August 11, 2012 Clippings

Sleeping on stomach triggers erotic dreams

People who sleep on their stomach are significantly more likely to have racy dreams compared to those dozing off in other positions, a new study has revealed.

Participants reported feeling sensations related to 'sex' and 'persecution' more frequently than anyone else.

Among the other racy motifs that dreamt up were 'being tied up', 'being locked up' and 'unable to move'.

Lead author Calvin Kai-Ching Yu from Shue Yan University in Hong Kong said that the increase in sexual thoughts could be because people don''t get as much air when they sleep on their stomach, so their mind was imagining being constricted when you sleep.

For the study he spoke to 670 students, two-thirds of whom were female, and asked them to fill out surveys about their dreams.

The details included how often they occurred, how intense they were and what were the themes that came up.

He also asked them to write down their sleeping posture, how often they slept on their sides, face down or face up.

Among the other ideas that came to people who slept on their front most frequently was 'erotomania', which is when a person believes they have a secret admirer, often a famous person.

"This study provides the evidence that dream experiences, and in particular dream content, can be influenced by body posture during sleep," the Daily Mail quoted Kai-Ching Yu as saying.

"I believe that the brain during sleep is not at all totally detached from the external world, and stimuli, including those stemming from the environment, are probably incorporated into dream content more often than people observe or are aware of.

"The unconscious brains of the dreamers try to make sense, and even make use of, the external stimuli," he added.

The study was recently published in the journal Dreaming.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

11.08.2012

Common Dietary Myths in India

Zee Research Group busts out some common dietary myths by top dieticians of India.

Myth 1: Milk is a complete food.

People think that milk is a complete food, but actually it is not so, milk has calcium and some amount of protein and carbohydrate. If somebody is relying only on milk, then the person will definitely suffer from deficiencies. (Dr. Shikha Sharma, medical doctor and wellness expert) Milk lacks iron and Vitamin –C. (Daljit Kaur, senior dietician at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi)

Myth 2: People think that almonds have cholesterol.

There is no reality to this fact. Any plant product will not have cholesterol. All animal products like paneer, ghee, eggs, meat, and chicken have cholesterol. (Dr. Shikha Sharma, medical doctor and wellness expert) It doesn’t have any cholesterol, as it contains Omega 3 fatty acid and it is actually very good for heart. (Daljit Kaur, senior dietician, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi)

Myth 3: Curd should not be taken at night or if a person is suffering from cold.

This is absolutely not genuine as curd can be taken at any time if taken at room temperature. (Daljit Kaur, senior dietician, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi). Curd is a predigested food and it is better to have curd if suffering from cold as it would be better utilised by the body and it would it be digested easily.( Sunita Roy Chowdhury, senior dietician ,Rockland Hospital, Delhi)

Myth 4: Consumption of water only leads to the dilution of urine.

One should drink lots and lots of water as it not only dilutes the urine but it also removes toxins from the body. It is extremely necessary for the normal functioning of the body as each and every cell in the body needs water. (Sunita Roy Chowdhury, senior dietician ,Rockland Hospital, Delhi). Over drinking of any drink is bad. But of course, Indians should drink more and more water as Indians perspire a lot because of the climatic conditions. (Daljit Kaur, senior dietician ,Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi)

Myth 5: Eating rice at night makes you gain weight.

It is partially right. If one happens to eat white rice at night it leads to retention of water in the body which leads to swelling of the body and also those who are sensitive to carbohydrates if they consume rice at night it might lead to weight gain but it would happen gradually.( Dr. Shikha Sharma, medical doctor and wellness expert). It is extremely necessary for one to note how to burn one’s calorie. It is advisable to consume fewer calories at night, but one can remove the starch and can consume rice. (Sunita Roy Chowdhury, senior dietician ,Rockland Hospital, Delhi)

Source: www.dnaindia.com           

11.08.2012

You create your opportunities by asking for them

Patty Hansen