sleep and memory

I do believe that you remember what you studied right before you go to sleep. I have had it happen before where I am studying for a test and I am dreaming about what I studied or if I am half awake I am repeating questions to myself. I think its weird but awesome in another way because I know that I learned it. The book also talks about being sleep deprived that it does not help with memory. I read on several websites that tests were administered on people who were sleep deprived did worse on memory or recognition tests than people who slept. I think it’s harder for someone to remember or even concentrate on something when you are tired.  I know when I am tired and studying or doing something I can’t think right. I am too focused on being tired and going to sleep than doing what needs to get done. I also read that not even caffeine helps with sleep deprivation and memory. So that means that staying up late studying and drinking lots of coffee is going to help you remember. Maybe it might keep you up but if you are deprived of sleep its probably not going to help your memory.

                I also read that you need sleep to consolidate your memories. Sleep is critical to convert new memories into long term memories. A study showed that brain regions shift dramatically during sleep. So in other words the researcher says, you are shifting your memory to a more efficient storage regions within your brain. So, study before you go to bed. Don't stay up all night studying because it is not going to help you.

Estrodiol and Related Hormones

A woman's menstrual cycle is usually about 28-35 days, but not all of us actually are between those days. I will be talking about progesterone and how it affects pregnancy. I have a friend that has been trying to get pregnant for over a year. She went to the doctor and the doctor informed her that she was not ovulating. They told her menstrual cycles were irregular thus she was not ovulating. The doctor ordered her provera to regulate her menses, then ordered her to come back for blood work to check her progesterone level. After her blood work the results came back and her progesterone level was at 0.5, the norm being around 10. The doctor then explained that her follicles were not getting big. She explained that the follicles in the ovaries are suppose to get bigger and then burst, releasing the egg. So her doctor then prescribed her Clomid, which is a fertility pill to help a woman ovulate.

Progesterone does not only affect trying to get pregnant but also staying pregnant. Many women have miscarriages because of low progesterone levels.

Low progesterone levels in the female body has many symptoms. They are the following:

Low progesterone symptoms:

The problem with progesterone imbalances is the symptoms typically mimic those of other disorders. Besides infertility and pregnancy loss, low progesterone symptoms can include:

Mood swings
Depression
Insomnia
Appetite changes
Weight changes
Irritability
Lack of concentration
Anxiety
Fatigue
Frequent menstruation
Irregular menstruation
Low sex drive
Migraines
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Vaginal dryness

Painful intercourse

Causes of low progesterone:

Low progesterone levels can be caused by several known factors or unknown factors.  Due to the complexity of hormones, some women may have no difficulty getting pregnant but for some reason, the placenta does not create the proper levels when it should.  Researchers believe that high levels of stress, poor nutrition and lack of exercise can contribute to low progesterone levels. Certain medications can also interfere with the body’s ability to produce progesterone.

Info provided from justmommies.com

Social pain

I was really amazed to find out that social pain was actually the same as actually being physically hurt. Today, many teens kill themselves because of a breakup or problems with their boyfriends or girlfriends. After reading the book it explained that if a person that is hurt is given Tylenol that it decreases the social pain. Wow! I think that it is awesome to know that the pain of being "heartbroken" can relieve the pain. If many teens or people actually knew this maybe we would have less suicides. I think it is ridiculous when teenagers kill themselves because they are hurt and they feel like they are never going to get over the pain that they feel, and all they need to do is take Tylenol. Having experienced the pain of break ups, I can say that the pain is actually painful. When I have arguments with my spouse, I actually feel pain. It's crazy to think that words can actually make you feel pain. Now I know all I need to do is take a Tylenol!

Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimers disease is a memory loss that deals with confusion, depression, restlessness, hallucinations, delusions and sleeplessness.  I have experienced having a family member that has this disease. My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimers when I was in 5^th or 6^th grade.  He was about 83 years old when the disease took over his brain.  It started with little things that he started to do, like walking around in his underwear outside or pulling his curtains down in his bedroom. My grandma was elderly also so she could not take care of his so my aunts, uncle and my dad alternated days that he would stay with us. He was then placed in a daycare. He would take off from the daycare walking and people would pick him up, they eventually had to put a vest on him that had the name and address of the daycare where he had to be returned. I remember going with my older brother one time to look for him around the neighborhood, he was at a factory that was near his house where he use to work. My grandpa had not worked in many years at that place. When we picked him up he did not know us. He thought we were just people giving him a ride. Then later on my dad and his siblings decided to place my grandpa at a nursing home. Another incident that I remember was with my grandma. It was my parents , my sister and my grandma. We were sitting there talking and he asked for my grandma. My grandma told him “Chelao im right here” but in Spanish. He did not remember her. Alzheimers destroys your recent or present memories and takes you back in time. My grandpa couldn’t remember us because we were little and recent memories, he couldn’t recognize my grandma because she was older and obviously did not look the way she did when they got married. He then stopped walking, wearing a diaper and eventually couldn’t use his hands, speak or eat on his own. He was like a baby. It is hard seeing someone you love not remembering you and that being the last image you have of them. It was better for my family that he got it later on in life. I read in the book that when people get it at a later age have no known relatives with Alzheimers disease. Im hoping that it does not affect my father. Im so scared of that. He is already 66 years old and luckily no signs yet!