Archive for April, 2008
April 30th, 2008 at 02:23pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
As far as jet lag is concerned, a lot of people who frequently travel may already know how to deal with it. One is trying to extend sleep to the normal day hours of the region where they may find themselves and the other is taking on the usual caffeine and normal naps to cure this occasional problem.
Just recently, a new way to help cure jet lag was introduced and it goes by the name of sildenafil or commonly known as Viagra to most. Yes we all know that Viagra is often related towards sexual pleasure so it is really out of curiosity on how it can cure jet lag for most.
The study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that our circadian rhythms, the body’s inner clock, could be shifted with the little blue pill. Sounds as if we will have that jet lag problem solved in no time, right? Or, at least, travelers will have a new excuse to ask their doctors for Viagra.
(Source) The New York Times
How to sleep better, jet lag, naps, sexual pleasure, sleep, Sleep Business, Sleep Myths, SLEEP News, viagra Read Original Post Here
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April 29th, 2008 at 01:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
As far as getting the proper amount of sleep is concerned, a lot of things have to be considered. Respite is surely something that will suffer but it can go beyond that. Depending on what your line of profession is, areas such as decision-making and cognitive thinking are sure to be affected as well.
Remember that if you are not sleeping properly, chances are you will have to consider the consequences. Sleep may be a sign of laziness to some but if you look beyond this, you will find that it has a bearing in practically anything we do. Don’t overlook it. It may be something you can recount as crucial in your life.
“If all you need is that amount, fine,” says Horne, “but cutting down to five hours or less is certainly not recommended, particularly for people whose lifestyles are already overburdened.” In fact, says Horne, the cumulative effects of too little sleep won’t just leave people tetchy - it is potentially risky.
There is plenty of evidence that long-term sleep deprivation can be unhealthy. Horne says that it can affect decision-making and cognitive functioning, and contribute to obesity, metabolic syndrome and related problems.
(Source) Timesonline
cognitive thinking, decision making, Health Issues, How to sleep better, profession, proper amount of sleep, respite, Sleep Business, SLEEP News Read Original Post Here
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April 28th, 2008 at 07:20pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Now this is hilarious: Check out this site and scroll through the slide show images of famous people we all know (without being plastic surgeons) have had a nip and tuck - or two. The article, which talks about the quest to live longer and look younger, takes a funny stab at the “ugly” pursuit of youth. And I mean ugly!
These days, it doesn’t take much to get a brow lift or a Botox injection. Does your forehead have tracks running across it? Do your cheeks sink in a little? Are your lips on the thin side? Well, there’s a fix for all that… but you won’t necessarily look twenty-something again. I guarantee it. You may fall prey to the “trout pout”; the frozen forehead; the surprised- or sinister-looking brow line; and plastic portrait worthy of a wax museum. Several sites have emerged to poke fun at celebrities’ plastic surgeries gone wrong - or at least they appear to have gone overboard.
Sometimes it’s not even surgery that does it, but just too many trips to the happy dermatologist with a needle in hand. Maybe these people actually like the way they look. Who knows? The point is, modern technology can only do so much. And old technology still works: eat well, exercise, take good care of your skin without resorting to weird products and procedures, and get a good night’s sleep.
Ah, but not many people mention this last secret.
What if You Got Enough Sleep?
Here’s something to think about: if you slept like a baby every single night since birth, and got every hour you needed, how would you look at age 70? I know, that’s not going to happen. But it’s a thought. Imagine what you’d look like if your skin were never damaged by the sun. Or you never smiled. Or you never ate doughnuts and fast food. Or you never…lived a real life.
I’m going to take a guess that if truly slept well for the majority of your life, you’d age beautifully and could even take about 5 years off your face by the time you’re 70. We know that sleep is our zone of rejuvenation. It allows us to replenish our cells, spur new cellular growth (like collagen!), and feel refreshed and energetic enough the next day to make healthy choices, such as working out and eating well. All of which bodes well for keeping up appearances.
Besides, those who look like they are “aging gracefully” win my vote. (As an aside, I write this post on the same day that the “exhaustion” factor in the Clinton vs. Obama war is making headlines. The candidates are getting sloppy with speeches, forgetful of past events - Clinton in Bosnia - and noticeably haggard. Obama’s hair is grayer now than it was just a year ago. All this before even potentially getting into the White House!)
Unfortunately, there seems to be an inverse relationship happening between sleep and cosmetic surgery. Sleep isn’t very popular these days, and yet cosmetic surgery increasingly is. Nearly 12 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2007 - a 7 percent increase from 2006 and a 59 percent increase from 2000. These procedures are like Band-Aids on our sleep deprivation.
From the looks of it, at least some Hollywood starlets seem to be getting their Zs. Which ones? Well, I’ll leave that up to you. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I invite you to write back and cast your vote for the “best ager”, and maybe we can ask how many hours of sleep they get each night. I bet they rank sleep high on their priorities.
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Technorati Tags: sleep, cosmetic surgery, anti-aging, health and wellness
This post is cross-posted at Dr. Breus’s blog, The Insomnia Blog. Read Original Post Here
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April 28th, 2008 at 12:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Here is something good for all parents who want to find out how to put their babies to sleep the right way. Today, most people look for good ways to be able to achieve maximum potential as far as providing babies and infants with good sleep practices. Some still turn to the usual sleep specialists or pediatricians who in turn may prescribe some meds or some unorthodox practices.
But with this new book, a 90-minute baby sleep program, you can find something useful if you are experiencing problems on how to put your child to sleep.
(Source) BDN.com
babies and infants, baby sleep, good sleep, How to sleep better, parents, pediatricians, Sleep Disorders, Sleep Education, SLEEP News Read Original Post Here
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April 28th, 2008 at 12:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
We all know that most people have to undergo serious medical surgeries and normally, prior tests for medical clearance has to be done to avoid complications for these medical procedures. This is a required prerequisite since physicians and patients want to make sure that surgeries to be performed actually solve a medical problem rather than aggravate it.
Sleep apnea has been included in this list and rightfully so. Most of us underrate the issue of sleep apnea and its consequences but just the same, it would be best to be on the safe side.
The test, called STOP test, is very simple containing just four yes/no questions and can be taken without the help of a physician. The questions are as follows: Do you snore loudly? Do you often feel tired, fatigued or sleepy during daytime? Has anyone observed you stop breathing during sleep? Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
If a patient answers “yes” to two questions, this means he/she is at high risk for sleep apnea, anesthesiologist Frances Chung, M.D. study lead author said, according to the Washington Post. “This patient may need to be monitored for oxygen saturation after surgery and may need more nursing care. Identifying patients with OSA is the first step in preventing postoperative complications. Untreated OSA patients are known to have a higher incidence of difficult intubation, postoperative complications, increased intensive care admissions and greater duration of hospital stay,” he added.
(Source) eFluxmedia
Health Issues, medical clearance, medical problem, medical procedures, sleep, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disorders, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News Read Original Post Here
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April 26th, 2008 at 07:57am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
As far as sleeping soundly and as prescribed is concerned, a Canadian study revealed that high earners tend to sleep less than the average take-home pay worker obviously due to the fact that they spend more time of dedicating their time to work rather than going home and recharging after a day.
This is really something elementary. We all know the level of dedication that some people put towards their work and some have set aside sleep to make sure that they achieve what they want as far as career and profession is concerned. These are career-oriented people who could care less about their health at the prime of their lives but while it may be a great reprieve for the meantime, consideration towards overall health in the long run will surely take its toll.
A new study has found women get more sleep than men, but they also have a tougher time getting to sleep and staying asleep.
The Statistics Canada study also found Canadians earning $60,000 or more a year slept 40 minutes less on any given day in 2005 than someone who made $20,000.
It says high-income Canadians tend to dedicate more time to their paid work, spend less time with their children and less time engaged in leisure activities — so their lifestyle affects their sleep patterns.
(Source) Canoe.ca
Career, dedication, Health Issues, profession, reprieve, sleep, Sleep Business, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News, sleep patterns Read Original Post Here
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April 25th, 2008 at 09:45am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
The good news is you will get to sleep more as you get to that retirement age. The bad news is that sleeping problems are expected to worsen as you reach this age. With these two things in mind, you may be asking if growing old is indeed something great to look forward to.
Apparently, these are health related. The abuses our bodies have had in the years of our lives are contributory marks towards getting good sleep. But while we yearn for good sleep once we reach these latter ages, perhaps it would be best to assess ourselves at this point to see how our future holds for us realistically.
One report finds persistent insomnia can lead to depression in the elderly, especially in those getting standard care for depression in primary care settings. The study looked at 1,801 elderly patients aged 60 or older with major depression. It shows patients with persistent insomnia were 1.8 to 3.5 times more likely to remain depressed compared with patients without insomnia.
Another new study finds older people with cognitive impairment are more likely to have sleep problems. The 102 participants were between the ages of 59 and 96, had a clinical diagnosis of cognitive impairment, slept an average of seven hours or less each night, and slept during the day for 30 minutes or longer. Results show 21.6 percent of them had at least one painful condition and 45.1 percent were diagnosed with depression.
(Source) Medical Breakthroughs
good sleep, health, Health Issues, retirement age, sleep, Sleep Education, Sleep Issues, SLEEP News, sleeping problems Read Original Post Here
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April 25th, 2008 at 09:45am
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
Getting the proper amount of sleep has been a pain for some people who need to follow the proper amount of sleep to gain. Some people would choose to go through a day without sleep while some would look at alternatives to remedy their sleep problem.
Personally, you cannot go on without sleeping. You have to take breaks and perhaps take naps. There are intervals in a 24 hour time frame that a person will reach a certain peak hour that they will have to slow down and perhaps get some form of sleep, no matter how long it may be.
There are various types of sleep regimens and perhaps this excerpt can point people in the proper direction towards hacking sleep.
There are various types of sleep regimens floating around the internet, but the one Rachel tried was called the Uberman (though she’s not much for the name).
It works like this: you break up the 24 hours of the day into 4 hour chunks. At some point in each 4 hour set, you take a twenty minute nap; the total amount of sleep adds up to about two hours. The schedule meant she’d have to sleep some during the workday, which her bosses approved, as long as she documented her progress on the how-to site. Her boyfriend was even up for trying to match their schedules.
McConnell began her sleep regimen, and at first things went well.
“I was able to get more done. I was up at three in the morning thinking, ‘Ok, what can I do now?’” she said. “I was able to make significant headway on my enormous to-do lists. I would go out on bicycle rides in the middle of the night.”
But by day five, her experience was already starting to deteriorate, even as she held out hope that her body would acclimate to the new sleep schedule.
(Source) Wired Science
How to sleep better, intervals, naps, proper amount of sleep, proper direction, sleep, Sleep Cures, Sleep Disorders, SLEEP News Read Original Post Here
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April 23rd, 2008 at 05:20pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
The way we look towards how we can sleep naturally is a plaguing problem that is besetting most people today. While we all know that it may sound easy to lie down and close our eyes, it is not that simple. Sleeping problems are apparent these days and more people are seeking alternative to get good sleep other than to rely on the usual sleeping tablets that others have relied on.
Thanks to the efforts of sleep specialists and companies, a natural way of remedying this issue has been offered today. Glo to Sleep masks, a viable Earth-friendly alternative to the tens of millions of sleeping pills ingested daily - and eventually flushed into the water table, with the packaging making its way into landfills and recycling plants - which with its inert points of glow converts disruptive beta waves into calming alpha waves.
With this in tow, you can now avoid the usual sleeping pills to get some sleep. Try out the natural ways. The difference in it may be critical to your overall health.
(Source) PRWeb
Health IssuesHealth Issues, How to sleep betterHow to sleep better, masksmasks, Natural WayNatural Way, recyclingrecycling, Sleep DisordersSleep Disorders, Sleep IssuesSleep Issues, SLEEP NewsSLEEP News, Sleeping PillsSleeping Pills, Sleeping PillsSleeping Pills, sleeping problemssleeping problems, sleeping tabletssleeping tablets Read Original Post Here
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April 23rd, 2008 at 01:40pm
Under Sleep / Sleep Disorders
The clock ticks faster on Sunday night. Or so it seems that way. It’s because you know you’re down to hours before Monday morning–the blaring alarm clock (if you still need one), the commute, the In Box, the co-workers, the To Dos, the work itself… the daily grind.
There’s a name for all this: Monday blues. Which makes for restless Sunday nights, at least according to one recent survey across America and Europe.
Based on 24,224 responses in a poll conducted by the online job finder Monster.com, 82 percent of U.S. workers and 85 percent of U.K. workers said they have problems sleeping at least some of the time, but respondents noted their sleep is most frequently affected on Sundays, when thoughts of getting back to the routine the next day get in the way. More than half admitted that they are affected every single week!
Can we change this? With a few psychological shifts, maybe.
Why Can’t We Sleep on Sundays?
At first I thought that perhaps the people polled don’t have jobs or careers that get them excited–they haven’t found a true passion that eliminates the whole “Monday blues” phenomena. After all, Monster.com is a resource for people seeking new jobs. So, if the poll grabbed people who aren’t in a steady, fulfilling job, you’d expect them to have a harder time saying good-bye to the weekend.
But then I thought a little more and came to the conclusion that it really doesn’t matter how much you like or dislike what you do. Work is still work.
Sunday night can be problematic for reasons many of us all share. The hustle and bustle of our modern lifestyles–keeping up with our families, our plans, our careers, our bills, our chores, and even our e-mail In boxes–is something I think we give ourselves permission to put on mute for at least part of the weekend. It all comes crashing back on the eve of the workweek again. So it goes in today’s world.
How to Stop Thinking about Monday’s Work on Sunday Night
Getting a good night’s sleep on Sunday may require more attention to the details of relaxation. Some ideas from my book Beauty Sleep:
- Set a boundary, say 5:00 PM, after which you do NOT do any work (business or personal) or even check e-mail if that gets you thinking about To Do’s.
- Write out your To Do’s for the upcoming week by 5:00 and then set that aside. You don’t have to worry about them again for the rest of the night.
- Do something relaxing: cook dinner, play with your kids, watch a movie, get a massage, find a hot tub. See if your spouse is feeling sexy.
- Before going to bed, write in a journal all the great things that happened in the previous week. Keep your mind focused on positive thoughts. If a frustration or stressful thought strikes, replace it with something good that happened that day.
The time has come to put Sunday night to bed! Just imagine how much more work you’ll get done in the new week. (Wink, wink).
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: sunday, insomnia, sleeplessness, job stress, stress management, sleep disorders
This article is cross-posted at Dr. Breus’s Blog, The Insomnia Blog.
Read Original Post Here
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