Why Does Hair Turn Gray?

Have you ever watched someone try to cover up gray hair by dyeing it? Or maybe you wonder why your granddad has a full head of silver hair when in old pictures it used to be dark brown? Getting gray, silver, or white hair is a natural part of growing older, and here's why.

Each hair on our heads is made up of two parts:

• a shaft - the colored part we see growing out of our heads
• a root - the bottom part, which keeps the hair anchored under the scalp

The root of every strand of hair is surrounded by a tube of tissue under the skin that is called the hair follicle /`fɑlɪkl/. Each hair follicle contains a certain number of pigment cells. These pigment cells continuously produce a chemical called melanin /`melənɪn/ that gives the growing shaft of hair its color of brown, blonde, red, and anything in between.

Melanin is the same stuff that makes our skin's color fair or darker. It also helps determine whether a person will burn or tan in the sun. The dark or light color of someone's hair depends on how much melanin each hair contains.

As we get older, the pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die. When there are fewer pigment cells in a hair follicle, that strand of hair will no longer contain as much melanin and will become a more transparent color - like gray, silver, or white - as it grows. As people continue to get older, fewer pigment cells will be around to produce melanin. Eventually, the hair will look completely gray.

People can get gray hair at any age. Some people go gray at a young age - as early as when they are in high school or college - whereas others may be in their 30s or 40s before they see that first gray hair. How early we get gray hair is determined by our genes. This means that most of us will start having gray hairs around the same age that our parents or grandparents first did.

Gray hair is more noticeable in people with darker hair because it stands out, but people with naturally lighter hair are just as likely to go gray. From the time a person notices a few gray hairs, it may take more than 10 years for all of that person's hair to turn gray.

Some people think that a big shock or trauma can turn a person's hair white or gray overnight, but scientists don't really believe that this happens. Just in case, try not to freak out your parents too much. You don't want to be blamed for any of their gray hairs!

Snoring

UUGHGHGHHHSSHHH!! UUGHGHGHHHSSHHH!!

There's nothing worse than the sound of someone snoring if you're trying to fall asleep. Or maybe it's you who snores, and people tease you about the noise you make in your sleep. Snoring isn't just noisy. Sometimes it's a sign of a serious medical problem that should be treated by a doctor. Read on to find out more about the snore!

Snoozing or Snoring?

Snoring is a fairly common problem that can happen to anyone - young or old. Snoring happens when a person can't move air freely through his or her nose and mouth during sleep. That annoying sound is caused by certain structures in the mouth and throat - the tongue, upper throat, soft palate, uvula, as well as big tonsils and adenoids - vibrating against each other.

People usually find out they snore from the people who live with them. Kids may find out they snore from a brother or sister or from a friend who sleeps over. Snoring keeps other people awake and probably doesn't let the snoring person get top quality rest, either. 

What Makes You Snore?

There are many reasons why people snore. Here are some of the most common:

• Seasonal allergies can make some people's noses stuffy and cause them to snore.
• Blocked nasal passages or airways (due to a cold or sinus infection) can cause a rattling snore.
• A deviated septum, which is the tissue and cartilage that separates the two nostrils in your nose, may be crooked. Some people with a very deviated septum have surgery to straighten it out. This also helps them breathe better - not just stop snoring.
• Enlarged or swollen tonsils or adenoids may cause a person to snore. Tonsils and adenoids (adenoids are glands located inside of your head, near the inner parts of your nasal passages) help trap harmful bacteria, but they can become very big and swollen all of the time. Many kids who snore have this problem.
• Drinking alcohol can relax the tongue and throat muscles too much, which partially blocks air movement as someone is breathing and can contribute to snoring noises.
• Being overweight can cause narrowing of the air passages. Many people who are very overweight snore.

Snoring is also one symptom of a serious sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. When a person has sleep apnea, his or her breathing is irregular during sleep. Typically, a person with sleep apnea will actually stop breathing for short amounts of time 30 to 300 times a night! It can be a big problem if the person doesn't get enough oxygen.

People with this disorder often wake up with bad headaches and feel exhausted all day long. They may be very drowsy and have difficulty staying awake while having a conversation or even while driving. Kids affected by sleep apnea may be irritable and have difficulty concentrating, particularly in school and with homework.

Snoring Solutions

According to the government's patent office (this is where you go to register an idea or invention), there are hundreds of anti-snoring devices on the market. Some of them startle you awake when they sense you are snoring. Unfortunately, they may only work because they keep you awake!

Those small, white strips some football players wear across their noses that kind of look like a bandage are another anti-snoring device. Football players wear them during the game to breathe easier while running a play or making a tackle. People also wear these breathing strips to try to stop snoring.

Other snoring solutions include tilting the top of a bed upward a few inches, changing sleeping positions (from the back to a side), and not eating a heavy meal (or for an adult, not drinking alcohol) before bedtime. These kinds of "cures" may work only for someone who snores occasionally and lightly - or they may not work at all.

If you can't stop snoring or the snoring becomes heavy, it's a good idea to see a doctor. He or she might tell you how to keep your nasal passages clear and will check your tonsils and adenoids to be sure they aren't enlarged and don't have to be removed.

Some people need to lose weight, change their diets, or develop regular sleeping patterns to stop snoring. It may be helpful to remove allergy triggers (stuffed animals, pets, and feather/down pillows and comforters) from the person's bedroom. The doctor might also suggest medications for allergies or congestion due to a cold.  

If a doctor suspects a person has sleep apnea, he or she will order a test to monitor the patient while they sleep. This is usually done in a sleep center (a medical building that has equipment to monitor breathing during sleep). A patient is attached to machines that check heart rate, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, eye movement, chest wall movement, and the flow of air through the nose.

The doctor can then tell if a patient has a disorder like sleep apnea. The best thing about the test is that it doesn't hurt at all. After all, you sleep right through it! Once doctors know what's wrong, you can be treated for it, usually with lifestyle changes, sometimes medicines, or even surgery, if necessary.

Solving a snoring problem lets everyone breathe and sleep a little easier!

Adopted from KidsHealth

Smoking Stinks!

Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. Yet every single day about 4,000 kids between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. Most middle school students don't smoke — only about 1 in 10 does. And most high school students don't smoke either — about 1 in 4 does (that means 3 out of 4 don't).

But why do those who smoke ever begin?

There's more than just one simple answer. Some kids may start smoking just because they're curious. Others may like the idea of doing something dangerous — something grownups don't want them to do. Still others might know lots of people who smoke and they might think it's a way to act or look like an adult. Fortunately, fewer people are starting smoking than a few years ago.

Maybe that's because more and more people have learned that smoking and tobacco use can cause cancer and heart disease. But sometimes kids can't really think that far into the future to worry about an illness they might not get for many years.

So let's talk about the problems that might affect kids more quickly:

• bad breath
• yellow teeth
• smelly clothes
• more colds and coughs
• difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports
• empty wallet — cigarettes and tobacco products are very expensive!

Let's find out more about cigarettes and tobacco.

What Are Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco?

Tobacco is a plant that can be smoked in cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. It's the same plant that's in smokeless tobacco, known as dip, chew, snuff, spit, or chewing tobacco. Smokeless tobacco is not lit or inhaled like tobacco in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Instead, smokeless tobacco is put between the lip and gum and sucked on inside the mouth.

Tobacco contains nicotine, a chemical that causes a tingly or pleasant feeling — but that feeling only lasts for a little while. Nicotine is also addictive. That means that if you start to use nicotine, your body and mind will become so used to it that you'll need to have it just to feel OK.

Anyone who starts smoking could become addicted to it. If you're addicted to something, it's very hard to stop doing it, even if you want to. Some kids get addicted right away. And adults are often addicted, which is why so many of them have a hard time quitting smoking.

Why Is It So Bad for You?

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. You know those rubber bracelets that were created to bring attention to different causes? The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids created a red one with the number 1,200 on it. Why 1,200? That's the number of people who die each day due to smoking.

The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer. If you smoke, you hurt your lungs and heart each time you light up. It also can make it more difficult for blood to move around in the body, so smokers may feel tired and cranky. The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes.

The Other Cost of Smoking

Using tobacco eats up a lot of money, too. A pack of cigarettes costs $4.50, on average. That means, even if you buy just one pack a week, you'll spend $234 in a year. Some people smoke a pack a day, which adds up to $1,642! That's a lot of CDs, computer games, and clothes you could buy instead.

What's It Like?

Usually, people don't like smoking or chewing tobacco at first. Your body is smart, and it knows when it's being poisoned. When people try smoking for the first time, they often cough a lot and feel pain or burning in their throat and lungs. This is your lungs' way of trying to protect you and tell you to keep them smoke free. Also, many people say that they feel sick to their stomachs or even throw up. If someone accidentally swallows chewing tobacco, they may be sick for hours. Yuck.

What if My Friend Smokes?

If you have friends who smoke or use tobacco, you can help them by encouraging them to quit. Here are some reasons you can mention:

• It will hurt their health.
• It will make their breath stinky.
• It will turn their teeth yellow.
• It will give them less endurance when running or playing sports.
• It's expensive.
• It's illegal to buy cigarettes when you're underage.

If you think it will help, you could print out articles like this one to give to a friend who smokes. He or she may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking. But people don't like to hear that they're doing something wrong, so your pal also could be a little angry. If that happens, don't push it too much. In time, your friend may realize you are right.

In the meantime, it could help to talk with a parent or a school counselor if you're worried about your friend. When your friend is ready, a grown-up can help him or her quit for good. If your friend decides to quit, lend your support. You might say it's time to kick some butts!

Adopted from KidsHealth