Do cats know when youre on your period reddit

Índice Show

What are the risks of anesthesia?
What can be done to minimize the risks?
Why do I have to sign an anesthetic consent form?
Can you describe a typical anesthesia?
How do you monitor an anesthetized cat?
How long will it take my cat to recover from anesthesia?

Many women don’t need to look at a calendar or open an app to know that their period is approaching, thanks to telltale signs like bloating, breast tenderness, and moodiness. While these are among the best-known symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), they’re hardly the only ones. Also on the list: trouble sleeping.

Research backs that up. About 1 in 10 people have insomnia – trouble falling or staying asleep. But twice as many go through that as they near their period. So says Sara Nowakowski, PhD, a sleep researcher at Baylor College of Medicine.

For some women, the problem at that point in their cycle isn’t insomnia. Instead, they don’t feel refreshed after sleep, or they need more sleep than usual to feel well-rested. And many say they feel more fatigued during the day.

Women who have other PMS symptoms are more likely to struggle with sleep. And if their PMS is severe, especially if it affects their mood, they “are more apt to have insomnia as well as sleepiness during the day,” sleep physiologist Fiona Baker, PhD. She directs the Human Sleep Research Program at the nonprofit Center for Health Sciences at SRI International.

Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is similar to PMS but causes more serious anxiety or depression for a week or two leading up to your period, have the worst luck with sleep as they near “that time of the month.” As many as 70% of women with PMDD have insomnia symptoms before their period.

Why do sleep problems and PMS often overlap? “That’s the million-dollar question,” Nowakowski says. “It’s multifaceted.”

The simplest explanation is that common PMS symptoms such as bloating, breast tenderness, and pelvic or muscle pain might keep you awake. Feeling depressed, angry, anxious, or irritable – also common PMS symptoms – can easily wreck a good night’s rest.

Mood and sleep are very closely connected. If you’re stressed or depressed, you’re more likely to have trouble sleeping. But a poor night of sleep might also mess with your mood the next day.

Also, many women appear perfectly “normal” on sleep studies, Baker says, but still have trouble sleeping before their periods.

It’s real. “We never want to imply that it’s all in your head,” Baker says. “It’s more that what we’re measuring [in the lab] isn’t quite picking up what someone is feeling.”

If you have sleep changes before your period, there’s an excellent chance that shifting hormone levels have something to do with it.

In women with normal menstrual cycles, estrogen and progesterone rise and fall at predictable times.The average cycle lasts 25 to 36 days. Day 1 is the day you start your period. Right around the middle of your cycle is when you ovulate: an ovary releases an egg. About 5 to 7 days later, estrogen and progesterone levels peak before declining (if you didn’t get pregnant).Progesterone remains higher a little longer than estrogen. So as your period nears – anywhere from 2 weeks to a few days before – you reach a point when progesterone is higher than estrogen. This hormone shift, which happens late in the cycle, might impact your sleep as you get closer to having another period.

Experts believe that it’s the change in levels, rather than low or high levels of estrogen or progesterone, that have the greatest potential to mess with sleep.

“The worst time for sleep and mood, even in people without major PMS, is during the 4-5 days before your period through the first two days of your period,” Nowakowski says. For women who are more sensitive to hormonal shifts, the impact on sleep can be significant.

No one knows exactly how changing hormone levels late in your cycle influence sleep. But experts do know that there are estrogen and progesterone receptors in the brain – including in areas involved in managing sleep.

“Progesterone at higher doses is linked with being sleepy," Baker says, “which is one reason why women with PMS might feel sleepier during the day.”

During the later part of your cycle, levels of the brain chemical serotonin also vary. One theory is that not having enough serotonin as your period nears contributes to PMS symptoms like premenstrual depression and food cravings, as well as fatigue and sleep problems.

Your body temperature may also be involved. It rises slightly after ovulation and remains up until you get your period again (as long as you’re not pregnant). Because body temperature naturally dips a bit before and during sleep, running a bit hotter than usual might make it harder to fall asleep or sleep well throughout the night.

Temperature can also impact your circadian rhythms (your body clock), Baker says. Some research shows that women with PMDD make less melatonin, a hormone that helps tell your body it’s time to rest.

If you often have trouble sleeping before your period, there are things you can do to feel better overall.

Cut back on salt, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. Resist the cravings you may feel for chips or candy. Nowakowski recommends cutting back on salt and sugar (which is inflammatory) in an effort to reduce bloating. Instead, aim to eat more protein and complex carbohydrates. She also suggests cutting back on caffeine (a stimulant) and alcohol (a depressant).

Address your stress. Stress is a notorious sleep wrecker. Practicing stress management – for instance, by exercising or meditating or deep breathing – can help.

Talk to your doctor. If your PMS is severe – perhaps you think you might have PMDD – talk to your doctor. Depending on your symptoms, hormonal contraceptives or antidepressants might help both your mood and sleep issues.

Consider therapy. If your main challenge is sleep – and practicing basic sleep hygiene measures like going to bed and waking up at the same time every day isn’t helping – you might also consider CBT-I, which is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that focuses on changing thoughts and behaviors that are driving your sleep problems.

The word anesthesia comes from the Greek word meaning "lack of sensation." Anesthesia is accomplished by administering drugs that depress nerve function. With general anesthesia, the patient is made unconscious for a short period. During this unconscious state, there is muscular relaxation and a complete loss of pain sensation. Other types of anesthesia include local anesthesia, such as numbing a localized area of skin or a tooth, and spinal anesthesia, such as an epidural block commonly used during childbirth.

What are the risks of anesthesia?

There is always a risk of an adverse reaction when we use any anesthetic agent, whether it is for a minor, short-term sedation or for general anesthesia lasting several hours. It is generally estimated that approximately 1 in 100,000 animals will have some sort of reaction to an anesthetic agent. These reactions may range from mild effects, such as swelling at the site of injection or a mild decrease in cardiac output, to a full-blown episode of anaphylactic shock or death. However, many experts put the risk of anesthetic death as less than the risk of driving to and from the hospital to have the anesthetic procedure.

"It is estimated that approximately 1 in 100,000 animals will have some sort of reaction to an anesthetic agent."

Another potential danger associated with anesthesia arises if the cat is not properly fasted prior to anesthesia. Anesthetized patients lose the normal reflex ability to swallow. If there is food in the stomach, the cat could vomit while under anesthesia or in the early post-anesthetic period. If vomiting occurs in the absence of the swallowing reflex, vomited material can be aspirated or enter into the lungs. This may cause aspiration pneumonia, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Other rare complications of anesthesia include organ system failure such as kidney, liver or heart failure, visual impairment, clotting disorders and seizures. Every precaution will be taken to minimize these risks when anesthesia is a necessary part of treatment.

What can be done to minimize the risks?

"Blood tests will increase the chance of detecting a hidden problem that could prove to be life threatening."

Pre-surgical physical examination, preoperative blood and urine tests, and radiographic examination may reveal clinical or sub-clinical problems. Certain medical conditions will increase the risk of having an anesthetic complication. These conditions include heart, liver or kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, anemia, dehydration and certain infectious diseases such as heartworm disease. Blood tests will increase the chance of detecting a hidden problem that could prove to be life threatening. In older animals, chest radiographs and electrocardiogram (ECG) are often recommended to ensure there is no pre-existing pathology in the heart or lungs that might increase the risk of an adverse reaction.

Immediate intravenous access for emergency drug administration is one of the most important factors in the successful treatment of cardiovascular or respiratory failure in the anesthetized patient. By placing an intravenous (IV) catheter and line before anesthesia, your veterinarian can ensure that this lifeline is already in place, should the need arise. Anesthetics, fluids and emergency drugs can be administered through the IV line.

"All general anesthesia patients should receive intravenous catheterization and fluid therapy."

Intravenous fluids help maintain blood pressure in the anesthetized patient and will replace lost fluids (During surgery, fluids are lost through evaporation from body cavity surfaces, through bleeding and in any tissues that are being removed). Upon completion of the procedure, intravenous fluid therapy speeds the recovery process by diluting anesthetic agents circulating in the blood stream and by enhancing their metabolism and elimination through the liver and kidneys. Patients that receive IV fluid therapy generally wake up faster than those that do not. Additionally, studies have shown that 0.9 - 2% of all patients that receive general anesthesia may develop kidney dysfunction or failure 7-14 days after anesthesia. This risk is significantly reduced in patients that receive peri-operative intravenous fluid therapy. Although 98% of all pets will have no problem, your veterinarian's goal is to eliminate that unknown 2%. For this reason, all general anesthesia patients should receive intravenous catheterization and fluid therapy.

You should ensure that your cat's complete medical history is available to your veterinarian, especially if your cat has been seen at another veterinary clinic. Before anesthetizing your cat, your veterinarian needs to know about any medications or supplements that your cat has received in the past few weeks, any pre-existing medical conditions, any known drug reactions, the results of previous diagnostic tests, and whether the cat has undergone any anesthetic or surgical procedures in the past. Other useful information includes the pet's vaccine status and reproductive status (i.e., when was the cat's last estrus or heat cycle).

It is important that you fully understand what will happen to your cat, and that you acknowledge that you understand the risks. Usually, the form will also include consent to perform surgery or other specified diagnostic testing, and will provide an estimate of the expected costs of the procedures. In many areas, the veterinarian is required by their regulatory organization to obtain written consent from the client prior to performing anesthetic procedures.

Can you describe a typical anesthesia?

All anesthesia patients are weighed on admission and are given a thorough pre-anesthetic examination, which includes an examination of the chest, palpation of the abdomen and assessment of the gums (checking for hydration status and evidence of good circulatory status). After reviewing the medical history, additional diagnostics such as blood or urine testing, blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG) or x-rays of the chest or abdomen may be performed prior to administration of any anesthetic drugs.

"With balanced anesthesia, the patient receives a combination of sedatives and anesthetic agents that is suited to its individual needs."

In the great majority of cases, a technique called 'balanced anesthesia' is used. With balanced anesthesia, the patient receives a combination of sedatives and anesthetic agents that is suited to the cat's individual needs. The most common combination is a pre-anesthetic sedative and analgesic combination that is administered by injection, followed by an induction agent that is also administered by injection. Once the cat is unconscious, a breathing tube, called an endotracheal tube, is inserted into the windpipe or trachea. In addition to delivering anesthetic gas and oxygen to the lungs, the endotracheal tube seals off the airway so that the patient does not accidentally aspirate fluids or other foreign material into the lungs while unconscious and unable to swallow.

How do you monitor an anesthetized cat?

Anesthetic monitoring in a veterinary hospital is similar to that found in any human hospital. Below is a list of common veterinary anesthesia monitoring equipment and personnel:

"The Surgery Assistant is the most important monitor during an anesthetic procedure."

The Surgery Assistant is the most important monitor during an anesthetic procedure. This professional staff member is trained to monitor the patient throughout the entire procedure, from induction until recovery. The assistant adjusts the anesthetic levels according to the patient's vital signs and ensures that the patient remains stable throughout the procedure.

The Electrocardiogram, abbreviated as ECG (or EKG, referring to the original German term), shows the rate and pattern of the heartbeat. It will detect and show abnormal heartbeats called arrhythmias. If abnormal heartbeats are observed, the anesthetist will make appropriate changes in anesthesia and/or emergency medications.

The Heart Rate Monitor measures the number of heartbeats per minute. Heart rate must be maintained within a certain range. The depth of anesthesia and surgical stimulation can both affect heart rate. By monitoring heart rate, increases or decreases can be detected early and anesthetic adjustments made quickly, resulting in smoother anesthesia for our patients.

The Blood Pressure Monitor measures the systolic (when the heart contracts or pumps) and occasionally the diastolic (when the heart relaxes or refills) blood pressure. Coupled with other monitoring equipment, this gives detailed information on the cardiovascular status of the patient.

The Respirometer measures the number of breaths per minute.

The Core Body Temperature is monitored, especially during a prolonged surgery, by inserting a temperature probe into the esophagus or the rectum. Either too low or too high a body temperature can cause dangerous complications. Maintenance of normal body temperature is especially important in small or pediatric patients and aids in speedy recovery from anesthesia.

Pulse Oximetry may be used to monitor the amount of oxygen in the patient's blood (Sp02) and the pulse rate. This instrument should always be used in conjunction with other pieces of monitoring equipment.

The End-tidal C02 Monitor is often used in conjunction with a pulse oximeter. This device measures the amount of expired C02 and helps determine if the patient is receiving adequate oxygen during anesthesia.

How long will it take my cat to recover from anesthesia?

With today's anesthetics, many of which are reversible, your cat should be almost completely normal by the time of discharge. However, many cats will sleep more or be more tired after returning home for twelve to twenty-four hours after anesthesia. If your cat appears to be unusually sluggish or you cannot arouse him/her easily, contact the hospital immediately to receive specific advice.