Powered by Blogger.

Welcome to my Site

Showing posts with label Sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleep. Show all posts
Saturday, October 1, 2011

Take note...don't always sleep late!!!!!!!

                                                                                                                 
Good rest and sound sleep is very important... if u don't sleep well,
The toxins in your body will accumulate... Affecting your health and your mood...

The main causes of liver damage are:
1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are the main cause..
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener. 





7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best
Cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming overly done foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried
Veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits is very important for our body to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals.

Because….
 

Evening 9 - 11pm:
is the time for eliminating unnecessary/ toxic chemicals (de- toxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes). This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in a un relaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on her health.

Night at 11pm - 1am:
The de-toxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.
 
Early morning 1 - 3am
: de-toxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am:
de-toxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the de-toxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am:
de-toxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9am:
Absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 -10am rather than no meal at all. Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals.
 
Midnight to 4am
is the time when the bone marrow produces blood.

Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.


Sharing Is Caring!
Thursday, March 10, 2011

Get Some Sleep: Do You Eat In Your Sleep?

For Leslie, it all started around menopause: the fatigue, the weight gain and the eating in the middle of the night. Sometimes she would have absolutely no memory of getting up to eat, but would find a mess in the kitchen. Other times, she would feel half-awake but out of control and compelled to get out of bed and find food.
Get Some Sleep: Do You Eat In Your Sleep?

I had a strong suspicion that Leslie had a parasomnia that we call sleep-related eating disorder. The key features are: 1. Nocturnal eating while asleep or half-asleep and therefore there is no or little recall of the events but there is evidence of eating or there are witnesses. 2. Bizarre and sometimes dangerous things are consumed. 3. Elaborate food preparation often takes place but in a careless, sloppy manner 4. There are often underlying eating disorders and/or a primary sleep disorder. As she continued her story, I became more convinced that indeed Leslie had this disorder.

At first, the episodes occurred perhaps once a week, then it was more frequent and now it was nearly every night. At first, the things that she was eating were pretty normal but rarely very healthy. Carbs, fat and the occasional protein.

She was alarmed by the time that she made a baked potato in the middle of the night. “Do you know how long it takes to bake a potato! It scares me that the episodes last that long and also the reason I know that I baked it in the oven, rather than microwaving it, is because the oven was still on in the morning.”

Then the things that she was eating got a bit bizarre. For example, one time, her husband found her trying to eat a frozen veggie burger. But what brought her to the sleep center was the episode where she found an open, half-eaten can of cat food and she was not sure if she had really fed it to her cat.

As of yet, there is not a lot of research on this disorder. Prevalence rates are estimated to be approximately 4% of young adults which is not an insignificant number. The prevalence rates are even higher among people with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Typically, people are in their 20s or 30s when they present with this complaint, but the fact that Leslie was in her early 50s and just going through menopause was a clue that she might have an underlying sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea, which often appears or becomes worse when women go through menopause because the loss of estrogen means the muscles in the throat are not as toned as they once were.

Accordingly, the diagnostic workup should include a thorough evaluation for another underlying eating or sleep disorder. An overnight sleep study is usually performed and the person is asked to keep a sleep diary for two to four weeks to document what he or she recalls and what evidence there is of their nocturnal eating.

This disorder should be distinguished from night-eating syndrome, which involves excessive eating between the evening meal and bedtime. This disorder is characterized by complete nocturnal awakenings and fully conscious eating in the middle of the night. No bizarre foods are consumed and the eating behavior/food preparation is not sloppier than usual. In this disorder, it is less likely that the patients have an underlying sleep disorder and more likely that they have longstanding issues with food and weight gain.

That brings us to some of the health consequences of sleep-related eating disorder and night-eating syndrome. People can gain a lot of weight and sometimes over a short period of time. They can develop type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol and it can be difficult to manage these disorders with the usual medications if people are consuming excessive, empty calories in the middle of the night. In sleep-related eating disorder, people can ingest toxic substances. They can also leave the stove on, thereby endangering themselves and their loved ones. Patients can have problems in their relationships because they are waking up their bed partners. Some patients even bring food back to bed, so even if it wouldn’t bother you if your spouse got up every night, few of us would want to wake up to find our spouse in the bed pulling apart a greasy chicken and throwing the carcass under the covers. Finally, patients are very psychologically disturbed by how out of control they feel.

There is not much research on what treatments might help these patients. Of course we treat the underlying eating or sleep disorder. If there is none or that approach does not resolves the symptoms, then we try medications such as topiramate or zonisamide, which are anti-convulsants. Other medications that have been given with some success are dopaminergic agents, benzodiazepines such as Clonazepam and opiates. With Leslie we lucked out; she did indeed have severe sleep apnea and when we treated it all her nocturnal eating stopped.


Family Doctor | Health Tips
It's time for your precious comments...!!

family Doctor
Monday, February 21, 2011

What Kind Of Sleeper Are You?

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep


How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

How do you sleep

Family Doctor | Health Tips
It's time for your precious comments...!!

family Doctor
Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Drinking and Dozing Means Less Sleep For Women

Women who like to lull themselves to sleep with a drink or two may want to think twice — a new study shows alcohol can disrupt the sleep patterns of women more than those of men.


The study found that after drinking alcohol, women got fewer hours of sleep than men did after drinking. They woke more frequently and for more minutes during the night.

Women who drank alcohol at intoxicating doses got about 20 minutes less sleep than those who drank caffeine-free cola.

"This may not sound a lot," said study researcher Dr. J. Todd Arnedt of the University of Michigan, "but when you think about it, these are healthy, young adults with normal sleeping habits. For someone who sleeps eight hours a day, 20 minutes is equivalent to about 4 percent of total sleep time."

Although alcohol can increase feelings of sleepiness during the early part of the night, it can disrupt the continuity and quality of sleep in the second half of the night, making the person more wakeful. And this so-called "rebound effect" is most pronounced in young healthy women, Arnedt said.

"We're interested in seeing how alcohol affects sleep differently between men and women, because women metabolize alcohol differently," Arnedt said. Women tend to have less body water and more body fat than men. As a result, they tend to have a higher breath-alcohol concentration after drinking equal amounts of alcohol, even after their alcohol consumption is adjusted for body weight.

"However, women also eliminate alcohol faster than men. Women's breath-alcohol concentration declines more quickly as the night goes by," he said.

The researchers gave 93 men and women in their 20s either caffeine-free cola with bourbon or vodka, or a placebo of cola with tonic water. The participants drank enough to push their peak breath-alcohol content to about 0.11 percent — well above the legal limit of intoxication in the United States. The participants then slept for eight hours under observation.

Similar to previous studies, this study found that alcohol could affect sleep continuity. However, unlike previous studies, it showed that there was no gender difference in sleep architecture, the nightly cycle of sleep stages that includes rapid eye movement and nonrapid eye movement sleep.

"It's actually reassuring that the data on sleep architecture conflicted with previous studies," said Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University who was not involved with this study. "Studies in the past, especially ones with smaller sample sizes, might have over-interpreted the effects of alcohol on sleep architecture."
This, by contrast, was the first large-scale study that directly compared the effects of alcohol in men and women, and it produced solid data for future discussions and references.

"The results may not be as meaningful for healthy adults, since they are not likely to drink heavily, regularly. However, there are some people with insomnia who like to self-medicate by drinking before they go to bed. Well, this research is telling you to not do that. Especially if you're a woman," Carskadon said.

The researchers also compared the findings between those with a family history of alcoholism and those with no family history, and found no difference in sleep disruption between the two groups.

Arnedt agreed that his research is likely to be a starting point for studying other groups, particularly people with insomnia or alcohol-use disorders.

"We can use this to understand which group of people would be most vulnerable to alcohol misuse and understand how sleep might factor in the development of problem drinking," he said.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Is Your Teen Sleep Deprived? Getting Serious About Sleep

Studies suggest that adolescents often sacrifice their sleep time in making decisions about time management. The problem is that studies also show that sleep need much more likely to get. More and more studies are showing that there is a direct relationship between sleep and academic success.

According to a study by sleep expert Mary Carskadon, PhD, adolescents should receive more than nine hours of sleep each night. That's a great thought, but is it possible? Think about it - do you ever sleep so long?

OK, maybe the weekend. But very few teens get enough sleep on school nights.

Dr. Carskadon's study suggests that biology may be the cause of sleep deprivation among adolescents. Their internal clocks are a little different during adolescence - and the late nights and sleep ins are a natural part of growing into adulthood.

Lack of sleep makes it more difficult for students to concentrate in school, especially during the early morning classes.

Studies on sleep and memory

Our ability to recall is related to our ability to learn, and there have been many studies on sleep and its effects on memory, learning and retention. These studies suggest that sleep habits are essential to good study habits.

A study on the learning of languages shows that it is good to study law before going to sleep because "there is almost consensus that sleep promotes learning of certain types of perceptual memories. "In other words, the students sleep helps store memories to be retained and recalled the next day.

Another study shows that sleep strengthens the memory to be clear and resistant to interference and distractions.

A 1999 study suggests that information becomes "concrete" in our brain while we sleep.
These studies show that sleep is important, but also suggest that there may be more useful to study right before bedtime.

Avoid sleep deprivation

What can you do if you know you are not getting enough sleep?

Turn off the TV at night. Some teens fall asleep with the TV on, and some are so used to the noise they think I can not sleep without it. Not true! TV noises and flashing lights will only continue to get a deep sleep. If you can remember everything you hear in your dream, is a sure sign that you're not sleeping well.

Try switching to decaffeinated beverages. caffeine by switching to something healthier, and reduce bottled water. If that's too much to ask, at least try a caffeine free version of your favorite beverage!

Limit extracurricular activities. It is hard to do, but try to limit their extracurricular activities. Decide once and for all if good performance and potential of the university is important, and then set priorities. Sometimes you have to make a tough decision and stick to it.

Too does not seem right before bedtime. If you have the task of calculation, you may not want to leave for the night. It's harder to relax and sleep when your mind is stuck so deep in thought. It takes a while to relax, so perhaps I should deal with more subjects before.

Ditto for video games crazy. Video games can also cause your brain to enter the zone of saturation. If you play video games, they do before going to bed.

Turn off your cell phone. What is so important that it can wait until tomorrow? Unless you have a good reason (as an employed parent has to go) to go out and get some rest.

Keep track of time. Often, students have great intentions, but other things seem to keep them up late, again and again. That's because teenagers need to develop an understanding of time management and complete the task. It is difficult to put a timetable on things like running an errand or do a scientific experiment.

Start tracking the things you do normally and the amount of time required to perform certain tasks. Then, plan ahead so you can get to bed on time.

Listening to music, if desired, but not too strong. Many people play music at night. If you do not mind, go ahead. Do not play too hard, though, or will interfere with your sleep.

Do you really need to work after school? This could be a very difficult decision, too. Some students need to work to pay car insurance or save for college. You just have to decide on their own, which is necessary and what not.
Sunday, November 1, 2009

5 Habits to Break Before It's Too Late

You want to live a long, full life -- to be young and lean forever. But you could be doing yourself more harm than good.

Getty Images

Getty Images


by JJ Virgin

"Someday," you say, "I'm going to get my health back on track, after this next project," or "when I get back from my cruise," or "when the kids get a little older" ... C'mon, you know your list of reasons -- or what I call EXCUSES -- better than I.

Look, if you're waiting for some magical day to appear, you just may be waiting forever. These days do not "show up"; you show up for THEM. I have identified five critical areas, bad habits that many people mindlessly follow. Do you realize that each and every day of your life that you do not reverse these dangerous trends, you get farther and farther from your ultimate goal of living a fulfilling life?

Take a look at each area, determine how you stack up, and then make the fix today:

1) Stealing from sleep: Studies show that a minimum of seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep (at night) are essential for health. Sleep is the time when your body repairs and recovers from all of the metabolic processes that your body performs every second. Sleep supports healthy weight management, raises growth hormone, and heals the adrenals. If you are watching TV, working on your PC, or otherwise stimulating yourself so that you are unable to go to sleep by 11 PM, then establish the Power Down Hour and turn to more relaxing activities like baths, light novels, or cuddling with a loved one (or pet!) at least an hour or two before bedtime. Then ... retrain yourself to sleep through the night.

2) Skipping breakfast: How many times do you find yourself dashing out the door to start your day, only to discover that you forgot to eat? Listen, your body has just "fasted" overnight, and in order to fuel yourself for the day (and lower stress hormones), you must eat a balanced meal that includes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Otherwise, your body will turn on itself for fuel, and it isn't fat but muscle that it's going to target ... which will cascade into a very nasty sequence of health consequences that will make you fat, old, and tired before your time.

3) Blowing off exercise:
If you think you can manage your health and weight through dietary means alone, it won't work. Period. Exercise is crucial for stimulating proper physical and hormonal response necessary for building muscle and bone, burning fat, letting you sleep, keeping you young, giving you energy -- the list is endless. More important is the CORRECT type of exercise, which involves high-intensity interval training, along with resistance workouts. If you can't find 20-30 minutes a day to incorporate these exercises into your life (oh yeah, that is ALL you need, by the way), then you can kiss your health goodbye.

4) Noshing at night: Strapping on the feedbag in the evenings basically signals your body to hold off on burning existing fat stores, raises stress hormones before bedtime, and screws up your body's natural digestive processes at a time when it should be ready to shut down and repair. If you are eating in a hormonally-balanced way during your evening meal, there is absolutely no need to munch afterward.

5) Not counting your beverages: One of the craziest things I encounter in my work is the lack of consideration of high-calorie, high-sugar drinks in the diet. Yes, those healthy "Jumbo Juices," designer coffee slurpees (hey, they may as well be, given all the sugar in them), and those harmless little cocktails every night, especially those fruit-flavored martini and tequila drinks, can really pack on the pounds in a hurry. Make the switch to healthier options like iced green tea -- or, my favorite, Emergen-C -- for some sparkling mineral replacements that not only satisfy, but also fuel and nourish!


JJ Virgin, PhD, CNS is a celebrity health and nutrition expert, author, public speaker and media personality. She is internationally recognized as the creator of the Weight Loss Resistance Revolution™ and trains other health care professionals in her program. JJ is the President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, nanp.org.
Read more:http://www.momlogic.com/2009/10/5_diet_habits_to_break_before_its_too_late.php#ixzz0UOGfO7NP
Sunday, November 2, 2008

10 tips for good night's sleep

10 tips for good night's sleep



Stick to a schedule. Erratic bedtimes do not allow for your body to align to the proper circadian rhythms. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep as kids. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning, you’d wake later and feel overly tired.

Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.

Exercise. It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.

Avoid eating just before bed. Avoid eat large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.

Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that.

Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others?

Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long.

Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.

Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people.
Saturday, March 15, 2008

TIPS FOR GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

STICK TO A SCHEDULE.
Irregular bed times do not allow for your body to align to the proper circadian rhythms. Make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends too, otherwise the next morning, you would wake up later and feel overly tired.

SLEEP ONLY AT NIGHT
Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute power naps.

DO EXERCISE
It helps you to sleep better. Your body uses the sleep period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised. Exercise in the morning or afternoon daily for about 20 to 30 minutes. Exercise stimulates the body. Aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.

TAKE A HOT SHOWER OR BATH
Shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.

AVOID EATING PRIOR TO BEDTIME
Avoid large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from the time you eat before bedtime. This allows for digestion before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.

NO CAFFEINE
Caffeine keeps you awake and that's not what you want for a good night's sleep.

READ A BOOK
It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. As you read more, you get more tired at night and makes you fall asleep faster.

KEEP ROOM COOLER
Turn off the heat and allow coolness to circulate in/out of the windows. If you get cold, wear warm clothes. It also saves you heating bills.

SLEEP IN QUIET ROOM
Sleep with no music or TV is more restful and without distractions is best to rest your mind.

AVOID ALCOHOL PRIOR TO BEDTIME
Alcohol is a depressant. It may make it easier to fall asleep but it causes you to wake up during the night that cause nighttime awakenings and nightmares for some people.
Saturday, November 17, 2007

Depression and Insomnia : a Common Link

Many people already know about the relation between depression and insomnia - that depression can be a major cause of insomnia. When you’re so worried about life, it’s hard to clear your mind and get a good night’s sleep. But did you know that lack of sleep may lead to depression? Here is some information to help you understand the link between these two pressing problems.

When you think of a depressed person, you may picture them lying in bed all day, but even though they may not want to leave their bedroom, that doesn’t mean they’re sleeping. While only 15% of clinically depressed people get more sleep than when they’re feeling fine, more than 80% of them don’t get enough sleep. In fact, one of the best indicators of depression is someone who wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. While they tend to get about 6 hours of sleep a night, it’s still enough of a loss to become a problem.

So, does this mean you treat the depression and Insomnia goes away? Probably not. Recent studies have shown that the sleep disorder is what starts the cycle, not the depression. Many patients with clinical depression had trouble sleeping for up to five weeks before experiencing depression symptoms. If the person is treated for the sleep disorder while they are still in a normal emotional state, many of them don’t become depressed. However, as mentioned earlier, depression feeds the sleep disorder as well; once a person becomes depressed, their sleep disorder tends to worsen. Current research points towards this relation between depression and insomnia - that while insomnia may not cause depression, treating insomnia may result in fewer depressive episodes for someone diagnosed with clinical depression.

Recent studies which have studied the relation between depression and insomnia have shown that depression not only affects how much sleep a person gets, it also determines what kind of sleep they have. Someone with depression has a short and sometimes barely existent early stage of sleep. Instead of going through the normal sleep cycles, the brain skips forward to REM sleep; they type of sleep that lets us deal with our emotions and convert memories. Their brain also tends to stay in this stage longer than non depressed people. Besides skipping important and vital stages of sleep, depressed people may get different effects from REM sleep than non depressed people. They tend to convert memories incorrectly and put them in a more negative light. Researchers also think that depressed people and their families have this type of REM sleep even if they are not depressed.

It should be noted that these studies have been done on people with unipolar depression. These are people who get depressed, but never enter a manic phase. For those with manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder, inability to sleep is completely different than in unipolar patients. It is actually normally associated with the manic phase of the disorder.


While the exact relationship between depression and insomnia hasn’t been completely determined, it is obvious that there is a definite link between the two conditions. What is known is that if you are prone to depression and are experiencing insomnia, you should seek treatment immediately to avoid having a depressive episode.



Sunday, October 7, 2007

How Sleep Can Keep You Looking Younger

Every company today seems to be marketing a new product that can make you look and feel younger. You can find them all over billboards, magazines, T.V. and the internet. So why are there so many products claiming take ten years off? Simple, most people are willing to spend lots of time and money searching for the proverbial fountain of youth. If you’re one of these people, then I have a great secret to share with you. Instead of spending late nights buying creams and pills; put you wallet or pocketbook away and go to bed. If you want to look and feel younger, than look no further than a good night’s rest.

Who looks younger a healthy person, or a sick person? Chances are you answered “the healthy person”. Being sick can make you look old and haggard. Well, one big side effect of sleep deprivation is that it can severely compromise your immune system, making you get sick more often. Sleeping keeps you healthy and looking great.

Even if you don’t catch colds or other illnesses a lot; if you’re not getting enough sleep your body isn’t as healthy as it could be. Stage 4, or deep sleep, helps restore and renew the cells of our bodily organs. This helps them function properly and lets the body work as efficiently as possible. If our organs don’t work properly, it can take a toll on our physical appearance. That means you don’t look as good as you could. Plus, even if you’re not sick, you probably won’t feel as healthy as you might if you had enough sleep.

So you already now know that deep restorative sleep helps renew organ tissue and keep them in peak condition, but do you know what your body’s largest organ is? If you said skin, you’re absolutely right. And what’s the most important factor in determining how young or old you look? Your skin! Proper sleep will allow old, dead skin cells to be replaced with beautiful, fresh, new skin cells quickly and efficiently. This will leave you and your skin looking younger.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re in a bad mood, depressed, or just not feeling good about life, you don’t look as good? It’s not just your perception; how you feel affects facial expressions body posture, and other factors that determine how we look. When you’re well rested, you feel younger; and when you feel younger you look younger.


So how much sleep is enough to keep you looking and feeling younger? Well, that depends on you. Generally it’s recommended that adults get 8 hours of sleep; however, there are people who can function just fine on less. Others like myself, need at least 9 hours of sleep to feel refreshed. If you feel tired and sluggish in the morning, or require an alarm clock to get up (yes, I’m serious); you’re not getting enough sleep. If you get as much sleep as your body will allow and still feel sluggish in the morning, you may have a serious sleep disorder and should see a doctor.


So if you want to look younger and feel better, head to bed.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Harmful Effects of Sleep Deprivation

If you look at recent history, people are starting to sleep less and less. Less than 100 years ago, people slept 9 hours a night on average; now they’re getting less than 7 hours. We have so many modern conveniences that are supposed to save us time, but really they just give us more to do. Before you accept not sleeping enough as an inevitable way of life, consider the harmful effects of deprivation of sleep could be having on your body and mind.


Physical effects of deprivation of sleep

Most people are aware of the obvious short terms effects of sleep deprivation including exhaustion, fatigue, and a general lack of energy, but they’re less aware of some of the more serious physical consequences from not sleeping. Sleep not only recharges and repairs our brains, it also repairs our bodies. Here are some other problems that can arise from not sleeping enough:


  • Inability to properly process glucose. Deprivation of sleep can lead to high blood sugar levels and other symptoms of type II diabetes. This also causes glucose to be stored as fat, which can lead to weight gain

  • Increased symptoms of aging

  • Core body temperature is lowered, which can impair proper functioning.

  • Less consistent heart beat.


Mental effects of deprivation of sleep

All day long, no matter what you’re doing, your brain is working. It’s spending time inputting processing, and outputting information. Even if you don’t think you get much done during the day, your brain does a lot of work. That’s why it’s important that it has time to rest and recharge. Here are just a few of the detrimental effects of deprivation of sleep.

Speech : Less control over speech: exhibited through slurring, stuttering, speaking in monotone, and choosing repetitive words and clichés. Scientists assume this occurs because the speech center of the brain actually shuts down and another, less capable part, must take over.

Memory : While short term memory may be improved, there is a decreased ability to access older memories and convert long term to short term memory. It is almost impossible to learn a new skill when you are deprived of sleep.

Creativity : Decreased creativity, especially when it comes to problem solving. Deprived of sleep people tend to be slower and less accurate when solving problems.

Hallucinations : Deprivation of sleep can cause hallucinations. Even temporary insanity can occur from a lack of REM sleep.

Judgment : Decreased judgment abilities and reaction time. Sleep deprivation is comparable to alcohol intoxication when it comes to driving ability.

Emotional effects of sleep deprivation

While we tend to focus on the physical and mental symptoms of sleep deprivation, there are also significant emotional symptoms as well. Emotional difficulties can take a severe toll on our personal relationships and safety. Some emotional problems associated with deprivation of sleep are:

  • Increased emotional stress and anxiety.

  • A more pessimistic attitude.

  • Extreme sadness and even depression.

  • Extreme anger. Sleep deprivation has actually been indicated to be one of the major causes of road rage.

While on the topic of deprivation of sleep, you may take care that not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. You should try to get enough sleep to make yourself feel rested; this may mean getting more than 8 hours.

If you’re getting a lot of sleep and not feeling rested, you may be having a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, and should see a doctor. While it may be difficult to fit a good night’s sleep into your schedule, it will not only make you feel better, it will also make you more efficient in the time you spend awake.

Friday, August 10, 2007

A Few Herbs to Help You Sleep Better

It seems like every time I turn on the T.V., I see an ad for another new prescription sleep aid. You can find them from you pharmacist and over the counter in every shape and size. It’s like they’ve made the perfect sleep aid for every occasion, but what if you don’t want to take dangerous and possibly addictive chemicals to get yourself to sleep every night?

If you’ve tried all the other sleep remedies and nothings worked for you; before you make a trip to your doctor, make a trip to your local health food store. There you can find tons of natural supplements. While most of these remedies haven’t been clinically tested, they’ve been used for years in various cultures to naturally relax and get a good night’s rest.

I am giving below a few herbs to help you sleep. One of which is bound to help you finally get some rest.

German chamomile - This is probably the most widely publicized herbal sleep aid in recent years. Simply brew the tea and drink to relax your self into a peaceful sleep. The best part is that it’s safe to drink during the day when you just need to unwind; something no medical sleep aid can claim.

Lemon balm - This is an herb often used in gardens for its lemony scent (it smells a bit like lemon wood cleaner); this is a great herb to calm your nerves. You can find it as a tea, capsules, or a liquid extract. This makes it extra convenient for every situation.

Valerian root - Of all the herbs to help you sleep, Valerian is one of the oldest and most widely used remedies. Unlike many other herbs, valerian root has been the subject of several clinical trials where it was found to help people fall asleep faster and get a more restful night’s sleep. It is also available in tea, pill, or liquid form.

Catnip - Sure it sounds crazy, but that herb that makes your cats go wild can actually calm you down and prepare you for sleep. It contains chemicals similar to those in valerian root. In addition to being a sedative, catnip can also help with indigestion and heartburn. It can be enjoyed as a tea or taken in liquid extract form.

St John’s Wort - This is not only one of the herbs to help you sleep at night; it has also been indicated for treatment of anxiety and depression. Just be sure to take the prescribed dosage because too much can be harmful.

Lavender - This is a safe relaxing herb that is so powerful, it has been shown to reduce and sometimes completely counteract symptoms of caffeine use. This herb is much more convenient because it comes in tea or and as an essential oil that can be massaged on, put into a bath, put on cotton balls to infuse into the air, or simply put on your pillow. Lavender oil is not only a great way to calm you; it’s also safe for use on children and babies.

These were some herbs which can will help you get a sound sleep, or at least increase the quality of your sleep.

You should remember that herbs are generally slower acting than modern medicine, so they may take days or even a couple weeks for you to feel the full effect. Also, just like with any other medication, you should consult your doctor before taking any of these remedies which have been recommended for getting a better sleep, especially if you’re on any prescription medications.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Blog Archive