Check the screenshot and note the ‘2 minutes ago’ in green. I just lazily searched after submitting the previous post.

2 minutes to index!

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I am an owl. I feel most active and creative at night. And my ‘low’ times are early in the morning and evening. But I was always reticent about this because ‘ideally’ a person is ’supposed’ to feel better early in the morning. I was feeling imperfect.

If you are also in the same boat, here is some good news.

Creativity at Night

A survey done on 1,426 adults has found that the most creative time is at 10.04 PM, and the lowest levels of creativity is at 4.33 PM. This perfectly matches my individual biological rhythm (although I am not correct to the minute on this).

Taking a shower also sets our creative juices flowing. Remember Archimedes and his Eureka!?

If you are seeking inspiration, try taking a shower at 10PM and go for it. If you have an important presentation for the next day, don’t bother fine tuning it during the day, work on it after dinner.

Uninspiring Afternoons

Ninety-two percent of the people reported that they feel uninspired during the afternoons, the lowest level of creativity being at 4.33 PM. Rather, afternoons are for siesta (mid-day nap) which has also been associated with reduction in coronary mortality.

Now you start wondering why so many meetings are scheduled at 4.30 PM, and nothing useful ever comes out in those meetings! Imagine the plight of students sitting in dark classrooms with PowerPoint slideshows and monotonous lectures to go with it! At least some intelligent ones will use for a quiet siesta and ‘use’ their time well.

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Most of the comics are well researched for facts and are generally accurate. However I noticed an inaccuracy in Hagar the Horrible recently. Hagar and his assistant are shown stranded in a tiny island surrounded by ocean (indicating no possibility of rescue). Hamlet, the assistant is shown very happy for having caught fish and tells Hagar that the Omega-3 vitamins in fish are vital for a person’s well-being. Nice humor, but factually incorrect.

It should have been omega-3 fatty acids, not vitamins. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids present in large amounts in some fish, especially sea fish. They are known to protect against many cardiovascular and neurological disorders among many other conditions, when taken over a long period of time.

Here is the comic strip, hope I will not be sued for a copyright violation!

Hagar the Horrible

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While a cellphone may be invaluable during an emergency, the risk that it may expose children to is a very important consideration. Health risk consideration is foremost and then the risk of cyberbullying. While the latter can be avoided by keeping the phone number private and strictly for family use, exposure to high level electromagnetic field due to cellphone use has to be handled carefully.

The decision on this has to be correct and evidence-based, as others are likely to emulate what she does. Her owning and using a mobile phone may be considered ‘healthy’ because her ‘doctor’ parents have approved it. Isn’t that a burdensome decision?

Search

So I started looking for authentic references, including searching on the PubMed archives. I will not go into the full details of search strategy and volume & stratification of results, but give a summary of what I learnt.

There are numerous reports of electromagnetic radiation of various body systems. But none of them are definitive. The common areas of focus have been on development of brain tumours, effects on auditory and vestibular system and effects on cell proliferation & development in many organs. Cyberbullying is also reported and discussed in detail in various papers. Specific risks for children is also a focus of many.

Uncertainty

But a reasonable conclusion is that the effect is uncertain. There is a lot of contradiction, almost bordering on confusion.

What do we do when there is uncertainty? Either use them minimally or completely avoid it. In this era, it is extremely difficult for adults to avoid cellphone use. The recommendation for adults is to use cellphones only when necessary and use a wireless headset or a speakerphone so that the cellphone is away from the body.

It is reasonable to assume that children are at a higher risk of the detrimental effects of cellphones (if any) than adults, due to their incompletely developed skull and brain tissues. In fact, a very recent newspaper report in BBC quoting unpublished early results from an ongoing study reported that “there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use” and “we shouldn’t wait for a definitive study to come out, but err on the side of being safe rather than sorry later”.

Conclusion

I tend to agree with that second part of the quoted statement. Err on the side of being safe, rather than being sorry later.

So, after considering all the above and more, it’s a NO at this time for my daughter.

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Sharing of experiences is no longer limited by geography or personal acquaintance. I do not even know where you are from, who you are, but you are reading what I have written here! What I write here is not controlled by anybody, except myself. No editorial restrictions and rules. Simple freedom and power to share. And thus added responsibility too.

Writing here is a great stimulation for me to read, experiment, think and also organize and reflect on my thoughts. I also hope to learn from what others say (comment) after reading the posts.

On this blog, you will see frequent posts on my views, observations and experiences with the practice of medicine, medical teaching and the interaction of medicine and technology. Comments and counter viewpoints are most welcome.

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