Back by popular demand, this month’s cartoon all on sleep, co-sleep, suffering sleep, sacrificial sleep, whatever you call it! This is the 54th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. If you have a funny sleep story, drop me an email or a comment and I may just turn it into a cartoon!
Every parent hope for the best for their child; off the top of my head, I can think of hoping for
1. Growing well physically – Sometimes we take eating, crawling/walking/running and sleeping for granted!
2. Joyful child – Well-adjusted, being capable of loving and be loved
3. Education – for those of us in Singapore, (in fact many developed nations), getting the child to a higher-ranked grade school, high school and college
4. Career, marriage and happy life
Not all matters can be fully controlled by parents, we can only try our best and hope. Many of these ‘hope’ have a tangible feel, for instance, parents learn about nutrition, provide support for emotional development and do all that we can to volunteer for primary school. Sadly, for some parents, the hope of better beautiful skin for their children can feel like grasping at straws as whatever they do, the skin continues to be red and inflamed. It may even feel like hoping in blindness, not knowing what we can do differently, and hoping that our child’s skin will improve or placing hope in a miracle cure that we do not know.
Fortunately, in Jesus, our hope is never blind. The bible has been ‘tried and tested’ and proven correct. Jesus himself had appeared (resurrected) and showed himself tangible by even asking Thomas to place his hand on Jesus’ body. God is real and Christianity is not blind faith. I pray that eczema families have hope daily for better skin, better sleep, better quality of life and also that we place our hope in God.
Bible verse:
John 20:24-29: Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
God, thank you for giving us Jesus and the bible. Our faith is based on solid rock. Help eczema families to always have hope for better quality of life, with improving eczema.
Hope in Jesus is not Blind
Impetigo is a common bacterial infection for children ages 2 to 5, and more likely for a child with pre-existing skin condition such as eczema. Today’s article aims to find out more about impetigo, its signs (how to recognize it early), its treatment, prevention and the correlation between impetigo and eczema/atopic dermatitis.
What is Impetigo?
Impetigo is a skin infection that is caused by bacteria (i) Staphylococcus aureus or (ii) Streptococcus pyogenes (same as that causing strep throat). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) also causes impetigo. Impetigo is contagious and affect preschoolers most often.
Should impetigo appear as large blisters, it is known as bullous impetigo or non-bullous impetigo if they are crusted. Non-bullous impetigo is more common, often starting out as tiny blisters, then bursting to become wet patches of reddened weeping skin. It then form a yellowish crust.
Signs of Impetigo
Blisters or sores on the face (nose, mouth), neck, hands, forearms and diaper area – these areas are within easy ‘scratching’ reach and often carries more bacteria from contact with surfaces with bacteria. The blisters burst and form a yellowish crust. Impetigo can also present as folliculitis, whereby the hair follicles also blister and burst to become wet patches. Impetigo may also be itchy and be painful if it occurs around lymph nodes. In a study, the areas most commonly infected by impetigo are the head and neck (65.4%), followed by 19.6% on an upper extremity and by 7.5% each on the trunk and a lower extremity.
Treatment of Impetigo
For localized, yet to spread impetigo, antibiotic ointment can help (mupirocin (Bactroban) or fusidic acid) . For more widespread impetigo, oral antibiotic is prescribed for a faster recovery (few days versus few weeks) and control of the blisters. The area has to be washed and covered up to prevent scratching and spreading the bacteria to other parts of the body. Generally, after 48 hours of antibiotic treatment, the child may be cleared to return to preschool.
Prevention of Impetigo
As impetigo is caused by bacteria, good hygiene such as hand-washing, not touching other surfaces, biting fingers, scratching can help prevent it. For children with eczema, it is good to bring them for swimming, consider cleaning with chlorhexidine or bleach bath in order to keep the bacteria count low and minimize the chance of skin infection. As there is staph bacteria present in the nose, children should refrain from ‘digging’ nose and touching the rest of the body. Fingernails should be kept short and ensure no sharing of towels, bed linen or clothing with other family members.
Impetigo and Eczema
Impetigo is more likely to affect children with already a weakened skin barrier, either generalized as in eczema or localised as in insect bites, cuts or rashes from contact allergens. As it is spread by contact with the bacteria, it most often affects children who scratch, thus often affecting eczema kids. For children in hot and humid climate/ during summer, the likelihood of impetigo infections is higher (higher chance of insect bites, scratching). Eczema skin is more often colonized with staph bacteria and for those with history of eczema herpeticum, the impetigo infection may be via MRSA bacteria.
All in, impetigo is a condition that parents with eczema kids should definitely be aware of. Especially if your child, like mine, live in hot, humid climate, goes to preschool and scratches/bites and simply can’t follow good hygiene! (did I hear a ‘bummer’ from one of you?)
Last Friday, the support group had a small and cozy turnout with majority of senior ladies interested in better care for their eczema skin. We learnt a few tips from Sister Wong, who shared graciously on her experience on caring for patients’ skin.
1. The skin comprises of epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is the outer layer of the skin. The thickness of epidermis varies, with the thinnest on the eyelid (of 0.05mm) to the thickest at the soles and palm.
2. Some of the moisturizers aim to replenish the defective skin barrier, for instance, ceramides which make up 40-50% of stratum corneum (outermost layer of epidermis).
3. The dermis also varies in thickness, with the thinnest at the eyelid (of 0.6mm) to 3mm on the back, palm and sole. Collagen fibers make up 70% of the dermis, providing strength and toughness. The other components of dermis are elastic fibers, proteoglycans, blood vessels and sweat glands, nerve fibers and immune cells.
4. The baby skin is different in that their epidermis is 20-30% thinner than the adult. It is thus more easily penetrated by irritants as the skin barrier is not fully developed. Infant skin also absorb and lose moisture more quickly. Therefore, gentle products without irritants (see compiled list here) are a good starting point for product selection.
5. Baby skin is also less able to cope with sweat, thus more susceptible to milia/heat rash.
6. Ageing skin, like baby skin, is also thinner. It is more susceptible to blisters, tears and grazes. Its reduce moisture retention ability leads to dry skin. There is also less elasticity and shows signs of color or texture changes from sun damage.
After learning about the skin, we shared about different products and it was a heartwarming to see many of these senior ladies taking very good care and attention to their skin! Thanks to everyone who helped out and next month’s session would likely be on a Saturday, focusing more on kids. Subscribe to blog post and newsletter to be kept updated!
Anyone have your child saying that to you? This is the 53rd of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. If you have more inspiration on reward charts, drop me an email or a comment!
Recently, we had a road trip to Malaysia with 2 other families with young children – if there’s anything we learn, it is making do. Out of 2 cars, 1 broke down; out of 6 adults, 2 had food poisoning; out of 5 children, 4 had various health problems. We improvise, accommodate as we go along and make do with what we have.
It reminded me of parenting an eczema child. A lot of time we have to make do – given that we have less sleep, more skin issues to manage and most times, little time to rest. Sometimes I feel like if I’m ‘losing out’ on time, luxury, rest, ambitions, life?! But I always remember that there is no ‘making do’ in the kingdom of God, God is able to redeem our lives, give us more than our hearts desire and even a child to Sarah at 90 years old.
Bible verse:
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen
Dear God, we may have to make do, sacrifice, forgo things that we would like to have. But nothing is in vain to You and You will bless us abundantly in ways we never expect!
With God, there is no need to Make Do.
In the beginning of the year, there was a ‘scare’ – news circulated that baby wipes is the cause of terrible rash on the face of babies. This is in response to a study published from observations of 6 children, with ‘disfiguring patches to crusting, swelling, blistering and tiny cracks in the mouth, cheek, hands and/or buttocks’. Even though it’s half a year since that news, many parents are still very wary about baby wipes. Now, let’s admit it – baby wipes do come in very handy, so let’s take it as we still need baby wipes. So what do we know about these rash-causing baby wipes in order to choose the ones that are safe?
Putting it into Perspective
The rashes can be various types of dermatitis –
Atopic dermatitis where the child is allergic to ingredient, and rashes develop very quickly even for small amount of contact.
Contact dermatitis where sensitization occurs overtime, i.e. the irritant has been in contact with the skin for some time. This is more common.
In both types of dermatitis, the ingredient to look out for (and avoid) is methylchloroisothiazolinone or methylisothiazolinone. The treatment is similar – avoidance + prescription to reduce skin inflammation. The potency of the cream will depend on each patient and also where the rashes are. Avoid wiping the baby’s face (more sensitive, thinner skin) with wet wipes, especially when you are not clear about its ingredients.
Research Studies
I looked through the research on methylisothiazolinone published in 2013 and 2014, the more common conclusions are:
1. Increasing reports of sensitization to methylisothiazolinone (MI), with many studies citing it as an ‘epidemic’. MI is also named 2013 “Allergen of the Year” by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.
2. MI is an ingredient contained in baby wipes, and it is a preservative used in cosmetics, household, and industrial products to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination.
3. The % of sensitization range from about 2% to 4%, so it is not a sure thing that your child will react to it.
4. A patch test can be requested to check if there is hypersensitivity to methylisothiazolinone and in this regard, improvements to patch test for this have been suggested to modify the test solution concentration and also to increase the length of observation to 7 days.
5. The age group most susceptible to this is female above 40 years (6% sensitization), on the face due to cosmetics. Certain occupations are painters and beauticians. Parents are also affected due to the use of baby wipes, so not just the kids! Studies here and here.
So my take is if your child or yourself doesn’t react to baby wipes, you can continue using but take care to use less often, not on the face, and find those brands without MI if possible. What’s your favorite brand?
Reminder of this Friday’s Eczema Support Group lunch on Tender Skin’s Care.
Come join us on 25 July, National Skin Centre Room 402, 12.30pm to 1.30pm.
Both elderly and children have tender skin and senior dermatology nurse Sister Wong will be sharing tips for tender skincare. Another nurse will be showing your elderly parents how to care for their skin daily.
Lunch will be provided so that you do not have to rush to grab lunch on your workday. Do RSVP by Wed evening so that we can get ready your lunch. If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, and a NSC staff will confirm your RSVP.
Look forward to seeing everyone! Mei
I have no idea if this is how it is these days! Any parent can drop a comment to share what you reward your child with? This is the 52nd of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. This month, it’s all about reward charts!
Parenting is not easy. For one, parents are not perfect super-humans. We feel drained, tired, cranky (not only kids ‘crank’!) and sometimes, ridden with guilt, doubt and worry. As a parent of an eczema child, I can think of MANY scenarios where I simply decide to slip up in my parenting. Forget about imposing boundaries and just let my child do whatever she wants, as long as it’s not scratching. I’m tempted to turn on that TV, toss that iPad over and just chill.
One source of comfort is that our father God in heaven models for us parenting and understands the struggles. After, we are sometimes the most whiny (think the Israelites in the desert), ungrateful (think of the many generations under Judges) and sometimes, outright don’t love Him. While we are on earth, parenting will never be perfect but we know that we are not alone in this journey, hang onto God and your spouse!
Bible verse:
Matthew 18:12-14 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Father in heaven, please make up where our parenting lacks. Please be our father and help us be faithful children and raise our children likewise. Extra strength to those of us with eczema children, it’s tough, Lord!
God will never let go of His children, that’s parents and your kids!
Many parents are concerned with whether (and W-H-E-N) their child will outgrow eczema – the stress, the sleep deprivation, the constant itch and scratching that comes with eczema can indeed be very challenging for both parents and the child. Are there any factors that give us hope that our child will have a higher chance of outgrowing eczema? Is there anything that we can do to increase the likelihood of ‘outgrowing’?
1st things 1st – What’s Outgrowing?
There is no definition for having ‘grown out’ of eczema – how would you as a parent deemed your child to be free from eczema? No rash within a certain time period? A reasonable amount of sleep, dry skin without rashes that requires daily moisturizing? The majority of babies (40% -70%) with eczema will have it in remission by the grade school or teen years (study here). Dry skin with occasional flare-ups would be considered as having outgrown eczema.
Key Predictive Factors
1. Severity of Atopic Dermatitis – The more severe the eczema/ AD, the less likelihood the chance of outgrowing. There is also a study that the more severe the AD in a child, the less likelihood the child can outgrow milk and egg allergy. The interplay between eczema and allergy is not fully understood – does one lead to another? There is this study that showed food allergy being associated with an earlier onset of age for eczema in children. Conversely could a defective skin barrier render the immune system more vulnerable to an onslaught of allergens? Or both can co-exist independently? Similarly the mechanism for outgrowing isn’t clear. Is untreated eczema reducing the chance of outgrowing?
2. Gender – Various studies had highlighted a difference between teenage males vs females, for instance in this study, eczema is more likely to develop for teen girls while teen boys are more likely to outgrow it.
3. Presence of other allergic conditions – Having other allergic conditions like asthma and allergic rhinitis associated with a lower likelihood of outgrowing eczema.
There are many factors involved in eczema, but specifically on outgrowing, it seems that the above 3 are the most predictive. The BIG question is what can parents do and I’d say that treating the eczema is of utmost importance. The longer it goes untreated (aka the longer you try alternative/unvalidated treatment while the skin is constantly inflamed and child is scratching), the higher chance of infection, the thicker the skin gets from scratching (thus even more difficult to treat) and the likelihood of more allergens/irritants penetrating via the defective skin barrier.
What’s your take on this? Do share in the comment!
Sounds familiar to anyone? This is the 51st of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. This month, it’s all fun poke at parents on reward charts!
Recently, I thought my child the word “RESIST’. I think we could be talking about ice-cream or chocolate milkshake or marshmallow (something sweet I’m sure!) and I suddenly ask, ‘Can you resist?’ We then started exploring ways to understand this word and it was quite confusing when you try explaining ‘Can Resist’ = ‘Can Don’t Have it’ versus “Cannot Resist’=‘Must Have!’. It then occurred to me to ask myself if there’s anything I cannot resist in life, am I being tempted by anything? (I’m just going to let this question ‘hang’, cos there’s no way I’m telling it to you, on the world wide web!’)
As I’m not the one with eczema, I don’t know if there’s a point when scratching becomes one of these ‘Can’t Resist’ things in life. A blog post that I wrote 3 years ago (that’s how long I’ve been keeping on at this blog!) is titled ‘Scratching feels so good, but is so bad.’ Scratching may feel good because it temporarily blocks off pain information, thus getting rid of the itch feeling. The exact mechanism between how itch and pain (from scratching) gets processed from our brain is not entirely clear. When we think about it, scratching is like say ice-cream, it may feel good for that moment but really is bad for our body.
Bible verse:
1 Corinthians 10:13 : No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Oh Lord, help me guard my heart (and also my mouth, my actions) against temptations. There are things we can’t resist in life. Help our children also to resist doing things they should not (scratching, tantrums and pride). Help us to be patient, loving, kind and exercise self-control in our parenting. Extra help for us with eczema kids!
God help us to resist the ‘bad’ and grace for more of ‘good’
This month’s session promises to be an exciting one because
1. It’s the first time the session caters for both the young and the elderly. After the speaker’s sharing, a dermatology nurse will facilitate the sharing with the elderly while I’d be chatting with the parents! Both groups tend to have different concerns, so the sharing will be separate but we are all still in the same room.
2. Both groups (elderly and kids) have tender skin – infants’ skin is thinner and has less oil and pigment cells (read more here) while the elderly’s skin is also thinner, fragmented collagen and higher trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) (read more here in Dr Claudia’s video). Thus, this topic on Tender Skin Care is very applicable for both elderly and children. Moreover, eczema skin is defective and has many of the ‘tender’ aspects like dry skin, more permeable, increased TEWL (read more here in interview with Dr Lynn Chiam).
The speaker for this session is Sister Wong who has shared last year on Step-by-Step skincare.
She is the Senior Nurse Educator at National Skin Center and trained in Dermatology and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) Nursing in UK. She had spent many years in the inpatient nursing care in CDC and currently based in outpatient services in National Skin Centre. She is also in charge of training programmes for the nurses in Dermatology.
3. Relaxing Friday lunch, FOC!
25 July 2014 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 402, 12.30 noon to 1.30pm
1. 12.30 – 12.35 pm Introducing Ourselves – we can do this with our mouths full (lunch provided).
2. 12.35 – 1.10 pm Sister Wong will be speaker on Tender Skin Care
3. 1.10 – 1.30 pm Elderly and parents (with kids) will split into respective group to share among yourselves, each with a facilitator and Sister Wong will be there to answer both groups’ questions.
Do note though that this is not a consultation session. For those bringing your child, there will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children.
Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.
YOU MUST RSVP – You must RSVP so that we can order lunch and arrange the layout for the seats. If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, and a NSC staff will confirm your RSVP.
Look forward to seeing everyone! Mei
Eczema herpeticum has been covered in this blog before, and for the past few months, there seem to be more parents contacting me or commenting on this topic. There are a few key questions, with the main one being whether a child with eczema/atopic dermatitis is more susceptible to eczema herpeticum and whether once a child gets it, he/she will keep getting it. Let’s look into research in this area:
Quick Basics of Eczema Herpeticum
Eczema herpeticum happens when a patient with eczema gets infected with the herpes simplex virus, the same virus responsible for cold sores. Symptoms of eczema herpeticum are painful, rapidly worsening eczema with blisters, sores, accompanied by fever. A child can get the virus from sharing towel or in general, coming into contact with the mucus of someone who has the virus (who may not necessarily have the cold sores/ herpeticum).
Treatment includes anti-viral medication, oral acyclovir. In view of how fast the drug can work to control the herpeticum in conjunction with the increasing length of hospital stay when not treated fast enough, it is usually advisable to administer acyclovir expediently (see article here, here and here).
Are Children with Eczema/ Atopic Dermatitis more prone to Eczema Herpeticum?
Yes, generally due to the defective skin barrier and lower immune system, eczema kids ‘catch’ skin infection much easier. This article suggest that those with skin inflammation that is uncontrolled are more likely to get eczema herpeticum. Other possible hypothesis of eczema kids getting herpeticum involve the gene, gene expression, filaggrin, history of food allergy/asthma and early onset of AD.
Will Eczema Herpeticum Recur?
Yes, and it is also possible to get secondary bacterial infection, i.e. from Staph aureus bacteria. For more on staph, see here. I’ve found a study (on mice) that noted the mice infected with staph bacteria get higher penetration of the herpes virus. More on herpeticum here.
Mis-Diagnosis
It is quite often heard of delayed administration of the anti-viral drug because of misdiagnosis, being confused with impetigo. Anti-bacterial drug will not treat herpeticum and delayed treatment can severely affect the body, leading to blindness (keratoconjunctivitis) and death. Hospitalization was required for half of the patients, and those who are hospitalized had a higher likelihood of recurrence (article here).
Share your experience in this post, esp. when studies in this area is difficult to conduct, experiences may just help!
Photo Credit: NIAID via Compfight cc
This is the 50th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. This month, I’m really inspired by the reward charts that I’ve been implementing, so not all the cartoons are directly eczema related, but you know they are all of THE eczema gal!
Anything with ice that is cooling.
During these few hotter months (or for those of you in US, UK etc, summer months), I crave for something cool and refreshing. That’s why I recently bought a blender that can do wonders in breaking down ice and devoted a few evenings to finding the right amount of ice cubes versus liquid to blend. My daughter likes it too! If she is scratching due to heat/sweat, I’d tempt her to stop with a ‘Chocochino’, my version of Milo crushed ice.
It occurred to me that sometimes in our life, we just need that something cool and refreshing, from the toil and the sweat. I then wonder what would be the ‘cool’ thing for parents with eczema kids to have? Would it be
a. An evening of couple night made possible by someone (anyone!) willing to care after a scratching child
b. A family day outdoors on a cloudy day, but no rain
c. Just one night of sleep
d. Share in the comment your ‘cool’ thing!
In the bible, Jesus talked about him quenching our thirst. It is in parallel to when God provided Israel with manna from heaven and water from rock. This hit me on two levels 1) God cares about our most basic needs, surely he care about whether our children are growing well 2) God knows what we need. So the next time I reach for a drink to quench that thirst, it serves as a reminder that God is all knowing on what I need and He will meet that need. Jesus offers himself for us!
Bible verse:
John 6: 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Dear God, you know what we need, what our children need, You know what we thirst for, it’s nothing luxurious for many parents with eczema children. Perhaps a good night’s sleep or a day of family fun without eczema flare-ups. Hear our prayer God!
Jesus meets our needs.
The Bioresonance companies must be doing a good job marketing (in Singapore), via Google ads or other channels, because more parents are asking about this and whether they should try it. Offhand, I think the picture I chose says my first thought – I mean, seriously, cells give off vibes? But as always, I approach a topic methodically, by looking at information over the web and also at Pubmed. Let’s first find out what bioresonance is:
Abnormal Waves
Bioresonance is on the basis that certain medical conditions give off abnormal aka unhealthy waves, and a device is used to detect these ‘sick’ waves and then normalize the waves and sent back to treat the person. It is on the basis that a sick person likely has something (bacteria, allergens) that disrupt the normal electromagnetic oscillations of the cells. Diseases that bioresonance purport to treat include allergies, eczema, cancer, arthritis, liver problem and chronic fatigue.
Evidence?
If you search Pubmed, you’d see it being associated with many health conditions and to me, it seems strange how a ‘treatment’ can purport to treat so many varied conditions. I looked through the articles on Pubmed and those that support the efficacy of bioresonance are from bioresonance practitioners and limited to case studies. Other independent articles show:
Articles citing bioresonance as inappropriate test for allergy, here or unproven here.
Citing bioresonance as not proven treatment for eczema, here and here.
My take?
I don’t think it’s medically sound but I understand that parents would want to try anything especially when the child is suffering from severe eczema, with bleeding, weeping/oozing skin with tears of pain and anguish. I don’t know if the bioresonance therapist will ask for patients to stop the conventional treatment – if they do, I would say no. Otherwise, if there’s no side effect (i.e. you still continue the treatment advised by your doc), then likely it may be money spent (and wasted).
Any parent has tried it? Is the consultation fun? I’m just thinking maybe if a child likes it, he/she will scratch less during the consultation time and be more aware not to damage the skin after but moisturize diligently? Do share your take in the comment!
Photo Credit: AlicePopkorn via Compfight cc
This is the 49th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.
Yet another study came out few months ago on the damage done to our brain from sleep deprivation. The test mice were limited to 4-5 hours of sleep over a 24-hour time period and in just 3 days, there’s a loss of neurons in a particular part of brain. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to metabolism, inflammatory diseases, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
When I read the report, my first thought was 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep is a luxury! Though my child’s eczema had improved and remained mild, uninterrupted sleep at night is still very rare as by some mysterious unknown reason, her head gets itchy at bedtime. Add in the other days when she’s down with flu or fever, or her skin has some rash, and interrupted sleep is a given. Sleep and rest is essential to humans – God designed it that way. The 7th day of creation is a day of rest, as a reminder we need to rest. The daily work of creation has a morning, evening also signaling rest at the end of a day’s work. I do pray simply we all have enough sleep!
Bible verse:
Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Dear God, help all eczema families to have enough sleep. We need it and our growing children need it. I also pray that we can trust You, instead of trying to labor through the night to do more work.
Keep a Day’s Work to the Day
