Inconsistent sleep patterns can lead to health issues.

November 6th, 2007 Adam Posted in Sleep No Comments »

An extra hour of sleep — or possibly not if you’re a night owl — is on the calendar for this weekend.

Daylight-saving time ends early Sunday morning, and it will be time to turn the clocks back an hour to return to standard time.

If you find yourself extra tired for a day or two around fall and spring time changes, you’re probably not the only one yawning.

For every hour of change, your body takes about a day to adjust, said Dr. Danny Bartel, a neurologist who works as medical director of the Sleep Lab at United Regional Health Care System.

“It’s the same as jet lag,” Bartel said. “You change the clock, you change your Circadian rhythm.”

A Circadian rhythm is a daily rhythmic activity cycle, based on 24-hour intervals, that is exhibited by many organisms including man.

While many people will be back to normal by Monday or Tuesday, people who work nights, have staggered schedules, or just plain don’t get enough sleep might deal with extreme tiredness and other sleep troubles throughout the year.

People who work varied shifts — switching every few days from nights to days, for example — don’t really get enough time for their bodies to adjust and get on a consistent sleep schedule.

Often, weight issues and sleep problems go hand-in-hand, raising the risk of serious troubles such as heart attacks or strokes because of breathing problems during sleep.

Too many sleepless nights (or days) can become a health nightmare. For years, people didn’t really think of sleep apnea as much more than a nuisance, but more recently, it has become clear that it carries a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, Bartel said.

Snoring alone puts you at a 2-1/2 times greater risk for heart attack, and the risk is 1-1/2 times greater for stroke.

“When they’re listening to their husband or wife snoring,” Bartel said, “they’re listening to their life ebb away.”

In addition to those risk factors, people who don’t get enough sleep are more emotional, said Jaquita Warnock, sleep lab manager. It’s also possible to fall asleep at the worst times, including while driving or during the middle of the day.

Every cell — even those in plants and in your skin — follows a certain rhythm, Bartel said.

Human body temperature is closely connected with the waking and sleep schedule, rising through the day until it nears time for sleep again. About that time, the temperature tends to drop about two degrees.

When the sun comes up, hormonal changes rouse you and take you through the day. After your brain has worked for a while, it gets depleted, and an overwhelming urge to sleep sets in.

The darker your sleeping environment, the better.

“Theoretically, we’re supposed to work during the day and sleep at night,” Bartel said.

Sure, that might have been the case for just about everyone hundreds of years ago, but we live in a 24-hours-a-day world, and for many people, that means staying up nights working, and sleeping when it’s possible.

According to United Regional’s Web site, 130 million people in America have sleeping problems of some sort, and dozens of sleep disorders exist, ranging from narcolepsy, which involves falling asleep during everyday activities including driving, to sleep apnea, which involves breathing disruptions, to insomnia, which means people have trouble falling asleep in the first place.

Courtesy – Jessica Langdon (http://www.timesrecordnews.com)

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Snoring and Sleep Apnea

October 13th, 2007 Adam Posted in Snoring, Sleep No Comments »

Snoring and sleep apnea are interrelated. Snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea Or in other words Sleep apnea is more chronic form of snoring which has to be taken seriously.

Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder causing interruptions in the regular breathing process of the human body. It’s not just about sound.

Apnea, the Greek word literally means without breath. The Blockage of the air passage while sleeping is Sleep Apnea. A huge percentage of the population, irrespective of age are victims of Sleep Apnea.

A person with Sleep Apnea often wakes up in the middle of his sleep, almost breathless to regain the rhythm of breathing. It’s a life threatening, progressive disorder which has to be treated.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea can be as follows

  • Regular blockage of air passage
  • Loud snoring
  • Frequent break down of sleep to normalize breathing
  • Sweating during night
  • Dry mouth, sore throat
  • Sleepiness during day time
  • Lethargy
  • Loss of memory
  • Morning fatigue when waking
  • Change in personality
  • Depression

    There are three types of Sleep Apnea - central, mixed and obstructive. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the most common. Most of the affected people are not aware that they even have the condition

    Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA is characterized by a blockage of air passage through the nose and mouth. Reduction of oxygen supply and the uneven structure of the jaw are some of the main reasons for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

    Central Sleep Apnea or CSA is less seen as a respiratory disorder. It is often characterized by the delayed message for breath from the brain. Any defect in the central nervous system can be the major cause of this type of Sleep Apnea.

    Mixed Sleep Apnea is a combined disorder of both Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea.

    There are medical treatments available for Sleep Apnea like Cpaps , Oral appliances or even surgery but it may also be cured by Behavioral therapy which includes weight loss and sleeping posture modifications in addition to simply avoiding CNS depressants and alcohol when within a few hours of going to sleep. There are some specific exercises for the throat which can tone up the muscles and the tissues in the throat and are very effective in treating it.

    Get all the Info about these exercise at best snoring treatments

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    Snoring and Sleep.

    August 14th, 2007 Adam Posted in Snoring, Sleep 1 Comment »

    Everyone knows the importance of good sleep. Snoring can be one of major reasons for a lack of sleep for snorer and can be as frustrating to his or her sleeping partner.. In many cases, people who suffer from chronic snoring problems are not experiencing the deepest, most restful sleep possible. Since snoring requires more energy to breathe, the sound and extra “work” can cause snorers to wake themselves multiple times throughout the night.

    Loud or abnormal snoring could signal that you or a loved one has sleep apnea. This condition refers to an interruption of breathing during sleep, which often prevents sufferers from entering Rapid eye movement “REM” sleep. REM sleep is the type of sleep we need to be truly rested when we wake up. Those with sleep apnea are usually unaware of their struggle to breathe, but probably notice the tiresome fatigue they experience during the day, indicating poor quality sleep. So quality of sleep is what keeps us alert, focused and effective during the day.

    Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is marked by extensive physiological changes, such as accelerated respiration, increased brain activity, eye movement, and muscle relaxation. People dream during REM sleep, perhaps as a result of excited brain activity and the paralysis of major voluntary muscles.

    There are five or six stages of sleep a person goes through. REM is the deepest sleep of them. Sleep quality changes with transition from one sleep stage into another. The five stages of sleep, including their repetition, occur cyclically. The first cycle, which ends after the completion of the first REM stage, usually lasts for 100 minutes. Each subsequent cycle lasts longer, as its respective REM stage extends. So a person may complete five cycles in a typical night’s sleep.

    Generally, sleep disorders affect the quality, duration, and onset of sleep. Sleep deprivation, frequently changing sleep schedule, stress, and environment all affect the progression of the sleep cycle.

    Snoring can interfere with a person’s sleep cycle and can shorten the duration of REM. Psychological conditions like depression can also affect it. People who take antidepressants often benefit from the effects they have on the quality and duration of the sleep cycle. It is important to have a good sleep if you want to be alert, focused, productive and effective in the day.

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    If you have a problem with snoring, get a solution that is natural and has a positive effect on your body.

    Know your snoring treatment .

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    Importance of quality sleep.

    July 27th, 2007 Adam Posted in Sleep 1 Comment »

    A good sleep is a lot more than just a sleep. It keeps us healthy in a lot of ways we are not even aware of. For most, sleep is a way of keeping our body and mind at rest. But there is a lot more to it. Though our muscles are at rest during the sleep they are not completely shut off. When a person is in deep sleep his mind and body are still working but with out any outside inputs, there is no conscious processing involved, which is very important.Our mind builds up our memory in this time and our body heals itself.

     
    But modern stressful lifestyles and busy schedules make it harder for us to catch up with our natural sleeping schedules. This again leads to a lot of problems like more stress, lack of energy, headaches, body aches, tiredness, lack of concentration, depression, aggression and mood swings. Be it our lifestyle, health or work, it affects almost every aspect of our life. A simple but a very understated issue. It can be the key to a good life.

     Left untreated, sleep problems or lack of sleep can contribute to significant health problems, such as strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, clinical depression, diabetes and other serious conditions.

    There could be a lot of reasons for your lack of sleep, find out yours and take it away for a better life.

    So it’s your choice to be aware and lead a longer, healthier life.

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