RARE DISORDER CAUSES PEOPLE TO COOK AND EAT FOOD WHILE THEY SLEEP

Fox News

 

Rare sleep disorder causes people to cook and eat food while they're asleep

Expert warns of dangers of that can accompany this rare disorder

By Angelica Stabile Fox News

Published July 15, 2024 6:45am EDT

 

A rare health condition could be causing some people to eat while they're sound asleep.

 

Sleep-related eating disorder (SRED) is an abnormal behavior called parasomnia that occurs during sleep.

 

The condition causes a person to eat — and in some cases even prepare food — while asleep, according to experts.

 

Kara Becker, a certified eating disorders specialist and national director of eating disorder programs for Newport Healthcare in California, told Fox News Digital that people who experience this sleepy snacking usually have no recollection of it the next morning.

 

A person can have more than one sleep-eating event per night — and it can happen even if the person isn't hungry, Becker noted.

 

Certain medications can cause SRED, as can smoking cessation, alcohol and drug use, stress, narcolepsy and dieting, according to the expert.

 

Drug-induced SRED can also occur after taking sedative-hypnotic drugs to treat insomnia, Cleveland Clinic noted on its website.

 

Symptoms of the disorder can include repeated episodes of "out-of-control" eating and drinking when asleep, eating strange combinations of foods, or loss of appetite in the morning, Becker said.

 

The expert also flagged the dangers that can come with cooking or eating during the night, such as fires, burns and cuts.

 

Fox News Digital also spoke to clinical psychologist Kelly Baron, PhD, director of the behavioral sleep medicine lab at the University of Utah, about symptoms and dangers of non-REM parasomnia.

 

SRED can cause dental issues and can interfere with weight-loss goals, Baron noted.

 

"In some cases, the person could cook and injure themselves or run into things," she warned.

 

"People can eat non-food items at times," Baron said. "I wrote a case series with a colleague and one patient had eaten dog food in his sleep or a casserole with his hands, making a big mess."

 

Consuming large amounts of calories without mindfully eating is "not recommended for anyone and can be very disruptive to adequate nutrition consumption," Becker added.

 

"Some may even consume hazardous substances at night without knowing, putting their health immediately at risk."

 

So who is at risk?

 

SRED episodes are more likely to occur with lack of sleep, so conditions like snoring and obstructive sleep apnea can be risk factors, according to Cleveland Clinic's website.

 

People are more likely to have SRED if they’re closely related to someone who sleepwalks, if they feel stressed out or sleep-deprived during the day, if they suffer from an eating disorder, or if they have anxiety or depression.

 

"For other people, having another sleep disorder can trigger sleepwalking behavior, including night eating, so having a sleep evaluation is really important," Baron advised.

 

For some people, sleepwalking is an inherited risk that continues from childhood into adulthood, according to Baron.

 

Treatment options

 

There are several treatment options for SRED, including reducing and eliminating triggers and addressing other sleep disorders, Baron told Fox News Digital.

 

People can also implement techniques to improve sleep behaviors and try taking medication, the expert said.

 

Becker also suggested implementing safety precautions at home, like installing locks on kitchen cabinets and refrigerators and removing dangerous obstacles.

 

People with SRED should also get "plenty of regular sleep," she encouraged, as the condition can heighten with sleep deprivation.

 

"It’s also recommended to participate in a sleep study so that your health care provider can better understand your nighttime activity," she said.

 

SRED is a condition separate from night eating syndrome (NES), which causes people to feel compelled to eat before bed or to wake up multiple times in the night to eat and then return to bed, Baron said.

 

SRED is most common in women under 20 years old, according to Cleveland Clinic, but it can occur in anyone.

 

Between 1% and 5% of adults experience parasomnia.

 

Experts suggest seeking a health care provider if SRED episodes are suspected.

 

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital. 

CANADA LAUNCHES SUDDEN IMIGRATION CRACKDOWN AMID PUBLIC PRESSURE

Fox News

 

Canada launches sudden immigration crackdown amid public pressure: report

The number of foreign travelers turned away at the Canadian border has risen 20% since 2023

By Michael Lee Fox News

Published September 5, 2024 11:40am EDT

 

The Canadian government has started to reject more visitors and temporary residents as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberal government faces pressure from voters to stem the flow of immigrants into the country.

 

Canada has turned away more than 3,700 people per month on average in 2024 and sometimes has refused more visitor visa applications per month than it has accepted, according to a report by Reuters.

 

The "spike" in rejections, as Reuters classified it, comes as Trudeau’s party trails in the polls ahead of an expected election next year, with many voters blaming the country’s typical liberal immigration laws for contributing to shortages and high prices for housing.

 

The report comes after Trudeau has also faced increased pressure and strained relations with the U.S. over its liberal immigration policies, with U.S. lawmakers imploring Canada to stem the flow of migrant workers coming across its border.

 

"U.S. lawmakers are calling to harden the northern border with Canada because of the fears of illegal migration from Canada," Glenn Cowan, founder and chief executive of the security company One9, said in a Financial Times report last week. "Stemming the flow of these visas will bolster U.S. relations."

 

Trudeau has in the past boasted about Canada’s willingness to take in immigrants and has not shied away from criticizing U.S. border policy, including 2018 remarks in which he slammed the U.S. for separating migrant families at the border, arguing "what’s going on in the United States is wrong."

 

"I can’t imagine what the families living through this are enduring. Obviously, this is not the way we do things in Canada," Trudeau said during a press conference.

 

However, amid new pressure from home and abroad, Trudeau announced last week that he was "looking at the various [migration] streams to make sure, as we move forward, Canada remains a place that is positive in its support for immigration but also responsible in the way we integrate and make pathways for success."

 

According to the Reuters report, a crackdown behind the scenes was already underway, with Canada turning away 5,853 foreign travelers in July, a number that includes workers and tourists, the most rejections since at least January 2019.

 

Border officers have also turned away an average of 3,727 foreign travelers per month so far in 2024, a 20% increase over the 633 average seen in 2023, while the country’s immigration department has seen an increase in the ratio of visas refused to accepted in recent months.

 

Meanwhile, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in August that the number of approved study and work permits, which have been at the center of controversy in Canada, has also dropped from the highs of 2022 and 2023.

 

"Canadians want a system that is not out of control," Miller said, according to the report.

 

Trudeau’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

DRUNK TEXAS WOMAN ATTEMPTED TO DROWN 3 YEAR OLD GIRL AND HURT HER 6 YEAR OLD BROTHER BECAUSE THEY WERE MUSLEM, ACCORDING TO INDICTMENT

Fox News

 

Drunk Texas woman attempted to drown girl, 3, and hurt her brother, 6, because they were Muslim: Indictment

Elizabeth Wolf, 42, is accused of targeting the children because they were 'Muslims or persons of Middle Eastern descent'

By Landon Mion Fox News

Published September 4, 2024 4:38am EDT

 

A Texas woman arrested for attempting to drown a three-year-old girl and hurting the girl's six-year-old brother has been formally charged after she was accused of attacking the children because they were Muslim.

 

A Tarrant County grand jury on Aug. 15 indicted Elizabeth Wolf, 42, on charges of attempted capital murder and causing bodily injury to a child in connection with her attacks against the children in May, according to Fox 4.

 

The indictment also included a hate crime enhancement, saying Wolf targeted the children because they were "Muslims or persons of Middle Eastern descent."

 

The hate crime enhancement could lead to a longer sentence if she is convicted.

 

Investigators said Wolf was drunk at an apartment pool in Euless, Texas, on May 19 when she made racial statements and approached a Palestinian woman wearing a hijab and her two children, Fox 4 reported.

 

The 32-year-old woman told police Wolf came up to her and asked where she came from and if the two children playing at the pool were hers.

 

When she said yes, Wolf grabbed the woman's six-year-old son, pulled him away from her and scratched him, police said.

 

Then, as the woman was helping her son, Wolf allegedly grabbed the woman's three-year-old daughter and forced her underwater in the pool.

 

Both of the children physically recovered, according to police.

 

Wolf remains in the Tarrant County Jail on a $1 million bond.

INGREDIENT FOUND IN DORITOS TURNS MOUSE'S SKIN TRANSPARENT, MAY HAVE MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Fox News

 

Ingredient found in Doritos turns mouse's skin transparent, may have medical applications

The mice were treated by Yellow 5, and what happened next shocked even the researchers

By Christine Rousselle Fox News

Published September 7, 2024 3:44pm EDT

 

Scientists at Stanford University were recently able to make a mouse's skin transparent using a common food dye, something the study's author told Fox News Digital could have exciting benefits for humans once additional research is conducted.

 

The paper, titled "Achieving optical transparency in live animals with absorbing molecules," was published in the journal "Science" on Sept. 5.

 

In it, the researchers used a solution of red tartrazine, a food dye known as FD&C Yellow 5, on the abdomen, scalp and hindlimb of a sedated mouse, said a release from Stanford University.

 

The dye turned the mouse's skin red, which then made the skin appear transparent – and the mouse's organs were visible to the naked eye, said the release.

 

"The researchers believe this is the first non-invasive approach to achieving visibility of a mouse’s living internal organs," the release noted.

 

The effects were not permanent, said Stanford. The mouse's skin returned to normal once the dye was washed off.

 

The results of the study surprised even the researchers.

 

"The most surprising part of this study is that we usually expect dye molecules to make things less transparent," said Dr. Guosong Hong, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford and senior author on the paper, in an email to Fox News Digital. "For example, if you mix blue pen ink in water, the more ink you add, the less light can pass through the water."

 

Yet when tartrazine was dissolved in skin or muscle – normally opaque materials – "the clearer the material becomes – but only in the red part of the light spectrum," he said.

 

"This goes against what we typically expect with dyes," Hong added.

 

While this study has only been done on animals, the ability to make skin temporarily transparent "could offer a variety of benefits in biology, diagnostics and even cosmetics," Hong told Fox News Digital.

 

"For example," he said, "instead of relying on invasive biopsies, doctors might be able to diagnose deep-seated tumors by simply examining a person’s tissue without the need for invasive surgical removal."

 

"This technique could potentially make blood draws less painful by helping phlebotomists easily locate veins under the skin," he said. "It could also enhance procedures like laser tattoo removal by allowing more precise targeting of the pigment beneath the skin."

 

FD&C Yellow 5 is found in many foods, including soda, candy, chips, and pastries – including Doritos, says the product's website.

 

Yet people should not go rubbing dyes on themselves just yet, said Hong.

 

"We strongly discourage attempting this on the human skin, as the toxicology of dye molecules in humans, particularly when applied topically, has not been fully evaluated," he said.

 

Human skin, said Hong, is "significantly thicker than mouse skin," and the outer layer of the epidermis is a "substantial barrier that prevents effective delivery of molecules into the dermis."

 

But this could still be a reality before too long.

 

"A safe method for percutaneous delivery of light-absorbing molecules, following comprehensive evaluation of its potential effects on human skin, may lead to its clinical application in the future," he said.

 

Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.\

AH: The effects of this dye when applied topically to humans is not known yet its safe to ingest?

STRANGER POURS HOT COFFEE ON AUSTRALIAN BABY BOY IN UNPROVOKED ATTACK

MailOnline

 

EXCLUSIVEDisturbing theory emerges about why a stranger poured hot coffee on an innocent baby

Criminal psychologist shares his theories

By Olivia Day For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 22:42 EDT, 28 August 2024 | Updated: 02:04 EDT, 29 August 2024

 

A criminal psychologist has suggested the man who poured a thermos of hot coffee on a nine-month-old baby may have acted on a 'hatred of young children'.

 

The little boy had been on a picnic with his mother in Hanlon Park in Brisbane on Tuesday when the man approached them at about midday.

 

He poured the coffee on top of the infant - who immediately began to scream - and was captured on CCTV fleeing the park on foot.

 

The nine-month-old reportedly sustained burns to 60 per cent of his body and has  undergone surgery in Queensland Children's Hospital.

 

Dr Tim Watson-Munro told Daily Mail Australia that it was likely the man had 'cognitively rehearsed' the crime rather than acting on impulse.

 

'I suspect there was planning involved, even it was impulsive at the time,' he said.

 

'He knew about the consequences of his actions, hence the escape. It's more likely that he knew what he was doing, it's remote that it was a crime of impulse.'

 

The criminal psychologist also suggested some potential motives. 

 

'Maybe he had a hatred of young children or a jealousy of young families, maybe he wanted the attention and was seeking notoriety,' he said.

 

'I think he's definitely a disturbed individual, this could have ended up in tragedy.'

 

Dr Watson-Munro said it would be highly traumatic for both the baby's mother and bystanders to witness such a 'terrible' and 'cowardly' attack.

 

'In my 46 years of dealing with criminals, I've seen it all, I've seen cruelty to children but I have never seen a baby attacked in a public place.

 

'It's beggars belief... to attack a baby in its early days of life. It turns my blood cold.'

 

Police on Thursday morning released a second photo of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the alleged assault.

 

The alleged attacker is described as aged 30 to 40 with a proportionate build, tanned skin and wore a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts.

 

Police have urged anyone that knows the man or has information to come forward. 

 

The baby's parents are still reeling from the attack, saying they can't comprehend why someone would hurt an infant.

 

'I don't know who would think that's okay to harm an innocent little baby,' the mother told Nine Network.

 

'A sick freak,' the father then said.

 

'I'm just having flashbacks all the time about what happened and I wish that he had poured the coffee over me.

 

'I don't know who would think it is okay to harm a little, innocent baby.'

 

A friend of the boy's mother said she tried to chase after the man but tripped, before rushing back to pour her water bottle over the infant.

 

'This man was standing above him, behind him, and poured a Thermos of hot coffee over him. He just started screaming,' Zara Mazza told The Project.

 

'Essentially all I could hear was his mum screaming that "it's hot, it's hot coffee", so I ran back, picked up my water bottle and dumped it over him.

 

'I removed him from his mum and we laid him down on the picnic rug and we peeled his clothes away, which revealed the peeling of his skin which started to blister.'

 

A nurse-in-training offered a shower at her nearby apartment so water could constantly be running on the screaming infant.

 

The little boy will need regular dressing changes under anesthetic over the next few weeks but is in a stable condition, Ms Mazza said.

 

She has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family's hospital bills. 

PEOPLE

 

Warrant Issued for Man Who Allegedly Threw Piping Hot Coffee on Baby in Unprovoked Attack

The victim, who was a 9-month-old boy, was with his family at Hanlon Park when he was attacked on Aug. 27

By Gabrielle Rockson  Published on September 9, 2024 09:36AM EDT

 

Police are searching for a man who allegedly threw scalding coffee on a baby in Queensland, Australia.

 

On Monday, Sept. 9, Queensland Police confirmed in a statement that an arrest warrant had been issued after the attack on Aug. 27.

 

“Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man that may be able to assist with investigations into the assault of an infant in Stones Corner last month,” the press release read.

 

The victim, who was a 9-month-old boy, was with his family at Hanlon Park around midday at the time.

 

“A man not known to the group approached them and poured a hot liquid onto the child, before leaving the scene,” authorities said. “Emergency crews were called, and the young boy was taken to hospital with serious burns.”

 

Police say the boy has since been released from hospital, with Morningside Child Protection Investigation Unit detectives identifying the alleged suspect as a 33-year-old foreign national.

 

“The man has since left the county and Queensland Police are working with national and international partner agencies to progress this investigation further,” authorities said, per the release. “There is no further information available. Investigations are continuing.”

 

After the incident, police appealed for more information. They also released CCTV footage of the alleged perpetrator running from where the attack took place.

 

Wearing a black hat, blue shirt, shorts and glasses, the man in the video was captured running across roads and multiple pathways.

 

According to CNN, Queensland Police are working with international partners to find the man’s whereabouts. It’s been said he fled Australia four days after the unprovoked attack.

 

The outlet also reports the baby suffered burns on his legs, arms and face.

 

“It soon became apparent to us that this person was aware of police methodologies, was certainly conducting counter surveillance activities, which made the investigation quite complex,” Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton told reporters, per CNN.

 

It’s reported that after taking a taxi to Brisbane’s city center and driving to New South Wales, the suspect took a flight from Sydney Airport on Aug. 31.

 

While police are unaware of the man’s motives, they have reportedly been able to identify his name, which they have chosen not to disclose.

 

PEOPLE has contacted Queensland Police for further comment