More Fun Facts - Mosquitoes, Sleep habits & Obesity
Posted by Grace Staff on Thu, Aug 11, 2011 @ 12:00 PM
SUBMITTED BY DR. KEVIN P. GRACE
WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE MOSQUITO MAGNETS???
Most important reasons a mosquito is attracted to you are sight and smell. 20% of people are “high attractors” – mosquitoes are highly visible, especially later in the afternoon, so people dressed in dark colors – black, navy or red – stand out. Movement is another cue.
Only females bite and the main attractor is your rate of carbon dioxide, so larger people or pregnant women are best targets. So drinking alcohol makes your body temp increase (vasodilatation) you might increase your risk of mosquito bites.
There are over 3,000 species of mosquitoes – some species are leg and ankle biters (perhaps smell of feet?). Others prefer head, neck, arms which might be from warmth or breath smells.
OBESITY AND SLEEP --
Keeping a healthy sleep schedule allows the body's rhythms to maintain proper metabloic systems. Studies have shown that people who go to bed late eat more, have poorer diets and have higher body mass index. Adults need 8 hours of sleep to maintain those systems - those who stay up late gain as much as 2 pounds per month