Nov 19 2008

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Hope for Insomniacs

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In this article, we’ll review some tips on helping a person fall asleep. How long does it take for a person to fall asleep?That might depend on a number of factors, including what the person ate before they went to bed, how tired the person is, and numerous other factors.If you have sleep problems, it might take hours to fall asleep.

Insomnia Information: Insomnia means you are having great difficulty in falling asleep.It also can mean that staying asleep is difficult. Most people who suffer from insomnia say that they remember tossing and turning all night long, or remember being awake at night. Nights when I have insomnia I just can’t seem to turn my mind off; often I can’t even close my eyes. Usually it takes me about 30 minutes to fall asleep; but my son is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

The TV helps me fall asleep — I have it on a timer so that it shuts off after 30 minutes.I also must have total darkness, and my bedroom needs to be ice cold – even in the middle of summer. Of course, this does not help save energy!

There are treatments for insomnia referred to as behavioral or natural. One well-known relaxation technique is to tense different muscle groups and then relax them. Another method is repeating a set of visualizations to produce a state of relaxation. My favorite visualization involves lying in the sun on a beach in the Bahamas.

It is also good to be able to manage the stress in your life; this can allow you to more easily relax at night and when it’s time to go to sleep. Another helpful method is to limit the time spent in the bedroom for non-sleep activities, thereby associating the bedroom with only sleeping. So take your television, computer and office out of the bedroom. Also avoiding large meals just before bed, and reducing the use of stimulants (such as caffeine) can also help reduce insomnia. One might also try soaking in a hot bath to relax, or listening to some soft music before bedtime.

Melatonin is a widely-available sleep aid. It is especially helpful for people who suffer from insomnia caused by jet lag or shift work. Melatonin occurs naturally in the body when serotonin is exposed to a lowered quantity of light.

Other common over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids such as Sominex or Nytol can also be tried by adults but, again, a person should discuss with their doctor before taking any of these sleep aids especially if you suffer from Parkinson’s disease, or are being treated for depression or other mental health problems. But it is also buying into the mindset of turning to a pill to solve a problem, which can lead to problems in other areas of a person’s life. More insomnia info at bestinsomnia blog and how to stay asleep during the night.

It is advised that if you have trouble falling asleep and have tried all the natural tips in this article, then perhaps you need to see a sleep specialist. So many people have developed sleep issues, there is now a sub-specialty in medicine for such problems. Since insomnia might be a symptom of other medical problems, it is best to get a consultation with your doctor and discuss your sleeping problems with him.

But even with all the tips on falling asleep, each person must discover their own best way to fall asleep.

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Nov 10 2008

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Sleep Apnea Represents Both A Very Commonly Seen and Occasionally Fatal Sleep Disorder

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Sleep apnea is probably the commonest sleep disorder and affects about 18,000,000 people in the United States. A sleeping disorder which is characterized by interrupted breathing while sleeping, sleep apnea is also undoubtedly the most dangerous of all sleep disorders as it deprives the brain of critical oxygen and occasionally proves to be fatal.

There are two completely separate types of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is essentially a neurological disorder in which the breathing is broken as a result of signals sent from the brain. Obstructive sleep apnea by contrast is basically a mechanical problem in which the windpipe is blocked either by excessive tissue or as a result of the unusual collapse or relaxation of muscle tissue around the windpipe. In either case however the results are essentially the same with recurrent interruptions to normal breathing that starve the brain of oxygen and put sufferers at greater risk from such things as hypertension, heart attack and stroke.

Unfortunately, diagnosing sleep apnea is not always easy as snoring, which is one of its commonest symptoms and frequently leads to sleep apnea being known as the snoring disease, is also present as a symptom of many other medical problems. Snoring is usually seen in cases of sleep apnea as the brain responds to a drop in oxygen by awakening the sufferer enough to restart the breathing process and this usually produces snoring.

This regular awakening during the night also results in a very poor quality of sleep and it is fairly common for sleep apnea sufferers to wake up in the morning feeling more tired than they were when they went to bed. This also leads to a feeling of sheer exhaustion during the course of the day and a great desire to sleep.

But, tiredness arising from a poor quality of sleep is merely part of the picture and a range of other symptoms will normally be present including headaches in the morning, poor memory and a problem in concentrating.

Without treatment the accumulating tiredness resulting from sleep apnea can produce major psychological difficulties starting with touchiness and moving on to depression with clear changes in behavior and mood.

Both central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea are treatable and, provided the condition is caught early enough, this treatment can often be reasonably easy. For instance, a mild case of obstructive sleep apnea caused by nasal congestion can commonly be treated with nothing more than a course of decongestants. In the same way, many cases of sleep apnea that are not too serious can be treated using a mask that is worn during sleep and that delivers a constant pressure of air in order to keep the airway open. Lastly, in the most serious cases surgery may be necessary and can be very effective, although it may also result in various complications and has to be considered with caution.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when treating sleep apnea is that because it carries the potentially fatal risk of respiratory failure sufferers ought not to be tempted to use sleeping pills or to take other types of sleep enhancers without the approval of their doctor.

Natural sleep remedies can without question complement medically prescribed medication and herbal remedies which are intended to improve both the quality and duration of sleep may be helpful in the management of the excessive daytime sleepiness usually brought on by sleep apnea. In the same way, such things as aromatherapy, chromatherapy and guided relaxation and meditation will help to reduce the insomnia and anxiety which come with sleep apnea.

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Nov 07 2008

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Weight Gain and Snoring Often Go Hand in Hand

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Of all the problems that one needs to consider when thinking about those pounds that seem to keep creeping on year after year, the connection between weight gain and snoring is just one more than cannot be denied. But why would a few extra pounds cause a person to snore? What is it about added pounds that can mean a connection between weight gain and snoring?

There are a few things to consider here. One is that when a person is overweight they usually have excess body fat around the throat and neck even if they're not aware of it. You don’t need a neck the size of your leg to have too much fat in this area! This connection between weight gain and snoring happens when that added weight closes or collapses the airways in the throat which can cause not only snoring but other sounds such as gasping, wheezing, choking, snorting, and noises that we usually call snoring even though technically they’re not. This is probably the most common connection between weight gain and snoring and is not always easily fixed. You can use a body pillow to put behind you and prop yourself up so that you sleep on your side; this keeps those airways more open than if you sleep on your back. Some have also found it helpful to put something under the feet of their bed so that they’re slightly elevated at their own feet; this keeps the mouth from dropping open and forces a person to keep breathing through their nose. While this isn’t always a permanent solution to the problem of weight gain and snoring it can help someone that always sleeps on their back.

The other common connection between weight gain and snoring has to do with the damage that one does to their respiratory system overall with added weight. The body is simply not meant to carry a lot of additional pounds and this body fat can collect around the area of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system, making breathing of any type that much more difficult. It’s not unusual for those that are seriously overweight to have asthma and other respiratory problems. This could be one of the most dangerous connections between weight gain and snoring as being unable to breathe freely can mean damage to every cell in the body if left unchecked.

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