Posted on

Men Beware-Insomnia Can Make You Die Young

Latest studies have revealed that there is a direct link between life expectancy and sleep. However, this differs in sexes as men are more affected by insomnia than women. According to the study, men who suffered from insomnia were at a higher risk of dying in the next 14 years than men who enjoyed healthy sleep.  What is insomnia?

The inability to fall asleep, remain asleep or awaken too early is termed as insomnia.

Men who suffered form insomnia were followed for 14 years and it was found that one in five men died in that span. The average age of the subjects was 50. The subjects were kept in a lab and their sleep patterns were observed including how well the slept and the duration of their sleep. The researchers observed that even after some patients were cured of underlying disorders such as sleep apnoea, there was a difference in death rates between self-described insomniacs and good sleepers. The study showed that more than 51 % of the subjects who were insomniacs died during the study period compared to 9 % of men who enjoyed a healthy sleep.  
Relation between insomnia and general health

  • Sleep is essential for our survival: Sleep in the time when the body replenishes the lost energy. This is one of the reasons why the doctors recommend people to rest when they are tired. Nonetheless, the current lifestyle has deprived men of vital sleep due to which they sleep 90 minutes less than the men 40 years before. The risk also increases with age. In America alone, there were 55 million sleep directional dispensed in the year 2009. If the person is not able to catch on to lost sleep, he can start suffering from chronic fatigue which can make him lethargic and decrease his concentration. This affects their personal and professional life.
  • Repairs wear and tear: The body goes through a lot of wear and tear in the day time. From the skin to the organs, all of them get affected. Due to lack of sleep, the organs are not able to undergo the repair that is needed due to which their condition keeps worsening. This may even trigger some diseases and deteriorate the functioning of the organs.
  • Snoring: Snoring can cause disruption of sleep and in severe cases can lead to cardiovascular problems.
  • Medications: Some medications can deprive people of their sleep and this includes both directive medicines and medicines that one can get over the counter.
  • Obesity: Studies have shown that obesity and insomnia are interrelated. Obese men are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, cancer and organ failure which can prove fatal over time.
  • Decreased immunity: Bad sleep can weaken the immune system and make the person more susceptible to infections. It can also trigger various chronic problems such as kidney and liver failure.

Insomnia in the form of disorders has various side effects. It can be treated medically and through counseling.

Posted on

Overcome Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety is excessive fear of embarrassment and humiliation in social situations and interactions with strangers that can have debilitating effects on the personal and professional relationships and bring on feelings of self consciousness, evaluation, judgment and inferiority and in some cases may cause panic attacks. This disorder is also termed as social phobia and these people remain conspicuous by their absence in social events and gatherings  Causes
In some cases the cause for this disorder is unknown, the causes for this disorder is unknown. In some cases researchers have figured out the below given causes:  

  1. Genetic: Studies have shown just like diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, social anxiety can also be inherited. Dr. Jerome Kagan of Harvard University has claimed that social anxiety may have a genetic root. He observed that children who had shy parents were more likely to be shy and an introvert, all their life.
  2. Physiological: Dr. Kagan also proved that children who had a high resting heart rate were more likely to suffer from social anxiety. When the child was stressed, their resting heart rates rose even higher.
  3. Chemical imbalance: Improper balance of chemicals in the brain can bring about this disorder. An imbalance in certain neurotransmitters such as Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) affect the way a person reacts in different situations.
  4. Emotional upheaval: Some situations which were traumatic and stressful, such as death of a loved one, divorce, changing jobs or schools, or accident can also lead to this disorder. All the symptoms of this disorder aggravate during stress, intake of alcohol, addictives, caffeine and nicotine.

Symptoms
The symptoms of social anxiety disorders are classified into physical and psychological:   Physical : The physical symptoms are-  

  1. Fast and loud pounding of the heart
  2. Stuttering and stammering while talking
  3. Breathing fast
  4. Sudden break of sweat especially on the face and palms
  5. Nausea, vomiting and indigestion
  6. Dry mouth
  7. Visible trembling and shaking of the body
  8. Tension in the muscles
  9. Blushing
  10. Feeling dizzy, as if things will black out
  11. Twitching of the jaws

Psychological : The psychological symptoms are-  

  1. Worrying and brooding for days at a stretch about an upcoming event.
  2. Anxious and worried while meeting people, worried about being scrutinized and judged.
  3. Extremely self-conscious in everyday social situations
  4. Fear of embarrassment and humiliation.
  5. Avoiding social situations to the extent of developing a phobia of going out or meeting new people.

Treatments
Certain medications such as tranquilizers and medical counseling can help beat this disorder. Overcoming this disorder can help people move out of the shell, give better interviews and enjoy a better social standing. The following tips help to overcome it in a big way.  

  • Be positive: It’s important that you fight off your negative thoughts and develop a better understanding about your life. Just being optimistic can be helpful in a big manner
  • Accept yourself: Instead of looking at your flaws and worrying about other judging you, accept your flaws. This will boost your confidence.
  • Stop being judgmental: All the worries of the world do not rest on your shoulders so there is no need to judge yourself harshly. Stop judging yourself on the basis of your looks and achievements. If you let yourself be, so will the others.
  • Breath: In sever cases social anxiety overtakes ones life. It time for them to learn breathing techniques. Breathing right helps to calm the mind, improves the blood circulation and helps to fight panic attacks better.
  • Learn to relax: It’s important that you know what relaxes you. Bearing this in mind indulge in your hobby, read a book, do some gardening, talk to friends and family or do some meditation ??before going for an interview or social functions.
  • Listen to music: A lot patients claim that soothing music helps them to relax and think rationally. So listen to some good music and push off the anxiety.
  • Learn to manage your stress: You can’t run away from stress, so just learn to manage it better.
  • Sleep well: The more you sleep, the better will your neurotransmitters perform and thus help you fight anxiety attacks better.
  • Gets the bull by the horn: Stop avoiding the situations that trigger this disorder. The more you go for social functions, meet more new people, the better will be your response to this disorder as your confidence grows and social skills improve.
Posted on

Smokers are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s

There is an endless list of the hazards of smoking, with a new one being added every now and then. One of the latest discoveries regarding these hazards has added to the woes of chronic smokers. As per studies, smokers are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s diseases and suffer from memory dysfunction as they age than people who keep away from cigarettes. As per this research, smokers between the ages of 30 ‘ 45 have double the risk pf developing brain disorders in their older days than non-smokers. Some of the other facts that were brought to light during this study are  

  • People who are chronic smokers (40 cigarettes a day) have 157 % chances of suffering from Alzheimer’s in the older days.
  • These people are 172 % more susceptible to vascular dementia which is also a form of Alzheimer’s.
  • The researchers evaluated the medical records of around 20,000 people for the past 23 years and came to the above conclusion. This occurred as a result of tissue inflammation as a result of smoking. Researchers believe that these inflammations can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. This highlights the fact that besides affecting the lungs, skin and eyes, smoking also makes the brain susceptible to various disorders.

More on Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common reasons for deterioration of intellectual faculties also known as dementia. This form of brain affection can interfere with the social and occupational functioning. This disease also takes a toll on the health economy of the country. In the United States, the cost of caring for patients with this disease reached $144 billion per year in 2009.  
Risk factors
The exact cause of this disease is unknown but there are certain risk factors which need to be taken into consideration.  

  • Smoking
  • Drug abuse
  • insulin resistance
  • obesity
  • vascular factors
  • dyslipidemia
  • hypertension
  • lipoprotein E epsilon 4 genotype
  • Genetic- this is a rare cause where only 7 % of Alzheimer’s patients have genetic history.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

  • Inability to think straight: Patients who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are not able to solve even small problems. A simple case would be the inability to remember personal phone numbers, or the inability to fill checkbooks.
  • Disorientation: These people are not able to connect with realities where they are not able to find their way back from a certain place, forget their residential address, or may forget how they reached a certain place. They are also not conscious of the day, date and time. One of the best examples is people forgetting the way back to their house from the grocery store.
  • Dull: These people may suddenly appear dull and lost where they appear detached to everything that is happening around them. They tend to spend more time watching television and sleeping than doing other activities that they used to do.
  • Speech: One of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease is that people forget the words that they were going to use while talking. They stop mid sentence trying to find the correct word.
Posted on

Few facts of Diabetes Mellitus-Type 1

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder with biochemical and anatomical consequences. This disease occurs as a result of deficiency of insulin. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. In the type 1 diabetes, there is no production of insulin due to destruction of beta cells of the pancreas by the immune system of the body. This disease is more prevalent in juveniles but also occur later in life, when people are in their late 30s and early 40s. Diabetes mellitus is a common disorder and is known as the silent killer as it can prove to be fatal, if not controlled.  Salient features of diabetes mellitus

  • It is a catabolic (metabolic break down of complex compounds into simpler ones) disorder. Some of the marked chemical characters of this of disease are
  • Absence or low level of insulin
  • Increase level of plasma glucagons
  • No response of pancreatic beta cells towards insulin.
  • Patients are dependent on external doses of insulin to control the glucose level in the body (hyperglucagonemia), to ensure there is metabolism of lipids and proteins and to prevent ketosis.
  • It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune cells of the body attack the beta cells of the pancreas and destroy them leading to deficiency of insulin in the body.

Facts about diabetes

  • In the United States alone 5 -15 % of cases of this disease are of the type 1. As stated above, it is more common in children than adults. Every year there are 15 cases per 100,000 children (those below 18 years). There are more than 1 million people suffering from diabetes in United States alone with more than 10,000 new cases every year.
  • The highest numbers of diabetes type 1 cases are found in Scandinavia where almost 20 % of the total diabetic cases are type 1 diabetes mellitus.
  • Japan and China have the lowest rates with less that 1 % of diabetes patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type 1.
  • US health expenditures every year has to shell out more than $100 billion only for diabetes.
  • Diabetes is a multisystem disease due to which the patient can develop a number of complications such as ischemic heart disease, renal disorders, visual defects, blindness, gangrene and autonomic and peripheral neuropathy.
  • This form of diabetes is more commonly observed in non-Hispanic whites. Comparing to all other races, Asians are less affected by this disease.
  • Sex: The occurrence of this disease is more in men than women.
  • Age: Diabetes mellitus type 1 is also known as Juvenile diabetes as it affects more children than adults. Among children, it is more common in early adolescence, between the ages 11 ‘ 13 years. However it can also occur in adults, between the age of 30 and 40.
  • Diabetes mellitus type 1 has a genetic onset where a person with a history of this disease in the family is more likely to suffer from it than people who don’t have a genetic link.
Posted on

Know the difference between cold and flu

Definition:
The common cold is also known as rhinovirus. It is defined as an acute respiratory tract infection marked by mild coryzal symptoms (cold reaching the head), rhinorrhea(dripping of the nose), nasal obstruction (blocked nose), and sneezing.
Definition:
Medically it is known as influenza virus infection. This disease is one of the most common infections and is among the most contagious airborne diseases. It is marked by an acute febrile illness (fever) and causes various systemic symptoms ranging from mild fatigue to respiratory failure. It severe cases, it can also prove to be fatal.Clinically there are two types of flu, called as influenza A, B or C infection.


Microorganism
There are a number of agents that can cause common cold though a majority of them (66-75%) of them are caused by 200 antigenically distinct viruses. Among them, the most common are rhinoviruses (25-80%), coronaviruses (10-20%), Influenza virus (10-15%), and adenovirus (5%).


Microorganism-
these can be caused due to various viruses, most common being adenoviruses, enteroviruses and paramyxoviruses.
Mode of infection-
This is a communicative disease that spreads through droplet infection and can also occur due to change in weather. The most common route is the nasal and oral cavity
Mode of infection-
this is also a communicative disease. However, this spreads faster than common cold.

  • Frequency
    – In the United States, most people have an average frequency of 1 episode in 1-2 years. Rhinoviruses cause up to 80% of this disease in the autumn months
  • Frequency-
    Flu usually takes the form of an epidemic in winter months in America. The severity depends on the pathogen involved. Within a year, millions of people can suffer from this infection.

Mortality-
Although common cold is not fatal, it accounts for 30-50 % of time lost by adults and 60- 80 % of time lost by children.
Mortality ‘
flu can prove to be fatal and in America alone, it accounts for more than 20,000 deaths annually.
Symptoms-
the incubation period for this disease is 12-72 hours. Some of the most common symptoms are-

  1. Nasal discharge which is yellow, green of white
  2. Nasal congestion
  3. Frequent sneezing
  4. Severe headache
  5. Facial and ear pressure
  6. Loss of smell
  7. Loss of taste
  8. Chest auscultation reveals ronchi (scrapping sound resembling sandpaper rub)

These symptoms usually last for 7 ‘ 11 days though 25 % of the patients may suffer from it for more than 2 weeks. In case of patients suffering from asthma and chronic pulmonary disease, the symptoms can get aggravated.
Symptoms
‘ The symptoms of flu appear from mild to severe. Severe patients appear ill with weakness while the mild ones show general symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms are:

  1. Fever- it can range from 100-104??F. As the person ages, the fever becomes more severe.
  2. Tachycardia- The heart rate increases due to hypoxia, fever or both.
  3. Throat infection- this can make talking and swallowing difficult.
  4. Reddening of the eye with watery discharge.
  5. Unlike common cold, patients usually do not have nasal discharge.
  6. Drug cough.