Sleep loss most prevalent among popular teenagers in school: Study

New Delhi, (IANS) Teenagers who are popular in school are less likely to get their recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep each night, revealed a study on Wednesday.

Researchers from Sweden and Australia found that with increasing school demands, activities, more independence from parents, and relationships with peers, popular children especially girls experience more insomnia symptoms.

It is because of “a later melatonin onset and increased alertness in the evening”, revealed the study published in the journal Frontiers in Sleep.

“Here we show that popular teenagers reported shorter sleep duration. In particular, popular girls -- but not boys -- reported more insomnia symptoms,” said Dr Serena Bauducco, a sleep researcher at Orebro University.

“Most interestingly, popularity also seems to negatively impact sleep both before and after the advent of smartphones,” she added.

To find out the link between popularity and sleeping habits, the team examined more than 1,300 Swedish teenagers, almost half of them female, aged 14 to 18.

They found that those defined as more popular slept less than their peers, the most popular ones up to 27 minutes.

Further, more popular girls experienced more insomnia symptoms, such as difficulties falling or staying asleep or waking up too early.

Popular boys did not experience these symptoms to the same extent.

While the gender differences are not yet fully understood, “girls express more care and concern with their friends and engage in helping behaviour more than boys. This might mean they carry these concerns when it’s time to fall asleep,” Bauducco explained.

“Teenagers are arguably the most sleep-deprived population throughout their lifespan,” said Bauducco.

“Previous studies show that 30 minutes of extra sleep can lead to improved mental health and better school performance.”While emphasising the need for more research on gender differences, the team called for adding sleep and expectations of peers around bedtime in existing sleep interventions for adolescents. Sleep loss most prevalent among popular teenagers in school: Study | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........→October 15, 2024

Italian circus says escaped lion posed no risk

The lion that escaped from a circus near Rome posed no threat to the public, his handler insisted Sunday, as campaigners called for Italy to ban wild animals in entertainment.

Residents of the seaside town of Ladispoli were told to stay indoors for more than five hours on Saturday evening while police, vets and circus staff tracked the lion, finally sedating and then capturing him.

Extraordinary videos published by Italian media, apparently taken by locals, showed the fully-grown lion with a shaggy mane walking through dark and deserted residential streets, padding past parked cars.

But Rony Vassallo, who is responsible for the animals in the Rony Roller Circus, said that while the thought of confronting a lion would make most people fearful, eight-year-old Kimba posed little danger.

Residents of the seaside town of Ladispoli were told to stay indoors for more than five hours on Saturday evening while police, vets and circus staff tracked the lion.

"He met with people in an environment he wasn't used to... and nothing happened, he didn't even for a second have the instinct to attack a person," he told AFP at the circus site.

He said his fear had been "that someone could have harm the animal, out of fear, or excess enthusiasm".

Nearby, not far from the red and white striped main tent where preparations were under way for the afternoon show, the newly captured lion paced inside his cage, occasionally roaring.

- Sabotage? -

Vassallo said Kimba was only lightly sedated and woke up almost immediately, while examinations by vets had concluded he bore no ill-effects from his excursion.

But the handler, whose family runs the travelling circus, said they were all "very shaken and very tense" after the escape, which he believed was not an accident.

Vassallo said he personally checked on the cage an hour before the lion went walkabout, and "everything was in order".

He declined to comment on reports of sabotage, including that the lock was forced, saying an investigation was underway.

But he said it had never happened before and "it's very strange".

He showed how the door to the metal cage opens inwards, secured with a sliding bolt and a lightweight chain with a small padlock.

- Forced into captivity -

Kimba was born and raised in captivity, alongside his two brothers -- Zeus and Ivan -- and sister Maya.

They are among nine big cats at the circus, including tigers, while acts also involve elephants, camels, horses and even bison.

The circus has drawn the ire of animal rights campaigners, who say keeping such wild creatures is cruel.

More than 20 European countries have banned or heavily restricted the use of animals in circuses -- but Italy is not yet among them

More than 20 European countries have banned or heavily restricted the use of animals in circuses -- but Italy is not yet among them.

A law has been drafted but was this year delayed to 2024, according to the LAV campaign group, which estimates that just under 2,000 animals are held in circuses across Italy.

What happened in Ladispoli "highlights the dangers of circuses with animals from the point of view of public security", said the animal rights group OIPA.

But it also highlighted "the discomfort of poor creatures forced into captivity for entertainment", it said.

Ladispoli mayor Alessandro Grando, who had warned residents to stay at home on Saturday, has also called for a change in the law.

"I hope that this episode can stir some consciences, and that we can finally put an end to the exploitation of animals in circuses," he said.

But Vassallo said critics "don't know the reality of the facts, how animals are treated in circuses, of the checks that are carried out".

In the surrounding neighbourhood, residents who spoke to AFP expressed support for the circus -- and seemed more concerned about the lion than public safety.

"I was a little bit scared but afterwards, from the images from the videos, you could see that he was so good," said Barbara Rosolino, 47.

"He wanted to go home anyway, you could see he was scared out of his mind.", Italian circus says escaped lion posed no risk

Read More........→October 06, 2024