Archive for February, 2008
February 29th, 2008 at 01:06pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Sleep is important and a necessity for us to go on living healthy lives. There is a trend that is quite funny. During our toddler years, we find ourselves sleeping most of the time. We see this when we have our own kids who are always around us. On the other hand, as we get older, tendency is we slowly decrease the number of hours of sleep due to a number of reasons such as:
- Stress
- Excessive Thinking
- Time Management from Work or Studies
- Social Life
- Searching for the Right Comfort
If you will summarize it, it would seem that when we are in our prime years, we tend to overwork and want to take on the whole world as we see it. We are usually hyperactive that we forget the usual 6 to 8 hours of sleep. But when we near the retiring age, somewhere between 25 and above, we find ourselves going back to sleeping longer hours. This is because our bodies are slowly getting older and the organs we have are not as metabolized during our active years.
Here is a study you can read on: Study Shows U.S. Adults Not Getting Enough Sleep
Health Issues, hours of sleep, How to sleep better, sleep, Sleep Education, SLEEP News, time management Read Original Post Here
By
February 28th, 2008 at 12:06pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
As far as getting good help is concerned these days, be careful when you want your kids to sleep soundly if you leave a nanny to attend to them. While you may think your nanny is doing a good job in putting the kids to sleep, she may be doing something suspicious which may be entirely dangerous to a child’s health.
Now this is not to generalize that all nannies should be put into question. But even if they may seem sane, it still remains that some nannies have “different” means of trying to tend to children. For one thing, there are nannies who are only concerned about being paid and the care for children will not be the same as concerned parents have.
Here is an article about a nanny who drugged kids to sleep (Source) FOXNews. It does sound crazy and absurd but perhaps this will help parents think twice about leaving the kids at the hands of hired nannies.
childs health, nannies, nanny, parents, sleep, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News, SLEEP Psychology Read Original Post Here
By
February 27th, 2008 at 11:20am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
The Oscars may have been finished and not all favorite actors or actresses came home as the winner. But as a form of consolation, most of the actors didn’t go home empty-handed. Most of them were given a special sleeping mask, the GLOtoSleep masks, to help assist them in sleep disorder problems that most may be suffering from.
It is a fact that most of these celebrities has had to deal with the said sleeping problems, bulk of which were caused by the excitement of possibly winning in the 2008 Oscars. While many had sleepless nights, for the celebrities with recurring sleep problems, this gift is indeed something worthy to help get back to their normal courses of sleep.
Recipients of an ongoing good nights sleep, courtesy of the GLOtoSLEEP™ mask, were Best Actor Nominees: George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee Jones, and Viggo Mortensen; Best Supporting Actor Nominees: Casey Affleck, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Hal Holbrook and Tom Wilkinson; Best Supporting Actress Nominees: Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Laura Linney and Ellen Page and Best Actress Nominees: Ruby Dee, Saoirse Ronan and Amy Ryan. Cate Blanchett will get a ‘doubly’ good night’s rest, as she received two masks for being nominated for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Directors Julian Schnabel, Jason Reitman, Tony Gilroy and Paul Thomas Anderson, as well as host Jon Stewart, are also in for a season of restful mellowness as recipients of GLOtoSLEEP™.
(Source) PRWeb
How to sleep better, sleep, SLEEP Celebrity, Sleep Cures, SLEEP Gadgets, SLEEP News, Sleep Wear, sleeping problems, sleepless nights, sleep disorder, sleep problems Read Original Post Here
By
February 26th, 2008 at 10:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Teens take a lot of heat for being inherently and chronically moody. They typically scoff at authority and often act like they’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. (Sorry, I say this with much respect for teens, so if I offend any haphazard teen out there reading this, my apologies; virtually everyone goes through this phase, so it’s a relatively fair comment to make, generally speaking of course).
But here’s the kicker: which of the following do you attribute this behavior to?
a) Social pressures
b) Hormones
c) A developing brain and psychological profile
d) All of the above
If you answered D, you’re right–partially. Now, we can say there’s one more ingredient at play here: insomnia.
That’s right. Last week, the National Sleep Foundation released news of a new study that indicates that prevalence of insomnia among adolescents is (surprisingly) high–and is associated with future physical and psychological problems.
Ouch. That’s not something any parent wants to hear. Getting through adolescence is tough enough. No one wants Johnny or Suzie to suffer any longer than necessary. The researchers who conducted the year-long study, which looked at more than 3,000 kids between 11 and 17 years old, concluded that insomnia is a major chronic disease affecting a substantial proportion of the adolescent population. What’s more, most people don’t realize (or appreciate) the fact that its pervasiveness is comparable to that of other major psychiatric disorders such as mood, anxiety, disruptive, and substance use disorders. Yikes, but true.
A study like this is a call to action. Because adults often have their own issues with sleep to worry about, insomnia notwithstanding, they can easily forget that their teens could be experiencing the same problem. But a teen’s bout with insomnia may have more serious consequences in the long term as they continue to mature and grow. The brain, for example, does not finish its complete development until one’s early to mid twenties (which explains, by the way, why we see young adults exhibit mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder and serious psychological episodes at this age; Britney Spears, anyone?) So if a person has insomnia for years through those critical phases of one’s physical and psychological development, what does that mean for one’s future health?
You gotta wonder. Parents take note. Appreciate the fact insomnia has plenty of simple, practical remedies available if you just take action. This can be any number of things, from helping a teen prioritize sleep and maintain good sleep hygiene (a topic covered at length in my book Beauty Sleep), to seeking help from a qualified physician. And what can help your teen can also help you, too.
And listen up: teens need way more sleep than adults. While they like to think they can get away with staying up super-late at night and still make it to class (half awake) in the morning, truth is they really need at least 9 solid hours. Is your teen getting that? How often does he or she get up on the wrong side of the bed?
Something to think about.
Other Posts on Teens and Sleep
Related Topics:
This article is cross-posted at Dr. Breus’s Blog, The Insomnia Blog.
Technorati Tags: teens, sleep, Sleep Doctor, depression, insomnia Read Original Post Here
By
February 26th, 2008 at 10:17am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Television is the best form of entertainment and recreation we can think of especially when we want to relax and take it easy. This is a prelude to actually getting our much longed for rest in the form of sleep. We often look at TV as the one that will evidently make us sleepy and doze off.
But when babies are around, this should not be the case. Babies take pride in the images and colors they can see and wait for them to grow tired of watching and then go to sleep. To some it does seem like a good way to make a baby sleep. However, it would be best to look at the effects if you should continue to adopt this practice in putting these tykes to sleep.
“We know that many, many parents rely on TV and video as part of their child’s sleep routine,” said Christakis, “Watching television before bed makes it more difficult for children to fall asleep.”
Thompson explained that a regular sleep schedule is important, because it influences the quality and quantity of sleep that children get. And, healthy sleep habits can prevent problems such as bedtime resistance or nighttime awakenings.
Other studies have looked at the effects of TV viewing on older children and teens, and also found a link between TV, poor sleep and later bedtimes.
(Source) China View
babies, baby sleep, How to sleep better, sleep, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News, television Read Original Post Here
By
February 25th, 2008 at 12:20pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
At times, parents would have to bear the brunt of sleep issues concerning their children. Such a setup is only common considering no parent in his right mind can sleep soundly knowing that his child is having problems getting that much needed sleep.
But the issues surrounding the sleep disorders that most kids have today are for real. Normally, parents would let it go and consider it as part of some reaction towards medicine or hereditary behavior. Not all parents are doctors or sleep specialists to conclude such things and it would be best to seek the advice of specialists who know more about this sleep dilemma that often bugs us.
Another common mistake is putting their children to bed too late at night. Drewek said kids between the ages of 2 and 4 need 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night.
Sleep deprivation in children often manifests itself as hyperactivity, Drewek said, which sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of hyperactivity disorder. That diagnosis can lead to unnecessary medication.
Her best advice is for parents to keep their pediatricians advised of their children’s sleep habits. Nap time and bedtime routines also should be established to support consistent sleep.
(Source) The Arizona Republic
doctors, How to sleep better, medicine, parents, sleep, Sleep Disorders, SLEEP News, sleep disorders Read Original Post Here
By
February 24th, 2008 at 02:53pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
We all have our share of having to deal with critical moments. It could be related to work or personal matters. Just the same, they give us sleepless nights and most of the time, forcing ourselves to sleep may become close to impossible. Trying to move forward and thinking of the events that may be in store for us, both favorable and not, is something we simply cannot really set aside just like a snap of a finger.
All people have to deal with this dilemma. Headlining the list are political leaders such as Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and even United States President George Bush. But while they both claim that their problems are farthest from their minds, it would be interesting to know how they can be able to go through it.
President Macapagal-Arroyo is not losing sleep over loud calls for her resignation as a result of the purported bribery and overprice scandal attending the scrapped National Broadband Network project.
In an interview Saturday over dzRH, the President said she had been sleeping “seven hours a night,” and that this was part of her “energy management.”
(Source) Philippine Inquirer
How to sleep better, philippine president gloria macapagal arroyo, president george bush, sleep, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News, sleepless nights Read Original Post Here
By
February 23rd, 2008 at 02:08pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
If you are wondering why most infants today sustain injuries, much of it may be caused by lack of sleep. A lot of this has to do with losing the proper rest and of course nutrients that places them high risk individuals who can sustain injuries during their age of mischief. Mischief in the sense that we all know how hyperactive kids can be during their toddler years and with the improper amount of nutrients, they surely lack the proper healing conditions that will eventually be critical once these injuries do come out.
“The results of our study have significant implications for the prevention of injuries,” Koulouglioti concludes. “The findings provide additional support for the essential role of poor sleep as a risk factor for injuries among preschool children.”
(Source) Science Daily
Health Issues, How to sleep better, hyperactive kids, lack of sleep, nutrients, SLEEP News Read Original Post Here
By
February 22nd, 2008 at 01:36pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
We all know that snoring stems from a lot of things. Difficulty in breathing, fatigue or even signs of something abnormal inside of us whenever we shut our eyes. But the fact remains that snoring is serious and the we should not take it lightly. There are things we have to know about snoring and one of the important things about it is looking out after our health.
Indeed, most of us get irritated by sleeping with people who snore a lot. But look beyond the irritating sound and try to guide that person to seek professional help. In the end, you may not only help cure his snoring but also saving his life to determine what is really wrong with him.
Snoring can become a serious medical problem when it disturbs sleeping patterns and deprives the snorer of appropriate rest, according to Dr. Keith Aguilera, a sleep specialist and head of the Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center.
(Source) Philippine Inquirer
fatigue, health, Health Issues, snoring Read Original Post Here
By
February 21st, 2008 at 04:06pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
If you are into the need to use sleeping pills, be on the lookout for Stilnox which has reportedly changed labels. Also known as Zolpidem, can affect people in the form of sleep-walking and sleep-driving. Hence, the manufacturers are being ordered to provide warning labels and have been categorized as a schedule 4 prescription medicine. The main reason here was to avoid potential abuse and illegal use of the said sleeping pill.
In 2000, Stilnox became the first product containing zolpidem to be marketed in Australia. To January 4, 2008, the TGA had received 1032 reports of suspected reactions to zolpidem products, most received over the past 12 months and relating to sleep-walking, sleep-eating and sleep-driving.
The TGA will meet the National Prescribing Service to discuss additional educational materials for prescribers, emphasising the need to use sleeping medicines only where clinically indicated, and for short periods of time.
(Source) Herald Sun Australia
Health Issues, How to sleep better, sleep, SLEEP News, Sleeping Pills, sleeping pill, sleeping pills, stilnox Read Original Post Here
By
Previous Posts