases, our blood pressure rises, and males develop penile erections. When people awaken during REM sleep, they often describe bizarre and illogical tales – dreams.

REM sleep begins with signals from an area at the base of the brain called the pons.
These signals travel to a brain region called the thalamus, which relays them to the cerebral cortex – the outer layer of the brain that is responsible for learning, thinking, and organizing information. The pons also sends signals that shut off neurons in the spinal cord, causing temporary paralysis of the limb muscles. If something interferes with this paralysis, people will begin to physically "act out" their dreams – a rare, dangerous problem called REM sleep behavior disorder. A person dreaming about a ball game, for example, may run headlong into furniture or blindly strike someone sleeping nearby while trying to catch a ball in the dream.

REM sleep stimulates the brain regions used in learning. This may be important for normal brain development during infancy, which would explain why infants spend much more time in REM sleep than adults . Like deep sleep, REM sleep is associated with increased production of proteins. One study found that REM sleep affects learning of certain mental skills. People taught a skill and then deprived of non-REM sleep could recall what they had learned after sleeping, while people deprived of REM sleep could not.

The first REM sleep period usually occurs about 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep.
A complete sleep cycle takes 90 to 110 minutes on average. The first sleep cycles each night contain relatively short REM periods and long periods of deep sleep.
As the night progresses, REM sleep periods increase in length while deep sleep decreases. By morning, people spend nearly all their sleep time in stages 1, 2, and REM.

People awakened after sleeping more than a few minutes are usually unable to recall the last few minutes before they fell asleep. This sleep-related form of amnesia is the reason people often forget telephone calls or conversations they've had in the middle of the night. It also explains why we often do not remember our alarms ringing in the morning if we go right back to sleep after turning them off.

Since sleep and wakefulness are influenced by different neurotransmitter signals in the brain, foods and medicines that change the balance of these signals affect whether we feel alert or drowsy and how well we sleep.

Caffeinated drinks such as coffee and drugs such as diet pills and decongestants stimulate some parts of the brain and can cause insomnia, or an inability to sleep. Many antidepressants suppress REM sleep. Heavy smokers often sleep very lightly and have reduced amounts of REM sleep. They also tend to wake up after 3 or 4 hours of sleep due to nicotine withdrawal. Many people who suffer from insomnia try to solve the problem with alcohol – the so-called night cap. While alcohol does help people fall into light sleep, it also robs them of REM and the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep. Instead, it keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep, from which they can be awakened easily.

People lose some of the ability to regulate their body temperature during REM, so abnormally hot or cold temperatures in the environment can disrupt this stage of sleep. If our REM sleep is disrupted one night, our bodies don't follow the normal sleep cycle progression the next time we doze off. Instead, we often slip directly into REM sleep and go through extended periods of REM until we "catch up" on this stage of sleep.

People who are under anesthesia or in a coma are often said to be asleep. However, people in these conditions cannot be awakened and do not produce the complex, active brain wave patterns seen in normal sleep. Instead, their brain waves are very slow and weak, sometimes all but undetectable.

source:NINDS

Kids need the right amount of sleep in order to learn.

Research is showing that sleep is far more important than we ever realized.
When we are asleep, our brains are actively working, helping us develop motor tasks, deepening memory and learning, and much more.
Anyone who is a parent knows how hard it can be to get kids to sleep.
They thought that sleep just doesn’t seem that important, hence, the
frequent resistance to climbing into bed.
The bad news is that millions school age children are suffering from
inadequate sleep.
Studies also show these children
- perform less well in tests,
- have less recall and responsiveness,
- have more depressive feelings,
- perform less well in coordination and motor activities.

Kids need a good night's sleep to learn.
It’s a parent’s job to make sure they get it.
The first step may be in properly understanding sleep, learn about the four levels of sleep and
how sleep keeps us healthy and happy.

Tea or cofee,

which one is healthier for you..

find out more here...

Cutting Calories Made Easy

Written by Beth Sumrell Ehrensberger, MPH, RD
Published in September 2007

You watch what you eat and exercise, so why is the scale still your worst enemy? You may be eating more calories than you think. Consuming just 100 extra calories a day for a year can add up to a 10 pound weight gain, so those little slips can be a big deal!

To avoid scale creep, try substituting healthier choices that have fewer calories, but maintain flavor. Cutting calories can be easy - it's a matter of making a few simple substitutions over the course of a day. Watch out for these worst calorie-packing offenders you may not even realize are sabotaging your weight management plan!

Cutting Calories in the Morning

Love your morning fog lifter? A grande size cafe mocha made with 2% milk contains about 260 calories. Slim down your drink by ordering the smaller tall size made with skim milk, and you can save around 100 calories. With the rich flavor from the chocolate syrup, you won't miss the 2% milk. Bonus: Always ask for your drinks without whipped cream - it saves you almost half a day's worth of saturated fat.

Bagels have gotten bigger! A specialty shop blueberry bagel with 2 oz of cream cheese adds up to about 530 calories. If you have only half the bagel, and fill out your breakfast with a side of fruit, you'll cut about 115 calories, plus get a healthy dose of vitamins from the fruit.

Cutting Calories in the Afternoon

What are you drinking with your lunch? If you're cracking open a canned soft drink, chances are you're gulping down around 140 calories before you even unwrap your sandwich. Simply eliminating a single daily soft drink, at 140 calories per can, will save you 51,100 calories a year! Need more convincing to give up your favorite soft drink? Those 51,100 calories from your daily soda translate into nearly 15 pounds over a year's time! Can the soda, and pair your lunch with zero calorie water instead. If it's the fizz you like, try calorie-free flavored seltzer water.

At snack time, it's easy to use up an entire day's worth of discretionary calories (100-300 calories) with one push of a vending machine's button. You can break the vending machine habit by bringing your own lower-calorie snack from home in anticipation of the afternoon snack attack. You'll be cutting calories but keeping your afternoon snack.

Cutting Calories in the Evening

At dinner, serve your plate at the kitchen counter with reasonable portions. Research suggests that if food is served on the table family style, people continue to eat even after they are full. Skipping seconds if you're not really hungry for them is a simple way to cut unnecessary calories.

If you enjoy an occasional nighttime snack, take the time to measure out a serving and put the container away. It's easy to eat more than a serving if you and the box are in front of the T.V. Four handfuls of snack crackers can quickly turn into a 500 calorie diet buster! Mindless noshing can add up to big calories before you can say "commercial break."

Cutting calories doesn't have to be an insurmountable task. If you make small changes to everyday habits, such as cutting calories from "extras" or second helpings, you may find that your scales quit creeping. (HealthCastle.com)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

• 2 lbs. broccoli
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp. virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fresh milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Steps:

1. Cut the crowns of the broccoli. Divide into small flowerets, set aside.
2. Peel the stems until the tender center is exposed. Dice . Place them in a stock pot with the four cups of water on high and boil until tender about 30 minutes and the water will be reduced by about half.
3. steam the flowerets until bright green, but still slightly tender. After cooling, finely chop. puree soft steam in a blender until smooth.
4. heat the olive oil in a medium stock pot and add the onions. Reduce the heat to medium and cook slowly until soft. Add the flour and stir until well blended. Add the milk and stir well.
5. Add the pureed broccoli stems and half of the chopped broccoli flowerets and salt.
6. As the soup thickens, blend it again, using a blender or stick blender. Add the remaining finely chopped broccoli flowerets and stir.
7. reheats the soup, add the cheese in 3 batches and allow it to melt.
8. Cook for about 15 minutes and serve.

Serve with French Bread.

EARLY INITIATION OF BREASTFEEDING

The baby better be initiated in first 10 minutes , in order to obtain the benefits of an early feed,don't be waiting until the baby or the mother is ready, the opportunity for an early feed could be lost. Possibly at first hour then will be late for several babies, especially when his mother received sedation during labour.

The baby should have skin-to-skin contact with the mother after birth immediately , having free access to the mother's breasts, so baby will be able to feed when ready. the baby will be reached naturally by himself, although only 63% of the babies that could sucking the breast correctly in 50 first minutes, let the baby continued to try, and give a little help. This became an interactive process between the baby and the mother to strengthen their spirit attachment after the birth process. This process could be relaxing too for both of them.


Initiation of breastfeeding shortly after birth may enhance protective effect against diarrhea because of human colostrum . Colostrum, the yellowish liquid , that only was contained in 24 hours early breast milk, not many in amount, but really will influence resistance, intelligence, the growth and the development of the baby.

Then the mother has to give breast milk for at least 6 months exclusively, without additional food or thinned milk. because breast milk has fulfilled the requirement nutrient for baby's growth in first 6 months.
Mother has to eat enough nutritious food and beverages to keep her breast milk in good quality for the baby.

The right early decision will bring the right impact in the future.
The future of a country depend on the quality of the young generations.
The future of the young generations depend on the way a mother taken care her children.

UNSTERILIZED CHOPSTICKS

Watchout! Milions pairs of unsterilized chopsticks made in China!

A Beijing factory sold up to 100,000 pairs of disposable chopsticks a day without any form of disinfection.

Dangerous products are widespread in whole world, from pet food to medicine, tires, toothpaste and toys.

No body can guarantee their food/stuff to be 100 percent safe, but everybody could be selective.

My Healthy Creamy Soup

CRABY CREAMY SOUP


1 ltr boiled water
100 gr crab fillet
100 gr garden onion,chopped
25 gr margarine
50 gr flour
1 cup of fresh milk
salt, pepper, sugar.
100gr fresh sweet corn.shelled.

put crab in boiled water,
fry onion with margarine, add flour stir well,
pour crab n boiled water little by little, stir well till mixture,
pour milk, stir
add salt and pepper, add less of sugar (options), add corn and mushroom in, stir till boiling.
served in bowl with garlic bread and parsley or parmesan
served hot

i hope you enjoy it.
we can change crab with chicken, tuna or chopped meat.

Women’s Top 5 Health Concerns

Imagine living without illness to slow you down. While there are no lifetime guarantees, enough scientific research has been done to make long, healthy living a possibility.

To help women boost health, WebMD examined five medical conditions that are of great concern to them: heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, depression, and autoimmune diseases.

We looked at the risk factors for each disease and asked the experts what women could do to prevent such ailments.

In order to make full use of this information, Saralyn Mark, MD, encourages women to take charge of their health. She says women need to work in partnership with their doctors by finding out their family medical history, educating themselves on health issues, and paying attention to their bodies.

“You know what makes you feel good, you know when you don’t feel well. Understanding your body is key,” says Mark, senior medical adviser for the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women. In women, the condition is responsible for about 29% of deaths, reports the CDC.

Yet death in itself isn’t the biggest problem for women with heart disease. The real trouble is in premature death and disability, says Cindy Pearson, executive director of the National Women’s Health Network.

“There are far too many women dying of heart disease in their 60s, when no one expects to die because that’s too young in this country,” says Pearson. “There are (also) women, who, for many years, are really ill with heart disease — being out of breath, not being able to walk up one flight of stairs … because heart disease impairs their ability to get around.”

Although more men die of heart disease than women, females tend to be underdiagnosed, often to the point that it’s too late to help them once the condition is discovered.

“The symptoms for women are typical for women, and they are often missed by doctors and the patient themselves,” Mark explains. “We often think of symptoms … like chest pain. Some people may have that, but others may just have a little bit of jaw pain, shoulder ache, nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath.”

The American Heart Association lists risk factors for heart disease as:

* Increasing age
* Male sex
* Heredity (including race). People with family history of the disease have greater risk. So do African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and some Asian-Americans.
* Smoking
* High blood cholesterol
* High blood pressure
* Physical inactivity
* Obesity and overweight
* Diabetes

“The burden of heart disease in women is very great,” says Gregory Burke, MD, professor and chairman of the department of public health sciences at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. “The earlier folks adapt healthier behaviors, the lower their overall risk for heart disease or stroke outcomes.”

Burke says people can reduce their risk of heart disease by modifying lifestyle to include a well-balanced diet and exercise.

(source:info sehat&bugar)

BREASTFEEDING

Breastfeeding is the ideal way of providing young infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Virtually all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information, and the support of their family and the health care system. Colostrum, the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy, is recommended by WHO as the perfect food for the newborn, and feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth. Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended up to 6 months of age.

SOURCE: WHO

Living a Healthy Lifestyle.

One of the first steps towards a healthy lifestyle is to keep yourself clean. There is a saying that states, Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Diseases are caused by bacterias and viruses that can be found everywhere, in the air you breathe, in the water you drink and on the things you touch. To avoid these germs, you need to take care of your personal hygiene which means taking a shower at least twice a day, brushing your teeth and keeping your hair and skin clean. The simplest and most effective way to guard yourself against these germs is by washing your hands regularly with water and soap, especially before and after using the toilet and before eating. You also need to help keep your surroundings (room, house, neighborhood ) clean.

The key to good health is to be good to your body. You can do this by following some simple rules:

1.Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.
When you eat different types of foods, you will get all the important nutrients
that your body needs. This especially includes fruit, vegetables and fibre.

2.Drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated and drink milk to help you grow
strong bones.
Try to avoid drinking carbonated drinks that contain too much sugar which is bad
for your teeth and health.

3.Listen to your body. When your stomach feels full, you should stop eating
because over eating makes you feel uncomfortable and can lead to unhealthy
weight gain.

4.Limit screen time (time spent watching TV, video or playing computer games).

5.Be active. Replace some of your sedentary/sitting down activities with
activities like bicycle rides, swimming, football, netball and badminton.


Good Mental Health.

When you have emotional problems, it can affect your physical health so it helps if you practice thinking positively at all times. Remember that whatever your problem may be, big or small, it is only temporary and will eventually go away. When you have a problem, identify what it is and try to solve one piece at a time. If you cannot overcome it, do not hesitate to ask for help. You can talk to friends who have encountered similar problems or an adult like your parents. You need help to deal with feelings like worry, fear, anrger, stress and sadness. Do not keep everything to yourself. Sharing your problem with others will help you to feel better and find a solution.

(source: maxis)

MUSIC, FOOD FOR YOUR MOOD

It's natural for having mood. Mood changes. Lazy, enthusiastic, calm or motionless . it's depend on our feeling n ambient around. . and music can give countenance to it, even music can changes it. Music can induce mood states by triggering certain feelings. Music can stand to the emotions. Music will reflect your mood. Music can give an answer when everything is blank.The effect of music can have various ways, make better or worsth, depend on the acceptance. But in positive way, music can bring positive changing into mood. because we know how delightful music is to our nature how strong it is on our feelings.

My Healthy Creamy Soup

Craby Creamy Soup



1 ltr boiled water
100 gr crab fillet
100 gr garden onion,chopped
25 gr margarine
50 gr flour
1 cup of fresh milk
salt, pepper, sugar.
100gr fresh sweet corn.shelled.

put crab in boiled water,
fry onion with margarine, add flour stir well,
pour crab n boiled water little by little, stir well till mixture,
pour milk, stir
add salt and pepper, add less of sugar (options), add corn and mushroom in, stir till boiling.
served in bowl with garlic bread and parsley or parmesan
served hot

i hope you enjoy it.
we can change crab with chicken, tuna or chopped meat.