HEALTH BULLETIN .CO: study claims

Showing posts with label study claims. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Average person now spends more time on their phone and laptop than SLEEPING, study claims

The average person spends 8 hours and 41 mins on electronic devices

This is 20 minutes more than the average night's sleep, it is claimed

Four in 10 smartphone users check their phone in the night if it wakes them

More time is spent checking emails in the morning than eating breakfast

Sleep experts warn constant exposure to devices is leading to poor sleep

Expert advises making the bedroom a 'tech-free' zone in order to boost rest

Do you text late into the night and reach for your phone as soon as you wake up?

Many adults now spend more hours of the day using laptops and phones than they do asleep, a survey has revealed.

People spend an average of 8 hours 21 minutes sleeping a day – but spend an average of 8 hours 41 minutes on media devices.

The majority (81 per cent) of smartphone users have their phones switched on all the time, even in bed, they said.

Many adults now spend more time using laptops and phones than they do sleeping, a survey found

And four in ten adults and teenagers said there had been occasions when they checked their smartphone in the night after it woke them up.

They also spend more time each morning checking emails and using the internet (51 per cent) than eating breakfast (18 per cent) or taking care of their appearance (32 per cent).

Experts have warned this increase in tech-tapping means that people are not getting enough quality sleep, which has a direct effect on their health.

Previous research has found the blue light emitted from phones wreaks havoc with the body's natural rhythms, tricking the body into thinking it is daytime.

This stops the production of the natural sleep-hormone, melanin, and keeps a person awake.

Experts have warned that over time, a continued lack of sleep can lead to a weakened immune system and an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

It can also make a person more susceptible to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and can impair fertility in both men and women.

Sleep experts advise turning off all technological devices at least 60-90 minutes before bed for better sleep

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep and energy coach, advises turning off all technological devices at least 60-90 minutes before going to sleep in order to give the mind time to wind down.

Browsing the internet and social media before going to bed overloads the 'working memory' of the brain, leading to noisy, thought-filled sleep, she said.

She added: 'Three quarters of people in the UK are not getting a good night's sleep.

'As people increase the volume of technology in their homes, there are more distractions to keep them awake at night, reducing the amount of quality sleep they receive.

A SLEEP EXPERT'S TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT'S REST

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, a sleep and energy coach, says taking the following steps can lead to a restful night..

• Read a book or listen to relaxing music - choose fiction over work-related reading materials or self-help books

• Have a bath and use some relaxing essential oils such as lavender to help promote sleepiness

• Switch off tech devices and avoid checking your emails or social media accounts 90 minutes before going to bed - put you phone, laptop and tablets away.

'Checking emails, social media channels and browsing the internet keeps the brain working, making it more difficult to finally switch off and fall asleep.'

And it's not just adults who are at risk. A recent focus group of almost 500 students aged 13-15 held by Dr Ramlakhan showed cause for concern as an alarming number complained of sleep problems and feeling exhausted.

Of those who complained, almost 80 per cent were using electronic devices in bed.

Dr Ramlakhan said: 'It is crucial that people recognise importance of a good night's sleep. The health risks associated with chronic sleep debt can cause a variety of problems, leading to further illness and potential lifelong issues.'

She advises keeping the bedroom tech-free to avoid future health issues.

She said: 'Your bedroom is one of the most important factors when it comes to getting a great night's sleep.

'Banishing technology from the bedroom is one of the easiest things people can do to promote a relaxing sleep environment and ensure they're getting enough rest for the body to recover overnight.'

The research was carried out by Silentnight.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Domestic violence can traumatise children even before they are born: Abuse on pregnant women is linked to emotional distress in babies, study claims

Scientists have claimed domestic abuse can affect unborn children

The study suggests children in the first year of their life are influenced by emotional and behavioural trauma experienced by their mother

Symptoms include nightmares and having trouble experiencing enjoyment

The study included 182 mothers aged between 18 and 34

'I think these findings send a strong message that the violence is affecting the baby even before it born,' said the researchers

When a woman is a victim of domestic violence while pregnant, it can leave a lasting effect on the unborn child, according to research.

A Michigan-led study is the first to link abuse of pregnant women with emotional and behavioural trauma symptoms in children within the first year of their life.

Symptoms experienced by the children include nightmares, startling easily, being bothered by loud noises and bright lights, avoiding physical contact and having trouble experiencing enjoyment.

Michigan State University scientists have claimed domestic abuse can affect unborn children. The study found a 'surprisingly strong' relationship between a mother's prenatal abuse by a male partner and postnatal trauma symptoms in their children during the first year of their life (stock image shown)

The research was carried out by scientists from Michigan State University.

'For clinicians and mothers, knowing that the prenatal experience of their domestic violence can directly harm their babies may be a powerful motivator to help moms get out of these abusive situations,' said Dr Alytia Levendosky, psychology professor and study co-author.

The study of 182 mothers, aged between 18 and 34, found a 'surprisingly strong' relationship between a mother's prenatal abuse by a male partner and postnatal trauma symptoms in her child.

ARE NUMERICAL SKILLS ALSO DECIDED IN THE WOMB?

Earlier this year, research linked a woman’s hormone levels in pregnancy with her child’s maths skills at age five.

Boys and girls whose mothers were very low in the hormone thyroxine were almost twice as likely to do badly in arithmetic tests, it found.

Thyroxine, which passes from mother to baby in the womb, is crucial for the development of the brain - but many expectant mothers have too little of it.

Researcher Martijn Finken studied almost 1,200 children from when they were in the womb until they started school.

He measured their mothers’ thyroxine levels 12 weeks into pregnancy and compared the results with the children’s scores in arithmetic and language tests at age five.

Those who were exposed to the lowest levels of thyroxine in the womb were 90% more likely to be in the bottom half of the class for maths.

The researchers examined the women's parenting styles and also took into account risk factors such as drug use and other negative life events, marital status, age and income.

Dr Levendosky said prenatal abuse could cause changes in the mother's stress response systems, increasing her levels of the hormone cortisol, which in turn could increase cortisol levels in the fetus.

'Cortisol is a neurotoxic, so it has damaging effects on the brain when elevated to excessive levels,' Dr Levendosky said.

'That might explain the emotional problems for the baby after birth.'

A clinical psychologist for nearly 20 years, Dr Levendosky has counselled domestic violence survivors who didn't believe the abuse would affect their child until the child was old enough to understand what was going on.

'They might say things like, "Oh, I have to leave my partner when my baby gets to be so-and-so age - you know, three or four years old - but until then, you know, it's not really affecting him, he won't really remember it,"' she said.

'But I think these findings send a strong message that the violence is affecting the baby even before the baby is born.'

Postnatal trauma symptoms include nightmares and having trouble experiencing enjoyment. The study included 182 mothers aged between 18 and 34. 'I think these findings send a strong message that the violence is affecting the baby even before the baby is born,' said the researchers (stock image shown)

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The vaginal orgasm doesn't exist - it's the clitoris that holds the key to female pleasure, study claims

There is no such thing as a vaginal orgasm, experts said in a review

Women have been labelled with sexual problems based on the myth

G-Spot, vaginal or clitoral orgasms are all incorrect terms to use

Like 'male orgasm', 'female orgasm' is the correct term to use, they said

Women worldwide do not orgasm during penetrative sex, review found

Clitoris and surrounding erectile tissue is source of female orgasm, they said

All women can orgasm if the female erectile organs are effectively stimulated

Previous study found size and position of clitoris key to female orgasm

Women who couldn't orgasm had smaller clitoris' further from the vagina

For years, women have often declared they can either orgasm through sex or foreplay.

But new research suggests we may all have been wrong.

For there is no such thing as a vaginal orgasm, a clitoral orgasm or even a G-spot, new research claims.

Instead, the umbrella term 'female orgasm' should be used, the study authors argue.

Most women worldwide do not orgasm during penetrative sex as the vaginal orgasm doesn't exist, a review found. Researchers say women have been labelled with sexual problems based on this 'myth'

They maintain that like 'male orgasm', 'female orgasm' is the correct term.

Historically, it was believed that women could orgasm through penetrative sex, and that G-spot, vaginal or clitoral orgasms were all different types of orgasm.

But writing in the journal Clinical Anatomy, the authors say the majority of women worldwide do not have orgasms during penetrative sex.

As a result, women have been labelled with sexual problems that are based on something that doesn’t exist: the vaginal orgasm.

The clitoris is the key to all female orgasms, the review found.

The clitoris, is the human female’s most erogenous zone, often called the ‘female penis’ because it is made from the same material as the male penis.

It is possible for all women to orgasm if the female erectile organs are effectively stimulated, the researchers added.

The female erectile organs include the clitoris, the vestibular bulbs – also known as the clitoral bulbs – which are found on either side of the opening of the vagina and the pars intermedia, a thin band that joins the two vestibular bulbs.

The size and distance of the clitoris from the vagina is paramount as to whether a woman can achieve orgasm, according to U.S. researchers who scanned the pelvic areas of 30 women as part of another study

Other erectile organs include the labia minora – known as the inner lips of the vagina - and the corpus spongiosum of the female urethra – the mass of spongy tissue surrounding the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to an external opening just above the opening of the vagina.

The review's co author, Dr Vincenzo Puppo, who calls himself a sexologist, said: 'Male ejaculation does not automatically mean the end of sex for women.

'Touching and kissing can be continued almost indefinitely, and noncoital sexual acts after male ejaculation can be used to produce orgasm in women.'

All women can orgasm if female erectile tissue including the clitoris is stimulated, experts said

The review, published in the journal Clinical Anatomy, comes after a U.S. study published earlier this year found that the size of a woman’s clitoris can impact their ability to have an orgasm.

In women who have orgasm problems, the clitoris is smaller and located farther from the vagina, the study found.

The researchers said their findings could lead to new treatments for women suffering from anorgasmia, who are unable to have orgasms.

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the pelvic area of 30 women who were on average 32 years old.

Ten of the women had reported rarely or never achieving orgasms despite trying, while the rest had a normal experience during sex.

The women who had problems achieving orgasm tended to have smaller clitoris' located further away from the vagina.

Researchers said that although orgasm is complex, the size and location of the clitoris may be paramount.

The clitoral complex, which has a shape of a boomerang, extends under the skin and includes parts that are known as the body, crura, bulb and root.

It is possible that a smaller distance between these structures and the vagina makes it easier for the clitoris to be stimulated during intercourse.

The study was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in February this year

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

You better Adam and Eve it! Apples improve sex for women: Fruit compound stimulates female organs, study claims

Researchers in Italy have found apples can boost sexual pleasure

The findings were made as part of a study of 731 Italian women

Each of the women was asked to say how often they consumed apples

They then filled out a questionnaire to rate their sexual experiences

Those who reported increased sexual pleasure also ate more apples

The reason could be the presence of phloridzin in apples, which plays a similar role in sexual arousal in women to the hormone estradiol

Apples are often said to be healthy snack and a good low-calorie food - but could they also be a promising aphrodisiac?

That’s the case according to a study that says the fruit can boost sexual pleasure in women.

The researchers found a link between enhanced sexual function in healthy women and regular daily apple use.

Enlarge

Researchers in Italy have found apples (stock image shown) can boost sexual pleasure. The findings were made as part of a study of 731 Italian women. Each of the women was asked to say how often they consumed apples, with those who ate more reporting higher sexual pleasure

AN APPLE A DAY DOES KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY

An apple a day could stop you having a heart attack - and may even be as effective as taking a statin, claim Oxford University researchers.

They say healthy over-50s who add a daily apple to their diet can benefit as much as those who start taking a tablet.

Their study goes some way to proving the proverb coined by the Victorians: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’

The scientists’ calculations suggest that prescribing an apple a day to everyone aged 50 and over would prevent or delay around 8,500 heart attacks and strokes a year in the UK.

The health benefits are similar to giving statins to everyone over 50 who is not already taking cholesterol-lowering drugs.

In the study published in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics they analysed 731 healthy Italian women aged 18 to 43.

All of the participants were asked to report on their daily apple consumption and their eating habits.

They were then split into two groups, one that ate apples regularly - more than one a day - and another that ate less than one a day.

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The participants were then also asked to fill out the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).

The FSFI required them to answer 19 questions about their sexual activities including frequency and overall satisfaction, reports Huffington Post.

It was found that eating an apple a day was linked with higher FSFI scores, suggesting it increased their sexual pleasure.

Eating more apples apparently increased their lubrication and sexual function, enhancing the experience according to the study.

The researchers think the reason for this may be because apples contain phloridzin.

This is a compound that is quite similar to the female sex hormone called estradiol, which plays a large role in sexual arousal.

‘This study suggests a potential relationship between regular daily apple consumption and better sexuality in our young women population,’ the researchers conclude.

The reason for this according to the researchers may be that, like red wine and chocolate (stock image shown), apples contain a compound that boosts sexual arousal, in this case phloridzi, which is quite similar to the female sex hormone called estradiol that plays a large role in sexual arousal

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Wearing sunscreen may NOT prevent skin cancer, study claims

Scientists from Manchester and London carried out the world’s first molecular study into the way malignant melanoma is caused

Malignant melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer

Findings revealed SPF 50 sunscreen allows UV radiation through to damage the DNA in the skin’s pigment cells

They advise anyone who spends time in the sun to cover up

Sunscreen alone should not be used as protection, the experts warned

Experts claim that while an SPF cream (stock image) can stop the short-term effects of sunbathing, it allows enough rays through to cause potentially fatal disease in the long term

Wearing sun cream is not a reliable way to prevent getting skin cancer, scientists have warned.

A groundbreaking study into the way UV radiation attacks the skin has revealed that long-lasting damage is not stopped by sunscreen.

While an SPF cream can stop sunburn and the short-term effects of sunbathing, it allows enough rays through to cause potentially fatal disease in the long term.

Anyone who spends more than a short time in the sun should make sure they are covered up and should not rely on sunscreen alone, experts warned.

Scientists at Manchester University and London’s Institute of Cancer Research carried out the world’s first molecular study into the way malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is caused.

Their paper, published in the journal Nature, revealed that even highest grade SPF 50 suncream allows sufficient UV radiation through to damage the DNA in the skin’s pigment cells.

Dr Julie Sharp, of Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, said: ‘People tend to think they’re invincible once they’ve put it on and end up spending longer out in the sun, increasing their overall exposure to UV rays.

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‘This research adds important evidence showing that sunscreen has a role, but that you shouldn’t just rely on this to protect your skin.’

Malignant melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, with more than 13,000 people diagnosed with the disease every year.

The scientists found that sunscreen could not stop solar radiation causing a mutation in the skin’s ‘guardian gene’ which produces proteins that protect against UV.

The researchers insisted people should continue to wear sunscreen, because while it does not provide complete protection, it can slow the cancer-causing effect of UV. But they said nobody should rely on sunscreen alone. Instead, people should also cover up when spending time in the sun (stock image)

With the gene damaged, the skin is vulnerable to further damage from the sun and more likely to develop a tumour.

Study author Richard Marais, of Manchester University, said: ‘UV light targets the very genes protecting us from its own damaging effects, showing how dangerous this cancer-causing agent is.

‘Very importantly, this study provides proof that sunscreen does not offer complete protection from the damaging effects of UV light.’

BREAKTHROUGH STUDY REVEALS HOW RADIATION ATTACKS THE SKIN

The research team examined the molecular effects of UV light on the skin of 110 mice which had been genetically altered to be susceptible to melanoma.

They found that the use of SPF 50 sun cream would delay the formation of tumours, but could not stop it altogether.

Over a 15-month period they exposed the mice to weekly dose of UV radiation similar to that a person would be receive to if they spent an hour a week in a garden in southern England.

The mice which did not have any protection each developed tumours after an average of 5.3 months, and within seven months every single one had the cancer.

Another group of mice had their fur shaved and SPF50 sunscreen applied. These mice developed tumours after an average of 7.5 months, and each had grown melanoma within 15 months.

Professor Marais insisted people should continue to wear sunscreen, because while it does not provide complete protection, it can slow the cancer-causing effect of UV.

But he said nobody should rely on sunscreen alone to protect them from skin cancer.

He said: ‘This work highlights the importance of combining sunscreen with other strategies to protect our skin, including wearing hats and loose fitting clothing, and seeking shade when the sun is at its strongest.’

Professor Marais said the crucial finding is the impact of a ‘guardian gene’ called P53, which normally helps protect from the effects of damage caused by UV light.

He said: ‘We found that sunscreen does work by limiting the immediate effect of UV on the skin - it stops sunburn.

‘But sunscreen does not protect the skin completely - enough UV light sneaks past to cause long term damage to the DNA.

‘The important thing is the impact on the P53 gene, which is the guardian of the genome. Usually when you go out into the sun P53 activates the release of protein which protects against UV.

‘But solar radiation knocks out the guardian, it targets the very thing that defends the skin, and sunscreen cannot protect against that.’

The cosmetics industry insisted it had never claimed sun cream could stop cancer.

Dr Chris Flower, director general of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, said: ‘As cosmetic producers we never talk about cancer in relation to the product - we cannot talk about protecting against or stopping disease.

‘We never recommend that sun care products should be used to stay out in the sun longer, only as part of ‘sun safe’ behaviour, which includes staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, and covering up.

‘We can’t use the term ‘sunblock’ or anything that suggest there is 100 per cent protection. We can’t say total protection, the strongest term we can use is ‘very high’ protection.

‘The first line of defence is to avoid sun, the second is to cover up with a sunhat, T-shirt and trousers, and the third line of defence is to use a sunscreen.’

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Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Average person now spends more time on their phone and laptop than SLEEPING, study claims

A SLEEP EXPERT'S TIPS FOR A GOOD NIGHT'S REST

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Domestic violence can traumatise children even before they are born: Abuse on pregnant women is linked to emotional distress in babies, study claims

ARE NUMERICAL SKILLS ALSO DECIDED IN THE WOMB?

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The vaginal orgasm doesn't exist - it's the clitoris that holds the key to female pleasure, study claims

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

You better Adam and Eve it! Apples improve sex for women: Fruit compound stimulates female organs, study claims

AN APPLE A DAY DOES KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY

More...

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Wearing sunscreen may NOT prevent skin cancer, study claims

More...

BREAKTHROUGH STUDY REVEALS HOW RADIATION ATTACKS THE SKIN