Sleep Deprivation: Chronic Insomnia

Chronic insomnia can be caused by a variety of reasons. Sleep deprivation caused by insomnia can have many deleterious effects. Read more about this condition here.

The amount of sleep required by each person is dependent on the individual. While 71/2 hours is considered the average, many do very well with far less than that, while others seem to need 9-10 hours. Almost everybody experiences sleeplessness some time or the other. The occasional night of tossing and turning, and the inability to get that shuteye despite trying everything is a phenomenon that most of us are familiar with. It is usually caused by stress, indigestion, or consuming too much alcohol or caffeine.

It is when sleeplessness continues to be persistent and the normal patterns of sleep keeps being elusive, night after night, say, for three to four nights each week, which lasts for a month and even more, that the condition is regarded as chronic insomnia.

What are the effects of chronic insomnia?

When chronic insomnia is diagnosed, the sleeplessness such people experience seems to have no ostensible reason. However, the sleep deprivation is so acute that it leads to a corresponding decrease in the energy levels of the body accompanied by mood swings, making the affected person high-strung and irritable. This can lead to marital discord and a disagreeable home environment, which, in turn, can aggravate the insomnia even further.

But, mood swings and low energy levels are not the only deleterious effects of chronic sleep deprivation. According to research, it is known that sleep is essential for reinforcing the immune system. Hence, chronic sleeplessness can have an adverse affect on the health too, by reducing immunity to diseases caused by bacterial and viral attacks.

When sleep deprivation is caused due to insomnia it often results in the lack of mental alertness and concentration, accompanied by chronic fatigue, which is cited as being one of the main causes of accidents, at home, on the road, as well as at the workplace.

Chronic insomnia can also lead to poor performance at the workplace, sometimes even resulting in the loss of the job. The financial stress that is caused by this can exacerbate the sleeplessness even further.

What are the causes of chronic sleep deprivation?

Chronic insomnia can be caused by a wide variety of conditions like: chronic stress; psychological reasons, for example a highly strung personality; psychiatric reasons such as paranoia, anxiety, or depression; and chronic illnesses such as respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, and arthritis which can cause sleep deprivation.

It has been found, however, that most of the cases of chronic insomnia have psychiatric or psychological roots. Some of the most common psychological disorders that lead to chronic sleep deprivation are: manic depression; schizophrenia; chronic anxiety; and chronic depression. It has been found that up to 70 percent of the people that suffer from psychological disorders are also afflicted by insomnia. This is because such people have abnormally low levels of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep, as well as high levels of stress hormones.

Occasionally, it is found that there may be no medical condition that causes chronic insomnia. In such cases, the condition is referred to as primary insomnia. For instance, in women primary insomnia can be caused by the fluctuations of progesterone, a female hormone produced in the ovaries.

The primary kind of chronic insomnia can also be caused by lifestyle and behavioral elements such as the overuse of stimulating substances like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, drug abuse, irregular habits, disruptive sleeping and waking cycles caused by continuous late-night socializing or irregular working schedules, and so on.

How is chronic insomnia treated?

If the insomnia is not responsive to behavioral therapy or other natural methods of treatment, the primary means of treating it is by using antidepressants, hypnotic, and sedative drugs. However, these drugs are usually addictive and with time lose their effectiveness; hence, they are usually used as a short-term means of treating chronic insomnia.

Subsequently, it is recommended to make positive behavioral and lifestyle changes, and also to adopt techniques of relaxation like meditation that help in inducing sleep. If the chronic insomnia is caused by a medical condition, that disease will have to be treated in order to alleviate the sleep deprivation caused by it.

By Rita Putatunda

Relieve Stress By Overcoming Insomnia
Reduce the use of stimulants such as caffeine, and avoid large meals just before bed; this can help reduce insomnia. One can also try soaking in a hot bath to relax or listening to some soft music before going to bed.

Natural Methods To Help Cure Insomnia
As well as sleepless nights you may have a serious problem with mental and physical functioning during the day. Here we’ve tried to list all the best natural insomnia cures for you to try yourself.

All About Insomnia Symptoms, Tips, Relief And Treatment
This is why people usually avoid asking for professional insomnia help unless it becomes too much to bear otherwise. Most of the times, the home made cures will dramatically improve your condition

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Help Treat Insomnia
Cognitive behavioral therapy can help treat persistent insomnia, working best with medication in acute treatment but on its own over the long term, according to a study published in the May 20 issue of JAMA.

Think Carefully Before Using Sleeping Pills to Treat Insomnia
Some pills simply help you to fall to sleep, some ensure that you sleep soundly through the night and some will do both.

Technorati Tags: chronic insomnia, Insomnia, sleep deprivation, sleeping help, Sleeplessness

Insomnia In Pregnancy - A Survival Guide To Pregnancy-induced Insomnia

Insomnia in pregnancy is pretty much common, affecting around 78% of infanticipating women. Despite the fact that the unborn child is safe, insomnia in pregnancy can cause unimaginable discomfort for the soon-to-be mommy. It’ll be nine eternities, er, months before you can go back to your blissful sleeping habits, so you might as well try to make the best of your situation.

Maybe the anxiety and excitement at giving birth to a baby is keeping you up. Unlike before, you went off to dreamland as soon as your head hit the pillow; now, because of some physical and hormonal changes you will be undergoing, you can expect your sleep to be interrupted by back pains, discomfort as your abdomen swells, increased bladder incontinence, heartburn, and even vivid dreams.

Aside from the common complaint of morning sickness, you will also have to cope with headaches, dizziness, nervousness, and irritability.

Most of desk-chained workers are notorious insomniacs due to lack of physical movement in their daily routine. Daytime exercise (but not 3 hours or less before bedtime) is needed to help you relax and fall asleep. Avoid being involved in too much exertion just before retiring as the adrenalin you’ve built up will only work to keep you awake.

With insomnia in pregnancy, as with any other case of sleeplessness, relaxation is a key component of the treatment. Have a nice warm bath, then have your husband or partner give you a firm but gentle massage to loosen muscle tension and relieve stress and fatigue.

Listen to soft, relaxing music, or recordings of gentle sounds like a steady heartbeat or lapping ocean waves. Make sure your player turns off automatically though, because if you’re going to have to get up to turn it off yourself, then it negates the purpose of listening to a recording to help you get to dreamland in the first place.

Your bedroom must be suited for sleep. Not too hot or you’ll feel uncomfortable from the heat, and not too cold which would make you shiver the whole night long. Your mattress ought to be just the right firmness, not hard or lumpy in places, that you end up with a stiff neck, a bad back, and other aches and pains in the morning.

If it’s safe, do leave the window open for fresh air and proper circulation. Curtains and rugs help absorb light and sound, so the overall ambience of the room is darker and quieter. Earplugs could be very useful, too. And don’t forget to turn off your phone.

If you’ve tossed and turned but you’re not in sleep mode yet, get out of bed and busy yourself in some light activities like reading or needlework until you’re tired. When sleep is at bay, embrace it and drift off to dreamland.

Sleep on your side to alleviate back pain. Bend your knees and put a pillow between your legs. Try placing one under the small of your back, underneath your belly, for more support. Pile on even more to prop up your upper body if you suffer from heartburn.

Sleeping on your left side would be beneficial as this causes blood and nutrients to surge to the placenta and your baby, but moving about and shifting positions is perfectly acceptable. These changes will make your movement limited, though. You won’t be able to sleep on your stomach for obvious reasons, while lying flat will only exacerbate your back pain.

With the weight of your belly pressing on you, sleeping on your back could even lead to digestive and respiratory problems, as well as low blood pressure and decreased circulation, which in turn affects not only your heart, but also your unborn child.

Insomnia in pregnancy need not be a burden. At the very least, you need not be part of that large statistic that experiences it. Because of these steps, you will not only expect a baby, but you’ll sleep like one, too.

By: Lee, Michael

Get the amazing FREE course that reveals secret tips to cure insomnia and get better night’s sleep at www.20daypersuasion.com/sleep-secret.htm

Dealing With Insomnia During Pregnancy

Insomnia, in general, is the inability to sleep or to stay asleep for a long time. This sleep disorder is caused by a variety of factors, and each of these causes requires its own methods to finally counter and cure insomnia.

Study Finds Link Between Insomnia and Tension-Type Headaches

Using sleep or napping to cope with chronic pain caused by tension-type headaches could lead to chronic insomnia according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

 Health Choices - Tips on Better Sleep

Melatonin is one well-known sleep aid. It is especially helpful for people who suffer from insomnia caused by jet lag or shift work. Melatonin occurs 5463 naturally in the body when serotonin is exposed to diminished light.

Sleep Well Tonight With a Natural Insomnia Treatment

Are you faced with a deadline to get a job done? Are any or all of these things keeping you from getting good nights sleep? If so, why not consider a natural remedy for insomnia?

Insomnia, sleep phase disorder or just pure negligence?

Do I have insomnia? Or is it sleep phase disorder? It feels like I have jet lag. This pattern of not sleeping was only a rare occassion, usually I have no more than 8 hours sleep every night.

Technorati Tags: help sleep, help sleeping. sleep help, Insomnia, lack of sleep, sleeping help, Sleeplessness

Complications and Risks of Apnea - Obstructive Sleep

When you finish reading this article, you will know which individuals are at a higher risk of developing sleep apnea, the complications and risks associated with this problem and how it can prove fatal. So, be sure to read clear through to the end of the article so you will not miss any of this valuable information.

There are many complications and risks associated with sleep apnea. Some factors put specific individuals at a higher risk of developing obstructive apnea episodes and can lead to further complications.

Being aware of risk factors and potential complications will help you to better discuss apnea with your physician and thus arrive at a better treatment plan.

Although anyone can experience apnea obstructive sleep there are certain factors that put some individuals at a much higher risk of developing apnea. Some of those risk factors include:

• Excess weight - especially around the neck area
• Diabetic patients
• Male gender (non-age specific)
• High blood pressure
• Smokers
• Alcohol drinkers
• Post menopausal women
• Family members who suffer from sleep apnea
• African American or Hispanic descent

When sleep apnea is left untreated

In addition to risk factors, there are numerous complications associated with obstructive apnea when left untreated. Complications of obstructive apnea may include: Sleep deprivation for your partner - loud snoring caused by apnea can keep you partner from getting a good night’s sleep.

What can prove fatal

Interactions with certain medications and surgical procedures - due to breathing problems and poor blood oxygen levels some medications and anesthesia may prove fatal for an apnea sufferer Constant feelings of fatigue during the day - a result of repeated waking through the night. Feelings of irritability, trouble concentrating, and bad behavior are typically present as well.

Cardiovascular issues - untreated apnea causes continued periods of low blood oxygen levels, which can eventually lead to high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure and can subsequently become fatal causing a sudden death event.

A Serious Medical Problem

Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition requiring the attention of a trained physician. If you or someone you love suffers from symptoms of apnea consult a physician for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Author: Douglas Hanna

Get the information you need to fight sleep apnea.  While there is no cure for obstructive apnea sleep, there are many things you can do to fight this problem. Be sure to click here or you will miss this vital and potentially life saving information.

Sleep Apnea and Sleeping With CPAP Mask
What is Sleep Apnea? The Greek word “apnea” literally means “without breath.” Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s. 

Maximum Sleep - Videofluoroscopy
Videofluoroscopy May Aid Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

For Snoring - Beware of Central Sleep Apnea!
You may already know that the term sleep apnea refers to any cessation of breathing during sleep; apnea means a loss of breath and so sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing when asleep.

Sleep Apnea Surgical Procedures Explained
Lower airway surgery is normally done for two reasons - to increase the size of the airway to improve breathing and to prevent the airway from collapsing.

Why Should You Try a Sleep Apnea Pillow?
As professionals better understand the problem, there are more and more solutions being offered. One of those may be a sleep apnea pillow.

Technorati Tags: apnea, help sleep, help sleeping, Sleep Apnea, sleep help, sleeping help, Sleeplessness

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep - are you getting enough? For some people, enough is four to six hours. Other people just don’t feel right with less than eight hours. People need more or less sleep at different phases in their life. Women may need more or less sleep at different phases of the month.

The simplest way to tell if you’re getting enough is by noticing every morning - do you feel rested? Do you wake up without an alarm clock and feel ready to get right out of bed and start your day?

Not getting enough sleep is one of the most direct ways that we self-sabotage our success and well-being. When we are better rested we not only feel better, but are calmer, smarter, more rational, nicer to be around and we look better. Why wouldn’t we choose to have that every day?? 

1. Set the Stage - turn off the computer and television at least one hour before you’d like to fall asleep, and turn on some music that you find relaxing. Test what your stereo system will do when the recording is finished - does it SNAP! or does it ‘wrrrr’ - this will make a difference as you’re drifting off. My CD player makes a very soft "wrrrr" noise (though I honestly can’t remember the last time I was still awake when the CD was over).

2. Music without words - words can provoke and direct your thoughts more than instrumental music or pure vocal sounds.

3. Music with natural "breaths" - music where the soloist takes natural pauses to breathe can help you to slow down your own breath - try flute, other wind instruments or voice (either with no words or words in a language you don’t understand).

4. A good book - For bedtime reading, try to stay away from material that gets you thinking about things you deal with during the day. Magazines or stories that distract you from your own life may help you to drift into sleep.

5. Imagery - If you find that your mind is racing when you are trying to sleep, picture a viewpoint where you’re traveling down a road. See your thoughts as signposts that you’re passing. Concentrate on letting them pass right by.

6. Progressive muscle relxation - Imagine that a ball of light is traveling along your body, beginning at the top of your head, going down to the tips of your toes, and then coming up again. As it passes your muscles, they fill with light and relax.

7. Take a nap - If your sleep has been interrupted or there’ve been unavoidable late nights, an afternoon nap can help you catch up. Experts advise that naps should be taken earlier in the afternoon, rather than later, and that we should keep them to 30 minutes or less. This will avoid disrupting your sleep at night.

8. Lavender Bath - Take a hot bath and add a couple of drops of lavender oil. Lavender has naturally occurring relaxing properties.

9. Chamomile Tea - Calms the nervous system and helps to promote restful sleep.

10. Take 500 mg Calcium with 250 mg Magnesium at bedtime - The calcium has a calming effect, and the magnesium works along with it.

The advice and information in this article is not meant to replace medical advice. If you suspect you have a serious sleeping problem such as sleep apnea, or if you experience insomnia or extreme fatigue, please consult a healthcare professional.

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Author: Linda Dessau

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of ‘The Everyday Self-Care Workbook’. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

Sleep Help That Works – 5 Ways to Relax and Get Some Sleep

American Sleep Disorder Association
For this purpose, you can actually help sleep disorder researchers by being a patient for them. Let them know exactly what your symptoms are and, possibly, allow them to run tests on you to see if they can pinpoint the cause.

Simple Stop Snoring Exercises
The exercises to help you stop snoring actually stretch your muscles and help your lungs take in more air without as much work.

Sleeping Well Every Day Keeps The Doctor Away?
The authors propose that for some infections the changes in sleep help us to develop a fever, which is one of the major ways the immune system fights infections.

For Snoring - Natural Sleep Remedies That Work
Don’t suck any candy before you sleep. Candy boosts up your energy and this would not prevent you from sleeping. Many people mistakenly assume that sweets help you to sleep.

Technorati Tags: help sleep, help sleeping, how to sleep, Insomnia, sleep help, sleeping help, Sleeplessness

Insomnia- The Root Causes Of Insomnia

Insomnia is such a common condition, affecting millions of Americans, yet many people are not aware of the serious consequences of Insomnia. Commonly referred to as sleeplessness, or lack of sleep, insomnia can lead to severe fatigue, anxiety, depression and lack of concentration. Insomnia is serious, although unlike other diseases it does not kill. But only a sleep deprived person knows how lonely and how terrible this state can be.

Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis. By definition, insomnia is "difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or both." Although most of us know what insomnia is and how we feel and perform after one or more sleepless nights, few seek medical advice. Many people remain unaware of the behavioral and medical options available to treat insomnia.

The Main Insomnia Causes

Worrying about money and paying your bills. Worrying over money is probably the single biggest cause of all known causes of insomnia. If you have a lot of money you may worry over losing it; if you have little money you may worry about how you are going to get more.

Thinking about or being stressed over work.

Experiencing hunger pains in the middle of the night.

Being too warm or too cold as a result of either too little or too much bed covering.

Poor sleep hygiene results in sleeplessness for some. Taking daytime naps, exercising close to bedtime, watching TV late into the night, eating within one to two hours of bedtime and irregular sleep/wake schedules make rest hard to come by. To challenge yourself, keep track of your last week’s bedtimes and awakening times. If there is no thread of consistency, you have a great place to begin. This is especially important for those of you working second and third shifts.

Many people with chronic health conditions also have problems with insomnia. In addition, advanced age and female gender, make individuals more likely to experience insomnia. The cause of chronic insomnia can be complex and often results from a combination of factors.

Excessive use of alocohol. While one glass of wine might help you go to sleep, getting "buzzed" or drunk can be counterproductive. Excessive drinking can cause interrupted sleep and a poor quality of sleep, not to mention the "hungover" feeling you might have the next day. The older you get, the harder it is to "bounce back" after a night of drinking and it could take 24 to 48 hours for your body to release the alcohol in your system.

All day couch potatos or people with a restricted lifestyle also suffer from bouts of insomia. This fact and other research has led sleep professionals to conclude that exercise is an important factor in your day time routine that can lead to sounder sleep at night. Likewise, people who take naps during the day, usually find it hard to get to sleep at night. As a consequence, they then go to bed late since they are not as tired. Not enough sleep at night can lead to fatique in the day time which can bring on the desire to take a nap - a cycle that might be hard for some people to break.

By: James Sameul

Read about symptoms of asthma directory  also read about Stress Relief Anxiety Relief and Stop Hair Loss

Essential Oils af3d Andaromatherapy Can Relieve Stress And Tension

For as long as man has been looking for cures, essential oils and herbs have been a mainstay for their soothing properties that help alleviate anxiety, tension caused by stress, insomnia, and similar issues.

Insomnia Issues

Sleep hygiene is one of the components of behavioral therapy for insomnia. Several simple steps can be taken to improve a patient’s sleep quality and quantity.

Night Sweats, Insomnia and PMS

In certain social circles, the whole PMS syndrome is a handy tool for off color jokes but for the millions of women who suffer from it, the night sweats and insomnia that are a part of it aren’t funny.

Chronic Insomnia Leads to Future Psychological Problems

Sounds like they have some psychological/environmental issues to begin with if they were selected to be in a "insomnia" study. Bottom line we need more counseling support and physical education for our children.

Sleep Apnea - It Can Take Your Breath Away But Not In A Good Way

It doesn’t matter whether sleep problems are caused by pain, full-blown insomnia or a temporary disturbance in a person’s life, solving those problems can. … If pain is the cause, for example, sleep problems will often go away if this issue is addressed. Other issues that can cause sleep problems include stress, poor bedding, bad lighting in a room, medications and even diet habits.

Technorati Tags: cannot sleep, help sleep, help sleeping, Insomnia, sleep help, sleeping help, Sleeplessness