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One of the main signs that a woman is pregnant is late menstruation. Pregnancy tests should be warranted, as it can be due to other reasons, but the absence of menstruation is usually a fairly reliable indicator that pregnancy has occurred.

For this reason, some women are surprised to find that they still bleed when it is confirmed that they were pregnant. Is it a period? Is it possible to have a period during pregnancy?

The answer is no, you cannot have a period during pregnancy. However, there may be some slight bleeding which can cause some confusion. Sometimes these bleeds are normal, benign, and not a problem. It can also indicate that something is wrong.

Can I bleed during pregnancy?

Yes, some women have vaginal bleeding during pregnancy. In some cases, even regular bleeding may seem like a rule, but it’s not.

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Menstruation is made up of the blood and mucous membranes that line the uterus each month in anticipation of a possible pregnancy. If this does not occur, the layer falls off and exits through the vagina.

If pregnancy occurs, the tissue will remain in place and, once fertilized, the eggs will attach and begin to develop. Therefore, it is possible to bleed, but not to menstruate.

What is that bleeding?

There are several reasons why bleeding during pregnancy can occur. Some reasons may lead to serious problems, while others may not.

It is also common to have a small amount of bleeding after a vaginal exam or after.

Some women, if they are not pregnant, may experience bleeding the week before their period, but it is usually much lighter than periods and lasts only a day or two. The exact cause is unknown, but it is called “implantation bleeding” because it is believed to be due to movement of the fertilized egg into the endometrium.

During pregnancy, cervical blood supply increases, so it is common to have a small amount of bleeding during a vaginal exam, after the exam, and after intercourse.

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When bleeding is a serious sign

Sometimes vaginal bleeding is a sign that something is wrong. For example, an infection, a placental problem, a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, which can be potentially dangerous for the mother.

For this reason, if you detect general bleeding during pregnancy, it is recommended that you seek medical attention immediately, even if the bleeding stops. Most women do not have major complications, but it is advisable to have a medical examination to rule out serious problems.

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Doing sports on a regular basis is extremely healthy for both our body and our mental health. Going for a run, without going any further, helps improve the state of our memory.

However, in some cases runners are accused of causing certain “addictions” that can affect them. It is almost believed that some runners can be considered addicted to running which can affect your personal and professional life and is already called runnorexia.

The first thing to remember is that there is no clinical manual for which runnorexia is classified or present as an addiction. In this sense, it is similar to what is known as addiction to work or addiction to shopping. They do not follow the same mechanism as drug addiction -it does not affect them at the same level- but they can affect our well-being and our quality of life.

As for the practice of “addiction”, very little research has been done on this point at this point, and what does exist refers not only to the practice but also to addiction to sport in general. These studies indicate that around 18% of people who regularly practice sports have a particular addiction to sport, especially in the case of aerobic exercise.

The factors associated with this situation refer to physical and environmental variables. In the case of physical variables, the joy produced by the release of endorphins can affect the improvement. In the case of environmental variables, the social and personal image of the athlete influences the mechanism that leads to addiction.

Some have an athlete role, play a particularly important role in refining an individual’s identity, and have a certain level of anxiety. These people may feel that their value as athletes also determines their value as humans and as humans. If they fail as an athlete or runner, they also feel like they are failing as a person.

This can, above all, lead you to the feeling that you need to go for a run or play sports, not feel guilty or follow an obsessive-compulsive behavior that is not enough. There is. These same mechanisms can affect people who are absorbed in other things, such as work. As a result, it affects your social life, your work, and your mental health.

The recommendations in these cases are for those who see normal life affected and obstructed by obsessive-compulsive sport to manage the processes that are affecting the discomfort and the use of sport. It means that you can ask for help from a mental health professional to provide you with the right tools.

Sleep is one of life’s great pleasures. Especially when we are tired and we know that we have a few hours of restful sleep ahead of us.

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But sometimes, even if we want to, rest escapes us: we can’t sleep, or even if we do sleep, we wake up as tired as when we fell asleep.

It is estimated that a third of Spaniards have sleep disorders, and most people do not go to professionals to get help to rest better. These are some of the most common sleep disorders.

1. Insomnia

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders. You find it difficult to sleep and you wake up early despite being tired and sleepy.

Episodes of insomnia come and go throughout life and can last for days, months, or even years. In these cases, it is called chronic insomnia.

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Causes of insomnia

Insomnia can be due to many causes. One of the main ones is the bad sleep habits we learned as children. These bad habits include going to bed at different times each night, taking naps during the day, sleeping with too much light or noise, a bad sleeping environment, spending a lot of time in bed while you wake up, not getting enough exercise, watching too much television, computer or mobile in bed before going to bed.

Some drugs and substances like caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and some diet drugs can also cause insomnia. As you get used to sleeping with medication, you may run into the problem of falling asleep on days you don’t have.

Finally, some physical conditions can cause insomnia, from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, depression or anxiety to pregnancy or sleep apnea.

Treatment

It is important to know that insomnia itself does not pose a health risk. For example, the dream in actions that we carry out during our daily lives such as driving or working with heavy and dangerous elements puts us at greater risk. In most cases, the insomnia is overcome and disappears, and the quality of life is restored as before.

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To treat insomnia, we try to solve its cause by improving sleep hygiene and solving the disorders that disturb it.

In the short term, medications can be used to help us fall asleep, but making them the final solution can be addictive and make patients dependent on them for sleep. Not recommended.

2. Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is the opposite of insomnia. Patients with hypersomnia have trouble waking up in the morning and are very sleepy during the day. In that sense, this pathology is similar to narcolepsy, but in the case of hypersomnia, there are no sudden sleep attacks.

Why it happens

The cause of hypersomnia is unknown, but it is usually associated with depression, alcohol or certain drug use, thyroid dysfunction, or other conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Treatment

Doctors may prescribe medications such as amphetamines to offset this excessive sleepiness. Lifestyle changes are also recommended, such as avoiding alcohol and drugs that can cause lethargy and malaise, and avoiding late-night social activities that delay bedtime.

3. Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the patient stops breathing for a few seconds during sleep because the airway is blocked.

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As a result, the body does not receive adequate oxygen during sleep and rest is not completed. As a result, people with apnea can get more sleep than they need, forgetfulness, and other problems.

Why it happens

When we sleep, all the muscles in our body relax. This includes the muscles that keep the throat open for the passage of the air we breathe. In some people, this airway becomes narrowed or partially blocked, so relaxing the throat muscles during sleep can result in a short or completely blocked airway.

Treatment

The first step is to avoid habits that can aggravate apnea, such as alcohol and sleeping pills, as well as reduce excess weight if you have it .

Some devices help prevent obstructed breathing. This is a mask connected to a hose that blows pressurized air into the airways, avoiding obstructions. If nothing works, you may need to undergo surgery to fix the problem, although this is always the last option.

4. Sleepwalking

Sleepwalking is a disorder in which people walk, talk, or do certain activities while they are still asleep.

Nighttime sleep goes through several stages, ranging from mild drowsiness to deep sleep. One of these stages, called REM, causes your eyes to move faster. At this time, we usually have the deepest and most real dream.

Sleepwalking is usually non-REM sleep at midnight and occurs early in the night (called N3 sleep). In fact, sleepwalking is more common in childhood than in older adults due to loss of N3 sleep as they age.

Why it happens

Sleepwalking appears to have a hereditary component. In addition, there are factors such as stress, anxiety and fatigue that act as triggers for sleepwalking episodes.

In adults, alcohol and drugs, some mental disorders, especially conditions that cause seizures, can also trigger sleepwalking. In the elderly, sleepwalking may be a symptom of a neurodegenerative disorder.

treatment

Most people do not need treatment for sleepwalking, but short-acting tranquilizers are used to reduce episodes.

Some people believe sleepwalkers should not be woken, even though there is actually no health risk. The idea that a sleepwalker cannot be interrupted during an episode is also common, although it is also not true.

In fact, it’s a good idea to take safety measures, such as clearing the path of tripping objects and keeping dangerous objects and access out of the reach of sleepwalkers (stairs, balconies).

5. night terrors

Night terrors are sleep disorders in which people who have them wake up suddenly with fear. They differ from nightmares in that they do not occur in REM sleep, technically they are not dreams, but rather a state of fear upon awakening between one sleep phase and another.

Why it happens

Night fear is most common between the ages of 3 and 7 and much less thereafter. Stress or conflict, fever or lack of sleep are considered triggers.

It is much less common in adults, but it can occur in adults due to emotional stress or alcohol use.

treatment

Children with night terrors usually just need attention. It may often be necessary to treat the root cause with psychotherapy if they are very frequent or long lasting.