Sexsomniacs

"Sexsomniacs" puzzle medical researchers

LONDON (Reuters) - Researchers are struggling to understand a rare medical condition where sufferers unknowingly demand, or actually have, sex while asleep, New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday. 

Research into sexsomnia — making sexual advances towards another person while asleep — has been hampered as sufferers are so embarrassed by the problem they tend not to own up to it, while doctors do not ask about it. 

As yet there is no cure for the condition, which often leads to difficulties in relationships. 

"It really bothers me that I can’t control it," Lisa Mahoney told the magazine. "It scares me because I don’t think it has anything to do with the partner. I don’t want this foolish condition to hurt us in the long run." 

Most researchers view sexsomnia as a variant of sleepwalking, where sufferers are stuck between sleep and wakefulness, though sexsomniacs tend to stay in bed rather than get up and walk about. 

While sleepwalking affects two to four percent of adults, sexsomnia is not thought to be as common a problem, according to Nik Trajanovic, a researcher at the sleep and alertness clinic at Canada’s Toronto Western Hospital. 

But an Internet survey of sexsomniacs carried out in 2005 that drew 219 reliable respondents concluded it was more prevalent than medical case reports alone might suggest. 

"Most of the time sleep sex occurs between people who are already partners," Mark Pressman, a sleep specialist at Lankenan Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, told the New Scientist. 

"Sometimes they hate it," added Pressman of the reactions of sexsomniacs’ partners. "Sometimes they tolerate it. On rare occasions you have stories of people liking it better than waking sex." 

With no cure, addressing triggering factors — stress or sleep deprivation — can help, while Michael Mangan, a psychologist at the University of New Hampshire in the U.S. has set up a Web site, www.sleepsex.org, to help sufferers. 

Meanwhile Trajanovic is devising a procedure for diagnosing sexsomnia in legal cases where sufferers have been accused of sexual assault.

By Evelyn Leopold

Copyright © 2005 Reuters

so naive!!

lol, i was looking back at my previous posts, well, basically it wasnt too long ago, it was juz maybe last year, less than a year, i posted it.. n today, realizing tht OMG!!! those posts were so damn naive! lol

well, it’s pretty funny reading those things i wrote n posted it to the world to read, basically, it reflected who i am here, lol.. well well well, i suppose, the moment i sit here n submit this, i m a little bit more grown up in some way (not so naive anymore, but there’s still some, i admit)

lol, damn silly!

well, i rmb last year, this date, i posted a blog title, Happy Sober, AJ! well, here again, i wanna congrate him again, for being sober for 4 years, maybe, i cant really rmb how many years d, well, if u guys are wondering whose AJ is, God knows, lol, well, juz wanna congrates him, tht’s all..

n oh well, Happy Diwali to all involve, Selamat Hari Raya n oso Happy Berbuka Puasa to all Muslims!

God Bless!

It Doesn’t Takes 1 or 2 Attempts To Succeed, But It Requires A Few Attempts To Be Successful! Be Patient & Don’t Give Up!

PETALING JAYA: While with the technical support staff of a computer firm back in the old days, Michael Wong always bagged the top prize at karaoke contests held during the company’s annual dinner.

So it was not surprising that each time there was an in-house singing contest, his then superior would submit his name as a participant. And that was when he came to realise that he enjoyed performing in public.

It also started him thinking about his life and whether he wanted to carry on in a nine-to-five job.

The turning point came when his mother, recognising his love for singing, encouraged Wong to enter more than 30 singing competitions in 1992.

“One of them was the Asian Karaoke Championship and I was one of the 14 finalists selected that year,” said the 36-year-old singer-songwriter.

Although he did not win the competition, two recording companies offered him contracts. “It was a difficult decision for me.

I had to choose between continuing with my job at the computer firm or starting a musical career, which I was very uncertain about,” he said.

It was then that he turned to God for guidance.

“Several days later, I tendered my resignation letter to my boss at the computer firm.

Looking back at his life, the Taiwan-based singer from Ipoh said it had been like a puzzle with each piece fitting into its place at the right time.

And on Thursday, the popular singer was named the Outstanding Young Malaysian of the Year in the cultural achievement category by the Junior Chamber International.

“I have received numerous musical awards in the past as a singer but I have never been awarded anything like this before, something that recognised my contributions to society,” said Wong.

The current Tourism Malaysia ambassador in the Asia-Pacific region, he said the award had given him the push to do even better in future. One of the messages Wong wants to convey to his audience through his songs is that they should not lose focus in life. “When a society becomes more developed, people tend to chase after material stuff instead of caring for their families and the people around them, which is the most precious thing in life,” he said.

Sources : thestar.com.my by Ng Cheng Yee

The Practical Use Of Camera Phones Today!

MALACCA: Be a traffic warden this festive season. If you see motorists breaking road regulations, take a photograph or video of them and send it to the Road Transport Department (JPJ). 

JPJ director-general Datuk Emran Kadir wants the public to help his officers ensure the roads are safe during the Deepavali and Hari Raya periods, when the number of vehicles is expected to triple. 

Take a photo with your camera phone or digital camera and e-mail the image to kpjpj@jpj.gov.my, he said, but make sure that it’s done by the passenger and not the driver, otherwise he too would be violating traffic rules. 

Reports on errant motorists could also be made via the JPJ website (www.jpj.gov.my) or at any JPJ office, he added. 

Emran said offences to watch out for include driving on the emergency lane, queue cutting, overtaking on double lines, jumping the red light, etc. 

He said the JPJ could haul up offenders under the Road Transport Act. 

“I hope that those who send in the pictures will be prepared to act as witness if the driver decides to challenge the photo,” he said. 

Last year, when travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Gajah here during the festive season, Emran managed to capture a total of 171 traffic offences. 

“I took all the photographs. When my handphone couldn’t capture anymore pictures, I used my children’s handphone,” he told newsmen yesterday after handing out 500 jackets with reflectors to motorcyclists at Bandaraya Mall in Ayer Keroh. 

For this coming festive season, leave for 1,200 JPJ enforcement officers and 4,000 policemen would be frozen, said Emran. 

“They are the ones who sacrifice their holidays so that the public will have a smooth balik kampung.” 

During Deepavali and Hari Raya last year, 223 people were killed on the roads, and of this number, 141 were on motorcycles. 

Emran urged motorcyclists to wear reflective jackets as an added safety feature, apart from wearing helmets and driving carefully,   

He also said that there would be no discount on fines for traffic offences such as speeding, driving on emergency lanes, overtaking on double lines and beating traffic lights committed between Oct 17 and 31. 

“They will get the maximum fine of RM300,” he warned.

Sources : thestar.com.my by Lee Yuk Ping