Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category

March24

5 Healthy Tips for Better Sleep

By: Sara

A good night sleep can help you be more productive and emotionally balanced. It is essential that you maintain a healthy sleep cycle in order not to feel angry or depressed, get sick or have trouble leaning. Sleep deprivation results in weight gain, anxiety, shortness of breath and lack of concentration. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, consider the following tips:

Keep a Regular Sleep Schedule

One of the best ways to improve your sleep is to create a familiar bedtime routine. Try to maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine in order to fall asleep with ease. Take a warm bath before bedtime. Play some soothing music and make sure your bed is comfortable.

If you want to sleep better at night, avoid heavy meals before bedtime. However, try not to go to bed hungry. Make sure you finish eating at least two hours before you go to sleep. Stay away from foods rich in protein or carbohydrates because they will boost your energy. Opt for skim milk, diary products and light snacks. Avoid drinking too much water in the evening.

Forget About Watching TV

The bed should be used for sleep only. Avoid using your laptop or watching TV before bedtime. Television stimulates the mind and has a disturbing effect. Check your room for noise or other distractions. In the evening, your body produces melatonin, the chemical that makes you sleepy. If you keep bright lights on before going to bed, the production of melatonin will be blocked. Use window blinds, ear plugs, and an air conditioner to reduce excessive cold or hot temperature during sleep. Listen to books on tape and try to clear your mind.

Use Quality Mattresses and Pillows

If you often wake up with back pain, consider buying a new mattress. Use quality mattresses and pillows that mold to the shape of your body, taking the pressure off your joints. Try to make the room look relaxing but also free of allergens. Be sure not to use the same mattress for more than nine years.

Meditate and Learn to Breath Deeply

An excellent way to improve your sleep is to start practicing yoga, Pilates or any other relaxation techniques. Meditation can help you relax, detoxify your body and reduce stress. Focus on your breath for ten to twenty minutes before bedtime and get rid of negative thoughts. These simple techniques will lead you to a deeper level of relaxation and even treat the cause of your sleeplessness.

There are many other ways to sleep better at night and help your body relax. Taking walks in the evening, exercising regularly and cutting down on caffeine can dramatically improve the quality and quantity of your sleep. Do not engage in activities that make you feel nervous or require a lot of concentration. Allow yourself one hour to relax before bedtime and try to create a sleep-conducive environment. Turn your bedroom into a haven of comfort and make sleep a priority.

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March18

Common Sleep Issues

By: Sara

These are some common sleep issues that a lot of people have been known to deal with. There are some of the most common sleep issues such as: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Better known as O.S.A. and Narcolepsy just to name a few. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is mostly known to be caused by having a blockage in the airway. If you have this blockage in your airway it can disrupt your breathing while you sleep. This disturbance in your breathing can cause you or who ever is dealing with this to wake up all through the night causing you to not get any sleep. Most of the people who are dealing with this do not even realize that they are dealing with it. They wake up off and on during the night, then they fall right back asleep not even realizing that they have been doing this all night. So then the next day when you wake up you feel exhausted because, you really didn’t get any sleep at all. If you are dealing with this disruption in breathing can take place with you while you are sleeping, just a few times or up to hundreds of times over the course of a night. Do not feel bad if you think you are one of the one’s who are dealing with this because, there are about eighteen million other people who deal with this or so statistics would say.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Almost up to eighty-two percent of men and ninety-three percent of women with slight to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea have not been diagnosed and therefore, do not only not know that they have this condition but,they do not get treated for it. There are some people that might be more of a target for dealing with this sleeping issue. Those people would be people who have been known to deal with or have any of the following symptoms: Type 2 diabetes, Congestive heart failure, Stroke, Obesity or High blood pressure . So if you deal with any of these other symptoms you may want to go a head and get checked for this sleeping issue why you are at it. If there is a time where you think you may need surgery you need to ask your physician to examine you for these symptoms because, if you need to be put to sleep for surgery you have to take special precautions.

Narcolepsy

Then there is the sleeping issue of Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is also a sleeping disorder, this dis-order is a little more on the serious side than the first sleeping issue. Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder that involves the brain. Narcolepsy occurs in someone when the brain can not normally regulate sleep cycles and being awake. This can cause you to be sleepy during the daytime. It can cause excessive sleepiness that results in episodes of falling asleep suddenly with out notice. Do not feel like you are in a boat by yourself, it is estimated that Narcolepsy affects one in every two thousand Americans. The bad part about this sleeping dis order is the cause of Narcolepsy is not yet known. Sometimes the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain cells involved in regulating the sleep -to -wake pattern cycle. It is believed that Narcolepsy is the result of these cells being damaged or destroyed. So you can see why this could cause such a problem. This is now not only a sleep issue, it is a safety issue. Narcolepsy can threaten safety, as patients may fall asleep while performing your everyday activities.

Symptoms of Narcolepsy

People with Narcolepsy often fall asleep several times a day, while at work or school, or even during a conversation or meal. Just out of no where you could fall asleep unexpectedly.Of course you should always consult your doctor if you think that you might have Narcolepsy. Talk to your doctor about whether you should avoid driving or using heavy machinery while dealing with this sleeping disorder. There are several medicines out there that are recommended that someone with Narcolepsy may try. Your doctor will be able to determine if in fact that you are dealing with Narcolepsy and be able to get you some medicine. Of course you will need to stay under a physicians care to make sure that you get the medicine that you need so, you can get your situation under control. You can eventually get this under better control. It may take a little bit of time to get this under control but, once you do it will put your life back in order.

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February22

Finding Your Circadian Rhythm

By: Sara

circadian rhythm graph

It is sometimes thought that getting a certain number of hours sleep per day is the only requirement of sleep. Getting an adequate amount of sleep is important but the sleep that the body gets must be in response to the body’s natural clock.

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February18

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

By: Sara

man with sleep deprivation

The effects of sleep deprivation can cause many health problems that we aren’t aware of. It can effect your physical and mental health by diminishing your ability to think clearly and handle the stresses of every day life. It can affect our body’s immune system and cause our bodies to be attacked by illness and disease. If the reason for the sleep deprivation is not found, it is hard for doctors to know what exactly to treat.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

The main symptoms of sleep deprivation include some of the following:

  • dizziness and nausea
  • hallucinations
  • irritability
  • memory loss or lapses
  • yawning
  • nystagmus or rapid involuntary eye movements
  • psychosis
  • severe headaches
  • hand tremors
  • increased risk for a number of diseases

Many studies have been performed regarding sleep deprivation showing that the brain’s cognitive functions are greatly affected and sleep deprivation has even been linked to Diabetes, heart diseases, and bipolar disorders.

Knowing Your Limits

If you are suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation and are not under the care of a medical professional, you should not drive because statistics show that at least one in five tragic automobile accidents are related to the fatigue of the driver causing them to take unnecessary risks on the road. If you are driving and you begin to feel drowsy, pull over as soon as you find a safe place and lock your doors and take a nap until you feel rested before you begin driving again. You could always call someone to come and help you if the drowsiness does not go away.

Tips for Getting a Good Night Sleep

If you feel you are just going through a phase in your life causing you to not get enough sleep, the following tips may help you in your quest for getting a good restful night of sleep.

  1. Create your own sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning using an alarm clock. After awhile this will become automatic and your inner clock will take over.
  2. Make up a relaxing ritual before your scheduled bedtime such as taking a warm relaxing bath or listening to music and avoid any activity that is stimulating.
  3. Redecorate your sleeping area into a quiet and dark place free from interruptions.
  4. Do not use your bedroom for anything except sleep and sex. Eating in bed is not advised and any eating should be done at least three hours before your set bedtime.
  5. Do not smoke or drink alcohol or caffeine close to bed time. Some people believe that alcohol is a relaxant but it can actually disturb your sleep and may even cause nightmares.
  6. Set up a regular exercise program sometime during the day, but always finish your routines at least a few hours before bedtime.
  7. Learn relaxation techniques to help you go to sleep.

Getting a restful nights sleep can help decrease your chances of having a heart attack or even a stroke. Getting from seven to nine hours of sleep each night has been recommended by professionals specializing in sleep disorders so that you won’t suffer the effects of sleep deprivation.

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January16

Treating Your Snoring Problem

By: Sara

Snoring is a series of snorting noises caused by the vibration of the respiratory structures like the soft palate. The main cause of snoring is the fact that something like the tongue or throat muscles relax too much, thus blocking the air flow between the openings of the nose and the wind pipe or trachea.

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