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Show by Jane huger Forum staff writer understands sleep. According to a 1992 article in Redbook magazine, scientists have yet to figure the fundamental purpose of sleep. What scientists do know is that there are two kinds of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement), or dream sleep, and non-RE- Do you get enough sleep at night? Only one out of four people say they always get a restful nights sleep. College students today report sleeping about 30 fewer minutes at night than students of a decade ago, and working women sleep about 20 minutes less than working males. According to ThomasRoth.Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, the majority of the population now sleeps an hour to 90 minutes less than it should to function in top form. Considering we spend a third of our lives sleeping, itstemarkable that no one really M sleep. When we first drift off, we go through four successively deeper stages of non-REsleep. After about 90 minutes, we switch into REM for about 10 to IS minutes. Then the cycle starts over again, with the REM stages stage lengthening and the non-REshortening as the night goes on. Researchers suspect that REM refreshes the mind by filing away the days events, and non-REsleep rejuvenates the body. Both are critical. M M M Human touch is good for your health by Steven Beckstead fust year of life is what many psychologists Forum staff writer Studies show that human touch is essential for healthy development of physical senses and emotions. Much research has been done with both animals and humans i which show that touch is important in infancy and throughout life. . An article in Parents magazine points out the importance of hugs and touch to infants and children. Author Wendy Schumandraws on numerous studies about touch She says that touch is the first of the senses to develop. It fills a basic physiological need most critical in early childhood that is important to some extent throughout life. The sense ofbalanceis developed through touch which allows a newborn sense of his body in space. This is stimulated by move-- ;: ment even before birth. i -'- A famous study done by Dr. Harry Harlow and Dr. Stephen Suomi at the University of Wisconsin at Madison showed how baby rhesus monkeys could regain their social and cognitivedevelopmentafterisolation through ; touch with other more social monkeys. Dr. Suomi said, It seems clear that in all higher: primates,: including human beings physical contact is an essential part of early ; development ' Most human research has centered on premature infants in intensive- - care nurseries. Dr. Allen Gottfried of California State University at Fullerton says that preemies? are deprived , of the gentle rocking motion of the womb and ofteneven theirparents touch?Medical touch has a different quality than social touch, he, said. Medical touch is short, quick, jabbing, not continuous, while social touch is holding, caressing and prolonged. Various kinds of treatments have been tried, including swaddling, strokingandrock-in- g. Even waterbeds or rocking beds that simulate the uterine environment with consounds have been used. nected heart-beInfants all showed marked improvement in these environments. When a mother rocks her baby, she gives the kinds of stimulation to which the baby is most receptive to at that stage of development touch and movement. The attachment and bonding at this time teaches the baby he can affect his environment and explore his surroundings visually, which may be an important pathway for early learning. That close physical contact during the : at feel is the basis for future emotional health. In Eastern bloc countries, it was found that many children who were ill or handicapped had been left in cribs and bare hospital wards with no close contact. It is feared they may be damaged for life, as revealed in broadcast :news reports about Romania in particular. Dr. Mary D. Salter Ainsworth, a foremost researcher in infant-mothattachment, said that attachment fosters independcnce.It fosters rather that hinders the growth of she said. : : er self-relian- ce, The consequences of going without sleep are becoming increasingly clear. Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are the cause of more workplace accidents and lost productivity than drug or alcohol abuse, says William C. Dement, chairman of the National Commission on Sleep Dis- orders Research. In a recent issue of Workers Compensation Report, published by the Bureau of National Affairs, Dement d problems are particusays larly pronounced among the 25 percent of the work force with unusual schedules, such as truck drivers, hospital workers and flexible-shiemployees. Sleep deprivation is a hidden source of human error, Dement said. Lack of sleep affects all of us differently. Age, heredity, physical health and stress levels are a few factors to consider. Though we can all survive one or two nights of shortened sleep, there is a limit to how much we should sacrifice. According to most studies, the minimum nightly sleep requirement is five or six hours. The more often we cut back, the greater our sleep debt becomes. We can become so used to sleep cuts that we dont notice our level of alertness sliding. Without enough sleep, our reaction time slows, and we are less attentive.. At the very least, we get cranky, moody and low on patience. Our ability to concentrate or make decisions can be greatly affected. Accord- sleep-relate- ft ing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 200,000 auto accidents each year are related to sleepiness a factor also noted in the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the near meltdown at Three Mile Island. accidents and To prevent sleep-relate- d enhance productivity, Dement suggests k rotation schedules and changing allowing employees to take naps. Napping, however, is not for everyone. For some, it makes it more difficult to sleep at night. Others awaken so groggy from a nap they cant function. If you decide to nap, make sure you sleep for at least 25 minutes but no more than 90 minutes. The best time to nap is in the early afternoon, when our alertness shift-wor- naturally dips. Other helps for a good nights sleep include respecting your bodys natural clock and minimizing stress before bedtime. Unwind with a bath or book to relax. Exercising regularly also helps. Your sleep will be less fragmented, and youll be able to get by on less sleep. But dont work out just before bed, your quickened metabolism may keep you up. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and gassy or greasy foods before bedtime. These all contribute to fragmented sleep. Warm milk and the combination of protein and a cracker carbohydrate may help boost the producg brain chemicals. But tion of the best advice is to simply sleep more. Catch those ZZZZs. sleep-inducin- A researcher who has studied the effects of parental touch on older children is Dr. Sandra Weiss from the School of Nursing at Univer-;- : sity of California at San Francisco. She be- -: lieves touch affects childrens development of a healthy body image. Its the foundation for your sense of identity, she said. Weiss found that fathers also play a sig-- x nificant role in body image, more that previa ouslythought.Playful roughhousing, as well x as soothing touch, may be an important factor as a child grows older, she said. Another researcher theorized thatthe lack of touch between parents and adolescents :: your choice of Imagine : : : ? : burgers.. .from the hearty All American to our Green Chili Burger to : contributes to communication difficulties. Dr. Elizabeth R. McAnamey said, Adolescents need touch to facilitate communication and convey caring.: When children are no longer held and comforted by their par- ents they may turn to their peers instead. Dr. McAnamey, director of adolescent medicine at the University of Rochester Medical School, wondered if the increase in very young teenage pregnancies comes from the need to be held. There is almost no data on this, she said. They may be using sex for a nonsexual purpose. ' j The experiences from childhood go with people as they leave their families. There is evidence that early experience with love and comfort enables adults to form loving relationships and to lovingly nurture their own flame the one that made us famous, The Bleu Bacon Burger. IFG30IKM mMQOU Experience The Training I o Tables tasty sandwiches, crisp salads, healthful chicken platters, and creamy soups. Imagine the possibilities... ' at The Training Table! PEN FOR LUNCH AND DINNER, 7 DAYS A WEEK! TAKEOUT AVAILABLE. children. Wendy Schumans article has reinforced what many experts already believe about hugging and touch: that it is actual ly good for you. Some benefits that have been recognized include improved health, reduction of stress and depression, a stronger immune system and less trouble falling asleep. In short, human touch is nothing short of a miracle that aids development with no harmful side effects. It is also fully returnable in the form of a soothing touch or a hug. March 9, 1993 fForuttf Page 11 |