Tag: Teenagers

A Look At People And Warts

Warts are a problem for anyone who has them. While there is a range of difficulty in terms of type, location, and other factors, there is also the factor that warts in general can affect people differently. Age, gender, lifestyle all of these factors figure in to exactly how distressful warts can be to a particular person. Understanding this can assist you in better understanding the people themselves who are dealing with this problem.

Teenagers and young adults who have acquired warts are likely to be much more bothered by them than the rest of the population. In addition to having to deal with the warts themselves, teens will also consider it to be a social issue. Most young people will fear being stigmatized by their peers because of unsightly, contagious warts. This fact can actually be a trauma to many young people. While assisting the teenager in getting his or her warts removed, the emotional implications of having visible warts should not be dismissed. Such concerns should not be treated lightly, for peer approval is one of the most important parts of life for people in this age group.

Younger children who have warts may also fear ridicule from their peers. Warts may cause children to be scorned by their own friends, and also play a part in being bullied by other children. For children, anything that is different, much less also unsightly, stands to make him a target for bullies. The warts themselves are usually less of a problem for a child than this factor. In addition to the factors of the child’s own health, and of not spreading the warts to other people, getting the warts removed as soon as possible is also important to avoid undue embarrassment for the child. Tending to a young child’s health means tending to his sensitivity when helping him deal with warts.

For adults whose lifestyle includes dating, warts can pose a special aggravation. When meeting new people, and when one is just beginning to get to know a potential mate, having unsightly warts is certainly not an asset. In this day and age where many seem to have the theory that whatever one’s natural state may include, one will be accepted for both the better and the worse, this attitude generally is not based on fact. People are expected to present themselves at their best, and neglecting to do what it takes to look one’s best is considered to be a sign of not caring about either oneself or the impression that one gives to others. A person’s physical appearance really does count. Sometimes it is not feasible to have warts removed immediately; but displaying an careless attitude toward warts on one’s skin is generally as much of a turn-off as refusing to use a toothbrush.

Other men and women may see the subject of warts differently. Even if they are in a position of not needing to consider anyone’s opinion but their own, there is still the matter of presenting a nice appearance in one’s everyday interactions on the job, and with friends and family. The other matters to consider are one’s health, and the discomfort caused by some types of warts. While youngsters are more inclined to worry about peer approval, adult men and women are more concerned about problems such as extreme discomfort from walking with plantar warts, or aggravating warts which are on the hands by doing work which involves the hands. Working out at the gym, or using public pools and showers, all present the opportunity for warts and their infections to spread to other people.

Everyone who has warts dislikes them but for different reasons.

Sleep Disorder and Teenagers

There is a sleep disorder that affects between seven to ten percent of teenagers called Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, also known as DNS. Most teenagers outgrow this disorder by the time they reach young adulthood. Less then one percent of adults are believed to have DSP. Often people mistake this sleep disorder for insomnia.

Left on their own, people with delayed sleep phase disorder would stay up until very late, sometimes until 4 or 5 a.m. They like to get up very late in the morning or early afternoon. Often they are referred to as night owls.

Many teenagers like to stay up late and sleep late in the morning. Sometimes this is because they want to socialize at that time of the day. However, it can also be due to the natural delay in the circadian sleep / wake rhythm at their age of development.

Teenagers with this sleep disorder often have a very hard time getting up in the morning for school. Even if they go to sleep at a regular time, such as 11 p.m., they toss and turn for hours like someone with insomnia. They difference is, unlike an insomniac, people with delayed sleep phase disorder have no difficulty staying asleep. They do have a very difficult time getting up early in the morning. Teenagers with this sleep disorder are very tired during the day and may even fall asleep in the classroom. The exact cause of this sleep disorder is not known. It is known for certain that it is a circadian rhythm problem.

Treatment for this sleep disorder is available for people that need to get onto a more traditional sleep / wake schedule. The types of treatment include, bright light, chronotherapy, melatonin and over- the-counter prescribed sleeping pills.

Bright light treatment for delayed sleep phase disorder uses bright light to trick the brain’s circadian clock . Exposure to bright light shifts the circadian rhythm if it is administered within a few hours of the body’s lowest temperature at night.

Using chronotherapy as a treatment for someone with delayed sleep phase disorder requires a block of time one week long. Each day bedtime is delayed by three hours successively. For example, for someone that falls asleep at 2 a.m. but wants to fall asleep at 11. p.m., their bedtime would move to 5 a.m. on the first day. The next day it would move to 8 a.m. and continue this cycle for a week. A teenager suffering with delayed sleep phase disorder would need a week off from school in order to complete this therapy. Once the desired bed time is reached it is very important to keep a consistent wake up time.

There are several treatments involving various drugs that are used to treat delayed sleep phase disorder. Melatonin has been successful in changing the sleep cycle of people with this sleep disorder. Prescription medication such as Ramelteon, and other sleeping pills, have been successful in treating teenagers and adults with delayed sleep phase disorder.

If your teenager has trouble falling asleep and always wants to stay up late, be aware of the possibility that a sleep disorder may be present.