The A To Z Of Peaceful Sleep

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 31 Jan 2009
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The best way to fall asleep is to have good sleep habits or to use natural sleep aids.  But first visit with your doctor to make sure there are no medical reasons for the insomnia.

Insomnia can be caused by fear, stress, anxiety, medications, herbs, caffeine, depression, or other mental conditions and sometimes occurs for no reason apparently. An overactive mind or physical pain may also be causes. Finding the underlying cause of insomnia is usually necessary to cure it.

There are behavioral treatments for insomnia.  One of these relaxation techniques is practiced by tensing certain muscle groups and then totally relaxing them.  Another relaxation method calls for an individual to repeat a set of visualizations to induce a state of relaxation.

It is also good to be aware of and manage the amount of stress in your life which can allow you to more easily relax at night when it’s time to sleep.  Stimulus control therapy reassociates the bed and bed¬room with sleeping by limiting the amount of time spent in the bedroom for non-sleep activities.  So take your television, computer and office out of the bedroom.

Reducing the use of stimulants and depressants and avoid¬ing big meals just before bed can help reduce the risk of insomnia episodes.

Other methods to help fall asleep faster is to relax before bedtime.  People relax in many ways, watching television, reading, soaking in a warm bath or taking a short walk.  Soft music also helps people fall asleep as well as any type of white noise machines that are currently on the market.  When I worked nights, I had to get one of these machines that made the sound of a water fall in order to fall asleep.  Even after 15 years, I still can not fall asleep with out that sound.

Still having problems?  Insomnia can  be caused by stress either at work or at home, clinical depression, uninviting sleeping area, too much light in the room, drinking alcohol, drugs, muscle tension, too much caffeine, lumpy bed, pregnancy or any number of reasons. 

Because Insomnia may be a symptom of other medical problems sleep medicine is a recognized medical subspecialty. Doctors who specialize in sleep medicine help people who are unable to sleep well. Sleep doctors are able to detect and treat both common and rare sleep disorders. Some common sleep disorders are insomnia, jet lag, sleepwalking, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

So it is recommended that before you start any herbal or OTC (over-the-counter) sleep aids that you check with your doctor.  Also remember, just like prescription medications, herbs and OTC sleep aids have their good and bad effects and effect different people, differently.

Bathing will help guys sleep.    Men are most often to have an irregular sleep schedule. Many men simply don’t realize that they need more sleep. Every person has their own need for sleep. On average, most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested because of poor sleep habits.

Caffeine is a known stimulant and energizes the body.  It is contained in coffee, tea, sodas, chocolate and a host of other products.  And before bedtime is not a good time for having any of these products as they will keep you awake.

These are just a few natural ways to help you fall asleep.  But remember, if problems with sleep continue nightly for several weeks; be sure to consult with your family physician.

Pills To Help Sleep Apnea

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 29 Jan 2009
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There are many sleeping pills to help with sleep apnea. 

But most of the medications are just temporary help while you and your doctor work on how to cure your sleep apnea.  And they should only be taken in small doses, as over sedation can make your sleeping problems worse.

Sleep apnea can cause hypertension.  Doing sleep apnea there is airway obstruction, the patient is unable to breathe in oxygen and to exhale carbon dioxide, resulting in low levels of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. The reduction in oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide alert the brain to resume breathing and cause arousal. With each arousal a signal is sent from the brain to the upper airway muscles to open the airway; breathing is resumed, often with loud snort or gasp. Frequent arousals, although necessary for breathing to restart, prevent the patient from getting enough restorative deep sleep. The arousals are very short and most patients do not recall them.

Due to the serious disturbances in their normal sleep patterns, people with airway obstruction during sleep often feel very sleepy during the day and their concentration and daytime performance suffer. The consequences of this sleep disorder range from annoying to life threatening. They include symptoms suggesting depression, irritability, sexual dysfunction, learning and memory difficulties, and falling asleep when the patient does not want to. It has been estimated that up to 50% of patients with obstructive sleep apnea have high blood pressure or hypertension. Fifty to sixty percent of patients with impaired heart function suffer from sleep related breathing disorders. If left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can cause hypertension, irregular heart beat, heart attack, stroke, motor vehicle and work related accidents due to sleepiness (the risk of motor vehicle accidents is three times higher in patients with sleep apnea compared to normal), and poor quality of life.

If you suspect that you or anyone in your family suffers from sleep apnea, it is critical that you see a sleep specialist.  Sleep medicine is a recognized medical subspecialty. Doctors who specialize in sleep medicine help people who are unable to sleep well. Sleep doctors are able to detect and treat both common and rare sleep disorders. Some common sleep disorders are insomnia, jet lag, sleepwalking, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

Several surgical techniques have been developed to increase the size of the airway and hence treat airway obstruction. In children with airway obstruction, surgery is generally the treatment of choice in most of them. However, in adults, the success rate is variable and depends on the experience of the medical center and the surgeon. The long-term side effects and benefits of most surgical procedures are not known yet and it is difficult to predict which patients will do well. It is important for patients to know that surgery may eliminate snoring but not necessarily airway obstruction. Therefore, all patients should have a follow up overnight sleep study after surgery.

There are many sleeping pills for helping with sleep that your doctor can prescribe.  But these are only a temporary solution to a long term problem.  These pills will get you some good quality sleep while you and your doctor are working on your sleep apnea. .Some of these sleeping pill are Luminal, Seconal ,Nembutal, Amytal, Xanax, Lexotan, Klonopin, Valium, Prosom, Rohypnol (commonly known as the date rape drug), Lunesta, and Sonata.  You may need to try several before you and your doctor find a sleeping pill that is right for you.  They are only for help while you turn some bad sleep habits into good sleeping habits and are working on a sleep apnea cure.

Gluten Helps In Common And Rare Sleep Disorders

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 28 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by chronic problems  falling asleep, staying asleep or only sleeping for several hours and being wake unable to fall back to sleep. What typically happens after this is functional impairment while being awake. Both organic and non-organic insomnia constitute a sleep disorder.

Sleep medicine is a recognized medical subspecialty. Doctors who specialize in sleep medicine help people who are unable to sleep well. Sleep doctors are able to detect and treat both common and rare sleep disorders. Some common sleep disorders are insomnia, jet lag, sleepwalking, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.  And, it could be that you have intolerance to gluten.

Gluten is a type of protein compound in certain cereal grains – primarily wheat, barley, and rye - the basis of breads, baked goods, and pasta. These are foods that are helpful in getting good sleep.  But the inability to sufficiently digest gluten protein can lead to all sorts of symptoms, including skin rashes, irritability, aggression, moodiness, ‘brain fog,’ cognitive problems, cramping, bowel problems, pain, and sleep disturbances.  This is why it is so important to see a doctor if you are experiencing sleep disturbances as often the sleeping problems are really caused by a medical problem.

When intestinal cells are damaged for any reason, they cannot properly absorb nutrients, which results in malabsorption. Without healthy intestinalcells, you can become malnourished, no matter how much food you eat. Many people do not realize that a second key function of intestinal cells is to produce several key digestive enzymes. In particular, these cells produce specific protein and carbohydrate degrading enzymes needed for the thorough digestion of gluten (and other similar proteins such as casein).

The second type of gluten intolerance occurs when the gut is injured for some reason other than celiac disease, such as when there is a bacteria or yeast infection. This is the scenario commonly seen with leaky gut syndrome, autism conditions, carbohydrate intolerance, and most digestive disorders.

In these cases, the damage to the intestinal cells occurs initially, reducing the amount of the key intestinal enzymes produced there. Without these enzymes, any gluten or casein consumed is not well digested can be problematic. The result of this gut injury is the subsequent loss of the intestinal enzymes leading to poor gluten (and casein) digestion. As the gut heals and the intestinal cells are restored, intestinal enzyme production can return. This is consistent and is a commonly reported experience. Some people find that although they cannot leave a gluten-free diet initially, after a couple months of allowing the gut to heal, they can then re-introduce gluten with gluten-targeting enzymes.

Avoiding gluten is quite challenging. Gluten is a common food additive, often used in small amounts, because it increases protein content inexpensively, as well as enhances taste and texture in food processing.

One of the great insights of recent medical research is that inflammatory reactions are commonly present in conditions that we never imagined were inflammatory. There is a degree of inflammation among most people with CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome and FMS, (fibromyalgia) although less severe and quite different from the inflammation that’s found in “normal” infections or in autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed poor sleep itself can cause inflammation, as can hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) and even psychological depression; however, we don’t yet know what we should do with this knowledge. Would suppressing inflammation help our body heal, or are these inflammations part of the body’s self-defense? Again, the research we need is not yet being done.

So, while we are waiting for more research and first rate controlled studies, what practical approaches have the best promise of improving your odds of improving how you feel and function, living with CFS/FMS?

In addition to non-restorative sleep that is almost always present, a substantial number of people with FMS and CFS also have a primary sleep disorder. The data is especially strong for CFS, where somewhere on the order of 10% of patients have a significant degree of sleep apnea.  On the order of 1-4% have a muscle twitching syndrome called periodic leg movement disorder (PLMD)

Usual opinion is that we should prefer non-addicting medicines, especially those that improve slow-wave sleep and which also often help fibromyalgia pain e.g. the tricyclic anti-depressants at low doses (Elavil, doxepin, Pamelor), the tricyclic muscle relaxant Flexeril, the anti-depressants trazadone and Serzone, the newer anti-depressant Remeron, and the newer sleep medicines Ambien and Sonata.

Usual opinion is that we should avoid diazepam/Valium like medicines except for occasional use because they are “habit-forming”, tend to disrupt rather than improve the EEG pattern during sleep, and because for some people over-time they tend to stop working. This is all true. However, it is the experience of some physicians that a proportion of people with FMS/CFS do surprisingly well with this class of medicines, even with long term use. So, don’t dismiss the benzodiapine group automatically, as many physicians tend to do. Among the benzodiazepines many specialists(FMS/CFS) prefer Klonopin/clonazepam.

Symptoms of celiacdisease may include one or more of the following: gas, recurring abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool, weight loss / weight gain, fatigue, unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue), bone or joint pain, osteoporosis, osteopenia, behavioralchanges, tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage), muscle cramps, seizures , missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss) , infertility, recurrent miscarriage,  delayed growth, failure to thrive in infants , pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers, tooth discoloration or loss of enamel, itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis.

1. Eat at least five servings of fresh uncooked organic fruits and vegetables every day, and six to eight servings total. When you do cook veggies, cook them al dente on the stove with the lid off. This will preserve the most nutrients, not to mention keep their natural yummy flavors!

2. Eat plenty of healthy fats and legumes; they are good sources of vitamin E and protein, and essential for healthy brain function. Fats also provide the highway for the delivery of essential vitamins and minerals to your body, and a balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates help you feel full. Olive oil, raw nuts, flaxseed, organic soy (if tolerated), organic peanut butter, organic soy (if tolerated), grape seed oil, canola oil, etc. are easily mixed into the dishes you eat every day and are great flavor enhancers!

3. Eat your greens! The darker the better. Leave the iceberg lettuce on the grocery store shelf, and instead take advantage of the season and hit your local farmer’s market for organic and flavorful greens, such as spinach, arugala, kale, mustard greens, bok choy, rainbow chard, green leafy butter lettuce, and garden fresh green beans and broccoli. Your body will thank you for the extra iron and calcium!

4. Cook in cast iron. That’s right…raid grandma’s kitchen cupboards or hit the flea market. Make sure to re-season the pans to eliminate any prior cross contamination from gluten. Cooking in cast iron is a great way to naturally replenish the depleted iron stores in your body.

5. Eliminate your intake of corn syrup, processed white cane sugar, and the use of ‘fakes’ such as aspartame or saccharin. Even the calorie free sugar substitutes can trigger the brain to think it just ate sugar, leaving your body to the throws of fluctuating blood sugar,

6. Drink plenty of water. Forget the soft drinks and high octane sports drinks (which are often loaded with calories, caffeine, and/or chemical sweeteners). Your body is comprised of approximately 70 percent water; so replenish often. Replace your juice with whole fleshy fruits or berries and pair with a glass of water to stay hydrated and sustain energy during these hottest months.

7. Move! Break a sweat every day! Your heart, brain, metabolism, and overall well being will be benefited by it. If you have never exercised before, start sensibly with a 20 minute walk every day, or break it up into two ten minute brisk walks.

8. Get plenty of sunshine. Natural sunlight can also ward off depression and lighten your overall outlook. Stressed at the office? Take a walk outside at lunch or go unwind for a few minutes at a nearby park.

9. Sleep and recover.  If you have trouble sleeping at night try these simple suggestions:

*Don’t eat right before bed, and keep your dinners light.
*Exercise early in the day, so you are tired at night.
*Before bed try light Thai Chi or relaxation yoga to unwind.
*Get to bed before 10pm; don’t wait until you get that second wind that will keep you up working until the wee hours. Yes, it’s true, “Early to bed, early to rise…” you know the rest.

10. Play! The kids are home; maybe driving you a bit crazy - the boss is on vacation, putting the workload on you; the house still hasn’t received its annual spring cleaning, etc. Take the kids to a movie, teach them how to cook kid-friendly vegan and gluten free recipes, go for a long bike ride, or leave the office early on a Friday after a long stressful week. Your digestive system will thank you for eliminating sources of stress, and you will harbor less anger and sleepless nights - all of which contribute to stomach upset and inadequate nutrient absorption.

So back to our original question – does gluten help sleep?  Yes, unless you have intolerance for it and then it can be the cause of your sleep problems.

Information On Helping Seniors With Alzheimer’s To Sleep

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 28 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

Helping seniors with Alzheimer’s to get sound sleep through the night, is one of the prominent question mark in front of health professionals and Sleep medicine is one medical subspecialty working towards this goal. Doctors who specialize in sleep medicine help people who are unable to sleep well. Sleep doctors are able to detect and treat both common and rare sleep disorders. Some common sleep disorders are insomnia, jet lag, sleepwalking, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

Patients with Alzheimer’s often exhibit disrupted sleep patterns, with many sufferers taking long naps during the day that prevent them from getting a good night’s sleep. By helping these patients establish new routines to combat the effects of dementia, they may be able to improve the quality of their sleep.

1. Establish set routines. The patient should be made to wake up at a same time every morning and go to bed the same time every night. Allow only one nap during the day and ensure that it lasts no longer than an hour.

2. Keep the patient active during the day. Create a schedule of activities, such as a 30-minute walk after dinner or a game of cards just before the afternoon nap. Don’t let the patient fall asleep while watching television.

3. Serve the patient meals at a specific time every day. This helps to further establish a routine and the patient better learn to schedule additional activities around breakfast, lunch and dinner. Restrict the patient from having snacks before bedtime, which can also cause the patient to lose sleep by increasing energy levels.
 
4. Have the patient spend at least 1 hour each day in sunlight or bright light. Subdued lighting can make the patient less alert and more prone to extended napping during the day.
 
5. Dim the lights at night. Lot of Alzheimer’s patients complain that ambient light coming into the bedroom prevents them from getting enough sleep at night. Keep the house dark and quiet around bedtime.
 
6. Have the patient exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Tailor the regimen to the limitations of the patient. For instance, if the patient is in a wheelchair, have her do repetitive arm exercises.

Alzheimer’s patients who experience insomnia should stop consuming caffeine. Restrict or eliminate any tea, coffee or soda that containing caffeine. Switching to decaffeinated coffee might help to ease the transition.
Further information on helping seniors with Alzheimer’s to sleep can be found at eHow.com

Is Getting Enough Deep Sleep Important?

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 28 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

A sleep disorder (somnipathy) is any disruption in the sleep patterns of an individual. While some sleep disorders may leave you feeling unrefreshed, a number of symptoms are more severe including excessive sleepiness, snor¬ing, difficulty falling asleep during normal sleeping hours and abnormal be¬haviors such as restless leg syndrome. There are even disorders that cause you to get too much sleep.  The most common sleep disorder is insomnia.

Since we are a mobile society with people traveling world wide, sleep has become a problem for everyone. Sleeping troubles can also be caused by stress either at work or at home, clinical depression, uninviting sleeping area, too much light in the room, eating a heavy meal right before bedtime, drinking alcohol, drugs, muscle tension, too much.  Insomnia can also be the symptom of a more serious medical problem.  That is why most literature on this subject, recommends that if you suffer from insomnia for two or more weeks, you should see your family physician to see if some other medical problem isn’t going on.

Regulation of production of an important hormone occurs during sleep and in children, human growth hormone (HGH) is released during deep sleep. Insufficient sleep can affect hormonal balance in adults as well. Getting enough deep sleep is important and they do know that people can go longer without food than without sleep.  During sleep the subject’s sleep metabolic rate and energy consumption are reduced.  The cardiovascular system also slows down during sleep as blood pressure drops as well.  Basically, your body just shuts down to repair the damage done to it during the day.

To better understand this fairly common sleep disorder and the effects of insomnia on a person’s body, we must first learn about sleep and better understand why sleep is so necessary to a healthy life.

Sleep is the period of time when the body appears to repair the damage that has occurred during the awake periods. The study of sleep is relatively new and what sleep does for the body is not entirely understood but researchers do have many theories and they do know that people can go longer without food than without sleep.  In studies with mice deprived of sleep versus mice deprived of food, the sleep deprived mice die faster.

Deprivation of sleep first affects the brain, so theories are that the brain needs to rest so as to recharge itself or reorganize data and needs to rid itself of waste products.  Subjects kept awake for days begin to have hallucinations, are unable to concentrate, have problems forming memories, and develop other mental problems.

One sleeps in five stages.  Stage 1 is a very light sleep when all body systems begin slowing down but the person can still be awoken easily.  Stage 2 is a period where eye movement stops and brain waves begin to slow down.  Stage 3 is when brain activity slows down even more and the slowest brain waves called delta waves sporadically appear.  In stage 4, the brain waves are almost totally delta waves. Stages 3 and 4 are called deep sleep and it is difficult to wake a person during stage 4.  Stage 5 is called REM sleep and during this stage everything changes.  Breathing becomes rapid, there are rapid eye movements and this is when subjects dream.  Researchers believe that quality sleep is when a person goes through four or five sleep cycles during a night.

During sleep, researchers have found that metabolic rates and energy consumption are reduced. The cardiovascular system also slows down during sleep as blood pressure drops as well as heart rate.  Chemicals are replaced and muscles are restored and in children, growth hormones are released.

Sometimes insomnia is actually a symptom of another medical problem such as depression, chronic stress or anxiety, heart disease, sleep apnea, menopause or diabetes, so it’s important to see a doctor if you are having trouble sleeping.

Lack of sleep is a sign of a sleep disorder. If insomnia only occurs time to time, it is commonly referred to as intermittent insomnia.  This is the type of insomnia that occurs when a person is traveling or is just worried about a temporary problem.  When insomnia last for a period of 3 weeks to six months it is classified as acute insomnia.  Insomnia which last from months to years is classified as chronic insomnia and health problems that are believed to be caused by chronic insomnia are many and vary from fibromyalgia to obesity and can even be fatal.  Experts believe that chronic insomnia is a greater mortality risk than smoking, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Some Tips On How To Deal With High Blood Pressure

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: General Health
Dated: 28 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

High blood pressure is really a common condition, one that can be manageable as long as you are educated and aware of what is involved here and what steps need to be taken in terms of treatment. First thing is first however, and that is to find out more about high blood pressure and what this condition is all about.

What it is

When blood pushes against the artery wall harder than normal, this is when high blood pressure develops. This condition can range from being mild where it would not be necessarily causing any problems to being so severe that it is life threatening. About one in three adults is suffering from high blood pressure right now, and more are getting diagnosed with it all the time.

How To Deal With It

Before you even get diagnosed with high blood pressure or get put on a high blood pressure diet, it is very important that you keep an eye on your blood pressure numbers. You should start off treating your blood pressure problem by making some lifestyle changes, including to your diet and exercise regime.

You need to be eating all the right foods, including leafy green vegetables and ripe fruits. You also want to be eating enough whole grain breads and cereals, and drinking enough water to keep yourself well hydrated. Six to eight glasses a day is usually enough, but if you are exercising more than normal or you find that you are feeling extra thirsty, drink even more.

It will also be important that you are aware of the possible factors that could be contributing to your blood pressure problem. If you can find out the root cause of your problem, you may be able to deal with it with at the main source and get rid of the problem.

There are various different factors that could be causing your blood pressure to be high, but most likely it will be age, diet, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, obesity, stress, or sleep apnea, just to name a few. You will want to get your doctor to test you for any of these things and also do a general physical on you, just to make sure that you are in good health.

You can deal with high blood pressure and you do not have to let it control your life, as long as you take the necessary steps in terms of treatment and always keep yourself as healthy as possible.

For more information please visit my Dangerous High Blood Pressure Website.

{Some Advice for Successful UPPP Surgery| UPPP Surgery Could Change Your Life}

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 28 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

A new process your doctor may recommend for people suffering from sleep apnea is known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP surgery.  Despite the frightening prospect of surgery, this procedure is relatively simple, usually quite safe, and offers positive results to about 50% of patients.  Here are some tips to consider about UPPP surgery in order for the surgery to be successful.For one thing, while this is a relatively minor procedure a UPPP surgery is still a surgery which means you should be careful of giving your body adequate time to heal afterwards.  {It’s a common mistake for many people to jump right back into eating the same old foods when they should be on a soft foods diet for several days or up to a week.}  The skin in the roof of the mouth is going to be sore and will need time to heal.  Avoiding smoking and alcohol is also important during this time after a UPPP surgery.  {Alcohol will only irritate open skin as will smoking.}  These things will make healing that much more difficult.

UPPP surgery can have complications, and it is very important that you be aware of what could happen.  {These can include infection following the surgery, a buildup of mucus in the throat, slight changes in the voice, some swallowing problems, an impaired sense of smell, and occasional regurgitation of fluids through the mouth or nose.}  These complications or side effects are generally mild and don’t occur in all cases.  As for infection, administering antibiotics before the surgery is very successful in decreasing the occurrence, and the other side effects are generally mild enough to not interfere with the success of the UPPP surgery itself.  As the result is relief for most sleep apnea sufferers who undergo this surgery, the complications that arise appear well worth the risk in exchange for being able to control the condition.  {All in all those who undergo UPPP surgery report being very happy with their decision.}

{If you’re considering UPPP surgery it’s important that you have open and clear communication with your doctor about the procedure itself and possible complications, and that you follow his or her orders completely.}  For any successful surgery you have to ensure that you do your bit also.

How To Manage Insomnia

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 28 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

Aspirin helps people fall asleep, especially if you or your child are just a little tense from the stresses of the day.It is necessary for you to ensure that your child gets adequate and sound sleep. You lose sleep as a result of your child’s bedtime and sleeping patterns.  So, this is perhaps a case where a healthcare provider would suggest a low dose aspirin, as an aid in both of you falling asleep.

It is extremely important that everyone in your family gets a good night’s sleep, every night, as frequent insomnia or sleep problems can lead to so many other health problems.  Good sleep is so important because the sleep is when your body repairs itself from the stresses of everyday life.  When anyone in your family’s sleep cycle or pattern is disturbed, it is usually this stage of sleep that is interrupted.

If sleep problems occur during childhood it can develop into lifetime bad habits.  So occasional sleep problems should be handled has quickly as possible.  Chronic insomnia can itself be a symptom of another condition, such as depression, heart disease, sleep apnea, lung disease, or diabetes, so it’s important to see a doctor if you or anyone in your family is having continued trouble sleeping.

As well as an occasion low dose Bayer aspirin (baby aspirin), a glass of warm milk is also a good aid to help anyone with those occasional problems falling asleep.   Both aspirin and warm milk can’t hurt anyone and if you have any chronic pain, it can certainly help.  As a child, I sometimes had problems falling asleep because of leg pains after playing too hard during the day and baby aspirin was what my mother would give me.  Since that was many years ago, there were not any doctors specializing in sleep medicine and our family doctor told my mother that my leg pains were just “growing pains”.

Studies have since shown that daily low doses of aspirin are good for everyone’s heart and blood circulation so most doctors would say that it is a good habit for everyone in your family to get used to doing, especially if there is any family history of heart attacks.

Low doses of aspirin occasionally for sleep, does not mean you are a bad parent.A child is more likely to be cheerful during day if he has got sound sleep and has skept long enough at night. The better the child sleeps, the happier the entire family will be.

{You Must Try a Snoring Pillow!|Perhaps You Should Use a Snoring Pillow!}

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 26 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

If you’re in the market for a snoring pillow already then you may realize the benefits of such an item.  Typically this type of pillow is made from a very firm type of foam so that it offers more support than other pillows.  Your head and your neck are not likely to collapse the way they do with ordinary pillows.  Usually a snoring pillow has an indentation or cutout area either in the middle of it or around a side so that it can cradle your neck and give you added comfort.  This is best for snoring as it keeps the head above the neck level so that the mouth stays closed.  With a closed mouth there is less snoring and any snoring there is is not typically severe.  However there are other reasons to consider a snoring pillow, apart from snoring itself.

For people with painful back and leg problems, the time when they suffer most discomfort is often when they first wake upin the morning.  This is usually because their back and neck are not supported, causing cramping in many areas of the body.  When we use a snoring pillow to cradle the neck this helps to make the back relaxed too, since it does not have to work very hard to keep the neck supported.  The whole body is in a state of relaxation when the back is relaxed.  Very often those who use a snoring pillow report that they wake up feeling much more refreshed and with fewer back problems and pain.

Those who have breathing problems such as sleep apnea or a deviated septum may also benefit from a snoring pillow. Tissue around the neck can fold around the airways if not properly supported, which chokes off air flow.  The airway may become obstructed as a result of the tongue falling into the back of the throat.  While a snoring pillow may not actually cure or prevent all breathing problems at night they can certainly help with these issues by keeping those airways open.

Does Caffeine Help With Sleep Deprivation

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Snoring
Dated: 24 Jan 2009
Comments: 0

This article is going to explore the effects of caffeine on sleep deprivation.  Caffeine is a known stimulant and energizes the body.  It is contained in coffee, tea, sodas, chocolate and a host of other products.

Its is not recommendable for children to take caffeine or sugar product before bedtime.The effect of caffeine may be relaxing in some adult while in others.

For children and those adults who caffeine has a bad effect on – they should avoid using it before bedtime.  In those adults who are not effected by caffeine, a cup of hot tea would probably be best before bedtime.

In most people, caffeine can lead to sleep deprivation.  People who work the night shifts may drink coffee all night to stay awake, and they become unable to sleep after going home in the morning.  If this keeps happening day after day, it can begin to mess up your sleep cycle or pattern.    An irregular sleep pattern means that you miss the stage of sleep  known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and therefore the brain, muscles and circulatory systems repair any damage on them which might have happened during your wake period.

Shift work can be very hard on people.  I worked the night shift for the police department for 3 years, twenty years ago, and I now have some health problems that can be traced back to working nights for so long.  This illustrates how important good sleep habits are and how you should instill healthy sleeping habits in your children from the very beginning.

A few of these symptoms of poor sleep habits, can be aching muscles, clinical depression, decreased mental activity and concentration. Moreover, lack of sleep can cause symptoms of
depersonalization/derealization, weakened immune system, hallucinations (visual and auditory), hypertension, psychosis-like symptoms, slowed reaction time, slurred and/or nonsensical speech, symptoms similar to:  Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and alcoholic intoxication.  It is also thought to be the cause of a health problem that has just begun to be studied, call fibromylegia which is a problem where the person feels as if they would if they had the flu – aching all over.

A well used and healthy body has very little trouble sleeping. But if you’ve followed all the tips for getting enough sleep — sleeping on a regular schedule, avoiding caffeine and daytime naps, exercising regularly, and managing stress. You may be thinking about over-the-counter (OTC)  sleep aids or other sleep supplements. OTC sleep aids are effective for an occasional sleepless night.  Please consult with your doctor before starting any sleep medication OTC or prescribed

Sleep medicine is a recognized medical subspecialty. There are doctors who specialize in sleep medicine and help those afflicted by sleep disorders. Sleep doctors are able to detect and treat both common and rare sleep disorders. Some common sleep disorders are insomnia, jet lag, sleepwalking, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
Most doctors will tell you that too much caffeine in the evening or in the case of shift work, in the morning – will eventually disturb your healthy sleep  patterns.  Take it from one who knows, sometimes night work is just not worth it, because of the health toll it can take on your over all health – even years later.