Being an Olympian: what to expect

A lot of practice sessions. Tough ones, to be sure.

But once you get there to compete, and stay in the Olympic Village, the expectations might be different.

Matthew Syed, a former Olympian, shares a story of interaction among athletes in the Olympic Village. A fact which, perhaps, caused some 100,000 high-quality condoms made available at the Village's clinic.

Do you want to be an Olympian? (or just being there in the Olympic Village)

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk

This sex fest was not limited to Barcelona: the same thing happened in Sydney in 2000, my second Olympics as an athlete, and is happening right here in Beijing, where this time I'm a commentator. I spoke to an Aussie table tennis player this week to check out the village vibe and he launched into the breathless patter common to any Olympic debutant: “It is unbelievable in there; everyone is totally crazy once they are out of their competitions. God knows what it is going to be like this weekend. It is like a world within a world.” A British runner (anonymous again: athletes are not supposed to talk to journalists unaccompanied by a PR type, least of all about sex) said: “The swimmers finished earlier in the week and it was like there was an eruption.”

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On armpit sniffing

Just as hair pulling is not enough, there is armpit sniffing... oh wait, it's other people's armpits!!

I wonder how he does that... sneaking or by force? Either way it's so weird, that the guy might as well enjoy being caned...

clipped from www.reuters.com

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singapore man with a penchant for sniffing women's armpits was sentenced to 14 years in jail and 18 strokes of the cane for molesting his victims, a local newspaper reported Friday.

The 36-year-old, who the Straits Times said was mentally unstable, had previous convictions for drug and sex-related offences.

He molested 23 women over the course of 15 months, smelling their armpits and touching them in lifts, staircase landings and their homes, the paper said. He was caught after a housewife reported him to the police.

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Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza

After sex, that is.

Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza. That's what Dave Zinczenko told Arianna Huffington - which she blogs in "Less Sex, More Fat: Why You Need to Get Some Sleep". She argues against workaholism and sleep loss: less productivity, less job satisfaction, less sex, and more inches around the waist. She ends the post by saying "So do yourself a favor and go to sleep right after sex. Or before sex. Or instead of sex. Just not during sex."

(I, too, question what enough sleep is, support midday nap, want to know the best time to go up, and try to find out how to sleep more to lose weight.)

Anyway, I'm not going to share my sex life. But it's worth it to check out what Melinda Wenner has got to explain, about why guys get sleepy after sex -- as apparently perceived by many ladies.

Towards the end, there's an interesting survey result, that 48% of English men fall asleep during sex...??

Why do guys get sleepy after sex?

(published on Scienceline and She Blinded Me With Science!)
by Melinda Wenner

For many women, the correlation between sex and snoring is one of those annoying facts of life: no matter when passionate encounters occur, men always seem to fall asleep immediately afterwards. Dave Zinczenko, the author of Men, Love and Sex: The Complete User Guide For Women, explained the phenomenon to Huffington Post writer Arianna Huffington this way: “Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza.”

I doubt I am ever going to become a pizza, and I’ll never have the foresight to order one beforehand. So in lieu of a cure, a better explanation will have to do. Although women sometimes feel sleepy after sex, the phenomenon does seem more pronounced in men. What is it, then, that spirals them into the land of nod?

First, the obvious reasons for sex’s somnolent sway: the act frequently takes place at night, in a bed, and is, after all, physically exhausting (often more so for the man than the woman, although this certainly varies). So when sex is over, it’s natural for a guy to feel sleepy.

Secondly, research using positron emission tomography (PET) scans has shown that in order for a person to reach orgasm, a primary requirement is to let go of “all fear and anxiety.” Doing so also tends to be relaxing and might explain the tendency to snooze.

Then there is the biochemistry of the orgasm itself. Research shows that during ejaculation, men release a cocktail of brain chemicals, including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide (NO), and the hormone prolactin. The release of prolactin is linked to the feeling of sexual satisfaction, and it also mediates the “recovery time” that men are well aware of—the time a guy must wait before “giving it another go.” Studies have also shown that men deficient in prolactin have faster recovery times.

Prolactin levels are naturally higher during sleep, and animals injected with the chemical become tired immediately. This suggests a strong link between prolactin and sleep, so it’s likely that the hormone’s release during orgasm causes men to feel sleepy.

(Side note: prolactin also explains why men are sleepier after intercourse than after masturbation. For unknown reasons, intercourse orgasms release four times more prolactin than masturbatory orgasms, according to a recent study.)

Oxytocin and vasopressin, two other chemicals released during orgasm, are also associated with sleep. Their release frequently accompanies that of melatonin, the primary hormone that regulates our body clocks. Oxytocin is also thought to reduce stress levels, which again could lead to relaxation and sleepiness.

What about the evolutionary reasons for post-sex sleepiness? This is trickier to explain. Evolutionarily speaking, a man’s primary goal is to produce as many offspring as possible, and sleeping doesn’t exactly help in his quest. But perhaps since he cannot immediately run off with another woman anyway—damn that recovery time!—re-energizing himself via sleep may be the best use of his time.

And although there is conflicting information as to whether women feel sleepy after sex, a woman often falls asleep with the man anyway (or uses it for some key cuddling time), which is good news for him: it means she is not off finding another mate. When the man wakes up and she’s still there, he just might be ready to go again.

It’s also possible that sleepiness is just a “side effect” associated with a more evolutionarily important reason for the release of oxytocin and vasopressin. In addition to being associated with sleep, both chemicals are also intimately involved in what is called “pair bonding,” the social attachment human mates commonly share. The release of these brain chemicals during orgasm heightens feelings of bonding and trust between sexual partners, which may partially explain the link between sex and emotional attachment. This bond is favorable should the couple have a baby, as cooperative child rearing maximizes the young one’s chances for survival.

The bottom line is this: there are many potential biochemical and evolutionary reasons for post-sex sleepiness, some direct and some indirect—but no one has yet pinpointed the exact causes. One thing, however, is certain: we females better get used to it, because it doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.

I will leave frustrated American women with one final thought: if you are upset at the ubiquity of the post-sex snoring phenomenon, remember that things could be a lot worse. A recent survey of 10,000 English men revealed that 48 percent actually fall asleep during sex.

Talk about coitus interruptus!

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Be careful of what you say

At work, we have several required courses that everyone needs to be re-certified every two or three years. One of them is Careful Communication.

It's kind of reminding us on the right use of emails and verbal communication that may result in legal charges. For example, comments or jokes that may be interpreted as racial or sexual harassment.

We should apply it at home as well.

A few weeks ago, I carelessly made a comment about myself: "I think my tummy is getting rounder."

One event led to another. Now I am (was - as of this moment) on 'forced' phase I South Beach diet - at least when I'm home. ;) No carbohydrate is allowed... ouch!

So guys, be careful of what you say.

(on a different note, this probably is the right time to do so - with the price and supply of rice go bananas...)

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On being indecisive

"Is it better like this?"
"Or like that?"
"A or B?"
"Left or right?"
"How about the last row?"

I did my eye exam this morning.

I think I drove myself and my doctor crazy.

There's not a moment in my life that I was so indecisive as was this morning.
"Can you show A again?"
"Maybe this one... err... I don't know..."
"I'm sorry, but left looks as sharp as right."

Maybe I was trying too hard.

Like one stand-up comedian said - you don't want to get a 'D' on eye exam, and end up with big, thick, coke-bottle of glasses, with a sign 'I didn't take it seriously'.

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Sleep more to lose weight

Now I wonder if there's something between me and articles about sleeping. I just happen to bump into one quite often.

My subconscious mind? (sleeep... sleeep...)

Anyway - all of them seem to be too hard to do, especially if we want to do so consistently during workdays. Getting seven-hour sleep is definitely the least difficult. Not getting up early is probably next. But taking a nap is a clear no-no. Not during the workdays, that is.

Weekend? Possible - though managing late football matches on TV and early morning tennis games is a challenge already.

And now a research suggests that we need seven to nine hours of sleep a night to lose weight and keep it off. One of the catches is that sleep less takes away the energy to exercise and adds to the craving for carbs. The danger is if these - exercise and eating less carbs - don't happen even after we sleep more...

Moreover, a Q-A from the article:
So how can I catch more z's? Calbom and Garcia agree: Reduce or eliminate caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. No late-night meals. No TV just before bed. Warm baths can help, as can meditation and deep-breathing exercises. Garcia often prescribes 5-HTP, calcium, and magnesium.

Hmm. At the same time some people use caffeine and sugar to boost up energy at work. Which help them work longer. Working longer drives getting home later, which means later meals in the evening. And TV? Of course after that - just before bed. Just the opposite, eh?

So try sleeping more. More energy. Less needs for caffeine and sugar. More effective and go home earlier. Earlier dinner, TV, and bedtime.

Gotta try harder!

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Getting up early is not healthy?

I've learned what enough sleep is -- around 7 hours a day. And also that sleeping less seems to be better than sleeping more.

I also learned that taking a midday nap helps live longer - based on a study that concludes that drop in deaths ties to a little nap after lunch, specially lowering the incidence of heart attack and other life-ending heart ailments. Well, at least it's true in Greece.

But what is the best time to get up?

"Rising early to go to work or exercise might not be beneficial to health, but rather a risk for vascular diseases," said an abstract of a recent study. It also noted, however, that early risers were usually older.

So get up early put more risk of vascular disease, and at the same time makes us live longer, statistically? Agh...

The question is, what is early and what is late. Is 8 AM early or late? What about 9 PM, or 7 PM, or 6 PM? What about getting up early but not for work or exercise?

Let's say 7 PM is not early, and 7 hours is the best quantity of sleep. Does it mean 12 AM is the best way to go to bed?

If getting up early is not good, is waking up late (or later) more healthier? I don't think so. But if this is true, sleeping at 4 AM and wake up at 11 AM is better than sleeping at 11 PM and wake up at 6 AM. Unlikely...

Unfortunately, the world today doesn't really allow us, well - most of us, to get up not early. To get to work by 9 AM most likely means to wake up by or, very likely, before 7 AM; unless we work night shift or extremely flexible hours. More alarming is students or school hours.

Anyway, we probably should expect the next study to figure out whether getting up later is better for health.

But remember, to stay healthy we need to wake up not early, sleep for around seven hours (or less rather than more), and take a midday nap. Thinking about capable of doing so will make us a bit healthier already...

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Managing oils

Fried food is very difficult to resist, isn't it? Some, probably most, delicious food are fried. You name it: french fries, fried chicken, kerupuk (crackers), batagor, etc. And also all the fried snacks or appetizers - fried tofu, calamari, and so on.

The problem with fried food, though, is the oil. Below is Dr. Mao's take on oils from Yahoo!Health. I found it helpful.

Unfortunately, it seems that fried foods taste good only when cooked with the bad oils, and the good oils are expensive... Frying chicken with olive oil will only lead to terrible fried chicken, and financial disaster...


There is a lot of confusing information circulating about oils. Hopefully, the tips below will help you navigate your way to the good oils that will benefit your health in the long run.

The Lowdown on Oil
Oils that originate from vegetable, nut, and seed sources provide the essential fatty acids that are critical for our nerve and brain functions. The typical vegetable oils that can be found at supermarkets have undergone chemical and heat processing that destroy the quality of the oil — bleaching, cooking, defoaming, distillation, extraction, refining, and the addition of preservatives. Additionally, many of these oils are exposed to light and air and are even potentially filled with pesticides.

All of this causes the formation of free radicals, which undermine the health benefits of consuming essential fatty acids. To ensure that you are receiving all of the possible benefits from your oil, buy organic, cold-pressed, minimally processed oils at your local health food store. Be sure that you consume oil within three months; to prevent it from becoming rancid, store your oil in the refrigerator in dark glass containers.

Fats: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
There are three types of fat: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated.

Monounsaturated fats — including olive oil, sesame oil, canola oil, almond oil, flax oil, and fish oil — are good fats. These contain essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that are critical in brain development and function, skin health, vascular health, proper immune function, fertility, and normal physical development.

Polyunsaturated fats, such as margarine, corn oil, hydrogenated safflower oil, and sunflower oil, also contain essential fatty acids. Unfortunately, these fats are highly refined and contain large amounts of trans fat. Trans fat, created by hydrogenating vegetable oil to make it spreadable, is implicated in both cancer and heart disease.

Saturated fats are the bad kind of fat. Included in this category is butter, peanut oil, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and lard. These saturated fats elevate cholesterol and triglyceride levels, leading to an increased chance of heart attack and stroke. These oils are best avoided.

Two Stand-Out Oils
The essential ingredient of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil, has been found to have beneficial effects on blood lipids and it may even lower blood pressure. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 60 percent of strokes and 50 percent of heart disease are associated with high blood pressure.

Hypertension is estimated to be the cause of 7.1 million deaths per year worldwide. A recent study has concluded that olive oil intake is “inversely associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.” The bottom line: consuming more olive oil is linked to lowered blood pressure.

Sesame oil — the most common oil consumed by Chinese centenarians — is enjoyed for its delicious nutty flavor and also possesses some considerable therapeutic properties. Chinese medicine lists sesame as a blood builder, a kidney and liver tonic, and a bowel protector and regulator. It is rich in phytic acid, the antioxidant that may prevent cancer. Lignan sesamin, one variety of sesame oil, appeared to radically reduce cholesterol levels in the bloodstream and liver of rats.

To benefit your health and enhance your meals, add some olive oil to your food and salads; sprinkle sesame seeds and oil into your dishes regularly. Some other excellent choices for oils include: walnut oil, flaxseed oil, and soy oil.

I hope I have cleared up some of the confusion surrounding oil. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

—Dr. Mao

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Dr. Sh*t to help Malaysia

Malaysia is really serious tackling the toilet- and hygiene-related issues.

While back then the initiatives seemed to be driven by tourism and image, the recent effort is closer to the root cause. More specifically, the Malaysian government is getting Dr. Shit to help educate on the matters about keeping toilets clean (the Sun, May 25).

Seriously, Dr. Shit (a.k.a Mr. Shit) - a geologist named Trevor Mulaudzi who now educates people to take more responsibility for sanitation.

Unfortunately, the ride hasn't been that smooth. Around the same period, overflown sewerage manhole damaged a number of files in a basement room of the new court complex. The cause of the overflow was, or it was blamed on, the use of toilet.

clipped from www.malaysianbar.org.my

Contacted yesterday, PWD deputy director-general Selvanayagam P. Nagalingam said the manhole overflow was due to the indiscriminate disposal of sanitary napkins which could have been going on for some time.

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Little and often

Drink wine, have a sharp memory, said Italian scientists. It can boost memory and delay the onset of dementia.

But it's also like walking on a fine line...

clipped from timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Experts said the message was "little and often" for people wanting to protect their memory as high levels of alcohol consumption can lead to dementia.

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Drinking coffee

I'm a coffee person. I like it black and hot, or latte with ice.

So it's nice to see another research saying that drinking coffee may help prevent gout - knowing I will soon be the typical "gout at-risk" segment (men, age 40+).

Then I found this article of 7 good reasons to drink coffee (gout was recently added).

1. Cut the Pain
   Two cups of coffee can cut post-workout muscle pain by up to 48%. From the Journal of Pain, March 2007 (link).
2. Increase your fiber intake
   A cup of brewed coffee represents a contribution of up to 1.8 grams of fiber of the recommended intake of 20-38 grams. From the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (link).
3. Protection against cirrhosis of the liver
   Of course you could just cut down on the alcohol intake. From the Archives of Internal Medicine (link).
4. Lowered risk of Type 2 Diabetes
   Those who consumed 6 or more cups per day had a 22% lower risk of diabetes. From the Archives of Internal Medicine (link).
5. Lowered risk of Alzheimer’s disease
   There is considerable evidence that caffeine may protect against Alzheimer’s disease. From the European Journal of Neurology (link).
6. Reduces suicide risk
   10 year study of 86,000 female nurses show a reduced risk of suicide in the coffee drinkers. From the Archives of Internal Medicine (link).
7. Protection against Parkinson’s
   People with Parkinson’s disease are less likely to be smokers and coffee drinkers than their healthy siblings. Just make sure you don’t get lung cancer on the way. From the Archives of Neurology (link).

And also a research that shows that coffee may boost a woman’s sex drive (there's a catch).

Of course, there are cons about drinking coffee. The article "Coffee: to drink or not to drink" has both pros and cons. Interestingly, the first pros is "There are scientific studies that refute most if not all of the above listed negative effects".

But just like anything else, I believe consuming too much coffee is not good either.

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Another recall of contact lense solution

It was Bausch & Lomb's ReNu almost exactly a year ago. Then Complete MoisturePlus last November. Now, another recall case of Complete MoisturePlus. This latest case has been linked to a rare but serious eye infection that can cause blindness.

The recall includes products in Asia, so if you currently use one, please stop using it. Check the manufacturer's Southeast Asia website for more info.

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Circum(de)cision

clipped from www.nytimes.com

Now that three clinical trials in Africa have shown that circumcision helps protect men against AIDS and the World Health Organization has endorsed it, public health doctors elsewhere — including in New York City — are contemplating whether to recommend it. Then comes the difficult part — how to sell the idea.

If circumcision does not have ties to any religion, how difficult is it to convince men to get circumcised?

Some supporting ideas include HIV prevention (only for those who penetrate but not on the receiving end) and a say that circumcised men get all women because they can make love longer (at the expense of lessened sensation). In Indonesia, at least, there is also a perception that a boy will grow faster after being circumcise.

Medically, circumcision reduces the incidence of cancer of the penis (yes, I also have never heard it before). And sexually, there is a survey of adult males using self-report that suggests more varied sexual practice and less sexual dysfunction in circumcised adult men. One even argues that circumcision should be mandatory.

On the other hand, circumcision may cause loss of sensitivity. Some also believe that it may reduce volume of or shorten the penis - an Australian survey found that the difference was statistically significant... ouch.

Other concerns include financial costs (vs. benefits) of getting circumcised and possible surgical complications.

In the U.S., however, a study shows that most women prefer circumcision for sexual reasons, with visual appeal and sexual hygiene being the predominate reasons...

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On dirty toilets and being hygienic

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim said dirty toilets are the most common complaint foreign tourists have about Malaysia - I read in the Sun newspaper. It's not a surprise. Even he didn't deny that the condition of many public toilets leaves much room for improvements.

Also quoted in New Straits Times, Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong Wie Kong said: "Tourists are quite shocked when they visit our toilets. The toilets are dirty, wet, smelly and are often without toilet paper or soap."

It's enlightening to see them agree that this is a problem. Some actions have been taken, or planned, I guess, like introducing college courses in lavatory management. College course? Seriously, it's part of what Malaysia is doing to flush away its insanitary reputation. Or the "high-tech, self-cleaning toilets" that cost RM 400k each, as Screenshots blogged. (If I understood correctly, these sophisticated toilets will auto-flush. Kind of high-tech in early 90's to me. But still, thumbs up for providing this kind of toilets in public areas.)

What's sad is the main motive to solve this seems to be the tourism or image from outside, and not to be truly clean and hygienic - which is more the root cause.

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk

“Try to imagine dirty, disgusting toilets that make you nauseous — these will
surely give us a negative image,” Najib Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister,
said at a speech last year at the National Toilet Expo and Forum.

Unspun has brought up the issue of dirty habit a few months back. This is perhaps true for most of the cultures in Asia. But there should be a shift in the habit - the one that is aware of personal hygiene.

Being hygienic, by the way, is not too difficult. We can all start with a discipline in washing our hands. And please dry them appropriately before getting off the toilet. I always wonder what it could be on the door handle when it's wet.

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Don't miss sex more than a month

"My research shows that if you don't have sex for a month you probably won't have it for a year," said Kunio Kitamura, director of the Japan Family Planning Association, in conjunction to concerns over Japan's declining birthrate. (an identical article from Guardian titled "no sex please, we're Japanese".)

The Japanese work so hard, that they prefer sleep that have sex. 34.6% married couple had not had sex for more than a month. The wives, as a consequence, look for solutions: sex volunteers.

Even a 2005 poll by Durex finds that the Japanese have sex an average of just 45 times a year compared with a global average of 103 times. That's about once a week for the Japanese and twice a week on global average. (If we look at the data a bit closer though, the bottom 8 are Asian countries: Japan, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan.)

I found it a bit strange as I thought Japanese to have a higher-than-average level of kinkiness. You know, with all the cartoons, the sex industry, games and stuff. Combining these with hard-working attitude is the comment below:

"The men love their companies; they live for work," Mr Kim said. "Men don't even think it is a problem if they don't have sex with their wives. They have pornography and the sex industry to take care of their needs, but their wives have nowhere to go. They just suffer in silence."

In the other part of the world, ironically, it is difficult to control birthrate. A couple in Pakistan sold their newborn baby to pay the hospital bill (for delivery). This couple already has six children. (detik.com)

Back to what I had in mind when I started -- well, I will just leave Mr. Kitamura's comment as our food for thought...

------

A bit about the Durex poll results:

• People in India are the oldest to lose their virginity (19.8) followed by the Vietnamese (19.6), Indonesians (19.1) and Malaysians (19).
• Men have sex on average 104 times a year, while women do it 101 times a year.
• The Turks have the highest number of sexual partners and the most extra-marital affairs. Indians have had the fewest sexual partners (3). Indonesians have 5.1, while Malaysians have 5.8.
• The Turks, again, top the charts when it comes to having had an extra marital affair (58%). Indonesians and Malaysians are 16% and 14%
• 35-44 year-olds have the most sex, and the most sex is being had in Greece.
• The most popular "sexual enhancer" is pornography.

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Peanut butter recalled

Just got an SMS that the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia has recalled Peter Pan brand of peanut butter, following the first U.S. salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter. The product is manufactured by ConAgra Foods, Inc.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that causes typhoid fever and foodborne illness.

Please throw out jars with product code on the lid beginning with "2111".

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Midday nap to live longer

In this demanding and fast-pace life, getting enough sleep is sometimes a big challenge. Some people even often skip lunch or have theirs while working. Work-life balance is out of the equation.

Taking a nap? Forget it.

Whoa, not that quick. A recent study ties drop in deaths to a little nap after lunch.

"... researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and in Athens reported that Greeks who took regular 30-minute siestas were 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease over a six-year period than those who never napped. The scientists tracked more than 23,000 adults, finding that the benefits of napping were most pronounced for working men."

It even concluded that napping was more likely than diet or physical activity to lower the incidence of heart attacks and other life-ending heart ailments.

The researchers mentioned, however, that while working men appeared to benefit the most from naps, they couldn't reach any conclusions for working women because there were relatively few in the study.

Midday napping, eh? Be sure this is the midday napping to improve health, not the other kinds of napping -- no study just yet... :)

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Bird flu virus for sale: unethical opportunism or state of survival?

Indonesian government's decision to negotiate the bird flu virus with an American company has sparked some debates. Many, it seems, argue that this is just another vehicle for corruption.

My buddy Sheque wrote "Kisah Anta dan Prota", about antagonistic and protagonistic (?) characters in Indonesia's sinetron (soap opera) and in real life.

There are new cases of bird flu in Hong Kong and Korea. Not human cases, fortunately.

What if, a big if, one of the bird flu-affected countries sell the virus and make a lot of money out of it, while Indonesian government decides not to? What if, a bigger if, the Indonesian government, indeed, plans to use the "profit" for the welfare of its citizens?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought ... it figures
-- Alanis Morissette

Ironic? Dreaming?

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Hair-pulling disorder

Trichotillomania.
trich·o·til·lo·ma·ni·a (trĭk'ō-tĭl'ə-mā'nē-ə, -mān'yə). n.

Some definitions:

• Dictionary: the compulsion to tear or pluck out the hair on one's head and face and often to ingest it.
• Medical: a compulsion to pull out one's own hair.
• WordNet: an irresistible urge to pull out your own hair.

What? Pulling your own hair (and ingest it)?

It came to my attention as a printed article on the Sun last week briefly discussed this type of disorder. Here's some of it:

Trichotillomania is a poorly understood disorder in which a person repeatedly pulls out his own hair, leading to visible hair loss. This disorder can have a crippling effect on the sufferers and treatment is rarely effective, notes a survey of patients with this condition.

“It has a much larger impact on people than I think even most mental health practitioners understand,” says lead author Dr. Douglas W. Woods, of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “A lot of people will look at this and say it’s just a nervous habit, but it’s not really.”

....

I would seriously think this is just a nervous habit. In fact, I can't recall I saw anyone that I know of show the symptom of trichotillomania as defined above. Not until I found the definition of Trichotillomania from Wikipedia.

Trichotillomania (TTM) or "trich" is an impulse control disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, beard hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair. It may be distantly related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, with which it shares some similarities.

So it's really about pulling many types of body hair. Now I can see why the study says up to 3.4% adults may suffer from this disorder. I think the number should be even higher. I can now recall some people doing it regularly.

Perhaps we need to worry about this not only because its negative effect on health (e.g. fatal balls of hair in the stomach), but also because it's disgusting.

Yes, because it's also disgusting...

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What is enough sleep?

A question posted in LinkedIn: "Sleep less, live longer? What is enough sleep?"

The responses are quite interesting. Most people would say 6, 7, or 8 hours is "right". Some even say that if they don't have at least 8 hours of sleep everyday, they can't function the next day.

One even go as far as: "I figure I'll get enough sleep when I'm dead. There's too many fascinating things to do in life -- including work... "

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has a leaflet on sleeping well. How much sleep do we need?

This depends mainly on how old we are.

• Babies sleep for about 17 hours each day.
• Older children only need 9 or 10 hours a night.
• Most adults need around 7-8 hours sleep each night.
• Older people need the same amount of sleep, but will often only have one period of deep sleep during the night, usually in the first 3 or 4 hours, after which they wake more easily. We also tend to dream less as we get older.

There are also differences between people of the same age. Most of us need 7-8 hours a night, but some (a few) people can get by with only 3 hours a night. It's not helpful to regularly sleep more than 7-8 hours each night.

The short periods of being awake feel much longer than they really are. So it's easy to feel that we are not sleeping as much as we actually are.

Of course, there are other studies and surveys. Each has its own conclusion, which makes it more interesting.

An article in livescience.com says:

"There is really no evidence that the average 8-hour sleeper functions better than the average 6- or 7-hour sleeper," Kripke says, on the basis of his ongoing psychiatric practice with patients along with research, including the large study of a million adults (called the Cancer Prevention Study II).

And he suspects that people who sleep less than average make more money and are more successful.

The Cancer Prevention Study II even showed that people with serious insomnia or who only get 3.5 hours of sleep per night, live longer than people who get more than 7.5 hours.

Another one from an interview in CNN:

The sweet spot appeared to be somewhere between 6.5 and 7.5 hours a night. Those are the people who lived the longest. Now if you got less than 4.5 to 6.5, you were probably going to live longer than those who slept more than the sweet spot.

Hmm... I would conclude that for most people "around" 7 hours of sleep is the best, i.e. healthy yet productive. Also, sleeping less seems to be better than sleeping more...

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