Poor sleep during the school year impairs the health of adolescents

School performance and youth health also depend on the quality of sleep. Adolescents who do not sleep long enough in school are more prone to behaviors that put their health at risk than those who sleep at least eight hours daily. The study was led by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey, which was part of the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey of 2007, was based on the interview of 12,154 high school students. All participants had to answer the following question: on average, how many hours of sleep do you have in the school period? Eight or more hours of sleep were considered adequate and less than eight hours was considered insufficient. The results showed that 68.9% of subjects interviewed stated they did not sleep enough time and such condition was related to 10 different risk factors to health. Some of the risks identified were: 86% higher probability of attempting suicide; 67% greater smoking; 64% higher consumption of alcoholic beverages; 62% higher to report sadness or hopelessness; 52% greater use of marijuana; 41% more likely to be sexually active (at risk of sexually transmitted diseases) and 40% more likely to become involved in physical conflicts. In addition, they were also more likely to be physically inactive and use the computer for three or more hours a day.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep for individuals aged 10 to 17 years.

Sleeping helps to consolidate new knowledge

According to another study, presented at the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, sleeping helps college students to better grasp what was passed in the classroom. Scholars claim that when the body rests, information is being repeated in the brain, helping to consolidate memories. The analysis involved 102 college students who had never pursued economics. Divided into the morning and night periods, they attended introductory lectures that explored concepts of the subject in question. The next step was to submit them to a series of exams: immediately after the exposition of the subject; 12 hours later, including sleep period; 12 hours later, without sleep, and after one week. The results showed that the performance of students who had a sleep period in the subsequent 12 hours remained preserved. On the other hand, those who took the test a week later or 12 hours after the speech without sleep, had the yield affected.

Another point highlighted by the researchers was the fact that those who had a rest period at 12 o'clock demonstrated greater ability to combine concepts. This shows the importance of sleep not only for data fixation, but also for flexibility.

Flu vaccination campaign begins Monday

This Monday, (17) begins the vaccination campaign against the flu. Vaccination will begin on May 2 and will run through the 26th. The vaccine allows protection against the virus (H1N1), H3N2, and influenza B. Because the viruses are mutant, the composition of the vaccine is made only following the World Health Organization's indication of the strains (virus variations) circulating more frequently in recent months in the region.

(Health)

Pelvic varices can cause pain after sex

Pelvic varices are dilated, tortuous, and insufficient veins appearing in the pelvic region. They occur mainly around the female organs: uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Pelvic varices, as well as all varicose veins, make it difficult to return blood flow to the heart and can cause abdominal discomfort (especially during the menstrual period).

(Health)