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Mar 04
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New Neurobiological Study Finds Riding a Motorcycle Can Decrease Stress and Improve Mental Focus

By General Posts

from http://www.healthnewsdigest.com

The results of a neurobiological study, today published in Brain Research, yielded pioneering scientific evidence revealing the potential mental and physical benefits of riding a motorcycle.

Researchers recorded participants’ brain activity and hormone levels before, during, and after motorcycling, driving a car, and resting. While riding a motorcycle, participants experienced increased sensory focus and resilience to distraction. Riding also produced an increase in adrenaline levels and heart rate, as well as a decrease in cortisol metrics – results often associated with light exercise and stress-reduction.

“Stress levels, especially among young adults, continue to rise, and people are exploring pathways to better their mental and physical health. Until recently, the technology to rigorously measure the impact of activities like motorcycling on the brain didn’t exist,” said Dr. Don Vaughn, the neuroscientist who led the research team. “The brain is an amazingly complex organ and it’s fascinating to rigorously investigate the physical and mental effects riders report.”

Results Highlights:

  • Riding a motorcycle decreased hormonal biomarkers of stress by 25%
  • Sensory focus was enhanced while riding a motorcycle versus driving a car, an effect also observed in experienced meditators vs non-meditators
  • Changes in study participants’ brain activity while riding suggested an increase in alertness similar to drinking a cup of coffee

“While scientists have long-studied the relationship of brain and hormone responses to attention and stress, doing so in real-life conditions such as these is rare,” explained Professor and senior team member, Dr. Mark Cohen. “No lab experiment can duplicate the feelings that a motorcyclist would have on the open road.”

“The differences in participants’ neurological and physiological responses between riding and other measured activities were quite pronounced,” continued Dr. Vaughn. “This could be significant for mitigating everyday stresses.”

Research Overview

The research team monitored participants’ electrical brain activity and heart rate, as well as levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. The Harley-Davidson funded study, entitled “The mental and physical effects of riding a motorcycle” measured the biological and physiological responses of more than 50 experienced motorcyclists, using mobile EEG technology.

Study Disclaimer

Study of healthy, experienced adults, riding their own motorcycles on a designated 22-minute route, under normal conditions. Provided for informational purposes only. Sponsor makes no guarantee that you will experience similar results; actual effects will vary based on equipment, driving conditions and age/health/experience of rider. See research summary here. Views expressed and conclusions reached are solely those of the author, Dr. Don Vaughn, in his personal capacity, and do not necessarily represent the views of UCLA. Sponsor: Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

Mar 18
Love0

Woman Almost Dies From Stroke Triggered By Oral Sex

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The woman suffered a brain bleed as she neared orgasm. After the woman was unconscious for two to three minutes after the sex, her partner got nervous and took her to the emergency room.

A British woman had to go to the hospital after an intense impending orgasm triggered a stroke.

According to a new report from the British Medical Journal, the unidentified 44-year-old woman suffered a “transient loss of consciousness (TLOC)” while receiving oral sex from her partner.

After the woman was unconscious for two to three minutes after the sex, her partner got nervous and took her to the emergency room at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.

Once there, the man told doctors his partner’s body had gone stiff during their session. The woman told doctors she had a headache that she described as a 6 out of 10 on the pain scale, according to the The Sun.

At first, doctors believed, based on the symptoms, that the woman had suffered a seizure.

Doctors later learned she had experienced a blackout caused by a sudden lack of blood supply to the brain, also known a reflex-mediated syncope, according to IFLScience.com.

“On closer history taking, the patient reported nearing orgasm while receiving oral sex from her partner before losing consciousness,” the authors wrote in their report for the BMJ.

A CT scan and a CT angiography showed she had an aneurysm, leading to a subarachnoid hemorrhage ― a kind of stroke.

The researchers said it’s not unheard of for orgasms to cause stroke.

“Activities that involve sudden increases in blood pressure and sexual activity is well described as a precipitant,” they write in the case report. “Studies with intra-arterial monitoring during coitus demonstrate that during sexual activity blood pressure, as well as heart rate, is very labile, with particular rises during orgasm.”

The report said doctors treated the woman with a procedure called endovascular coiling, which uses a catheter to transmit a tiny coil to seal off the aneurysm from blood flow. She was released from the hospital 15 days later.

Four months later, doctors say, she’s suffered no further problems.

Yahoo News: https://news.yahoo.com/woman-almost-dies-stroke-triggered-223031078.html