Sleepy Facts

ZZZzzzzzz……..some sleepy facts!!!

Although many factors influence how much sleep you really need, the common recommendation is eight hours a night. But individual needs vary greatly.

Although many factors influence how much sleep you really need, most young adults report sleeping about seven and a half hours on weekday nights and eight and a half hours on weekend nights!!

There are so-called short-sleepers and long-sleepers -- those who need as little as five and a half hours to as much as about nine and a half hours.

How much sleep you require depends on several factors including:

Your inherited genetic need .

Your sleep hygiene (those daily activities you control, from drinking coffee or alcohol to smoking and exercise) .

The quality of your sleep.

Your 24-hour daily cycle known as the circadian rhythm.

For example, smoking, drinking, and exercise can affect your sleep dramatically.

What you actually do in bed (like reading or watching TV) and how much exposure to light you have (looking at that bright computer screen 'til midnight) will also significantly alter both the quality and quantity of your sleep.

They all interact to determine how long you need to sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert throughout the day.

OK, so how do you determine how much sleep you really need?

First, let's look at your sleep bank account. Throughout the day, you take out about eight hours from this account, generating a sleep debt. Over the course of the night, as you snooze, you replenish your account.

If you sleep only, say, six and a half hours, you still owe one and a half hours. If you do this for five nights in a row, you have lost an entire night's sleep! You will then need extra sleep over the next few days to replenish your sleep debt.

The bottom line is that you should wake up feeling relatively refreshed, and you should generally not feel sleepy during the day.

If this is not the case, you may have an unrecognized sleep disorder and should see your doctor or a sleep specialist.

So….snore on sleeping beauties….!!!

What is Botox?

Botox is a trade name for Botulinum Toxin. It is a treatment where a cosmetic effect is obtained by injecting minute doses of Botulinum Toxin, a neurotoxin protein produced by a bacterium. It is one of the most poisonous naturally occurring substances in the world. Though it is highly toxic, it is used in minute doses both to treat painful muscle spasms, and a cosmetic treatment. By paralyzing the muscle, it eases out wrinkles.
Basically, Botulinum Toxin blocks the signals that would normally tell your muscles to contract. The logic here is simple -- if your muscle don't move then they don't wrinkle.
Wrinkles in Wallet
Though 100 Units of botox can cost anywhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 14,000, clients can always split the usage. IN case one needs to remove frown lines from the forehead, 50 units of botox is more than enough. Thus two clients can split up 100 units of botox as well as the cost. The average cost of botox treatment can vary between Rs 4,000 to Rs 20,000, depending on the area of treatment.

Mobiles n ur health!!!

Mobiles n ur health!!!

The frequencies required for cellular phone communication are between 100 MHz. to 2.5 GHz!!.... and newer cordless phones operate at frequencies up to 5.8 GHz.

Until 2004, the health risks attributed to cellular phone radiation were believed to be caused by the cumulative effects of these frequencies generated by a phone, which is referred to as near field.

All phone manufacturers and the World Health Organization warn consumers not to use any shielding product that claims to absorb radiation.

When an absorption based shielding material is used, the phone must compensate for a weaker signal by increasing its output power, thus increasing its radiation emissions and battery consumption. Further, all absorption based products, such as sponges, deteriorate over time and leak when they become saturated.

People believe that radiation is emitted from a phone's extendable antenna mast or earpiece, however it is the radio system (transmitter and receiver) that generates more than four times the amount of radiation as the portion of an antenna inside a phone.

The amount of radiation emitted by the radio system is contingent upon its design and the strength of the signal received through the antenna from the base station. At least 40% and up to 60% is absorbed by the head and neck.

Doctor again

Food for thought… tummy…n health!!

Non stop sneezing…..is it a COLD you have caught? Eat garlic!

Clear up that stuffy head with garlic…remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.

Coughing? Use red peppers!!

A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.

Bladder infection…… gulp down some Cranberry Juice!!!!
High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.

Bone problems? Munch on some pineapple!!!Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

Breast Cancer…. Wheat, bran and cabbage helps….
Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.

Lung cancer….well, gobble Dark Green And Orange And Veggies!!!

A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.
Diarrhea… well don’t lose hope…try some apples apples!
Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition…Bananas are also good for this ailment.

Clogged arteries… Swallow avocados (well…not literally)!
Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.
High blood pressure?..hold on before u hit the roof… have celery and olive oil!!!

Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.

Blood sugar imbalance?...dont stop being sweet..munch on broccoli and peanuts!!!
The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.

Days of the Week

Days of the Week

The history of the days of the week is closely intertwined with the advancement of mankind through the centuries.

It could have been six, it could have been ten. Why seven?!!!?

It is conjectured that the seven day week as we know it was developed by the Babylonians over 3000 years ago. Historians believe that the Babylonians were avid astronomers. They based many of their mathematical systems (including their calculations of time) on the movement of the heavenly bodies. The first convenient division of time to be devised (after the day) was the month because it could be tracked by observing the cycles of the moon. The big problem was that a cycle of the moon lasted about 29 and a half days. No round number of days divides evenly into 29 and a half - 4 was the best division they could find. So they went with the seven day week and worried about the loose change of extra days later.

Throughout the world various systems for the week had developed. The most popular competition for the seven day week was the 10 day week. Yet the ten day week proved to be too long for those looking forward to the weekend.

Sunday is the Lord's Day for Christians, yet it is named for the sun.

The first day of the week, Sunday, since ancient times has been designated the "day of rest". For Christians it is the holy day of the week, due to the fact that Christ was reported to have risen from the dead upon this day.

Yet the name of Sunday has nothing to do with Christianity, but everything to do with even more ancient religions. The ancient Greeks knew that the sun was the source of life on the planet and they gave it prime importance in their thinking. When the Romans later adopted the seven day week they emphasize their respect for the sun by naming the first day of the week for it..."dies solis"..."day of the sun".

The actual word "Sunday" is derived from the German word "Sonntag"

The old English work was "sunnandaeg" and it changed over time to become our current, "Sunday".

If the sun has its own day why not the moon on Monday?

If sun is honored on Sunday, it follows that the Moon should be given a place of prominence on Monday. And, indeed, the word for Monday is derived via the ancient Anglo-Saxon/Germanic tongue from the word for Moon, "monandaeg".

Monday has often been called a blue day. There is considerable speculation as to why this might be so. One theory runs that Monday (before the advent of the washing machine) was the usual day for washing and a blue dye was frequently used to keep clothes from yellowing. Blue is also frequently associated with depression. Since Monday is typically the first workday of the week and workers must look over a long depressing stretch of time until their next day-long break it has often been referred to as a blue day.

Tuesday is not named for the number. It is named for a Norse God!

Fat Tuesday is the designation generally given to the day just prior to the beginning of Lent. Lent is a 40 day time of fasting for many Christians and it always begins on a certain Wedensday prior to Easter. As the day before (always a Tuesday) is the last chance for revelry and also the last chance to use up perishables such as butter, lard and other fats that day has become known as "Mardi Gras" (French for Fat Tuesday).

The word "Tuesday", however, was derived from a wholly different religious tradition. Tyr or Tiw was the Norse God of War. When the Germanic Angles and Saxon's invaded England in the 500's they suplanted a culture that had been heavily influenced by Rome for several hundred years. The day, Tuesday, had already been named for the Roman God of War, Martius.

Was Wednesday named for weddings? Not even close.

The mid-day of the week is named for the Norse God, Odin. He was also known as Woden or Wotan. The early Scandanavians and Germans believed that Odin was the chief God of Asgard and as such deserved to have a day of the week named for him. The Anglo-Saxons used the word, Wodnesdaeg.

If the work week were a hill. Then Wednesday would be the crest. It is all down hill from there.

After reading this the next time you hear thunder on Thursday you will remember how this day got its name.

Thor was the Norse God of Thunder. The Angles and Saxon's who invaded England in the 500's carried belief in Thor with them in their wanderings and wars.

In the days before the invasion the Roman's inhabited most of the civilized world (including most of England). The fifth day of the week was known as "dies jovis". The Roman's had named it for their own God of Thunder, and also chief of the Gods, Jupiter.

When the Germanic tribes suplanted the resident Roman's of England they also suplanted their Gods. They replaced Jupiter or Jove with Thor. Thus came the name, Thorsdaeg which comes down to modern English speakers as Thursday.

Friday is the only day of the week named for a woman. Why Friday, and why this woman?

Lucky or unlucky, Friday is one of the most popular days in the week. The love for the day is undoubtedly engendered by the fact that in the Western World it is the last workday of the week.

The name of the day is derived from yet another Norse God (in this case a goddess), Frigga. She was believed to be the wife of Odin and was the goddess of marriage and the hearth. The Roman's had named this day for their goddess of beauty, Venus. They called it "dies veneris". When the Germanic tribes invaded England they imposed their goddess upon the day meant to honor Venus. The day was called frigedaeg, it has been corrupted over the centuries (since the 500's) to be "Friday".

Saturday is the only day of the week in the English language that retained its Roman character.

Saturday is the only day of the week that retained its Roman origins in the wake of the English invasions of the Angles and Saxons. This may have been because there was no Norse God to roughly correspond to the Roman God of Time and the Harvest, Saturn. The Anglo-Saxons simply adapted the Roman, "dies saturni", making it saterdaeg.

As the centuries pass conditions shall change the nature of these days of the week. Already, the strict notions of apropriate behavior upon the Sabbath have changed. The idea of Monday holidays to create 3-day weekends is a relatively new invention. What change shall come next to vary our own perspective of the endless cycle of the week?

Bath

How is Bath most important thing in our life ?

Bath has an important place in daily routine of a person. Bath is a customary activity in all the religious and social functions of Hindus. Daily life of a Hindu usually begins with bath. Some people conclude their day with bath also.

A child is first of all given a bath soon after his birth. On the other hand, a dead body is also given a ritual bath.

Importance associated with holy places of pilgrimage like Haridwar, Kashi, Prayag, Kurukshetra, Ujjain, Nasik, Pushkar and many others is mainly due to the bath if not entirely. It is said that taking a bath at holy place of pilgrimage helps a person attain various religious objectives including salvation.

Scientifically too, bath has profound benefits. Our skin contains crores of minute pores through which toxic substances pass out in the form of sweat and wax. This activity is highly important to maintain the thermal balance of a human body. Sweat keeps on evaporating there by taking a lot of heat with it. But the various other substances like grime keep on accumulating right on the skin.

Not only does water keep people hydrated, its universal solvent properties make it essential for cleaning wounds and preventing infection.

Thus with bath, body receives extreme satisfaction and becomes active. Mind also feels pleasant and lethargy is destroyed.

A 30-minute contrast bath can be taken to lower extremities (four minutes hot, one minute cold, repeated for a total of 30 minutes) can produce a 95% increase in local blood flow.

Baths helps to remove the discomfort where muscles are in painful spasm. It is mainly used for relaxation purposes and to treat stress-related ailments such as insomnia, anxiety, and nervous exhaustion. Cool baths can relieve irritation and itching caused by hives or other skin disorders.

Water has been part of the therapeutic arsenal since the beginning of civilization. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates promoted the healthful effects of taking a bath. Regular trips to the bathhouse were part of the Roman regimen for good health and hygiene.

Water is such an amazing thing…………

It is useful in its other physical states: Steam can open clogged sinuses; ice packs can relieve swelling.

Here is an ultimate Bath Mantra: "candles .... music ... a glass of wine ... flowers…………….

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!! Keep Bathing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleeping position

Why keeping legs towards south during sleep is prohibited?

“One should not keep his legs towards south while sleeping.” This particular statement of our scriptures is based on scientific facts and which is followed religiously even by the illiterate women inspite of being unaware about its scientific significance.

Sometimes ago, scientists were of the view that the Sun was static and all the planets revolved around it but the new discoveries have revealed that even the Sun is revolving- it is not only revolving but is also moving in an unspecified direction along with the whole solar system.

Our ancient sages were aware that all the planets of the solar system were stable only because of the gravitational force of the Sun. In the same way, the Sun was stable because of the gravitational force of Dhruv, which was situated towards the north.

If a person keeps his head towards north during sleep then there is a bad effect on his heart and mind.

Sleeping in this position causes hindrance in the process of digestion. The magnetic force of the earth pushes the excrement present in the intestines in the upward direction instead of pushing it downwards.

This unnatural movement of the excrement affects the heart and mind in a bad way.

On the contrary, if we sleep keeping our legs towards north then our digestive system would work in a proper manner. The magnetic current will enter our body through the head and will come out from the legs.

This will have a very favourable effect on our body and we will wake up in the morning fully energetic and refreshed.

Now…which way do u sleep……………..?

Mosquitoes

Male mosquitoes are strictly vegetarians, and do not bite either.

If a hungry female mosquito were the size of an average human female, she could drink 240 pounds of blood in one sitting and still fly away.

Mosquitoes can drink 150 percent as much blood as they weigh.

There are thousands of different species of mosquitoes around the world. Only two things are constant. The females need a blood supply to lay their eggs, and water in which the eggs must hatch.

These vicious blood-sucking buggers are hearty and adaptable, surviving freezing temperatures and hundred-degree heat. The mosquito “season” is year around.

But the good news is…… now we have the mosquito repellants………..

Or.. one may use another techniques to shoo them away…

A reason to avoid blue jeans : Mosquitoes are twice as interested in blue as any other color.

Pizza

Decoding the Pizza

The earliest known pizza dates from about 200 BC. For centuries Greeks and Italians used flat round bread with toppings on it.

But it was the Italians who added tomatoes and cheese to make the pizza as we know it.

The world's first pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port' Alba in Naples, opened in 1830 and is still in business.

In 1889 Naples baker, Raffael Esposito, created a pizza for King Umberto and Queen Margherita while they were visiting Naples, topping the pizza with red tomatoes, white cheese and green basil to resemble the Italian flag . He named the pizza in honour of Queen Margherita.

The queens was keen to try this “new” food fad but were reluctant to visit the pizzeria. Thus she became the first person to order a take-away (take-out) pizza.

Today, more than five billion pizzas are sold annually, more than one billion in frozen form. Interestingly, although US citizens eat twice as much meat as Europeans, the Margherita (without a meat topping) remains the most popular pizza choice in the US.

Happy munching…..

Doctor

Food for thought… tummy…n health!!
To prevent stroke drink tea!
Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea…actually, tea suppresses appetite and keeps the pounds from invading....Green tea is great for our immune system!!!
Can’t remember your girl’s mobile no.?....Memory Problems??? Eat oysters!!!
Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.

Ulcers….Munch on cabbage!!

Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.

A Splitting headache??? !! Eat fish!

Eat plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which also reduce inflammation and pain.

Insomnia!!! Can't sleep, honey….? Well have - HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative. Out of Breath…..Asthma??? Munch on onions!!!!

Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes.--onion packs to place on chest, helps the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better.
Arthritis ??? More fish !!
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis…fish has omega oils, good for our immune system!

Upset stomach? Bananas n ginger will set things right!!!!!

Bananas will settle an upset stomach……Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.

Clothes-e-funda

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." -Mark Twain.. ……So, we think its time we came with some garment facts… Your clothes also cry for attention!!! Dry cleaned garments last longer : Accumulations of perspiration, grit, and dust particles can shorten the life of your garment. Pressing a soiled garment can permanently set stains which may not be visible to the eye, yet cause permanent damage. Delaying dry cleaning after a garment has been stained can also cause the stain to become permanently set.

Designer Labels Aren't Always the Best Many fashion designers sell the use of their name to any manufacturer who pays the price. The extra cost for their name is then passed along to you without any gain in quality.

Fading occurs when a fabric is exposed to sunlight, artificial
light, or even atmospheric gases. The color loss is very gradual and often goes undetected because the fabric is gathering soil at the same time. Delicate Silks are subject to color loss and dye bleeding. This may occur in normal wear or during stain removal or from exposure to sunlight or even artificial light.

Perspiration will degrade silk; and perfumes and deodorants will affect the fabric color. Never launder whites with other color garments or in an overcrowded washing machine. Never launder or dry clean white garments that are part of a set unless all parts of the set are processed together. It could result in different shades in parts of the set!!!!
Wash away to glory, guys……!!!!

Burn-e-funda

Did you know…….. At 40 deg Centigrade a person loses about 14.4 calories per hour by breathing. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching T.V. You must be wondering why that ‘lucky’ person across the table from you doesn’t get fat from all that junk food. Well here is the answer: Metabolic Rate is the rate at which the body burns up calories. A body that consumes 2500 calories a day, and burns 2500 calories a day will stay at the same weight. A body consuming 2500 calories daily but burning only 2000 will gain weight at the rate
of about 1lb a week.
The trick is to keep the ‘keep moving’ message in mind. Write the word ‘move’ on post-it notes and put them in places you’ll notice them when you’re sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move – here are some simple ideas for burning calories:
Tap your feet
Swing your legs
Drum your fingers
Stand up and stretch
Move your head from side to side
Change position
Wriggle and fidget
Pace up and down
Don’t use the internal phone – go in person
Use the upstairs loo
Park in the furthest corner of the car park
Stand up when you’re on the phone
Clench and release your muscles
SO KEEP ON BURNING……………..

Groom Cake

Heard about Groom cake….???.

In the west, couples eat their wedding cake after year…..!!!???!!..yess the same cake..

During the cutting of the cake, the bride holds the knife in her right hand and the groom's hand closes over top of the bride's -- then together the couple cuts the first slice… The top layer of a wedding cake, known as the groom's cake, traditionally is a fruit cake.

That way it will save until the first anniversary……..The tradition originates from the thought that if a cake can last a year, the marriage is bound to be a long one. And indeed, your cake, if frozen correctly, can last a year and taste as good as the day it was baked.

The groom's cake is usually a gift from the bride to the groom. It is traditionally a dark cake (traditionally fruitcake but mostly chocolate now) which can be either a separate cake or a layer of the bride's cake. There is also a custom of keeping the top tier of your cake for the christening party for your first-born? !!! It dates from the days when first baby came along just over nine months after the wedding. Now…how do they do it…..the cake is put it in a cool larder, which a lot of old houses have, pickle it in brandy or some other alcohol and wrap it up in brown paper and string. It is turned occasionally…and improves with keeping, like fine wine….

Spectacles

Nobody knows who invented spectacles

Roman tragedian Seneca is said to have read "all the books in Rome" by peering through a glass globe of water. A thousand years later, presbyopic monks used segments of glass spheres that could be laid against reading material to magnify the letters, basically a magnifying glass, called a "reading stone." Venetian glass blowers, who had learned how to produce glass for reading stones, later constructed lenses that could be held in a frame in front of the eyes instead of directly on the reading material.

The first mention of actual glasses is found in a 1289 manuscript when a member of the Popozo family wrote: "I am so debilitated by age that without the glasses known as spectacles, I would no longer be able to read or write." In 1306, a monk of Pisa mentioned in a sermon: "It is not yet 20 years since the art of making spectacles, one of the most useful arts on earth, was discovered." But nobody mentioned the inventor... except those who claimed to have invented it, putting the time to around 1285 (although some sources claim the date to be 1269).

The patron saint of spectacle makers is the religious teacher Sofronius Eusebius Hieronymus, who lived from 340 to 420 AD. On numerous paintings he is portrayed with a lion, a skull and a pair of glasses. It actually is true that eating carrots can help you see better. Carrots contain Vitamin A, which feeds the chemicals that the eye shafts and cones are made of. The shafts capture black and white vision. The cones capture colour images.

The human eye can distinguish about 10 million different colours. There currently is no machine that can achieve this remarkable feat.

Now we dint need colored lens for that now… did we…

Colours

What Colors Mean !
We live in a colorful world. In many countries, colors represent various holidays; they are also used to express feelings and enliven language. Find your favorite color and see what it means around the world.

Red
For the ancient Romans, a red flag was a signal for battle. Because of its visibility, stop signs, stoplights, brake lights, and fire equipment are all painted red. In India, red is the symbol for a soldier. In South Africa, red is the color of mourning. It's considered good luck to tie a red bow on a new car. In China, red is the color of good luck and is used as a holiday and wedding color. Chinese babies are given their names at a red-egg ceremony. In Greece, eggs are dyed red for good luck at Easter time. Superstitious people think red frightens the devil. To “see red” is to be angry. A “red-letter day” is one of special importance and good fortune. To “paint the town red” is to celebrate. If a business is “in the red,” it is losing money. Red is the color most commonly found in national flags.

Green
Ancient Egyptians colored the floors of their temples green. In ancient Greece, green
symbolized victory. In the highlands of Scotland, people wore green as a mark of honor. Green is the national color of Ireland. A “greenback” is slang for a U.S. dollar bill. The “green-eyed monster” is jealousy. A greenhorn is a newcomer or unsophisticated person. Green means “go.” When “all systems are green,” it means everything is in order. Green is youthful. Being “green around the gills” is looking
pale and sickly. A person with a “green thumb” is good at making plants grow.
Green is a healing color, the color of nature.

Blue
Blue In Iran, blue is the color of mourning. Blue was used as protection against witches, who supposedly dislike the color. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt wore blue for protection against evil. If you are “true blue,” you are loyal and faithful. Blue stands for love, which is why a bride carries or wears something blue on her wedding day. A room painted blue is said to be relaxing. “Feeling blue” is feeling sad. “Blue devils” are feelings of depression. Something “out of the blue” is from an unknown
source at an unexpected time. A blue blood is a person of noble descent. This is
probably from the blue veins of the faircomplexioned aristocrats who first used this term. A “bluenose” is a strict, puritanical person. A “bluestocking” used to be a scholarly or highly knowledgeable woman.
These
colors
drive me
CRAZY
….man!