Jatuh Cinta Dimualai dari Otak

Jatuh Cinta Dimualai dari Otak Jatuh cinta berjuta rasanya. Jantung berdegup kencang, perasaan seperti dipermainkan, merasa bahagia di satu menit kemudian gelisah di menit-menit berikutnya. Penelitian terbaru mengungkap bahwa perasaan bungah atau bahagia maupun gelisah saat jatuh cinta berasal dari otak.

Dalam sebuah studi kecil, peneliti mengobservasi otak 10 perempuan dan 7 laki-laki yang mengaku sedang gila karena cinta. Semua sukarelawan memiliki hubungan asmara yang berumur antara 1 bulan hingga 2 tahun.

Observasi dilakukan dengan teknik Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Peneliti menunjukkan foto pria atau wanita yang dicintai oleh sukarelawan kemudian menganalisis otak sukarelawan saat melihat foto itu.

Peneliti menemukan bahwa setiap sukarelawan bereaksi ketika melihat foto pasangannya, tercetus perasaan emosional karena aktivitas bagian otak yang biasa bertanggungjawab dalam soal motivasi dan penghargaan.

"Cinta yang begitu menggebu berpengaruh pada bagian tertentu pada otak. Bagian ini juga aktif ketika seseorang ketagihan obat terlarang," kata Arthur Aron, peneliti yang juga seorang psikolog di State University of New York.

Dengan kata lain, ketika jatuh cinta, setiap orang bisa memburu orang yang dicintai, menjadi stalker di jejaring sosialnya serta mengais informasi apapun seperti sedang menggunakan kokain.

Peneliti mengungkapkan bahwa cinta adalah emosi terkuat dalam diri manusia. Otak manusia telah diprogram untuk memilih dan memenangkan pasangan, kadang dengan cara yang sangat ekstrim untuk menarik perhatian.

"Anda bisa merasa bahagia saat jatuh cinta, tapi juga bisa merasa gelisah. Orang lain menjadi target dalam hidup kita," tambah Lucy Brwon dari Albert Einstein College of Medicine New York yang juga terlibat studi.

Brown mengatakan, bagian otak yang terkait dengan penghargaan, disebut pusat kesenangan, menjadi bagian terpenting bagi manusia untuk survive.

"Ini membantu kita untuk merasakan bahagia," cetus Brown, seperti dikutip Livescience, Minggu (12/2/2012).

Lalu bagaimana setelah berhubungan lama? Apakah perasaan cinta bisa memudar dan memengaruhi respon otak? Hasil studi lain yang dilakukan Aron pada 10 wanita dan 7 pria yang sudah menikah selama 21 tahun menunjukkan bahwa mereka masih mencintai pasangannya. Peneliti menemukan bahwa pada pasangan yang sudah lama berhubungan, bagian otak tetap teraktivasi jika melihat foto pasangannya.

"Untuk kebanyakan orang, formula standar adalah penurunan secara gradual pada cinta yang sekedar nafsu, tetapi ada peningkatan pada ikatan," jelas Aron.

Tumbuhnya ikatan memungkinkan pasangan bersama dalam jangka waktu lama untuk membesarkan keturunannya. "Kebanyakan mamalia tidak membesarkan anak-anaknya bersama, tetapi manusia melakukannya," ungkap Aron.

Meski demikian, Aron mengakui bahwa perasaan cinta bisa berkurang. "Selama cinta masih ada, kita terbiasa dalam hubungan dan tidak takut pasangan meninggalkan kita. Jadi, kita tidak sefokus saat kita jatuh cinta," jelasnya.

05.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sleep with Wet Hair Make Colds

Bathing and shampooing at night often unavoidable  by a distance of home workers and office far enough. But is it if we went to bed with hair still wet conditions can cause a cold?

Besides causing cold, turns to sleep with wet hair is still not proven to cause a cold or salesma. This is evidenced by studies conducted in Salisbury, England.

In this study, the study participants were divided into two groups, namely in the room warm and dry and the participants who requested a shower at night. Previously, all the participants injected flu virus in the nose.

Participants from both groups were asked a shower and wash it later after they were asked to dress stand for half an hour with the hair still wet. After that for several hours they were asked to use a wet sock.

As a result, participants of this second group did not show any additional flu virus compared with those of the first group. "Feeling cold did not affect our immune system," said Jim Sears, a pediatrician from California.

23.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deadly Sleep Deprivation effect

Sleeping too late can be a time bomb for the health and result in shut down because of the risk of heart attack and stroke. Thus the conclusion of the study that analyzed data on  more than 470,000 people in eight countries.

"If you sleep less than 6 hours every night and frequently experience a sleep disorder, your risk of heart attack 48 percent off and 15 percent had a stroke," said Dr. Francesco Cappucino from Warwick Medical School, UK.

In a press release, the researchers revealed that chronic sleep deprivation or long-standing will cause the body to produce certain hormones and chemicals that will increase the risk of the formation of heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and diabetes and obesity.

"The challenge to balance work and personal life makes most people sacrifice sleep time. And by doing so, we endanger the health because it increases the risk of stroke or heart disease," Cappuccio said in research published in European Heart Journal.

Sleep for seven hours each night mentioned will protect health and reduce chronic disease risk.

23.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fight Stress with a nap

Napping was not only beneficial to the children or newborns. Recent studies show that adults can also be acquiring a significant benefit of sleep a wink during the day.

According to expert assessment of Sarah Conklin of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania United States, rested at least for 45 minutes during the day may help keep blood pressure at a lower level even though you will encounter stressful conditions.

As reported in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, the experts involved 85 students who were divided into two groups. One group was given the first chance to rest for an hour nap.

Then, all students from both groups are given a kind of quiz is designed to make the students become stressed. The goal is not to increase blood pressure.

After that, the tension of the students were measured. Results showed students who were given the opportunity to rest have lower blood pressure monitor compared to those not given the opportunity to take a nap earlier.

The researchers did not explain in detail the reasons behind the effect of napping on the blood pressure monitor. However, they predict, sleep can accelerate the recovery of heart conditions pascamomen stress.

"Our findings indicate that sleep during the day offers a good benefit cardiovascular health by accelerating the recovery of heart and blood vessels in the face of stressors," said the researcher.

According to researchers, and further in-depth studies are needed to explore the mechanism nap as what relates to the health of blood vessels and heart.

23.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Active Children Sleep Easier

Do we include parents who allow children to freely move? If so, we would have no difficulty telling the child to sleep at night. Based on research conducted in New Zealand, an active child is not only fast asleep, but had a good sleep quality.

Dr. Ed A Mitchell, head of research by the University of Auckland, told me that he was interested in researching the quality of sleep a child because the data found that 1 in 6 parents reported the trouble to send their children to sleep at night. As a result, Mitchell involving 591 children aged 7 years in his research.

Together with his team, Mitchell monitor their activity these children for 24 hours. The trick? By attaching a measuring device on their waist. On average, it took 26 minutes for parents to make their children sleep at night. However, the more active their children during the day, the time required to send the kids to sleep more and short.

"Just with one hour of physical activity, it makes the child will sleep 6 minutes faster," said Mitchell said, mentioning that his research has been published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Mitchell added, if converted, then for one hour of physical activity is tantamount to asking the children to run. "Although in fact only 43 minutes of physical activity, exercise needs of children are fulfilled."

In addition to making the children fast asleep, physical activity also forms the heart and a healthy weight in children. Regarding the quality of sleep, children who sleep more quickly will have more time to enjoy sleep.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

A special "Short Sleeper"

Loss of sleep is harmful and often annoying. The body can get tired, sleepy and decreased concentration. But, for some people who get 'privilege', loss of sleep one or two hours in the evening does not seem significant problems.

Those who received the gift of it is people who naturally do not need to sleep for long or short term also called a sleeper. According to experts, these special people have mutations in the gene hDEC2, which controls the sleep cycle. Mutation that makes them not have a problem though should be deprived of sleep.

Some famous people who believed a short sleeper of them are former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, actor James Franco and business and culinary expert Martha Stewart. Questioning whether the trends they always take a nap due to genetic factors or because willpower is not clearly known.

According to Ying-Hui Fu, professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco USA, those who naturally have a tendency as a short sleeper does have a competitive advantage. Even so, maybe not many people in this world have the gene mutation.

"It's hard to say how often the case these mutations occur," he said.

In the laboratory where she works, Fu found only about 20 to 30 people who have genetic mutations that are believed to contribute to the ability to sleep only a few moments.

Most of those who have this mutation was somewhat special. They have two types of work, a successful career and enjoy a variety of hobbies.

"Every day, they had two or three hours of free time to do something. They are very active," said Fu.

Amy Avery, a resident of Atlanta, is one of them which includes having that privilege. Although it was not clear whether he had the gene mutation, but Avery said he used to sleep only four to five hours every night.

Despite the short sleep every night, Amy does not require or coffee or other caffeinated beverages while working in the daytime.

"I've experienced it for a long time. I can work full and does not evaporate or fatigue during the day," he said.

Avery every day can take care of his family, but he also worked full-time as a digital director at an advertising company. Two children, aged 2 and 5 years, always sleep around 9 and her husband at 10. After that the child and her husband fell asleep, Avery can do household chores like washing. He also watched television, read books and complete the duties of his office.

23.20 | 0 komentar | Read More