A student in India's Uttar Pradesh preparing for her Class 10 (high school) board exams had to undergo major brain surgery because of a clot caused by an overdose of 'anti-sleep' medication. As per media reports, the&nbsp;Lucknow-based student had been taking these pills for an extended period, leading to nerve swelling and her subsequent hospitalisation.

<h2>Anti-sleeping pills&nbsp;</h2>

As per an ANI report, during the ongoing CBSE board exams, many students are turning to anti-sleep drugs to stay up late and study, disrupting their sleep cycles. These students are also increasing their caffeine intake through tea or coffee. This unhealthy lifestyle is negatively impacting their health, raising questions about the legality of these drugs.

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In the recent case, the girl, identified as Prajakta, collapsed one evening after studying all night. While studying, her mother was providing her with coffee to stay awake. Following her collapse, she was hospitalised and diagnosed with a brain clot. It was then that her parents discovered a bottle of anti-sleep pills in her drawer, which she had been taking.

<h2>The danger of these pills</h2>

In a conversation with the news agency, Dr Sharad Srivastava, a neurosurgeon, highlighted the dangerous trend of students using these pills to stay awake during exams. These drugs, sold over the counter under names like 'chuniya' and 'meethi,' are being smuggled from "countries like Bangkok", he said.&nbsp;

"Shocking though it may sound, an increasing number of students today, are taking these anti-sleep pills that help them stay awake during examinations."

"These drugs can have dangerous side effects, especially if taken with an overdose of caffeine — too many cups of coffee — as it happened in Prajakta's case," said Dr Srivastava.

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These pills are variants of Modafinil, sold as Provigil, known to improve memory, mood, alertness, and cognitive abilities, said another medical practitioner speaking under the condition of anonymity. It is primarily used to treat disorders like narcolepsy and shift work sleep disorder.&nbsp;

These allow users to stay awake for "40 hours or more at a stretch", with a smoother effect than amphetamines. However, once the drug wears off, users must catch up on sleep to mitigate its adverse effects.

A psychiatrist, Dr R K Saxena, told the news agency that the pressure on students to achieve high percentages is leading them to use these pills.&nbsp;

"The children are berated if they get even half a per cent less than their friends. The pressure to score 98 and 99 per cent in board examinations is slowly killing them. Parents should accept the fact that such high percentages can be unrealistic and not every child can score these marks," said Dr Saxena.

Prajakta's parents have reportedly acknowledged that they did not realise the extent of pressure their daughter was under.

(With inputs from agencies)

A student in India's Uttar Pradesh preparing for her Class 10 (high school) board exams had to undergo major brain surgery because of a clot caused by an overdose of 'anti-sleep' medication.

A student in India's Uttar Pradesh preparing for her Class 10 (high school) board exams had to undergo major brain surgery because of a clot caused by an overdose of 'anti-sleep' medication. As per media reports, the Lucknow-based student had been taking these pills for an extended period, leading to nerve swelling and her subsequent hospitalisation. Anti-sleeping pills As per an ANI report, during the ongoing CBSE board exams, many students are turning to anti-sleep drugs to stay up late and study, disrupting their sleep cycles. These students are also increasing their caffeine intake through tea or coffee. This unhealthy lifestyle is negatively impacting their health, raising questions about the legality of these drugs. Also read | Rare ‘triple-dip’ La Nina event behind unusually good air quality in India in 2022-23, says study In the recent case, the girl, identified as Prajakta, collapsed one evening after studying all night. While studying, her mother was providing her with coffee to stay awake. Following her collapse, she was hospitalised and diagnosed with a brain clot. It was then that her parents discovered a bottle of anti-sleep pills in her drawer, which she had been taking. The danger of these pills In a conversation with the news agency, Dr Sharad Srivastava, a neurosurgeon, highlighted the dangerous trend of students using these pills to stay awake during exams. These drugs, sold over the counter under names like 'chuniya' and 'meethi,' are being smuggled from "countries like Bangkok", he said. "Shocking though it may sound, an increasing number of students today, are taking these anti-sleep pills that help them stay awake during examinations." "These drugs can have dangerous side effects, especially if taken with an overdose of caffeine — too many cups of coffee — as it happened in Prajakta's case," said Dr Srivastava. Also read | ‘INDIA’ selfie point becomes highly popular among tourists in Kashmir’s Uri near LoC These pills are variants of Modafinil, sold as Provigil, known to improve memory, mood, alertness, and cognitive abilities, said another medical practitioner speaking under the condition of anonymity. It is primarily used to treat disorders like narcolepsy and shift work sleep disorder. These allow users to stay awake for "40 hours or more at a stretch", with a smoother effect than amphetamines. However, once the drug wears off, users must catch up on sleep to mitigate its adverse effects. A psychiatrist, Dr R K Saxena, told the news agency that the pressure on students to achieve high percentages is leading them to use these pills. "The children are berated if they get even half a per cent less than their friends. The pressure to score 98 and 99 per cent in board examinations is slowly killing them. Parents should accept the fact that such high percentages can be unrealistic and not every child can score these marks," said Dr Saxena. Prajakta's parents have reportedly acknowledged that they did not realise the extent of pressure their daughter was under. (With inputs from agencies)

Indian student undergoes brain surgery after taking ‘anti-sleep’ pills during exams

People generally play video games for fun or sometimes to kill time, but a new study has linked gaming, especially action gaming, to increased ‘attentional alertness’.

Over a third of the global population plays video games, either on mobile, PCs or gaming consoles. This has led scientists to ponder over the impact of gaming on our minds.

“It has come to our attention that college students frequently play mobile video games during class breaks, asserting an enhanced sense of concentration following these short gaming sessions,” explained Biye Wang, Jiahui Jiang, and Wei Guo, the three authors of the study published in PeerJ.

<h2>How was the research conducted?</h2>

To conduct the research, 72 undergraduate students from China’s Yangzhou University were selected based on specific criteria: playing video games for no more than two hours weekly in the past six months, right-handedness, normal or corrected-to-normal vision, and no history of brain injuries or psychiatric/neurological disorders.&nbsp;

The students were divided into two groups, with one playing the multiplayer online battle arena game "Honor of Kings" and the other engaging in the mobile card game "Happy Poker" for 60 minutes.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Can Netflix steal the gaming space?

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"Honor of Kings" was chosen for its attention-demanding nature, requiring quick decision-making and multitasking.

Using the Attention Network Test before and after the gaming sessions, the researchers assessed participants' attention abilities.&nbsp;

<h2>Results</h2>

Results indicated that the action game players showed a significant enhancement in 'alerting network efficiency,' a component of attention related to preparedness and maintaining heightened sensitivity to incoming information.&nbsp;

Such improvements were absent in the card game group, underscoring the relevance of game type.&nbsp;

These findings suggest that even a brief session of mobile action gaming can positively impact cognitive function, specifically alertness.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/game-on-for-netflix-as-streaming-giant-begins-rolling-out-gaming-on-tv-625829">Also read:&nbsp;Game on for Netflix as streaming giant begins rolling out gaming on TV</a>

The authors propose that the strategic demands of the game may contribute to this cognitive boost by necessitating constant shifts between broad surveillance and focussed attention.

“The most surprising thing is that it doesn’t require long-term training, just a short session of mobile action video game is enough to alter attentional network functions,” the researchers were quoted as saying by PsyPost.&nbsp;

“Rather than passively consuming information through short videos on mobile phones during fragmented time intervals, why not engage in a short session of mobile action video games? This form of entertainment may not only provide leisure but also enhance attentional functions, at least according to findings from the present study.”

(With inputs from agencies)

People generally play video games for fun or sometimes to kill time, but a new study has linked gaming, especially action gaming, to increased ‘attentional alertness’.

People generally play video games for fun or sometimes to kill time, but a new study has linked gaming, especially action gaming, to increased ‘attentional alertness’. Over a third of the global population plays video games, either on mobile, PCs or gaming consoles. This has led scientists to ponder over the impact of gaming on our minds. “It has come to our attention that college students frequently play mobile video games during class breaks, asserting an enhanced sense of concentration following these short gaming sessions,” explained Biye Wang, Jiahui Jiang, and Wei Guo, the three authors of the study published in PeerJ. How was the research conducted? To conduct the research, 72 undergraduate students from China’s Yangzhou University were selected based on specific criteria: playing video games for no more than two hours weekly in the past six months, right-handedness, normal or corrected-to-normal vision, and no history of brain injuries or psychiatric/neurological disorders. The students were divided into two groups, with one playing the multiplayer online battle arena game "Honor of Kings" and the other engaging in the mobile card game "Happy Poker" for 60 minutes. Watch: Can Netflix steal the gaming space? × "Honor of Kings" was chosen for its attention-demanding nature, requiring quick decision-making and multitasking. Using the Attention Network Test before and after the gaming sessions, the researchers assessed participants' attention abilities. Results Results indicated that the action game players showed a significant enhancement in 'alerting network efficiency,' a component of attention related to preparedness and maintaining heightened sensitivity to incoming information. Such improvements were absent in the card game group, underscoring the relevance of game type. These findings suggest that even a brief session of mobile action gaming can positively impact cognitive function, specifically alertness. Also read: Game on for Netflix as streaming giant begins rolling out gaming on TV The authors propose that the strategic demands of the game may contribute to this cognitive boost by necessitating constant shifts between broad surveillance and focussed attention. “The most surprising thing is that it doesn’t require long-term training, just a short session of mobile action video game is enough to alter attentional network functions,” the researchers were quoted as saying by PsyPost. “Rather than passively consuming information through short videos on mobile phones during fragmented time intervals, why not engage in a short session of mobile action video games? This form of entertainment may not only provide leisure but also enhance attentional functions, at least according to findings from the present study.” (With inputs from agencies)

Playing action video games for an hour significantly boosts alertness: Study

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, your morning alertness level might be more under your control than you think. This study shows that three individual lifestyle factors are what actually affect your morning state of mind. Watch this video to know more.

Your alertness level in the morning isn’t genetic: Study

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