Sleep...sounds good

I have just read a whole chapter on sleep.  What it is, why we need it, the stages of sleep, dreaming, sleep disorders...etc.  You name it, I read it.  Unfortunately, I still do not seem to completely grasp the whole subject and perhaps I am not meant to understand sleep, perhaps I am only meant to enjoy it.  =)

Any way the topic of sleep intrigues me, because since I can recall I have been an insomniac.  At times I feel it taking its toll on me, yet other times I feel fine. I have recently learned that many people can sleep a short amount of time with no obvious ill effects and that people who are considered average sleepers can decrease their sleep time significantly, also with no obvious ill effects.  This information just baffled me, because from experience, books I have read, and movies I have seen; I understood that there were negative effects to sleep deprivation, and I know that if I had a good sleeping schedule (which I do not), if someone decreased my time I would not be a happy camper.  I would feel as if I need more sleep, because that is what I am used to. 

            I recently saw a movie called The Machinist and let me just say, the sleep deprivation even made the sexy Christian Bale not so sexy.  I know that there is still more research to be done on the topic of sleep and hopefully it is more unwavering then what I read.  There are simply too many theories and studies that require caution when reviewing.  All I know is that although we humans may not need eight hours of sleep daily, there are side effects to sleep deprivation.  Some of them are depicted in the picture below....          

Sex

"I think anything that has to do with sexuality makes people very interested"  -Catherine Deneuve

Most would not argue with the quote above.  I believe that by nature anything that has to do with sex interests us.  Sex is a very broad topic.  Sex can refer to gender/structural difference, behavior dependent on the differences, the act of coitus, or the instinct/attraction of drawing one sex to another.  Of this broad topic, the specific subtopic of sexual orientation captured my attention.  I suppose the reason that this particular area got my attention is that nowadays everyone and their mother's seems to be gay.  (Before I go further I would like to let it be known that I have absolutely nothing against homosexuals, on the contrary my best friend is gay).  Anyway, times have changed and so have people, and apparently so have sexual preferences.  From what I can recall encountering, or hearing of someone who is a homosexual was not very frequent, and my guess is that it has to do with the fact that it was  highly frowned upon.  Therefore, people felt that they had to keep it a secret.  In this day and age being gay has gained acceptance and it is not an uncommon thing to come across.  Which makes me wonder, are there more gay people because there is more approval? 

There have been many studies attempting to find out why or what exactly 'makes' people gay.  Some of these studies involve trying to find out if it is genetic, looking at the levels of sex hormones in both heterosexuals and homosexuals, differences of the brain, the fraternal birth order effect, and the maternal immune hypothesis.  Of all the studies, researches conducted, and hypotheses tested there is still no definite answer or conclusion as to why people are gay or what 'makes' them gay.

Nevertheless, no gown, no gavel. 

 

(Although this video seems to be that of persuasion that is not my intention.  I just think it goes well with my blog, and its cute)

 

 

Perception of Pain

    Everyone, whether we want to admit it or not has experienced some sort of pain and although I cannot speak for everyone, I sometimes think that life would be so much easier if we were not able to experience it.  In my opinion physical pain is not nearly as difficult to endure as emotional pain.  However, anyone who truly cares about another person tries to reduce any sort of pain whether it be physical or emotional in people who are important to them. 

     The dictionary defines pain as physical distress, as due to injury/illness, or an upsetting sensation in a particular part of the body, or mental/emotional suffering or torment.  Yet in my Biopsychology book pain is not as clear cut, in fact it seems like such a paradox.  For instance, there is no special stimulus for pain, it is more of a reaction to potentially dangerous stimulation of any sort.   In reality pain has no obvious cortical illustration,  studies have shown that it differs from person to person, and being that each person is unique in their own way it makes sense that we all experience pain in different areas and ways.  "The anterior cingulate cortex appears to be involved in the emotional reaction to pain rather than to the perception of pain itself" (Panksepp, 2003;Price, 2000).  By reading the statement above I can only assume that the anterior cingulate cortex is damaged, but I am not willing to put my hand in the fire for it.  Nevertheless, the rare condition in which people cannot feel pain is called congenital insensitivity to pain and for those who ever wished that they could not feel pain, or that their loved ones could not feel pain I encourage you to watch the touching video below.                       

Smart Drugs...

         Some of us have heard of nootropics (aka 'smartdrugs').  Nootropics are substances that are thought to increase brain activity and memory.  Although not everyone has heard of smart drugs almost everyone has heard of or seen the movie Limitless, and for those who have not seen it, it is about a man who takes a pill that allows him to use 100% of his mind.  Thus, changing his life for the better.  Occasionally the shelves of health food stores have them but shockingly enough they are more available on the internet.  The sales pitch for these pill is, "scientific evidence has proven that these substances improve memories of healthy children and adults and block the adverse effects of aging on memory" (Pinel 295).  The fact of the matter is that most of the research for these drugs has been tested on both nonhuman and humans with memory difficulties such as the elderly.  In my opinion these pills have a comparable result to hard work and caffeine.  If you are not a whiz kid before you will certainly not become one afterwards.  But as stated that is just my opinion.  Perhaps these nootropics really do work, the thought is ideal, but I am skeptical.  Perhaps it is mind over matter, after all the mind is a powerful thing, it would not be the first and only trick it plays on us.

         All in all the subject of nootropic drugs is very interesting and being that I mentioned the movie I thought that this short clip would not only give you an idea of the movie (haha), but it would show you how the drug is supossed to affect your brain.  Enjoy!