...Melatonin: The Myths and Facts Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland. The pineal gland is about the size of a pea and is located in the center of the brain (http://www.milatonin.com/melfaq.htm). Melatonin is secreted at night or in the dark (http://www.ceri.com/melaton.htm). It is used to regulate the sleeping cycle. It is also found to correlate with a lot of other functions and problems in the body. Because of its many uses, melatonin is being manufactured bypharmaceutical companies as a dietary supplement. People are using it to treat everything from jet lag to cancer. There have been many studies done on the effects of melatonin. The bulk of the studies have been done on the effects of melatonin on sleep and on treating jet-lag. The findings show that melatonin is proven to be an effective sleep aid and also help alleviate jet lag. Melatonin is a substance that the public is taking without being knowledgeable about its benefits, side or dosage. Many companies manufacture melatonin. There are two kinds of melatonin available, synthetic or natural. It is recommended to take the synthetic time release formula. It is the closer to the molecular make-up of melatonin and is made with pharmaceutical grade ingredients. Natural melatonin may contain animal parts through which viruses and diseases can be carried (http://www.teleport.com/~jor/#1). What is being said about melatonin Melatonin and Sleep Melatonin is used most frequently for sleeping troubles and jet-lag...
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...suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN has an inbuilt circadian firing pattern as when damaged in rats the circadian rhythm involving sleeping and feeding patterns has been disrupted (Zucker et al). The SCN regulates the secretion of melatonin in the pineal gland (another endogenous pacemaker which produces melatonin which affects sleep) and is also connected to the retina of the eye through a separate pathway. This highlights the indirect link between exogenous zeitgebers such as light and how melatonin production from the Pineal gland (endogenous pacemakers) works together with the SCN to maintain a rhythm. Light can also reach the brain via other means as Campbell et al demonstrated resetting the circadian rhythm through shining light on participant’s knee’s. This shows other secondary oscillators exist throughout the body maintaining circadian rhythms through the use of exogenous zeitgebers. Core body temperature is another circadian rhythm which sees its lowest point at 4:30am of 36 degrees’ c and highest at around 6pm with 38 degrees c. Hormone production also follows a circadian rhythm with cortisol at its lowest around midnight and peaking at 6am. Cortisol plays a role in making us alert and explains why if awaken at 4am we struggle to think clearly. Melatonin and growth hormone also have a...
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...Treatment of Insomnia: An Alternative Approach Anoja S. Attele, DDS, Jing-Tian Xie, MD, and Chun-Su Yuan, MD, PhD Abstract Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, and is often associated with significant medical, psychological, and social disturbances. Conventional medical treatment for insomnia includes psychological and pharmacological approaches; however, long-term use of frequently prescribed medications can lead to habituation and problematic withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, herbal and other natural sleep aids are gaining popularity, as herbs commonly used for their sedative-hypnotic effects do not have the drawbacks of conventional drugs. Whether alternative therapies possess activity similar to conventional therapies needs further evaluation. (Altern Med Rev 2000;5(3):249-259) Introduction Humans sleep approximately one-third of their lives. Scientists do not fully understand the necessity for sleep, nor the mechanisms for sleep’s physical and mental restoration. Sleep disruption creates fatigue and suboptimal performance, causing significant medical, psychological, and social disturbances.1,2 Insomnia is a widespread health complaint, and the most common of all sleep disorders.3 In the United States, the cost of insomnia, including treatment, lost productivity, and insomnia-related accidents may exceed $100 billion per year.4,5 Insomnia can be defined as the subjective complaint of impairment in the duration, depth, or restful quality of sleep. It is characterized...
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...How do dreams differ in people with schizophrenia to from those without the disorder? Kristin Staub Brookfield High School Dreaming is a vital part in sleeping, yet in some individuals it interferes in their waking state. For example, schizophrenics have hallucinatory images while they’re not sleeping causing some psychologists to speculate why this happens. People without the disorder and other people with other disorders have been found to dream while they’re in REM sleep which is a major mental process that allows people to dream. The following articles, “Sleep Fantasy in Normal and Schizophrenic Persons,” “An Extension of Freud and Jung’s Theory of Relation of Dream States to Schizophrenia,” “The Neurochemistry of Waking and Sleeping Mental Activity: The Disinhibition-Dopamine Hypothesis,” “Dream Content of Schizophrenics, Nonschizophrenic Mentally Ill, and community Control Adolescents,” “Sleep Disturbance in Schizophrenia” “Rorschach Responses Subsequent to REM Deprivation in Schizophrenic and Nonschizophrenic Patients,” attempt to explain the problem statement: How do dreams differ in people with schizophrenia to those without the disorder, through REM sleep in normal individuals and schizophrenics. Dream content will also be investigated to answer the problem statement and certain sleep habits. In addition Jung’s and Freud’s theory attempt to explain how dreaming is connected with schizophrenia in their conscious state rather than in their sleeping state through...
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...accumulate and store data through views and perceptions. neuroscientific/biopsychological perspective-examines behavior through genetic processes of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. evolutionary perspective- Tensions natural selection, adjustment, and development of behavior and psychological processes. sociocultural perspective- social interactions and social determinants of behavior and mental processes. Part II: Research Methods Describe research methods used in psychology by completing the following table. Then, select two of the research methods, and compare and contrast them. Your response must be at least 75 words. MethodPurposeStrengthsWeaknessesExampleCase StudyThe purpose of...
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...neurons located in the hypothalamus in the brain. This is what controls circadian rhythms of sleep- waking, body temperature and feeding patterns, the SNC is located above the optic chiasm therefore when light hits the retina it transfers through the optic nerve to the SCN which stimulates the release of hormones such as cortisol and melatonin in the pineal gland, maintaining our sleep- wake cycle. It’s been suggested from a evolutionary psychologists that endogenous pacemakers have an adaptive value in controlling biological rhythms such as the sleep- wake cycle, therefore suggesting it aids survival. This idea is supported by studies from psychologists such as Decoursey who found that removing the SCN in 30 chipmunks and returning them to their natural habitat, proved costly for their survival. They found that after 80 days significantly more chipmunks had died compared to control group with normal functioning SCN’s. Therefore, this suggests that EP, most importantly the SCN, indeed aids survival, as the absence of this important EP proved detrimental for the survival of the chipmunks. Moreover, another study that supports this idea is the study of free running biological rhythms by Michel Siffre. This was shown as Siffre spent 179 days deep in a cave in Texas, as a result separated from the influence of natural exogenous zeitgebers such as light. He could ask the researchers above ground for the artificial lights to be turned off when he wanted to sleep, and to be turned...
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...rhythm of 25 hours. Siffre (1975) * Case study of his own experiences in an underground cave for 2 months. Without any exogenous zeitgebers such as light or cues to guide him, his sleep/wake cycle generally adjusted to a 25 hour cycle, though sometimes changing dramatically up to 48 hours. Aschoff and Weaver (1976) * Designed a temporal isolation study by placing participants in an underground ww2 bunker without an environmental or time cues. * They found that the free running cycle persisted with a sleep wake cycle of 25 hours, sometimes increasing to 29. Weakness into research of circadian rhythms * Lack internal validity. * They removed natural light sources, artificial light from torches and cameras have been shown to reset the endogenous rhythms, thus interfering as an extraneous variable. Exemplified through Czeisler et al (1999) * Altered participants’ circadian rhythms down to 22 hours and up to 28 only using dim lighting to alter his release of melatonin from the pineal gland. * Findings do not reflect true isolation and have lower internal validity, so his rhythm may not have adjusted so well if he had been truly isolated. Siffre’s study * Criticised for being a case study reflecting Siffre’s personal individual differences which cannot be generalised to the wider population * His motivation to be isolated and his bodily history of cave exploring). Use of animals in studies investigating the function of the endogenous...
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...pretty similar blood–cerebrospinal-fluid barrier, which is a role of the choroidal cells of the choroid plexus, and from the blood–retinal barrier, which can be believed to be a part of the entire dominion of such barriers. Numerous regions of the human brain are not on the brain side of the blood–brain barrier. These comprise circumventricular organs. Example include: the top of the third and fourth ventricles; capillaries in pineal gland on the roof of diencephalon and pineal gland. The pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin "directly into the systemic circulation". Therefore, melatonin is not affected by the blood–brain barrier. The blood–brain barrier works very efficiently to defend the brain from numerous common bacterial infections, infections of the brain rare. Infections of the brain occur are very serious and difficult to treat. Antibodies are large enough to cross the blood–brain barrier, and only specific antibiotics can pass. In some cases the pharmacon has to be...
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...An Analysis on Seasonal Affective Disorder and the effects of Climate and Lighting on Emotion Brain, Mind & Behavior "Seasonal affective disorder also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn year after year." In the DSM-IV, it is not characterized as a unique mood disorder but considered a 'specifier of major depression'. (Stephen, 2007) Is it not more than a convenience that the year’s most joyous holidays occur on the onset of the winter solstice? The impact of light on emotion has been shown and linked by numerous surveys and tests in the past. Low or dark lighting has been shown to cause eye fatigue and headaches. Absence of natural daylight triggers depression and poor immune defenses. Insufficient lighting is linked to emotional stress and to physical ailments. Bright light stimulates emotions, while low levels of illumination quiet the senses. On the other hand, an excess of unnatural light does not replace the calming effects of natural daylight. Too much artificial light and overly-bright rooms hurt the eyes and make one feel jittery. (Fisher E. , 2004) The impact of lighting on mood and cognition has been difficult to demonstrate because people in industrialized countries, on average, spend 93 percent of their time indoors, making them largely...
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...Breonna Mosely 7/17/2014 Dr. Ganser Endocrine system effects on Sleep Deprivation Deprived sleep is a universal widespread problem observed in both children and adults. It is a vital process that helps in the functioning of learning, memory processing, cellular repair, and brain development. Statistics show that the average total hours of sleep have decreased per person to less than 7 hours per night over the past 3 to 4 decades. Many people experience sleep loss due pressures at work, stress, and our day to day lifestyle. The reduced hours of nocturnal sleep have shown to lead to serious health problems such as depression, obesity, hypertension, along with many other diseases. It also affects cognitive performance and emotionality. (1) The Endocrine system is responsible for the body’s stress systems and the release of the stress hormones necessary for adaptation and survival in the environment. Sleep deprivation are associated with increases in the hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal axis, increased levels of cortisol and autonomic sympathetic activation and increased catecholamine levels during wakefulness. Increased sympathetic levels causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Just briefly waking up from sleep for only a few seconds is associated with autonomic reflex, causing a temporary rise in heart rate and BP to the level seen while awake. This is more related to disruption and discontinuity of sleep than to the duration of sleep deprivation or...
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...Light Pollution Introduction Light pollution is increasingly becoming a problem that is affecting astronomical facilities, ecological habitats, energy and human heritage. In England, between 1993 and 2000, light pollution increased by more than 24% (Campaign to Protect Rural England, n.d). In addition, the amount of truly dark sky reduced significantly from a sixth to a tenth of the country. The major world cities are densely populated, and also contain towering skyscrapers. People living in these cities who venture outdoors in the evening can almost feel blinded by the intrusive outdoor lighting. One of the major cities in the world that has been affected the most by light pollution is Hong Kong, where the night skies are more than 1000 times brighter than the acceptable global levels. In order to fight the rising problem of light pollution, there is need for governments, businesses and individuals to join hands to ensure that the effects are mitigated. This paper discusses the effect of light pollution on wildlife and human beings, and provides solutions to the problem. Background Light pollution can be defined as any light that shines outdoors and has an effect on natural landscapes and/or living things (Jacobson, 2012). In modern cities, for example, lights from buildings and streets illuminate the night skies causing most stars to seem invisible. These effects can be noticed both in the urban center, as well as for several...
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...Before the start of the paper, I have to declare that there are many ways to promote goods, but most important, these businesses must abide by the law. This case study analysis focuses on misplacement of cultural difference by mounting unethical advertisement campaign by two Indian cosmetic companies - Hindustan Lever Ltd and CavinKare Ltd. The development of revolutionary skin lightening technology brand; Fair & lovely by Hindustan Lever Ltd opened up a new chapter on application of unethical promotional strategy- advertisement to generate large volume of sale and maintain market leadership position in India skin care industry. All Indian Women Democratic Association (AIWDA) complained to HLL and appealed to the National Human Right Commission protesting that HLL advertisement is racist, promotes son preference and insulting to the working women. Whether advertisement should be ethical? Is it important for company to consider the cultural norms? At first, There are a lot of advertisement promote their products overly, I can understand this behavior because it is the most important purpose to sell their products, what’s more, for some products, their effects is vary from person to person. However, the skin lightening cream is ,at best, only mildly effective. This is not the situation I said in last paragraph. Its efficacy is almost not up to anyone's expectations, so I think it is not only ethical but also a kind of deception. For this kind of product, cosmetics, the government...
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...Sleeping early means that one should finish his/her work on time and get to bed as soon as possible like ten o’clock in the night. Sleeping at 10:00 pm gives us sufficient time of sleep like 8 hours till 6:00 am in the morning. I totally agree that sleeping early is very beneficial for every human being. There are countless benefits of sleeping early like, one can get up in morning for exercise, remain fresh all day, have a good healthy body, have a good social life, remain punctual and gain excellent time management skills. We assume that when we sleep our body and brain goes to sleep as well, this is not true; our brain keeps on working and monitors the biological maintenance tasks which keep us running all our life like managing hormone system, immune system, body temperature, skin, muscles, blood and digestive system. There is an old saying “Early to bed and early to rise Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” This piece of wisdom passed on to us in childhood, do say it all about the importance of sleep but we seem to forget or rather ignore it as we grow older. It becomes an easy choice to cut back on sleep in order to fulfill the needs and demands of modern life. We need to understand that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. The quality of sleep decides the quality of waking hours including mental and physical activity, productivity, emotional balance, creative processes and even weight gain or loss. The requirement of sleep varies from person to person. Researchers...
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...when I got up the next day or if I stayed up all night long I felt like I had been out drinking all night. My body did not feel well. I was sluggish and had the jitters. It also did not do well for me to try and take a nap and get only a small amount of sleep. My mood when I was without sleep was either no a nice mood or I was very much in a depressed crying stage. I did not have good motor skills and I found that I would drop off to sleep just using the remote to change the TV. When I was really deprived of sleep it was not safe for me to drive because I caught myself trying to fall asleep at the wheel. Is this coincided with what the textbook talked about with sleep deprivation? I feel it does coincided with the textbook. Like the case study that was done with the student I in the beginning would be ok. If I sat for a long period of time after being without sleep I found that the need for sleep was strong. If I stopped myself from falling asleep I was ok. I would get my second wind as what they called a burst of energy My husband suffers from sleep deprivation. His mind just does not...
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... any change in the sixe,contour,texture,or temperature of the breast. Discharge from the nipple that may be clear. Bloody, or another color. An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast. There’s a a lot of testing that goes along with taking care of your breast. The different types of breast cancer tests are; mammogram, breast MRI, and a biopsy. By making the healthiest choices possible, you can make sure your breast cancer risk is as low as possible. Your sex, age and your genetics can’t be changed, but not smoking and exercising and eating nutritious food can be changes or modified. Knowing the limiting how much alcohol you drink or exercising regularly can decrease your breast cancer risk is important. Studies of breastfeeding suggest that is may slightly lower breast cancer risk. Risk factors you cannot change are Gender, Simply being a women is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Men can develop breast cancer, but this disease is about 100 times more common among women than men. Age: the risk of developing breast cancer increases as you...
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