Sleep Deprivation

From the article, it is very much evident that many Singaporeans are failing to get their recommended hours of sleep. It is very startling to see a huge trend among secondary school students where only 2.6% get the rightful 9 hours of sleep while the majority of 80% get less than 8 hours of sleep a day. This is definitely a habit that is now starting of at such a young age.

Students at various levels of their education should be made aware on the effects of sleep deprivation. It triggers multiple effects due to lack of good quality sleep such as weight gain, memory problems, heart problems and many more.

The other point is that Singaporeans DO know about such negative effects due to the lack of sleep but taking action is another issue alogether. Singaporeans are always complaining on how there is so much do to in so little time. This is true, especially for fresh graduates who get employed shortly after. The chase to get the promotion/bonus, etc are some of the key factors that keep them going and neglecting their proper rest that they need. The best way to avoid future possible negative effects from the lack of sleep is to prioritize your events and meetings and to manage your time well by classifying events and assignments into (Urgent and Important; Urgent but Not Important; Not Urgent but Important and finally Not Important and Not Urgent).
I do hope that parents do step in and monitor and keep track on their childrens' sleeping habits as this might affect their cognitive skills and memory skills in the long run. Schools are able to bolster the idea of having enough rest to perform better in studies and sports.

sleep dprivation

Sleeping is very important as it helps to relax our mind and body, to replenish our energy, so as to be alert for tomorrow. Sleep deprivation is impulsive. A large proportion of the problem is due to the high paced lifestyle causing the lack of time to get the sleep we need. The other reason people are so sleep deprived is due to sleep disorders. Most people are unaware, as are most physicians. Sleep was not taught during their medical training. Sleep deprivation is getting on with teenagers as nowadays are hooked on with video games, usally giving up their sleeps to play video games. Besides, hectic school work gives students stress and often neglect sleeps to study. There are many consequences leading from sleeping deprivation.

Short term ocnsequences are as such; stress and anxiety, anger, irritability, depression, lack of focus, short term memory loss, difficulty in concentrating etc.

Long term concequences are as such; blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, obesity etc.

Sleep Deprivation

There are a host of reasons pertaining to this ailment.

Firstly, stress-emitted from the rigours of daily life. The regions which give the most stress, i believe, are academics and careers.

In a fast-paced, small country which has to strive harder than other nations to survive, Singapore's students are pushed to perform well in academics in order to ensure a bright future. Wishing to live up to their parents' expectations, pushed on by their competitive enviroment, these students thus willingly study into the wee hours of the next day despite an early class schedule that very day. Even when these students slip into bed, fears about upcoming tests, examinations or difficult syllabuses accost them. The mental pressure exerted by these give one little reason to relax; to sleep, to give one's body it's much needed rest. This would in turn result in a meager amount of sleep.
After the academic cycle comes a new cycle of stress-this time, about careers. In an increasingly costly world, a job is essential in providing for oneself-not to mention one's family. In Asian context, especially in Singapore, i believe one would be under more pressure to excel at one's job-if one has it, at all. Competition in the job market is fierce; the cost of living is high, providing for one's parents is essential and in Singapore, everyone seems to be in pursuit of the Five Cs-Cash, Car, Condo, Club(membership) and another equally 'important' factor. Apparently in this society,it would seem demaning not to have these. Having to be financially able to provide for all these would certainly be cause for much worry and stress.

Secondly, Medical Conditions could be another factor. Physical conditions, like asthma, could disrupt sleep. Mental health conditions-which include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder-could result in insommia or nightmares.

Even gender and age can determine one's hours of sleep. This is the third most likely reason pertaining to sleep deprivation. According to studies done, women are more prone to sleep disorders due to pregnacy, hormonal fluctuations and menopause. Also, the elderly are lighter sleepers than the young. This could be attributed to chronic health conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, diabetes and hypertension.

Although seemingly harmless, one should not dismiss this lack of sleep. Insufficient rest could cause a body to simply break down, or collapse-there have been cases of online gamers perishing on the spot after days of gaming marathons. Of course, there are a litany of illnesses owing to sleep deprivation- amongst them,increased blood pressure,increased risk of diabetes and fibromyalgia, headaches and even memory lapses. These are major health issues which should be seriously considered.

It is thus my opinion that parents should ease up to give their children more 'breathing space'-this would naturally encourage better sleep for their offspring. Working adults should reserve a little time each day to relax, perhaps an hour or so. They could even walk home from work, if possible-walking has been clinically proven to relieve stress.

Medical experts advise those who experience sleep deprivation or sleep problems to seek medical attention to determine if sleep disorder or insomnia causes are signs of a more serious problem. Generally, treating underlying sleep disorder causes improves sleep and overall quality of life. Yoga could also be a stress-combating measure.

Hormonal fluctuations and menopause can be easily treated with pills or medications prescribed by certified doctors, as so can the various illnesses experienced in the descent to old age.

In conclusion, i would like to reitariate that ignoring sleep deprivation is not a wise move. The effects would not be immediately visible but over time, the damages wrought could be considerable.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation seems to be a serious problem for alot of students nowadays. Students are suffering from this due multiple reasons.


Firstly, it maybe due to heavy workload from schoolwork, projects. Students are unable to finished their assigned task in school, thus, they have to finish it up even if it means doing it during wee hours. To make sure that they complete their assigned task, they are willing to sacrifice their sleep, just to finsh up their work.


Secondly, it maybe personal reasons. Some of the people out there would spend their time at night, to watch their videos or dramas as they do not have the time to watch it during the day. They want to watch the latest videos, thus, they will spend their night by just sitting infront of their computer to watch. This happens to alot of the people out there be it students or adults.


Lastly, it may be due to sleeping disorders, for instance, insomia etc. Those who are suffering from insomnia may feel that it is especially hard to sleep at night.


Sleep deprivation will lead to severe health problems like depression, memory problems, diabates, reduced efficiency, increase heart problems.


So in order to curb this serious problem, one should know how to manage their time efficiently.They should manage their time in a way such that work can be completed at the assigned timing and also in a way that they have enough sleep. Though it may be inevitable that people may have to give up their sleep for work, nevertheless, they should also keep in mind that health is definetely more important than work. They should prioritise health before work because, without a good health, they would not be able to proceed or produce good work.
So a message that goes out to all: Stay healthy ! Sleep more!

Sleep deprivation can ruin your health

Teenagers nowadays are getting lesser and lesser sleep. These are mainly because of some reasons. In Polytechnic, students often face with lots of project work that need longer time to be done but need to pass up soon. Projects also causes stress to students, causing them to get not enough rest for the next day.

Another reason why teenagers are getting lesser and lesser sleep is because of the internet. Internet has become an important factor in teenager's daily life. For example Facebook, teenagers stay up til late night to use Facebook, to view other people profile or chat to their friends on Facebook thus they ended up sleeping late and waking early. Gaming is another factor. Computer games are addictive, and once teens get hook up with computer games, they would not want their hands to leave their keyboard. Popular addictive games such as DOTA or Maplestory are perfect example.

Teenagers should be educated the danger of not getting enough sleep. Sickness such as depression is what we will get if we did not get enough sleep. Teens should set sleeping as their priority, as for teens we need around 9 hours of sleep in order to be energetic. Gaming and Facebook-ing can be set aside to the next day, it's no harm exchanging the time you played computer games with sleeping, and in fact it benefits you. Sleep early and get more rest, will result in you getting more energetic for the next day, and you will be energized to play your game. Parents should educate them and let them know the benefits of sleeping early.

Youths addicted to Gaming

With the advent of technology, there has certainly been an increasing trend in video-game addiction.

Besides this fact, i believe it is the rigours of academic life that drives our youths to these virtual reality programmes. Failing to achieve academic goals, many may turn to video games in order to gain a relatively 'easier' thrill-by achiveing quests and missions-than striving vainlessly to attain optimum grades. In addition, these games provide one with an artifical level of confidence-which is to say, pride that one obtains from excelling in virtual reality, rather than things one has achived in real life. This sense of 'achievement' and the adrenaline rush is what hot-blooded youths yearn for, and it is thus that they turn to this.

However, gaming has it's dangers. There have been incidents of youths perishing after prolonged gaming periods, which could be as long as an entire day,as according to an article in the Straits Times in 2006. A man had perished due to weak blood circulation in his body, after having gamed for an entire day.

There are,however,steps that parents or others can take to prevent this from happening. One could advise these youths to set realistic goals for themselves academically. Others could study with this affected youth in order to encourage him to study. Parents would either have to enforce strict disciplinary rule or have a heart-to-heart talk with their children. Their intervention would play a crucial role in getting the misguided youth to understand the perils of persistant gaming. Parents should also be advised to cut their children some slack academically, if the root cause of the problem is so.

It would be a good idea to get the teen involved or interested in other more erstwhile activities, such as reading, dancing, or even gardening. This would be a exponential distraction, and could possibly wean one off their video game addiction.

We should not give up on these misguided youths as 'lost causes'. Instead, we should provide the encouragement and support they need in order to live their own lives to the fullest, in the most productive and fufilling way possible.

Youth stuck on video games

27 hours a week is an average of 3.8 hours per day. This is a growing habit of many young singaporeans which needs to be regulated and possibly, changed. These long hours of playing results in the neglect of study and other things which might be more important and urgent. I realize that many 'gamers' are primary and secondary school students. Such habits, if not controlled, will be brought forward into later years resulting in dire consequences eventually such as health risks and possibly, death. This issue is even more worrying when a comparative study is done against youth in the United States who only spend 13 hours per week. I do realize that the contributing factors such as youth having social problems or poor students pick up gaming to avoid the realities of life. This issue might be slow but it is growing steadily. I do hope the government and schools will take a step forward to control the situation by addressing the root of the problem and also managing time and with proper guidance from both parents and teachers and even peers.

Addiction on Video Gaming

With regards to this article, i think that youths playing Video Games should control themselves on the amount of hours infront of the screen. Many a times people think that one were to rush home and play video games, is a sign of addiction. However, it is not, it is a decrease in school performance or greater friction among friends and family. Addiction occurs when a person needs a particular influence to achieve a sense of well being and therefore, is a mental and physical dependency compared to that stimulus. It is very easy to spot if one is hooked onto playing video games. Observe if he/she has been spending alot on purchasing video games or PC games lately. Has he/she been infront of the screen most of the time? Does he/she rather play videos games than having meals? If one were to hooked onto to video games, he will always keep thinking, strategizing how to win the next game. I have a few friends who were an addiction to video games, they had always been spending alot purchasing new games. They will definitely visit the LAN shop if they happen to pass by the shop, and will spend the rest of the day in the LAN shop playing. I think that it isn't wrong playing video games, just that one have to control himself, preventing geting addiction to it.

Youth stuck on video-gaming

I agree that most youths nowadays are stuck to video-gaming as there are more and more interesting games coming out like DOTA ( Defense Of The Ancient ) and most males teenagers are playing it almost everyday.

With new invention of games, youth tends to try them and then got addicted with them. MapleStory is a perfect example, where the character inside can get married together, and there are so many quest to do or hero to play from. This surely keep the teenagers stuck to video-gaming.

I was once a hardcore fan of maplestory where i spend a lot of my time playing it, when i reach home i will directly on my computer and start playing with it til i sleep. Video-gaming are addictive but teenagers should set aside time for their studies as studies is so much important, playing video-games won't people smarter and looking at the computer for a definitely damage your eyes.

There was one incident on newspaper that a guy playing computer games for too long and result in him dead. While playing, teenagers should also take care of their health, having lunch or dinner is definitely a must and i think they must allocate their time well, so that they got time for other stuff. They should not neglect studies or leisure time with family or friends just for the sake of playing video games.

Video-gaming

With regards to this topic, I personally feel that there are both pros and cons to video-gaming.
When it comes to youth video-gamings, I believe that teachers, parents would all assume that video-gaming is definitely bad and not advisable to play. However, I doubt anyone know that video-gaming actually have its own advantages as well.
Advantages
If the games are viewed as a form of light entertainment, they can have advantages. As part of a balanced entertainment diet, the games can help to provide stress relief for kids, they can help with aspects of coordination and concentration on visual details, and they help kids relate to one another in some forms of healthy competition. As long as one does not over play video-gaming, this can actually serve as a great entertainment.

Disadvantages
Firstly, a large number of children and teens are playing increasingly violent games. Kids do get immersed in the violence of certain gaming, which may contribute to a cold-hearted view of other people. It may make them prone to aggressive thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Very often, they would be seen as ‘ living in the world of their own’.
Secondly, kids who play video-gaming may get very addicted to their high scores and broken records. They may spend most of their time on gaming instead of studying. This would lead to a drastic decrease in their academic results.
Thirdly, kids may get so engrossed in their gaming that they neglect their own health. In certain cases, there are kids who got very immersed into their gaming that they don’t even want to spend a second away from their computer. They may skip their meals just to break a record, give up their sleep and etc. These are actually very bad for their health as these may lead to problems like deprived sleep. With the result of deprived sleep, it may actually lead to serious consequences like social and psychological. When one does not have enough or sufficient sleep, they tend to hallucinate more. Thus, leading to psychological problems.

In a nutshell, Gaming have its own advantages and disadvantages. Although the disadvantages outweighs the advantages, however, I believe that if one could manage their gaming time well, gaming should not pose as a problem to them at all !

TWEENS STARVING FOR PERFECTION

I agree that nowadays girls are starving for perfection as they got influence by super models, whose figure is super good and they hope to be like those models. So that they would look nice in their clothing.

I personally don't agree with how tweens are starving themselves in order to be perfect. A person don't really need to be skinny to be perfect. Why are girls hurting their own bodies to achieve something that is not good for their health? Parents should also be constantly checking on their child daily diet and educate them on how to have a balanced diet everyday. Image is surely important to people now, but your health is way more important than your image. What's the point of looking great when you have a bad health and more vulnerable to disease. Your body pay the price for what you aim to achieve, which is perfection.

Tweens starving for Perfection

I was dismayed when i read this article. Despite the fact that skinniness has been glamourised many a time by the media, i truely did not expect it to impact young children barely out of their childhood.
However, i do wonder if the fault lies with their parents. At this young, impressionable age, it is easy for tweens to be affected by various influences. Had their parents taught them to love themselves for who they were, and to be proud of themselves, i doubt that this would have happened. One with healthy self esteem and confidence would doubtless embrace herself for who she was, instead of falling prey to such influences. In order to nurture a sense of confidence within children, adults should be careful of their words and actions. In the second account, the innocous remark made by the ballet teacher severely wounded the blossoming tween's sense of self esteem. Although it was not deliberate, she should have kept a rein on her tongue.

Despite their busy scedhule(spl), parents should make it a point to make time to interact with their children. This way, it will be easy for parents to discover their children's issues. This way, problems could be averted. In addition, parents would have better relationships with their children.

I do hope parents would take this article to heart. This foolish idolatry of the thin could prove fatal to children, whose organs, immune systems and most of all, their esteem, are undeveloped. As such,i strongly maintain that parents should spend more time with their children. It would benefit both parties, and more importantly, prevent their children from encountering possible mishaps.

Tweens starving for perfection...

In light with the newspaper article, it shows a growing (obviously disturbing) trend of children as young as 8 years old are starving themselves to be, what they called, 'PERFECT'. Their definition of 'perfect' is being as skinny as the runway models or celebrities which is waywardly skewed for reality. The media has a great part to play in influencing the public about image and lifestyle. I believe appropriate parental education and support from other subsidiaries such as teachers and relatives will help the younger crowd to set apart on what is 'ambitious' and 'realistic'. It is, of no doubt, important to watch your image but not to the extent of risking your life. Therefore, it is important for parents to monitor their children on a regular basis and also to educate them on how to keep a well balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Can married women have male friends

In my opinion, I believe its the degree and extent, as mentioned in the article. To date, there are many cases where affairs are common which starts out as 'innocent' friendships and companionships. Therefore, it is proper to have friends of opposite sex to be let known by their husband/wife accordingly to prevent any miscommunication or suspicion. It is also important to know the limit that you can go with a married individual. I believe friends of opposite sex can be best of friends even after marriage. Since not all of us are of a similar personality, there might be occasions where the husband/wife might not like the friend of the opposite sex. Therefore, it is rightful to keep a considerable distance so as to not create any tension between your life partner. It is also important for both husband and wife to have complete trust in each other to prevent such scenarios from 'popping' up. I do believe that married women receive less contact with their male single friends on the context of the Asian Society. I believe its more neutral in the West where marriage is not a barrier for friends of opposite sex to NOT communicate like before. Therefore, I reiterate that its more on the degree and extent of the contact and interaction. =)

Anorexia

Statistics have shown that (anorexia),eating Disorders has affected up to 70 million individuals worldwide, which is indeed a staggering fact!For every 5 women, there would be 1 who is suffering for disordered eating.It is shown that 90 % of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25.Also,it is estimated that currently 11% of high school students have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.
Looking at this, it actually means that Anorexia have became a very serious problem among alot of teenagers and women! This is definetely not a good scene as Anorexia may be fatal if not treated with proper care.Looking at the article given, it is said that a 8 year-old girl is found to be suffering from Anorexia at such a young age.This is actually very harmful and dangerous for the young as they are still going through the puberty stage.A young woman with anorexia is 12 times more likely to die than other women her age without Anorexia.
So what are the causes of Anorexia? Anorexia is often caused by peer, family,social pressures.
Peer pressure is when teenagers feel pressured by their friends good figures or looks. They tend to think in the way that they are fat, and they need to slim down, which is often not true!Some teenagers are influenced by their friends.
Family and social pressure is where it includes participation in an activity that demands slenderness, such as ballet, gymnastics, or modeling. It also includes having parents who are overly controlling, put a lot of emphasis on looks, diet themselves, or criticize their children’s bodies and appearance. Stressful life events—such as the onset of puberty, a breakup, or going away to school—can also trigger anorexia.Just like the the article, where the ballet teacher told her student that she had on was a tad too tight.This actually trigger the minds of young teenagers to go on an unhealthy diet, which eventually leads to Anorexia.
Anorexia is harmful to all. Be it the young or the old. It may actually lead to symptoms like Loss of menstrual periods ,Lack of energy and weakness ,Feeling cold all the time ,Dry, yellowish skin ,Constipation and abdominal pain ,Restlessness and insomnia ,Dizziness, fainting, and headaches ,Growth of fine hair all over the body and face . All these sypmtoms can actually lead to very serious consequences.So, Anorexia shouldn't be taken lightly.
So what are the methods we can adopt to treat Anorexia? We can actually adopt the Medical treatment, Nutritional, or Counselling Treatment for Anorexia.
Medical treatment refers to addressing and stabilizing any serious health issues. Hospitalization may be necessary to prevent starvation, suicide, or a medical crisis.
Nutritional Treatment refers to undergoing nutritional counseling. A nutritionist teaches the patient about healthy eating, proper nutrition, and balanced meals. The nutritionist also helps the person develop and follow meal plans that include enough calories to reach or maintain a normal, healthy weight.
The last method is Counselling Treatment, which refers to identifying the negative thoughts and feelings about weight and the self that are behind the anorexic behaviors, and to replace them with healthier and less distorted attitudes.

In a nutshell, Anorexic problem is a serious problem which definetely need to be addressed. An advice to teenagers that this is not the right time to undergo dieting,especially unhealthy dieting.So stay healthy and be free from Anorexia! =)

Should married women have male friends?

I would definately think so. However, this friendship had to come on a basis-that the husband must know of this friend-or even all of his wife's male friends-and that he knows of their outings, if any.
Mutual trust and most importantly, love must exist between the couple. If one or another is not, it seems likely that the marriage would detoriate into a loveless union riddled with suspicion and negative energy. It would seem ideal for both husband and wife to know and even be friends with their spouses' peers.

However, i do think the wife should choose her male friends carefully, especially if she has already settled down. She could vet her list of male friends in order to ascertain that the friends she would have picked are trustworthy and are happily attached. Of course, these friends would share similiar interests and hobbies. The husband may not be interested in such things-thus, the wife could amuse herself by indulging in these little joys whilst relaxing with her friends. This way, in a sense, the wife would be able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Anorexic

Anorexic used to be an illness of adult teens is the past, but in the 21st century, more and more young teens got hooked up on having great figures. These young teens were all influenced by their peers to have skinny figures, and they think that having a skinny figure wil allow them to look great. However they were wrong, their skinny figures will only make others think that they look sick and lack of nutrition. Anorexia in teenage girls is a dangerous eating disorder that involves self-starvation. It is both a mental and physical condition and despite popular belief is not about food. It involves extreme emotions, behaviors and attitudes surrounding weight. A person who is suffering from anorexia fears being fat and is in a constant pursuit of being thin. They also fear losing control and this is the way that has formed for them to cope with their issues. To prevent their kids to be caught up with Anorexic, parents have to look up on their child if their child has the following Anorexic symptoms:

1) Sudden and severe wieght loss.
2) Obsessing about food, weight or appearance.
3) Keep on defining the amount of calories and amount of fats cotain in the food.

In the article given, the eight year old child would most probably be influenced by her peers or perhaps the people around her. Her parents might have neglected her eating habits, failing to notice that their daughter had been skipping meals. It might be too late for them to know that their chld has deeply ocntracted with Anorexia.

Should married women have male friends?

With regards to this article, i think that women can have male friends even though they are married. Woman have their rights to go out with their friends, no matter of the sexes. Their husband just have to trust their wifes after their marraige. If they couple aren't trustful to each other, then what's the point of the marriage. Well, doesn't mean that woman can always go out with their male friends and neglect their hushand. For sms wise, i think that woman after marraige can still message their male friends, but not that often. All of us need to have friends around us, be it after marraige. Your husband may not be able to fulfill your individual needs, therefore you have to have friends around to talk to or even share joy with. As mentioned in the article, it is crucial not to hide anything - including your friendships. Man need not need to get jealous if their spouse goes out with her male friends. The most important is to have TRUST with each other.

Should married women have male friends?

In my opinion, i think that it is alright for female to have male friends. As one shouldn't stop contacting her male friends after marriage, females may have really good guy friends that they feel comfortable with, talking to. Her husband should respect her and let his wife continue to communicate with her friends. But at the same time, the wife must inform her husband on her whereabouts so that the husband feel safe.

As i feel having guys as friends is normal, i think married women should also restrict to meeting guys friend too often, once or twice a month will be good. If married women meet up with guys friend too often the husband is bound to get angry with them.

Being single and married is two completely different world, being married will mean that you will often get restricted in whatever you do, your lifestyle all changes with time. I agree that we all need friends no matter if we are single or married, because no matter how wonderful your other party is, they can't fulfill your every needs.

Can married women have male friends?

Personally, I feel that marriage shouldn't be stopping woman from making friends with the males.Though a woman is married to a man, but that doesn't mean she have to cut off all ties with her male colleagues!This wouldn't be fair to the female party!By cutting off ties with your male friends or colleagues, it actually implies that the male party is afraid that the female party would cheat on him!This assumption is definetely unfair to the female party. Between males and females, it can be purely friendship and nothing else.So, it wouldn't be right for the male party to stop the female party from interacting and making friends with other male friends. On the other hand, woman should develop a sense of self-awareness too. They need to keep a clear cut line when interacting with male friends.Meaning, not to exceed the limit of friends.
It is understandable that man may feel that by messaging another man, the wife is being disloyal to them...But if a man wants his wife to severe al ties with her male friends, shouldn't man do the same?In my opinion,It will only be fair this way...

Thus, if man and woman don't want to fall into this type of situations, they should give each others the adequate amount of trust that a couple needs.Trust each other and love each other...=)