Secular growth trend is the relative increase in height over time due to access to better nutrition which is why younger generations tend to be taller than older generations They also reach puberty faster Puberty is characterized by the adolescent growth spurt the production of sex cells menarche and spermarche and development of secondary sex characteristics facial hair breasts etc Hormones are produced by different glands and they regulate bodily functions Human growth hormone is made in the pituitary gland and it regulates muscular and skeletal growth Growth happens at night in an irregular manner 80 of growth happens on 20 of days Thyroxine is produced by the thyroid and it helps with brain and neural development Adrenaline is made by the adrenal gland Testosterone is made by the testes and it leads to facial hair muscular development Estrogen is made by the ovaries and it leads to breasts and female development Melatonin detailed below is linked to sleep and it is produced by the pineal gland during the night It is based on light hence why dark rooms let us fall asleep during the day and bright rooms prevent us from falling asleep at night Instrumental traits aggressiveness dominance strong task focus etc are linked to testosterone Expressive traits social nurturing talkative etc are linked to estrogen Sleep helps set our biological clock which is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus and our circadian rhythm The suprachiasmatic nucleus is affected by light which makes sense EEG machines have let us identify 4 main stages of sleep 1 N1 stage with the myoclonic jerks muscular twitches due to brain letting go of voluntary motor cortex 2 N2 stage with the beginnings of k complexes 3 N3 stage aka deep sleep 4 REM aka rapid eye movement when it looks like the person is awake because their eyes are moving There are a few different types of brain waves Alpha waves are smaller waves that begin before N1 During N1 they turn into theta waves which are longer Alpha waves theta waves and k complexes massive electrical spikes occur during N2 K complexes occur more during N3 along with delta waves Dyssomnias are sleep disorders and they can include Parasomnias are strange behaviors that occur while we re already asleep and they include Insomnia Hypersomnia sleep too much Narcolepsy fall asleep in quick episodes Nightmares in REM Night terrors in Stage N3 Sleepwalking sleep talking also in N3 Sleep paralysis There are 4 primary states babies can be in 1 Sleeping 2 Awake Activity learning 3 Feeding connected to growth 4 Crying 2 3 hours a day a Basic cry soft first more insistent later b Mad cry sudden onset rapid conclusion c Pain cry extremely loud essentially screaming something isn t right something taken away in pain Rocking stroking and singing all help 45 less crying if we held them more Swaddling wrapping baby tightly in blankets also really helps The main source of nutrition for babies is breast milk which is high in nutrition but it also leads to less upset stomachs higher disease immunity and greater acceptance of a variety of foods Breast milk cannot be contaminated Unlike formula which often needs to be contaminated with water and that water might be contaminated in third world countries We have to wean them off eventually at 3 6 months so they can eat solid foods and when we do we need to introduce enough calcium so their bones which are initially cartilage can ossify If we don t get enough calcium we have osteoporosis aka brittle bones There are 10 million American cases every year 80 of which are in women over 50 However it can be prevented by consuming 1300 mg of calcium a day and it can also be prevented by exercising We also need iron or we will get permanent brain damage We get it from broccoli brussel sprouts etc and it s also absorbed via Vitamin C so we need that too Obesity at least 20 over body weight 26 of Americans are obese Causes Poor nutrition Lack of exercise However many babies are also born obese This is due to 1 mothers and fathers being obese which is a risk factor but also 2 more c sections taking place which allows for children who were normally too big to be born Greater screen time correlated with sleeping less which is correlated with being hungrier the next day and gaining weight The sugar from non nutritious things like Happy Meals can lead to a chemical imbalance and make us feel like we re starving We have to be careful though implementing diets too early or too suddenly can lead to greater weight gain Lower portions can kill our metabolism Ironically dieting doesn t work Bulimia and anorexia are both developing due to social standards and social media Adolescent girls develop it 10 times more than adolescent boys and while it normally occurs most in young girls in the US it actually occurs most in university women Speaking of which it happens primarily in western nations overall Bulimia and anorexia are usually granting a sense of control Kids only need 1500 1700 calories a day and adults need 2000 a day but we eat so much more than that Malnutrition is defined as being small for one s age AND OR not having the proper nutritions It is possible to be obese and malnourished 1 in 3 American kids are malnourished Often tied to being absent in school 20 of American kids have an iron or iodine deficiency which is tied to brain growth as well as muscular growth 11 million kids die each year from diseases that are totally preventable malaria pneumonia diarrhea etc by vaccines nutrition and changing habits At the same time we want some diseases to be caught on by children Shingles Chicken Pox and more