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Monday, May 29, 2006

How to Control Your Dreams

Wish you could make all of your dreams come true? Some people can... sort of. It's called lucid dreaming (LD), and it's the act of being consciously aware that you're dreaming while you're dreaming. Essentially, you're watching -- and sometimes manipulating -- your dreams.



Sounds simple enough, but LD isn't mind control. Just because you choose to fly in a dream doesn't mean you know that you're actually safe in bed inventing the whole scenario. And just because you're aware that you're dreaming doesn't mean that you necessarily have any say in what happens next.

The good news is that once you understand this distinction, you can learn how to get lucid. Just imagine: a dream directed by and starring you, a dream where anything goes -- but without any real-life consequences to muck up your fantasy.

What would you do in such a dream? Climb Mount Everest? Get even with your childhood nemesis? Wreak havoc in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory? Nope. You, and just about everyone else, want to have sex.

But, say experts, there are nobler uses for lucid dreaming. According to Dr. Stephen LaBerge, today's foremost authority on LD, author of Lucid Dreaming, and founder of The Lucidity Institute> in Palo Alto, CA, purposefully connecting to your unconscious can improve your life in ways that your mind is normally too cluttered to address. LaBerge's research has found that LD and dream clinics can be used to heal physical symptoms, overcome fears and nightmares, tap into one's creativity or spirituality, experience freedom from one's illness or disability, and, of course, have sex.

"Some people say, oh that's so common, that's so low base, but I think there are some really good reasons to enjoy sex in dreams," said Keelin, LaBerge's assistant at The Lucidity Institute. "If your introduction to sex and sexuality was a bit of a bumpy road or if you had a rude awakening, it's a way, especially for women, to feel self-empowered. If you have awareness that it's your dream, you can initiate sex with a dream character."

The practice is so powerful because your brain can't tell the difference between something it's living or something it's dreaming. An experience that's terrifying in waking life becomes safe to explore in a dream state.

How does one get in on this?

The first step to lucid dreaming is writing it down. Keep a dream journal by your bed and log every dream you remember immediately upon waking -- even if it's the middle of the night. This way, you will familiarize yourself with your own dream imagery.

Set your intention to remember these images and patterns. And make sure you go to bed thinking about them. Your mind will recognize these recurring images and let you know that you are in a dream state.

Once you're asleep, the gateway to lucidity is to realize that what you're experiencing is a dream. That usually happens when you notice something that isn't possible in waking life. "Let's say you were having a dream and some wild circus came through your workspace you say, 'Whoa, this is unusual,'" Keelin said. "In a non-lucid dream, you would say, 'Oh yeah, today we were planning to have a circus in our office.'"

When you practice becoming familiar enough with the anomalies that cue dreaming --without waking up from excitement because you've finally done it -- you're on your way to controlling your dreams. You can use your dreams to practice that big speech due tomorrow, ask your deceased grandmother for advice, and yes, by all means, get busy over and over again.

How much sleep do I need, and why?

How much sleep do I need, and why?


Most teenagers need between 9 and 9½ hours of sleep each night. Yet surveys show that most teenagers get only 6 to 7 hours. Twenty percent of high schoolers say that they have fallen asleep in class.

If you don't get enough sleep, you may experience symptoms of sleep deprivation. These include:
Falling asleep in class.
Irritability.

Having a hard time waking up in the morning.

Difficulty concentrating.

Depression after prolonged sleep deprivation.
One study looked at the relationship between sleep and grades. The study found that teenagers who got more sleep had more A's and B's, while teens who got less sleep got more C's and D's.

There are many other ways in which the right amount of sleep can keep you healthy. During sleep the body:
Repairs cells: Sleep slows metabolism, heartbeat and breathing rate, which helps the body replenish after daily physical activity.
Releases growth hormones in young adults: While you sleep, a hormone is released that aids the growth of bones, tissues and new red blood cells.

Strengthens your immune and nervous systems.
Sleep is necessary for survival. Experiments have shown that rats who are forced to remain awake die in a little over two weeks. Interestingly, when rats are allowed to sleep but not dream, they also die. Dreams stimulate the brain regions used in learning and help us organize thoughts and images from the day into memories. In dreams, many people seem to work through problems they haven't been able to focus on during the day – ranging from math homework to friendships.

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What is sleep?


People used to think of sleep as an activity where not much happened. Studies show, however, that the brain and body are very active while we sleep.

There are two kinds of sleep: non-rapid eye movement eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. These two states affect the body and mind in different ways.

NREM Sleep

Most of us, if we are lucky, fall asleep within 10 to 20 minutes of going to bed. Our bodies begin a cycle of sleep. The first four stages are NREM. Stages 1 and 2 are light sleep where we can be awakened easily and contractions of our muscles can be seen. In stages 3 and 4 our brain waves slow and we enter into deep sleep – it is very difficult to wake someone up in this stage. There is no eye movement or muscle activity at this point.

REM Sleep and Dreaming

The fifth stage of sleep occurs normally after about 90 minutes, and is characterized by dreaming and rapid eye movement. No other muscles move during this time. If you have the chance to watch a friend or family member sleep, check to see if their eyes are moving back and forth, like they are watching a movie underneath closed eyelids. If so, they are likely in the middle of a dream.

The cycles of NREM and REM sleep repeat throughout the night. The first period of dreaming only lasts five minutes. REM periods are longer with each subsequent cycle. We typically spend more than two hours each night dreaming.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep Disorders

While scientists don't understand everything about the importance of sleep, it clearly influences how you feel when you are awake. Those who have trouble sleeping because of a sleep disorder can have difficulty dealing with school, work and relationships when awake.

Many adolescents actually have a common sleep disorder called a delayed sleep phase syndrome. The disorder, which is caused by changes in the body's internal clock associated with puberty, means it is normal to be a "night owl" at just about the time your family wants to go to sleep. It also means you want to sleep later in the morning. It is difficult to change this pattern, so teens end up sleep-deprived because school starts early, before the required 9 to 9½ hours of sleep have occurred.

More serious sleep disorders include sleep apnea, in which someone temporarily stops breathing during sleep, or chronic insomnia, in which someone regularly has difficulty falling asleep. The Web links included on this page offer more information about these and other problems. If you think you suffer from one of these disorders, please see your doctor.

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Getting a Good Night’s Sleep


Everyone has problems sleeping at times, especially during adolescence. Below are some tips to increase your chances of sleeping better.
Eliminate caffeine (or foods that have caffeine, such as chocolate).

Set a regular sleep schedule and stick with it, even on weekends

Avoid exercise after dinner.

Wear comfortable clothes or pajamas to bed.

Make sure your room is not too hot or too cold.

Avoid stimulating TV, music or computer time before bed.

Use meditation or relaxation techniques.

Try the old standby: counting sheep – in other words, activities that are repetitive and lack stimulation.
However, if you are still tired aftering trying suggestions and a lack of sleep is hurting your daily school work or relationships, please see your doctor.

What is sleep?

What is sleep?

People used to think of sleep as an activity where not much happened. Studies show, however, that the brain and body are very active while we sleep.

There are two kinds of sleep: non-rapid eye movement eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. These two states affect the body and mind in different ways.

NREM Sleep

Most of us, if we are lucky, fall asleep within 10 to 20 minutes of going to bed. Our bodies begin a cycle of sleep. The first four stages are NREM. Stages 1 and 2 are light sleep where we can be awakened easily and contractions of our muscles can be seen. In stages 3 and 4 our brain waves slow and we enter into deep sleep – it is very difficult to wake someone up in this stage. There is no eye movement or muscle activity at this point.

REM Sleep and Dreaming

The fifth stage of sleep occurs normally after about 90 minutes, and is characterized by dreaming and rapid eye movement. No other muscles move during this time. If you have the chance to watch a friend or family member sleep, check to see if their eyes are moving back and forth, like they are watching a movie underneath closed eyelids. If so, they are likely in the middle of a dream.

The cycles of NREM and REM sleep repeat throughout the night. The first period of dreaming only lasts five minutes. REM periods are longer with each subsequent cycle. We typically spend more than two hours each night dreaming

What you should know about wet dreams

What you should know about wet dreams
What are wet dreams? Who has them, and why?
One of the most common topics for questions on this site is wet dreams, which are more properly called nocturnal emissions. They are also called night loss and nightfall. They are orgasms with ejaculation that happen while a male is sleeping. They occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep -- the kind that cause the most vivid dreams. Sexual desire is but a small cause of wet dreams; they result mostly from the body's need to eliminate the sexual fluids that have accumulated since the last ejaculation. The content of wet dreams is not necessarily sexual, although it is apt to involve the penis in some way, similar to the way people often dream about urinating if they happen to have a full bladder at that moment. Only about a third of males have ever had frequent wet dreams. About as many had a small number of wet dreams (five or fewer) when they were beginning puberty. Most males have their first ejaculation by masturbating, and nearly all of them make it such a regular habit that their body never needs to induce a wet dream. The ones who have wet dreams nearly all stop having them once they learn to masturbate. Thus, most males who have wet dreams are age 12 to 14.

What do boys dream about when they ejaculate in their sleep?
A typical wet dream plot is that something is making contact with the penis (e.g., a substance dripping onto it), and at that moment, the dreamer ejaculates. A more sexual plot is that the subject is in some way making contact with his desired partners (generally girls he knows, whether he is attracted to them or not), such as carrying them on his back, or leapfrogging them. He ejaculates at the moment his penis touches the girl in the dream (usually both are fully clothed in the dream). Very few males report having had wet dreams that were about intercourse. This is mostly due to the limited knowledge of intercourse of most males at the age of having wet dreams.

If I have a wet dream about another guy, am I gay?
Probably not. At the age most wet dreams occur, many males have too little input to accurately gauge their future sexual preference. Nevertheless, the partner contacts encapsulated in wet dreams are closely related to an individual's sexual preference. Many gay men have said they first realized they were gay as a result of wet dreams they had when they were young. However, this is not a perfect indicator; some males who are exclusively heterosexual have had wet dreams involving a same-sex contact, and vice versa.

Will I remember if I have a wet dream?
Wet dreams are somewhat easier to remember than ordinary dreams because ejaculation nearly always awakens the dreamer, at least for a moment, and as with ordinary dreams, waking up in the middle of it makes the dream easier to remember. Some males do not wake up when they ejaculate, and these males are often surprised to find their ejaculate in their bedding or clothing when they finally wake up. For more than a few younger males, the evidence that wet dreams leaves causes them worry and upset that parents or others will discover it. Some males start wearing underwear or other heavier garments to bed at this point in order to contain and conceal the ejaculate. However, this ought not be a cause of concern for boys, because parents are aware that wet dreams, ejaculation, and masturbation are normal developments for boys who are growing quickly and whose voices are changing.

How often do boys have wet dreams?
Males who have wet dreams typically experience one about every ten days, but this is by no means regular; a boy can have wet dreams two days in a row and then not again for a month. It can be a source of stress to a boy who has no other sexual outlet when he goes a longer time than usual without a wet dream. A male who sleeps late is more likely to have a wet dream than one who rises early, because those extra hours of sleep are apt to be more heavily loaded with REM sleep. Thus, wet dreams are more likely to happen on the weekend than on school days.

What does a wet dream feel like?
Physically, wet dreams feel much like other orgasms. The male feels contractions inside the pelvis for a few seconds and then ejaculates. Males who have had a number of wet dreams can recognize these feelings even as they sleep, and in fact, waking up too soon can inhibit the cycle and cause the wet dream to not happen. In many ways, the physiological response of a wet dream is a more pure orgasm than that obtained while conscious. For example, while masturbating or having intercourse, the male is aware of the movements he or his partner are causing (hand motion, stroking against genitals, thrusting, body movement, etc.), whereas in a wet dream, the only sensation is that of the sexual response.

Why don't I have wet dreams anymore? Can I do anything to bring a wet dream on?
Once a male starts masturbating, he is likely to never have another wet dream. Some males decide at some point to refrain from ejaculating for a while in an effort to bring on a wet dream, but these generally do not succeed. It is believed that the body becomes habituated to the stimulation from masturbation and/or intercourse, and thus, even when sexual fluids accumulate to the point that a wet dream would occur in a male who has never masturbated, it does not happen in the male who is experienced at masturbation. The author has heard cases of males abstaining from masturbation for up to a month and not having a wet dream. A few cases have been reported of males cutting back their masturbatory frequency greatly for two years or more before having a wet dream.

Are there adult men who have wet dreams?
There are other males who continue to have wet dreams after they begin masturbating, but the causes of this are unknown. These males generally masturbate infrequently. Perhaps there is some cardinal frequency of masturbation that inhibits wet dreams, and that males who masturbate below this frequency continue to have wet dreams periodically but males who exceed this frequency lose the ability to have wet dreams.

Are wet dreams more fun than masturbating?
Males who have never had a wet dream often desire one simply for the experience of it. But every male who formerly had them when they were young, in a sense, gave them up voluntarily by choosing to masturbate instead. Presumably, these males derive greater satisfaction from masturbating daily or more (as is typical for males learning to masturbate) than from having wet dreams a few times a month.

Is there a connection between wet dreams and TMS?
Wet dreams can contribute to Traumatic Masturbatory Syndrome (TMS), which is masturbating in the prone position. A few practitioners of TMS can recall having a wet dream in which they began thrusting against their bedding in their sleep. This gave them the idea to try thrusting while they were awake, and it led them to learn to masturbate prone. The males who reported having wet dreams with actual thrusting were sleeping nude when it happened.

Men who used to have regular wet dreams remember them happily, but would not want to return to the days when their only orgasms were dictated by chance and only happened while they were asleep.


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The following questions and answers draw on scholarly sex research:

Why is so little known about wet dreams?

Nocturnal emissions have never been an important topic for sex research. The most thorough treatment is still the chapter on them in Kinsey's 1948 work Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Sex scientists have presumably devoted little attention to them because for most males they are a passing occurrence, and they happen in early adolescence. This is a period that people who study it are occupied by much more pressing issues, such as pregnancy, contraception, drug use, efficacy of sex education, emerging issues of sexual identity, etc.

What causes wet dreams?

No one knows. Before the landmark sex research by Alfred C. Kinsey, authors maintained that nocturnal emissions were caused by the pressures that built up from unexpended sperm and seminal fluid. However, Kinsey pointed out that there was no ready correlation between frequencies of nocturnal emission and other sources of orgasm. (Burg, p. 219)

What did Kinsey's research yield about wet dreams?

Kinsey found that 83 percent of males have had at least one wet dream, although they "never account for any large portion of the total number of orgasms experienced by the male population" (p. 519).

What did Kinsey's study find about the frequency of wet dreams?

Kinsey found a lot of variation in frequency of nocturnal emission among males. "There are males who never ejaculate in their sleep, and more males who have only a few wet dreams in their lives. ... For most males during their earlier years, nocturnal emissions are usually monthly or bi-monthly, rarely weekly or more than weekly events" (p. 521).

"In all social groups," Kinsey reports, "nocturnal emissions are primarily an outlet of younger adolescent and older teen-age boys ... If the experienced males alone are used in the calculations, the highest frequencies of nocturnal emissions occur between adolescence and fifteen, at rates of about once in three weeks. From that point, both the incidence and frequency figures go down..." (p. 523).

Did Kinsey have any idea about the cause of wet dreams?

He believed the existing theories were inadequate. He called physiological information about wet dreams "exceedingly scant" (p. 527), something that is still true today. "Certainly no interpretation is tenable," Kinsey asserted, "which depends upon the idea that the testes are the sources of the semen, and that they or other glands become so engorged with accumulating secretions that involuntary ejaculation is the result. ... If there are any pressures involved, they must arise in the seminal vesicles or in the prostate gland; but data on this point are lacking. It is more tenable to think of nervous tensions which are built up until, periodically, they precipitate an orgasm; but again the physiology is not understood. We are, in consequence, almost completely in the dark as to the possibility of a biologic mechanism which could force nocturnal emissions when other sexual outlets were insufficient." (pp. 527-528)

Kinsey cites earlier research that suggested that those without sexual outlet would be more likely to have wet dreams, but he finds that the emission frequency of church-going males are no different from those of non-church-going males (p. 528), to name just one variable influencing mode of sexual outlet.

Kinsey also suggests that if there were a physiological mechanism that produced wet dreams in the absence of other sexual outlet, that there might be psychological mechanisms that do the exact opposite. "In some individuals," Kinsey speculates, "the physiologic factors may predominate; in others, the psychologic factors may be more significant. It is quite probable that in still other cases, still other factors are involved" (p. 529).

If the "built-up pressure" theory is wrong, what did Kinsey hypothesize about the cause of wet dreams?

Kinsey found educational achievement to be the biggest variable influencing wet dream frequency. Up to age 15, boys who would go on to college had wet dreams seven times as often as as the boys who would only go as far as grade school [a large share of the male population in the pre-1948 period] and more than twice as often as the boys who would only go as far as high school (p. 521). Kinsey speculated that males who attain more educationally have greater "imaginative capacity," and this causes the dreams that result in ejaculation. "The sexual life of a male of a lower educational level," Kinsey says, "is primarily dependent upon active physical contacts. He is aroused during his waking hours by relatively few psychic stimuli, and he rarely utilizes such secondhand sources of stimulation as art, literature, nude pictures, stories, or specifically pornographic materials to accompany or substitute for overt sex acts. At night he probably does less dreaming, of any sort, than the better educated male, and his sex dreams are certainly not frequent" (p. 521).

"We do know that the frequencies of nocturnal dreams show some correlation with the level of erotic responsiveness of an individual. The boys of lower level are not so often aroused erotically, nor aroused by so many items as the boys from the upper educational levels. Nocturnal dreams may depend on imaginative capacity, in something of the same way that daytime eroticism is dependent upon the individual's capacity to project himself into a situation which is not a part of his immediate experience. It may be that a paucity of over socio-sexual experience among upper level males accounts both for their daytime eroticism and for their nocturnal dreaming" (p. 345).

What was the climate surrounding wet dreams at the time Kinsey wrote?

Kinsey made the point that wet dreams have over history commanded less condemnation than other forms of sexual expression, such as intercourse and masturbation. "By nearly all moral philosophies," Kinsey states, "nocturnal emissions provide the one form of sexual outlet for which the individual is least responsible" (p. 527).

Has headway been made on learning unanswered questions about wet dreams since Kinsey?

Unfortunately, even the contributions Kinsey made on the topic seem to have been forgotten. The most influential sex researchers since Kinsey have been Masters & Johnson, but in their book Masters and Johnson on Sex and Human Loving, they asserted the pre-Kinsey notion that wet dreams resulted as an automatic reflex whenever too much sexual fluid accumulated: "Nocturnal ejaculation provides a physiologic 'safety-valve' for accumulated sexual tension that has not been released in another fashion. Men who have reached high and sustained levels of sexual arousal without ejaculating, no matter how the arousal came about, are thus able to discharge this physiologic tension in a completely natural reflex" (pp. 297-8).

Are there case studies of men giving up masturbation in order to have wet dreams?

19th century seaman Philip C. Van Buskirk kept detailed records of his masturbation, nocturnal emission, and coital activity from age 19 in 1852 to 1858. He had 7 wet dreams in the last 17 weeks of 1852, 24 in 1853, and 39 in 1854. He masturbated 7 times in the last 17 weeks of 1852, 18 times in 1853, 21 times in the first 10 months of 1854. In November 1854, he quit masturbating altogether. In 1855, he had 42 wet dreams, only a slight increase over 1854. In 1856, he had 35 wet dreams and masturbated three times. He did not masturbate in 1857 or 1858, when he had 35 and 69 wet dreams, respectively. He had intercourse twice in this period, once in 1856 and once in 1857.

Sexual historian B.R. Burg says of Van Buskirk, "In the years when he masturbated regularly, [the rates of masturbation and nocturnal emission] correlated closely in direct contravention of theories positing a build-up of pressure as a cause of nocturnal emission. When he stopped masturbating in the fall of 1854, the rise of nocturnal emission frequency produced a clear if brief inverse correlation. Then, in the absence of any significant number of induced orgasms, the rate fluctuated erratically in a generally downward direction but remained consistently higher than in the years before 1854. In 1858, for no apparent reason, it rose very rapidly." (p. 219) Thus, concludes Burg, the case provides support for Kinsey's assertion that there is little or no regularly discernable relationship between rates of induced orgasm and frequency of nocturnal emission or involuntary orgasm.

Can someone be hypnotized into having a wet dream?

It doesn't look like it. A hypnotist tried that on some college men (who had been very hypnotizable for other purposes) in the 1970s but none of them were able to have a nocturnal emission. (O'Brien & Rabuck)

Sources:

B.R. Burg, "Nocturnal Emission and Masturbatory Frequency Relationships: A 19th-Century Account," Journal of Sex Research 24: 216-220 (1988).
Alfred C. Kinsey, Wardell B. Pomeroy, and Clyde E. Martin, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders, 1948.
William H. Masters, Virginia E. Johnson, and Robert C. Kolodny, Masters and Johnson on Sex and Human Loving. Boston: Little, Brown, 1988.
Richard M. O'Brien and Shirley J. Rabuck, "A Failure to Hypnotically Produce Nocturnal Emission," American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis 19: 182-184 (1977).
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Here are some actual questions from readers of this site and the author's replies.

I am 20 years old and in the past week I haven't masturbated, but before that I masturbated at least once a day. I am wondering if I keep not masturbating, will I be able to get a wet dream, being 20 years old. Can you please let me know if I can have a wet dream and if so, about how long would it take with me not masturbating?

You don't say if you've ever had a wet dream (like before you started masturbating), but in either case, I think it's unlikely you'll have one. You've gotten used to the stimulation of doing it yourself. There are some older males who have wet dreams, but that is kind of rare. I've heard of guys abstaining from intercourse and masturbation for as long as a month in an effort to induce a wet dream and they haven't been successful. I've heard of other experienced guys having a wet dream after only 2 nights without an ejaculation. I can imagine the appeal of trying to have a wet dream if you've never had one before, but if you get to about 25 days and then give up, you'll probably decide you've wasted a lot of time. Are you really abstaining from masturbation or just from ejaculation? If you're masturbating short of orgasm, that might be enough to inhibit a wet dream. Good luck.

You say wet dreams feel good but at the same time does masturbating feel better? I never had a wet dream so I need to know. How can I make a wet dream happen? (age 13)

I don't think you have a choice unless you've never masturbated. Once you start masturbating, you'll probably never have a wet dream again. Most guys prefer masturbating to wet dreams.

I'm an 18 year old male. I haven't had a wet dream since I was about 12 years old or so. I still sometimes have sexual dreams, however, I don't have an orgasm as a result. Is this bad?

It's normal to never have another wet dream after you start masturbating.

I'm 17 years old and I haven't masturbated for a few months. Recently I've been having problems such as wet dreams and leaking of semen when I'm not excited. Is there something wrong with me?

Wet dreams and semen leaking are normal consequences of not masturbating, especially if you've never masturbated often. If you think they're problems, you should masturbate more often. Most guys your age masturbate every day or more.

I went for 2 years without masturbating or any form of sex, and toward the end of that period I did have a few wet dreams. (age 51)

Thank you for telling guys who stop masturbating for a week or two in order to induce a wet dream how long they'll have to wait -- two years.

Can working out streneuosly (weights, running) while at the same time never masturbating cause wet dreams? I've heard from someone at school that when he works out a lot without masturbating, his body responds by eventually ejaculating in his sleep. Can this happen? I've never had a wet dream before but I'm eager to see what they are like, and I never get one. Can masturbating regularly reduce the number of erections you get at school? (age 16)

Not masturbating can bring on wet dreams, but it's unlikely you'll get one if you've never had one before if you're experienced with masturbating. Masturbating won't reduce those daily erections.

I was just wondering if the number of times I masturbate enables me to have wet dreams. I masturbate about 7 times a week when it's in the holidays and about 3 times a week when I have school and studies. I also think that I have had a wet dream even when I was masturbating. (age 14)

You think, but you're not sure? It is probable that you will never have a wet dream again now that you are used to masturbating 3-7 times a week.

I have a wet dream about every 10 days. Is it OK if I do not masturbate?

I think 3 ejaculations a month is enough to keep your body healthy. But nearly all males find masturbating to be a great source of pleasure, and you might want to become one of them.

I recently had my first wet dream. It was much better than masturbation. The only part I remember was a very hot woman laying on her front near the edge of a cliff. She offered to jump off with me on her back because she had a parachute. She began to grow impatient because I wasn't getting on her back. I got on her back. That very second I woke up and had ejaculated. I wish it had lasted longer. Do you know a way to keep myself from waking up, or how long it will be before I have another wet dream? (age 13)

That sounds like a typical wet dream plot. There's about nothing you can do to keep from waking up once you ejaculate, but you can try to go back to sleep again. When you first have them, wet dreams can be more than a month apart. If you masturbate, you might never have one again.

You asked for stories about bringing on wet dreams. I have one. I have practiced lucid dreaming, which is taking steps to control your dreams while they are happening. I have managed to bring on one wet dream. I tried to have my partner stimulate me while I was in REM sleep, but this made a difference. Based on what I know about lucid dreaming, I would estimate that 15 percent of men could bring on a wet dream this way. Thank you for your excellent site.

Hmm... I am more inclined than ever to believe that trying to bring on a wet dream is a waste of time. There might be benefits to lucid dreaming, but it doesn't appear that nocturnal emissions are one of them. I've heard of males abstaining from ejaculation for up to a month and not being able to have a wet dream. All they did was waste a month that they could have been having orgasms, not to mention the mental frustration they brought on themselves. Those who have a choice almost always choose to have orgasms while awake.

I'm 16 and I have never been able to masturbate to orgasm, despite masturbating a few times a week. I have had many wet dreams, occuring roughly once or twice every two weeks.

When you masturbate, you're obviously stopping before you get to orgasm. You can easily learn to reach orgasm through masturbation. When you do, your wet dreams will stop, unless you masturbate very infrequently. Since you're already doing it a few times a week without ejaculating, I suspect you will do it even more once you can.

How long do you have to wait to have a wet dream? (age 15)

If you're not having them at your age, I don't think you ever will.

I just wanted to let everyone know how to have a wet dream. I do not guarantee it will be successful, but it has worked twice for me. When you are about to go to sleep, masturbate hard and fast but stop when you are about to orgasm. Go to sleep. Sometime in the night you SHOULD wake up cumming. (age 14)

Thanks for the tip, but I'm not sure it will work at all for someone with more experience masturbating than you have.

How are wet dreams related to sex in dreams? Does one come with the other, and how can I have more dreams in which I have sex? (age 14)

Wet dreams are not generally sex dreams, but they sometimes are. And not very many sex dreams result in nocturnal emission. You might do some research on dreams to learn how to influence their content.

Hi I am 13 1/2. I masturbated for the first time when I was 12. I have never had a wet dream but want to see how they are. Is there any way I can try to get one?

I doubt you'll ever have a wet dream. Trying to bring one on is apt to be pointless. Just enjoy what you're doing now. It looks like you already are.

I stopped having sex and haven't masturbated for 2 weeks and can't have a wet dream. Is this normal? (age 22)

Unfortunately, yes. Trying to bring on a wet dream at your age is a waste of time. Your body is used to the stimulation it gets from masturbation and intercourse.

I'm a 16 year old guy and everything I've read says that I should have had at least one wet dream by now. But as far as I know I haven't! I thought you wake up after having a wet dream. Is this true? Then I have never had a wet dream. Is this normal?

Only about 60 percent of adult males have had ever had wet dreams. The rest started masturbating before they could ever have one. If you had a wet dream, you would know. Even if you didn't wake up right away, the semen would be around as evidence when you finally woke up.

I am 21 and I have never masturbated. I HAVE grabbed my penis when I had an erection, but have never gotten semen to come out because I never knew how. I have been having wet dreams since I was 15 or so. I get them at least a few times a week, although they have slowed down lately. I think it is because I am on a diet. My friends were talking to me about masturbating, so I looked it up on the Internet and came up with your site. Now I am getting scared. Is it very unhealthy for me not to masturbate? Is it enough to get rid of fluids with just wet dreams? I do not want to start masturbating because I find it repulsive, and I heard that I will stop having wet dreams, which I enjoy very much. What do you advise?

I wonder if you don't protest too much. Nevertheless, I will take your statement at face value and respond accordingly. Your diet makes little or no difference in having wet dreams. If you are really having them several times a week, then you are not in danger of getting the problems caused by infrequent ejaculation. It is correct that if you start masturbating, you will cease to have wet dreams. Given a choice, most men would rather masturbate, because then they get to control when they have orgasms, and most choose to have them more frequently than they were having wet dreams. And since you ask what I advise, I advise you to masturbate, because that is how people learn to respond sexually. Most males regard masturbation as one of the greatest joys of life, and you will probably regret that you waited so long to try.

I have been having wet dreams with frequency like 5 or 6 a month since beginning. And I am sick and tired of them!!! From your site I have learned that they are uncommon in boys over 15 because they start masturbation. I'm 23 and I still get them with same frequency. How can I use masturbation to get rid of wet dreams??

I think most males enjoyed wet dreams when they had them and miss them sometimes now that they don't, but enjoy being awake for orgasms now. Most males masturbate more often than you do. That's why you're still having wet dreams. Masturbating 2-3 times a week will probably put an end to them forever.

I am a 21 year old guy and I have masturbated 3-4 times a week from the age of 16 but I have been having wet dreams for a few months. At age 21, is it OK to get wet dreams? I used to have 2-3 a year.

There's nothing wrong with them, but they're kind of unusual at your age.

I have wet dreams probably more often than most, but I have never had an orgasm or ejaculated from masturbation. Sure it feels good, but nothing really happens. I don't masturbate as often as most people probably do because of this. What's the problem? (age 16)

You haven't learned to masturbate to orgasm. The important thing is to keep a mental focus on something that arouses you. With proper mental and physical stimulation, you should be able to get to orgasm in about 5 minutes.

Follow-up: I know how to and I have been trying unsuccessfully for a year to masturbate to orgasm. Is there a chance I have an actual medical problem?

It's possible. It might just be a matter of getting to orgasm the first time. Try abstaining for 5-7 days and then try again.

I was just wondering if the number of times I masturbate enables me to have wet dreams. I masturbate about 7 times a week when it's in the holidays and about 3 times a week when I have school and studies. I also think that I have had a wet dream even when I was masturating. (age 14)

You think, but you're not sure? It is probable that you will never have a wet dream again now that you are used to masturbating 3-7 times a week.

I have a wet dream about every 10 days. Is it OK if I do not masturbate?

I think 3 ejaculations a month is enough to keep your body healthy. But nearly all males find masturbating to be a great source of pleasure, and you might want to become one of them.

I still have several wet dreams a year at age 43. I wait for them rather than masturbate. I think they're more enjoyable than masturbation.

You're lucky to have that option, but most males would prefer to masturbate whenever they feel like it than to have several orgasms a year.

I am now waiting for my fifth wet dream. My last one was on October 21, 2005. It is now almost 2 months since my last wet dream. Wet dreams happen to guys that do not sexually entice themselves for a given amount of time. I'm conducting an experiment as to how frequently wet dreams occur. Wet dreams stop when men start to ejaculate in one way or another. (age 29)

I'm inclined to agree with most of what you say, but something that has happened to you four times in 16 years does not seem to be worth waiting for when an alternative means is available.

I'm 13 years old and I've been having a problem with wet dreams. Sometime they happen 2-4 times a week and one time I had one twice in the same night. They've become a nuisance and an embarrassment like the time I had one at a sleepover birthday party. (Luckily no one noticed.) Is it possible to prevent wet dreams and would masturbation prevent them?

Regular, frequent masturbation is apt to put an end to wet dreams forever. If you masturbate less frequently than you are having wet dreams (which is pretty often), you are apt to continue having wet dreams too. If you have wet dreams regularly, there is really no way to prevent one from happening on a particular night. You might try to enjoy them rather than regard them as a nuisance.

I have a problem speaking to girls who I think are pretty or who I would like to have a relationship with. I know this is entirely normal but I was wondering if you have any suggestions for relieving my problem. (age 14)

Practice being as casual around those attractive girls as you are around girls you find ordinary. Try talking to them about movies or school or something like that. You might also realize that there's more to a girl than being pretty. Try to find some other things about girls that you like. Some pretty girls at 14 become plain as they mature, and some girls who are plain at your age turn out to be knockouts later.

Do females have wet dreams? My fiancee says that she does not know. (age 25)

The "wet" in wet dream refers to ejaculation, and most authorities believe that females do not ejaculate. (This is a controversial point, since many women allege that they produce a burst of fluid at the point of orgasm.) Women report occasionally having dreams that result in orgasm, but this is much less common than the male experience (which is also less than universal), and it would not be called a wet dream or a nocturnal emission because it is dry and nothing is emitted.

I am 16 years old and masturbate once or twice a week. I had my first wet dream last night, for no apparent reason. (age 16)

Wet dreams usually don't happen for an apparent reason. I hope you enjoyed it. Masturbating once or twice a week is infrequent enough that you might have occasional wet dreams. Males who masturbate daily or close to daily usually never have them again.

I am a 25 year old guy and I still have wet dreams (although infrequently). They seem to occur less often when I am masturbating more frequently but I don't want them at all. Is there any way to get rid of wet dreams?

Masturbating daily or more for a period of time puts an end to them permanently in most men. Or, you might be one of the rare men who continues to have them periodically even when you are experienced at frequent masturbation. You might try to enjoy them.

You said in a reply to a question that "Once you start masturbating, you'll probably never have a wet dream again." That is totally wrong, I'd masturbated for a year before I had great seasons (episodes) of wet dreams in my earlier years and I've experimented that I'll have wet dreams whenever I stop masturbating for a very long time (a month or so), even though I'm 18 now.

The key word in my response is PROBABLY, Poindexter.

I have had wet dreams since early adolescence, sometimes twice in one night, even when masturbating daily for weeks. I am tired of them; they are difficult to clean up and mess up my sleep patterns. I don't enjoy having to get up early the next morning for something important and being jolted out of deep sleep twice the night before, leaving me groggy and useless with yet more dirty clothes to wash. My semen stinks and the smell stays on me for hours even after cleaning myself thoroughly. I don't believe when you say masturbating has any effect on wet dreams; maybe for most people, but I have never seen any relationship between the two for myself. I have always experienced intense guilt after masturbation or wet dreams, from childhood disapproval, but I don't think feelings of guilt have affected other people's frequency. I generally desire never to ejaculate, during night or day, except when I become aroused and begin convincing myself otherwise -- but even then I tell myself I am doing something wrong. I wonder if one's desire to have wet dreams is inversely related to the frequency with which one has them. (age 22)

I think you protest too much about your ejaculating, nocturnal and otherwise. Most males enjoy ejaculating, from whatever source derived. You have too many rationalizations for why you don't enjoy orgasm, and it leads me to question the truth of what you say about having wet dreams often. In any case, just treat the wet dream like any other sleep interruption, like an airplane or truck going by, and go back to sleep afterward

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

'Sleep more and stay slim'


Getting a good night's sleep may be one of the simplest ways to stay slim, new research suggests.

A study found that women who slept too little - five or fewer hours per night - are at risk of major weight gain. Light sleepers weighed more on average than those who slept for seven hours.

Almost 70,000 women took part in the research, part of a major health investigation in the US called the Nurses Health Study.

Scientists monitored the women for 16 years, keeping records of their weight and sleep patterns.

Compared with the sound sleepers, women who slept no more than five hours a night were 32 per cent more likely to experience major weight gain - defined as an increase of 33 pounds or more - during the course of the study.

They were also 15 per cent more likely to become obese compared with women who slept seven hours.

Obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI), a measurement relating weight and height, of 30 or more.

The findings had nothing to do with light sleepers eating too much, or taking too little exercise, the researchers found.

On average, women who slept five hours or less per night weighed 5.4 pounds more at the beginning of the study than those sleeping seven hours, and gained an additional 1.6 pounds more over the next 10 years.

Dr Sanjay Patel, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, who led the study, said: "That may not sound like much, but it is an average amount - some women gained much more than that, and even a small difference in weight can increase a person's risk of health problems such as diabetes and hypertension (blood pressure)."

The study is by far the largest to track the effects of sleep habits on weight gain over a long period of time.

Dr Patel presented his findings today at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Diego, California.

He said his team was surprised to find no connection between the trend and diet.

"Prior studies have shown that after just a few days of sleep restriction, the hormones that control appetite cause people to become hungrier, so we thought that women who slept less might eat more," he said.

"But in fact they ate less. That suggests that appetite and diet are not accounting for the weight gain in women who sleep less."

Exercise

Questioning the women about how much exercise they took revealed that physical activity also played no part in the findings.

Dr Patel added: "We don't have an answer from this study about why reduced sleep causes weight gain, but there are some possibilities that deserve further study.

"Sleeping less may affect changes in a person's basal metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn when you rest). Another contributor to weight regulation that has recently been discovered is called non-exercise associated thermogenesis, or NEAT, which refers to involuntary activity, such as fidgeting or standing instead of sitting.

"It may be that if you sleep less, you move around less, too, and therefore burn up fewer calories."

Sunday, May 14, 2006

The Heart of a Woman

The Heart of a Woman
Guest Column: Heart Disease



Heart disease: It’s not just for men anymore. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease kills more 500,000 women annually. In 2001, well over half of the people who died from heart disease were women. That’s right ladies, as far as heart health goes, it is no longer a man’s world.

Yet, "Women still think they cannot have coronary disease," says Dr. Massimo Guisti of Cardiovascular Associates of Virginia, PC. "They are more afraid of ovarian or breast cancer, but coronary disease is the actually the leading cause of death in women."

Heart disease often presents itself differently in women than it does in men. That includes the warning signs of a heart attack as well. In addition to the classic heart attack warning signs, such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath and pain in one or both arms, women may experience these less common signs:


Atypical chest, stomach or abdominal pain.
Nausea or dizziness without chest pain.
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing without chest pain.
Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue.
Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness.
The National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute reports that one in 10 American women, ages 45-64, has some form of heart disease. In women over the age of 65, these numbers double. For women, like men, the major risk factors for heart disease include increasing age, heredity, tobacco use, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and obesity.

While some of these factors, such as age and family history, cannot be modified, there are plenty others that can. The first step a woman can do towards reducing her risk of coronary disease is to take more responsibility for her health. Women must insist on a thorough risk assessment from their healthcare provider, and not be afraid to ask questions.

The American Heart Association suggests that every woman ask her healthcare provider these 10 questions about cardiovascular disease:

What are my risk factors for heart disease?
Am I at risk for a stroke?
What are the warning signs of heart disease and a stroke?
What should I know about the effects of menopause on my heart health?
Do I need to lose or gain weight for my health?
What is a healthful eating plan for me?
What kind of physical activity is right for me?
What is my blood pressure, and is it appropriate for my age?
What is my cholesterol level, and is it healthy or does it need improving?
Based on my history and risk factors, what can I do to lower my risk of heart disease and stroke?
For mature women, the question of menopause and heart health is particularly important. Long gone is the misconception that estrogen protects post-menopausal women from heart disease. Therefore, mature women need to maintain an open dialog with their primary care physician and gynecologist on the subject, and again do not be afraid to ask questions.

"Women are underrepresented in terms of the workup we do in the cardiac world," says Henrico Doctor’s Hospital cardiologist Dr. Gary Zeevi. "After menopause all women should have a fairly extensive evaluation of their coronary risk."

For more information on women and heart disease, visit the American Heart Association Web site.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

if loud music can hurt your ears

Huh? Can you speak up? Oh! You want to know if loud music can hurt your ears. Are you asking because you like to put on your headphones and crank up the volume of your favorite CD? Maybe your mom or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they have a point. Loud noise (from music or other sources such as machinery or jet engines) can cause both temporary and permanent hearing loss.
Hearing loss means a person can't hear as well as other people do. For some people, that means not being able to hear at all. If the noise around you is so loud that you have to shout to be heard, there is a chance that the mechanism inside your ear can be injured.

Temporary hearing loss can happen after you've been exposed to loud noise for 15 minutes or less. If you have temporary hearing loss, you won't be able to hear as well as you normally do for a while. You may also have tinnitus (say: tih-neye-tus), which is a medical term for ringing in the ears. Your ears can feel "full," too. Luckily, these symptoms usually go away and your hearing is likely to return to normal.

If someone is exposed to loud noise over a long period of time, like every day, permanent hearing loss can occur. This means the person's hearing won't ever be as good as it once was. That's why construction workers and factory workers need to wear ear protection. Lawn mowers and power tools, like chain saws, can also be loud enough to affect a person's ability to hear high-pitched noises. This kind of noise also can cause a person to have tinnitus all the time.

Listening to extremely loud music a lot can cause the same kind of damage, especially if headphones are used. Some famous musicians have lost hearing and developed tinnitus - a real problem for someone who needs to hear to make and enjoy music.

But you can help keep your hearing in tip-top shape. Protect your ears by wearing ear protection when you're using machinery, like in metal shop at school. Also remember to turn down the volume, especially when you are wearing headphones or in the car. You also might want to give your ears a rest once in a while if you like wearing headphones.

And if you're going to a concert, where you know the music is going to be loud, consider wearing earplugs to protect your ears from the boom, boom, boom! Take these steps now and you won't be saying "What?" later on.

How Does a Doctor Test for Hearing Loss?

How Does a Doctor Test for Hearing Loss?
If a doctor thinks that a baby or child may have hearing loss, the doctor will recommend that the parents take him or her to an audiologist. An audiologist (say: awd-ee-ah-luh-jist) is someone who is specially trained to test and help with the problems related to hearing loss.

A pediatric audiologist tests a child's hearing by doing different types of tests. They even have hearing tests for babies! Maybe you've had a hearing test, when you wore headphones and had to raise your left or right hand to show that you could hear in each ear.

If an audiologist finds that a child has hearing loss, he or she will recommend treatment and suggest the family work with a special team. This team can help figure out the best way for the kid to learn and communicate.

How Is Hearing Loss Treated?
The kind of treatment depends on the type of hearing loss, how severe it is, and the child's other needs. Common treatments include medicine, operations, hearing aids, or assistive listening devices, which emphasize voices and help kids hear better in noisy settings. With treatment, most kids will be able to hear normally again.

Hearing aids are kind of like tiny microphones. They help someone hear sounds better and can even pick up the sounds so that what kids hear is more clear. Hearing aids deliver amplified sounds (via sound vibrations) from the eardrum and middle ear to the inner ear or cochlea. Hearing aid technology is available that can adjust the volume of sounds automatically.

For some kids who are not able to hear or understand words even with the help of hearing aids, there is a device called a cochlear implant (say: ko-klee-ur im-plant). This is a very tiny piece of electronic equipment that is put into the cochlea during an operation. It takes over the job of the damaged or destroyed hair cells in the cochlea by turning sounds into electrical signals that stimulate the hearing nerve directly.

Learning and Communicating
A kid with hearing loss may attend a special school, special classes within a regular school, or may be part of a regular classroom. Depending on how severe their hearing loss is, some kids may work with audiologists or speech-language pathologists to help them develop their hearing and speaking skills. Some people with hearing loss may need to use special techniques like these to communicate:

speechreading, which involves looking closely at a person's lips, facial expressions, and gestures to help figure out spoken words
American Sign Language, or ASL, which is a language of hand movements that allows deaf people to communicate with one another without speaking
What about talking on the phone? Thanks to a telecommunication device, also called a TDD, a conversation can be typed out instead of spoken. The messages appear on a special screen or on a printout.

You might wonder how a hearing-impaired person could see a movie or watch TV. Closed-captioned TV shows and movies provide text at the bottom of the screen, so people with hearing loss can read along to follow the action.

So hearing-impaired kids can go to school, talk on the phone, and watch a movie. If that sounds a lot like a typical kid's life, you're right!

what is hearing loss?

You know what hearing is, but what is hearing loss? Hearing loss, or hearing impairment (say: im-pare-ment), happens when there is a problem with one or more parts of the ear or ears. Someone who has hearing loss or impairment may be able to hear some sounds or nothing at all. Impairment means something is not working correctly or as well as it should. People also may use the words deaf, deafness, or hard of hearing when they're talking about hearing loss.

About three in 1,000 babies are born with hearing impairment, making it one of the most common birth defects. A hearing problem can also develop later in life. To understand how and why hearing loss happens, it helps to know how the ear works.
How Hearing Works
The ear is made up of three different sections: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. These parts work together so you can hear and process sounds. The outer ear, or pinna (the part you can see), picks up sound waves and the waves then travel through the outer ear canal.

When the sound waves hit the eardrum in the middle ear, the eardrum starts to vibrate. When the eardrum vibrates, it moves three tiny bones in your ear. These bones are called the hammer (or malleus), anvil (or incus), and stirrup (or stapes). They help sound move along on its journey into the inner ear.

The vibrations then travel to the cochlea, which is filled with liquid and lined with cells that have thousands of tiny hairs on their surfaces. The sound vibrations make the tiny hairs move. The hairs then change the sound vibrations into nerve signals, so your brain can interpret the sound.

Types of Hearing Loss
There are a few different types of hearing loss: conductive, sensory, mixed (conductive and sensory combined), and neural.

Conductive (say: kun-duk-tiv) hearing loss: This happens when there is a problem with a part of the outer or middle ear. Most kids with conductive hearing loss have a mild hearing loss and it is usually temporary because in most cases medical treatment can help.

Sensory (say: sen-suh-ree) hearing loss: This happens when the cochlea is not working correctly because the tiny hair cells are damaged or destroyed. Depending on the loss, a kid may be able to hear most sounds (although they would be muffled); only some sounds; or no sounds at all. Sensory hearing impairment is almost always permanent and a kid's ability to talk normally may be affected.

Neural (say: nur-ul) hearing loss: This happens when there is a problem with the connection from the cochlea to the brain. Neural means related to nerve, so neural hearing loss means the nerve that carries the messages from the cochlea to the brain is damaged.

What Causes Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss can happen because a person was born with parts of the ear that didn't form correctly and don't work well. Other problems can happen later because of an injury or illness, including:

middle ear fluid
serious infections, such as meningitis
head injury
listening to very loud music, especially through headphones
repeated exposure to loud sounds, such as machinery
Lots of kids have had ear infections, which also can cause hearing loss. Permanent hearing loss is rare from an ear infection, but you need to visit the doctor if you or your parents suspect you have one.

How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?


How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?


Every child is unique and has an individual rate of development. This chart represents, on average, the age by which most children will accomplish the listed skills. Children typically do not master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each age range. Just because your child has not accomplished one skill within an age range does not mean the child has a disorder. However, if you have answered no to the majority of items in an age range, seek the advice of an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Use Find a Professional, ASHA's online directory of speech-language pathologists and audiologists to locate a practitioner near you.

Hearing and Understanding
Talking

Birth-3 Months
Startles to loud sounds.
Quiets or smiles when spoken to.
Seems to recognize your voice and quiets if crying.
Increases or decreases sucking behavior in response to sound.
Birth-3 Months

Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing).
Cries differently for different needs.
Smiles when sees you.

4-6 Months

Moves eyes in direction of sounds.
Responds to changes in tone of your voice.
Notices toys that make sounds.
Pays attention to music.
4-6 Months

Babbling sounds more speech-like with many different sounds, including p, b and m.
Vocalizes excitement and displeasure.
Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you.

7 Months-1 Year

Enjoys games like peek-o-boo and pat-a-cake.
Turns and looks in direction of sounds.
Listens when spoken to.
Recognizes words for common items like "cup", "shoe," "juice."
Begins to respond to requests ("Come here," "Want more?").
7 Months-1 Year

Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as "tata upup bibibibi."
Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention.
Imitates different speech sounds.
Has 1 or 2 words (bye-bye, dada, mama) although they may not be clear.

1-2 Years

Points to a few body parts when asked.
Follows simple commands and understands simple questions ("Roll the ball," "Kiss the baby," "Where's your shoe?").
Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes.
Points to pictures in a book when named.
1-2 Years

Says more words every month.
Uses some 1-2 word questions ("Where kitty?" "Go bye-bye?" "What's that?").
Puts 2 words together ("more cookie," "no juice," "mommy book").
Uses many different consonant sounds of the beginning of words.

2-3 Years

Understands differences in meaning ("go-stop," "in-on," "big-little," "up-down").
Follows two requests ("Get the book and put it on the table.").
2-3 Years

Has a word for almost everything.
Uses 2-3-word "sentences" to talk about and ask for things.
Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time.
Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them.

3-4 Years

Hears you when call from another room.
Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members.
Understands simple, "who?," "what?," "where?," "why?" questions.
3-4 Years

Talks about activities at school or at friends' homes.
People outside family usually understand child's speech.
Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words.
Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words.

4-5 Years

Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it.
Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school.
4-5 years

Voice sounds clear like other children's.
Uses sentences that give lots of details (e.g. "I like to read my books").
Tells stories that stick to topic.
Communicates easily with other children and adults.
Says most sounds correctly except a few like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th.
Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family.


Where to Get Help
If you think your child may have a speech, language, or hearing problem, you can contact an ASHA-certified

Audiologist: Audiologists are hearing care professionals who specialize in prevention, identification, and assessment of hearing and related disorders and provide treatment, rehabilitative services, and assistive devices.
Speech-language pathologist. Speech-language pathologists help people develop their communication abilities as well as treat speech, languages, swallowing, and voice disorders. Their services include prevention, identification, evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation.
ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists have completed their master's or doctoral degree and have earned ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC).

Speech-Language pathologists and audiologists work in many different types of facilities such as:
Public and private schools
Colleges and universities
Hospitals
Private practices
Rehabilitation centers
State and local health departments
Nursing care facilities
State and federal government agencies
Industry

Warning Signs of a Hearing Problem

Warning Signs of a Hearing Problem

Deafness is the leading cause of delayed language development, according to the American Medical Association's (AMA) Complete Guide to Your Children's Health. Even temporary hearing loss caused by an ear infection — not to mention more permanent damage that can be the result of frequent infections — can affect how and when your child learns to talk. Your child's doctor should check his hearing regularly, but for the meantime, print this form so you can keep an eye out for any of these warning signs.


According to the AMA, you should call the pediatrician if your child:


Age: Warning Signs: Check Here
Newborn to three months doesn't startle in response to a sudden loud sound


doesn't seem to recognize your voice


doesn't move or wake up at the sound of voices or nearby noises when sleeping in a quiet room


doesn't respond to sounds, music, or voices


when fussy or crying, doesn't calm down when you speak to him while you're out of sight





Age: Warning Signs: Check Here
Four to eight months doesn't turn his head or eyes toward a sound he can't see


doesn't change expressions at the sound of a voice or a loud noise when he's in a quiet setting


doesn't seem to enjoy shaking a rattle, ringing bells, or squeezing noisemakers


by six months, hasn't begun to babble to himself or back at others who speak to him





Age: Warning Signs: Check Here
Nine to 12 months doesn't turn quickly or directly toward a soft noisemaker or "shush"


doesn't respond to his name


doesn't vary his pitch when babbling


doesn't make several different consonant sounds when babbling (m, p, b, g, etc.)


doesn't respond to music by listening, bouncing, or singing along


doesn't understand what "no" means


at one year, doesn't pronounce many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words





Age: Warning Signs: Check Here
18 Months to three years at 18 months, doesn't say more than five words


between two and three years, doesn't use two- or three-word sentences, can't follow two instructions together (for example, "Get the block and put it on the table"), and you can't understand his speech most of the time.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Asthma & women


Asthma & women
As a woman your body will go through changes that can affect your asthma. Here we answer questions about puberty, menstruation, the pill, menopause, osteoporosis and HRT.
Puberty
Hormonal changes can affect asthma in adolescent girls. Some girls find their asthma is worse around the time their periods start for the first time. However, other factors such as the pressures of starting a new school and emotional stress need to be taken into account as well.

Their symptoms usually settle down once their menstrual cycle becomes established. However, some women continue to find that their asthma gets worse before their period.


Menstrual cycle
Could my periods affect my asthma?
If you have noticed that your asthma is harder to control at certain times of the month, you are not alone. Studies have shown that around one third of women think their symptoms are worse just before or during menstruation. This link seems to be stronger in women with severe asthma.

What can I do?

Keep a peak flow diary to help you see if your periods are affecting your asthma.
If, over a few months, you notice your asthma consistently gets worse before your period, go to see your doctor or asthma nurse. They may advise you take extra preventer medicine during the week before your period.
Some women who experience very severe asthma attacks before their period may benefit from progesterone hormone therapy given either as a tablet or by injection. Your doctor or asthma nurse will be able to advise if this is appropriate for you.
Aspirin and other medicines (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets, eg Nurofen, ibuprofen and Ponstan) used for period pain may induce an asthma attack in a small number of people. Paracetemol is usually safe. If you take regular medicines for period pain check with your doctor or asthma nurse.


Will taking the pill affect my asthma?
No. Your asthma treatment is just as effective when you are taking the pill. As with all women taking the pill, it is best if you do not smoke and have your blood pressure checked regularly.


Menopause
Menopause is a natural process. It marks the point at which the balance of hormones in a woman's body changes. You may find that, as at other times of hormonal fluctuation, your asthma becomes troublesome. It is important to keep an eye on your asthma at such times and discuss any problems you have with your doctor or asthma nurse specialist.


Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis – or brittle bones – is one of the major health concerns for older women. This bone-thinning disease affects one in three women after they reach the menopause.
However, for some women with asthma, the chances of suffering from osteoporosis are slightly higher than average. Studies have shown that taking steroid tablets continually or high doses of inhaled steroids (preventer inhalers) for a number of years may increase the risk of osteoporosis.

How can I prevent osteoporosis?
Here are steps you can take to make sure your bones stay healthy:



Make sure your diet contains plenty of calcium-rich foods such as yoghurts, cheese, bread and milk. Other foods containing calcium include tinned fish with bones, tofu and green leafy vegetables.
Take regular weight-bearing exercise at least three times a week, such as walking, dancing, light weight-training or running.
Stop smoking. Smoking can bring on a premature menopause. Smokers are also more at risk of fractures as their bone mineral density is lower than non-smokers.
Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol


You can reduce this risk of side effects from the steroids in preventer medicines by:


Using a spacer to take your preventer.
Rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth after taking your steroid inhaler


Will the steroids I take for my asthma make me put on weight?
Steroid treatment is an essential part of asthma management. For most people, a regular dose of a steroid inhaler is all that is needed to keep their asthma under control. This contains a very low dose of steroid and it won't make you put on weight.

Steroid tablets are sometimes prescribed if your asthma gets more severe. They contain a higher dose of steroid than your inhaler. Steroid tablets themselves won't make you put on weight. However, they can make you feel hungry and, of course, if you eat more than usual you'll start to put on the pounds. Stick to your usual eating habits, take regular exercise, and you should be fine.



In this section
Asthma & adults
Adult onset asthma
Asthma & older people
Pregnancy FAQs


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Adult onset asthma

Adult onset asthma
Asthma is often thought to be a condition you get when you are a child and for many, asthma does start in childhood. However, some people are diagnosed with asthma for the first time later in life. This is known as 'adult onset asthma'.
In older people, the symptoms of asthma are less likely to be triggered by allergies such as house-dust mites, animals and pollen.

Symptoms are more likely to be triggered by:



flu, colds or other viral infections
exercise
laughing or getting excited
depression or anxiety
some medicines
irritants such as cigarette smoke, cold air, perfumes and chemical fumes

For older people, shortness of breath may be the only symptom. However it can be difficult to tell the difference between asthma and other conditions that cause similar symptoms, such as bronchitis, emphysema, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) so it is sometimes difficult to diagnose asthma in older adults.

Controlling your asthma

Controlling your asthma
If your asthma is under control you are more likely to have a better quality of life and be more able to do the things you want to. In this section you will find information about how to spot when your asthma is not well controlled, practical help to get your symptoms back under control from our 'Be in Control' pack and advice on the questions you should be asking when you visit your doctor or asthma nurse.
Is your asthma under control?
Three questions can help you to identify whether your symptoms are under control:-

In the last month:

Have you had difficulty sleeping because of your asthma symptoms (including cough)
Have you had your usual asthma symptoms during the day (cough, wheeze, chest tightness or breathlessness)
Has your asthma interfered with your usual activities - eg housework, work, school etc)
If you have answered yes to any of the above questions it may be that your asthma is not controlled as well as it could be. See your doctor or asthma nurse to discuss ways that you may be able to improve your asthma control.


Signs that your asthma is not well controlled
Signs may include:

Waking at night with coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or a tightness in the chest
Having to take time off work because of your asthma
Finding it difficult to breathe, and breathing short shallow breaths
Needing more and more reliever treatment
Finding that your reliever does not seem to be working
Having to take your reliever more frequently than every four hours
Feeling that you cannot keep up with your usual level of activity or exercise
If you notice any of these symptoms you should follow your personal asthma action plan, as this should help you to get your symptoms back under control. If this does not work, you should see your doctor or asthma nurse. This may involve looking at your medicines, triggers and lifestyle to see if anything can be changed.


Questions to ask your doctor or asthma nurse


Help for you to take control of your symptoms
You can take control of your asthma by knowing what medicines to take, how much and when to take them. It is also important to avoid things that trigger your asthma and know what to do if your symptoms get worse.

All of this information should be recorded on a personal asthma action plan, which your doctor or asthma nurse should complete in discussion with you. Asthma UK produces a set of tools called 'Be in control' which includes an action plan, peak flow diary, medicines card and asthma review card. This is available free from Asthma UK - follow the links on the right hand side of this page.



Read more about Asthma UK's 'Be in Control' resources to help you control your asthma

Top tips for getting your asthma under control

What is Asthma?

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease often linked to allergies, heredity, environment & weight, that results in increased airway inflammation resulting in recurring attacks of wheezing, coughing, chest constriction & labored breathing.

Components

One of the main components of asthma, airway inflammation, is caused by the airways in the lungs being overly sensitive to certain triggers. These triggers will vary from person to person and time to time.

Symptoms

Many people who are newly diagnosed want to know what the symptoms of asthma are. Asthma symptoms will vary from person to person, but typically involve the following.

Coughing
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
Tightness in Chest
How long these symptoms last and how severe these symptoms are will vary from time to time for asthma suffers.


One of the other most common questions about asthma is what causes it. The answer to that is that we don't yet know what causes asthma.

Some studies have suggested that there may be a link between asthma and the hereditary presence of antibodies that are associated with allergic reactions. Another recent study has also linked asthma in children with obesity.

The link to obesity suggests that as weight increases it might lead to inflammation in the airways, which is one of the main factors in asthma. The increased weight on the lungs is also potentially linked to increased airway responsiveness.

Airway responsiveness is the way the airways respond to various triggers resulting in inflammation. Increased airway responsiveness is one of the components in asthma as well.

Common Triggers

Some other factors and triggers that can cause an asthma attack are as follows.

Dust
Animal Dander
Pollen
An Infection
Breathing Cold Air
Exertion
Reactions to Certain Medications
Workplace Chemicals
Cigarette Smoke

Antibiotics for Asthma?

Antibiotics for Asthma?


The current issue of the prestigious journal New England Journal of Medicine reports on an international clinical trial of the new antibiotic telithromycin (Ketek), which has been found to effectively relieve acute asthma symptoms and improve results of breathing tests.

Do these results mean we should be adding antibiotics to steroids and bronchodilators when managing patients with moderate to severe asthma symptoms? I would say it's too soon to make that move.

Telithromycin belongs to the macrolide class of antibiotics, which also includes the drugs clarithromycin (Biaxin) and erythromycin (ERYC). Studies are now under way to determine whether clarithromycin can improve asthma symptoms and control in the longer run.

As part of that research by the Asthma Clinical Research Network (a consortium funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), the researchers will study whether any improvement in asthma symptoms is due to the drug's effect on low-grade infections caused by two bacterial species that have been linked to asthma: chlamydia and mycoplasma.

An alternate explanation for the effectiveness of drugs in this antibiotic class is that they have an anti-inflammatory effect, which may include boosting the effects of steroids taken for asthma by slowing down metabolism. If it turns out that the beneficial effect is due to this mechanism, it wouldn't make sense to prescribe such an antibiotic to boost the effects of steroids. It would be easier and less toxic to give a slightly higher steroid dose.

If you or a family member is plagued by moderate to severe asthma, don't ask for Ketek or another macrolide antibiotic yet. Studies are needed to reveal how these drugs work, and fortunately, these are already under way


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