Something About Sleep Apnea

I had this whole thing planned out about REM and I was going to make a bunch of jokes related to the band, but then I got bored. You should have seen it. There were puns everywhere. It was great. Okay, I'm lying. Anyway, this one is about sleep apnea, and I think it's quite a bit more interesting than anything I would have to say about REM.

So, sleep apnea is a type of insomnia characterized by the impaired ability to breathe while sleeping. Imagine if you were sound asleep and, all of a sudden, you just sat up and started gasping for breath. That's something normal for people with this condition. Sometimes people remember these instances and sometimes they don't, so if you're one of these people, it probably happens to you a lot more than you think.

I like to try and write about topics that have some sort of relevance in my life and sleep apnea is one of them. Now, I don't have it, but my girlfriend's mother does and I actually only found out what it was because of her. Apparently, she frequently wakes up gasping for air. She also has a snoring problem. A few years ago, she went to a sleep clinic where they hooked her up to a bunch of machines and monitored her sleeping. That's when she was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Now, she has this mask that helps her breathe at night, but it certainly doesn't magically fix her condition.

"What's the big deal?" you might be wondering, naively. Well, sleep apnea has symptoms that may be problems in there own regards. Symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Waking up with a very sore and/or dry throat
• Loud snoring
• Occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation
• Sleepiness or lack of energy during the day
• Sleepiness while driving
• Morning headaches
• Restless sleep
• Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex
• Recurrent awakenings or insomnia

You can see how some of these daytime symptoms might be troublesome for people with sleep apnea. If you or someone you know experiences some of the symptoms, it's probably a good idea to get checked out. Don't take my word for it, though. Take a look at what Shaq (yes, Kazaam himself) has to say about his experience with sleep apnea:

There are a few things that can cause sleep apnea. Some of these include genetics (you may have it if a family member does), hormones, old-age (as you get older, the mechanisms in your brain used to control breathing may deteriorate), and obesity (obese people may not be able to maintain a necessary rate of breathing while they sleep, causing them to wake up and gasp for air). Sleep apnea is generally treated depending on its cause, so some people may be encouraged to lose weight or avoid alcohol while others maybe need to wear a mask to sleep (like Shaq). In some cases, treatment of sleep apnea may require surgery.

Now you know all there is to know about sleep apnea. That's probably not true, but let's pretend it is. I'll see you next week. Same bat time, same bat channel.

Let's Talk About Sex...ual Behavior

A common question in popular culture is "Why do men cheat?" It's been asked for ages. People have written books about it, some have made movies about it. Heck, it's the first thing that pops up on Google when you type in the words "why do men". Some might even say it's something bordering on sexism. I can't say I disagree. Anyway, watch video from Good Morning America that tackles the question:

First off, the soundbites from the pedestrians at the beginning are pathetic, but that's not why I'm here. Steve Harvey makes a good point at 3:34. He says that there's something of a primal inhibition that makes us cheat because we're predators. While that's not exactly what I'm getting at, he's on the right track.

Let's think about cheating from an evolutionary standpoint. Imagine that you're a caveman in the Paleolithic era. At this point, people aren't a whole lot different from other animals. So, what does an animal in the wild do? They hunt and they breed. Let's not forget that people, despite our mastery of the opposable thumb, are still just animals. Think of a man's desire to cheat (if there is one) as the primal urge to spread his seed as much as possible for the survival of the species. So, that's that. Men cheat because they're animals. Women are far more evolved, right? Nope.

Women cheat too. All the time. I'll bet you're wondering what possible evolutionary purpose polygamy serves for women. Well, I'm sure you've had that one neighborhood cat that's always pregnant. Well, think of women who cheat as cats. They have multiple mates to ensure that someone's putting a bun in the oven. Additionally, having multiple partners gives cheating women a chance to compare their mates and choose the one who's better equipped to care for their offspring.

Now, this is all well and good, but this blog is about physiological psychology, not evolutionary psychology. I know you've been itching to find out what the physiological basis for this behavior is, so I'm going to tell you now: there is none. So far, there's no evidence to suggest that people are genetically predisposed to seeking multiple partners. As far as anyone's concerned, people just do it.

He was framed.

Before I wrap this up, I'd just like to clarify that, just because I listed some possible evolutionary explanations for why people cheat, it doesn't justify it in any way. People are vastly more intelligent now than we were in the stone age, so none of those explanations even apply anymore. Besides, there's an evolutionary explanation for monogamy too. So, you know...don't cheat. It's not nice and you'll hurt someone's feelings.

And that's one to grow on!

Pheromones: A (Slightly Gross) Love Story

Have you ever been strangely attracted to someone, but you couldn't understand why? Maybe it was the way they did their hair? Maybe it was their stylish fashion sense? Perhaps they just had a certain way of carrying themselves that just oozed confidence? Are you ready to read a sentence that doesn't end in a question mark? No? Well, what if I told you that your unexplainable attraction to this person was because you just really liked the smell of their armpits? "But, Stevan! That's disgusting," you say, secretly wondering if I'm telling the truth. Well, dear reader, I am...kind of.

Pheromones are chemicals released by animals that have an effect on the behavior of their own species, and it's usually sexual in nature. The gist of it is that animals use these pheromones to attract mates. For instance, when a dog or cat is in heat, every dog/cat in the neighborhood somehow knows and shows up, trying to get some action. If you weren't familiar with the concept of pheromones, you might have just thought that animals were psychic or something. In actuality, pheromone receptors in animals are really, really strong.

You're probably wondering what this has to do with you and Mr./Ms. Dreamy McDreamboat's sweaty pits. Well, I may have exaggerated a little lot. While humans do secrete pheromones through our skins (not just our armpits), they're not exactly useful as far as attracting the opposite sex. This is mostly because our pheromone receptors are pretty much leftover junk from our less civilized years and don't work. Don't fret, though, we do have olfactory receptors that resemble the pheromone receptors of other species. Unfortunately, unless you're trying to line up your menstrual cycle with your sorority sisters, human pheromones still aren't going to do a whole lot for you. Besides, who needs pheromones when you have boatloads of cash? Right?

If you're still hopeful, allow me to crush your dreams with this probably less-than-scientific experiment in which a woman has to choose between a man sprayed with pheromones, a man wearing aftershave, and a sweaty guy:

So, there you have it. Pheromones are nowhere near as effective as cheap aftershave when it comes to seducing attractive British women. Now you know...

And knowing is half the battle!

ne-m'oubliez-pas

First off, I'd like to say that I'm extremely fortunate to have never had to witness a loved one or acquaintance suffer from Alzheimer's. I know a lot of people who have lost family members to it and I'm thankful that it hasn't been an issue for my family. Unfortunately, not everyone can be as lucky as I am.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia in older people (ages 60+).  When people think of Alzheimer's  they generally think of memory loss, but the symptoms go much deeper than that. The disease works by attacking the areas of the brain that control decision-making, cognitive processes, and memory. Ultimately, it cripple's a person's ability to live their life independently and it will likely result in death. If you're curious as to what other symptoms victims of Alzheimer's experience, the National Institute on Aging has listed the following:

• Has difficulty with new learning and making new memories.
• Has trouble finding words - may substitute or make up words that sound like or mean something like the forgotten word.
• Loses spark or zest for life - does not start anything.
• Loses recent memory without a change in appearance or casual conversation.
• Loses judgment about money.
• Has shorter attention span and less motivation to stay with an activity.
• Easily loses way going to familiar places.
• Resists change or new things.
• Has trouble organizing and thinking logically.
• Asks repetitive questions.
• Withdraws, loses interest, is irritable and not as sensitive to others' feelings, is uncharacteristically angry when frustrated or tired.
• Takes longer to do routine chores and becomes upset if rushed or if something unexpected happens.

Now, obviously, just because someone displays a few of these symptoms, that doesn't mean they have Alzheimer's. Trust me; I have plenty of friends that meet several of these. However, it is something to think about. To give a better perspective, I found the following video on YouTube that features an elderly man with Alzheimer's. The whole things is kind of sad, yet lighthearted at the same time, although I will admit that the obnoxiously overlayed music by The Plain White T's didn't do much for me.

If you think that's sad, it gets even sadder when you look at the numbers. According to the CDC, as many as 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's. That's a lot of people (obviously). Chances are, you probably know someone who has it. To put even more emphasis on numbers, it's estimated that 5% of all people aged 65-74 have it, and the numbers shoot up as people get older, with nearly half of all people 85 and older being victims.

As far as causes, we don't completely understand how people get Alzheimer's.There are, however, two things that we know are definitely contributors: age and family history. As far as other things go, it's speculated that Alzheimer's may correlate with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. If you'd like to NOT have Alzheimer's, there are a variety of things that professionals suggest doing. These include things like maintaining a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, engaging in stimulating social and intellectual activities, and more. The main goal, of course, is to take care of your brain. Remember: you only get one. If you'd like more details on Alzheimer's prevention, alz.org is the place for you.

Hopefully, I've provided you with something useful. I've always been scared of getting Alzheimer's when I'm older. It just doesn't seem like a nice thing to have. Luckily, it doesn't run in my family, but I know that's not a get-out-of-jail-free pass. I really hope I have something less depressing to write about next week. I'm gonna go be sad now.

Goodnight, John Boy.

I Can't Think of a Witty Title Regarding Epilepsy

Epilepsy, in my mind, is kind of  a scary thing to have. I can't really imagine having to be wary of my daily activities pretty much all of the time. Defining epilepsy can be kind of difficult. Put simply, epilepsy refers to the tendency to have recurring seizures. These seizures are generally caused by excessive electrical activity in the brain, disrupting the way the brain sends messages, ultimately leading to the brain's messages getting mixed up. Again, that's the simple explanation, but the truth of it is that epilepsy is a lot more complicated than that. It comes in different forms and effects every epileptic person in unique ways. If you're having trouble understanding, fret not, my friend! Here's a video of a doctor and some children talking about how seizures work (there's also a nice little animation):

If you're wondering why I decided to cover epilepsy, I have a couple of reasons. For one, I didn't know too much about it before I did some reading recently. The main reason, though, is that one of my uncles and my girlfriend have it. They each have very different types of seizures. My uncle has convulsions, during which he collapses and shakes violently on the floor. He actually broke his shoulder recently due to a seizure he had at work. My girlfriend, on the other hand, has the types of seizures in which she just spaces out for a while. On a really bad day, she might pass out. Luckily, that hasn't happened in quite some time.

In case you're wondering what kinds of things can trigger seizures (and I know you are) here's a list:

• Stress
• Excessive drinking
• Lack of sleep
• Forgetting medication
• Skipping meals
• Flashing lights

From what I've heard, if someone is having a seizure, there's not a whole lot you can do. If it's really bad, definitely call for an ambulance, but otherwise, the general consensus seems to be that you should just wait it out. I remember, not too long ago, people used to suggest some stupid things like putting something like a spoon in the person's mouth to prevent them from biting off/swallowing their own tongue. Needless to say, you should not do that. Besides, I'm pretty sure you can't swallow your own tongue. Trust me; I've tried. At any rate, that's about all I have for today.

If you'd like to learn more about epilepsy, Epilepsy Action is a great place to start.

Stay classy, San Diego.