Different Ways To Treat Sleep Disorder

June 30, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Treatments




How many hours of sleep should a person have? There is no definite answer to this question. Sleep needs vary from one individual to the other. Some people may feel fresh even after 5-6 hours of sleep while the others may be drowsy even after 10-11 hours of sleeping. The key to understand ones sleep needs is that if you are feeling tired, drowsy during the day time and are unable to concentrate on your work, then probably you need more sleep.

A good night sleep boosts the immune system and helps the body in fighting diseases. It is essential for the proper functioning of the central nervous system. People who are constantly sleep deprived are more prone to high blood pressure and diabetes.

The following are some common reasons that may lead to sleep deprivation:

1. Working long hours.

2. Stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine.

3. Light or noise in the sleep environment.

4. Stress and anxieties of work, relationships.

5. Excessive alcoholic drinks.

6. Illness, medications and drugs.

The above are just a few reasons that may trigger sleep problems. In addition to the above, an unhealthy diet and lack of proper sleep routine can also lead to disturbing sleep.

There are a number of sleep disorder treatments that are being constantly explored and researched that can aid good night sleep. These sleep disorder treatments vary from sleeping apparatus such as nasal caps (for reducing snoring) to sleep medications (herbal and chemical) and even surgery in certain cases. The following is a brief summarization of some common sleep disorder treatments.

1. Behavioral therapies: these are generally used in combination with medications to treat a number of sleep disorders such as insomnia. These therapies are to be inculcated in our daily routine and practiced everyday. These are relaxation techniques from physiotherapy, exercise postures, massages etc

2. Sleep Hygiene: These are habits that one can develop to be practiced before sleep. Having hot water bath before sleep, using firm mattress and clean sheets and ways to make the sleep environment more conducive to sleep. Listening to some soft music, some light reading or even taking a glass of warm milk before bed can help. Different habits work for different people.

3. Stimulus Control Therapy: In some cases of sleep disorder, people start disassociating with the bed and the sleeping environment. They find sofa or an armchair a more comfortable place for sound sleep. Thus, in other words, the bedroom and the associated things act as a negative stimulus for sleep. In such cases, people are encouraged to overcome such feelings by the use of cognitive thinking. Using bed only for sleeping and not as a place of watching TV or eating is emphasized.

4. Over-the-Counter-Medicines (OTC): There are a number of OTC drugs available for the treatment of insomnia and other sleep related disorders. These medications are also used as pain killers or for cough and cold. These contain sedatives or suppressants that slow down the activity of the central nervous system. These may be a good choice for instant relief but should not be continued longer. Persons taking OTC medicines should not forget to mention their physician about the same as they can contain certain ingredients that may have an adverse effect.

5. Melatonin: Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland of the brain. This helps in maintaining the body clock and the sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin production normally decreases with age. Its supplement is available and is known to be a good choice for insomnia. However, a study shows that a week’s use of melatonin has the same effect as continued for three months or so. Also, people who have a lower production of melatonin are known to have benefited with melatonin supplements. People with sufficient production of the hormone continue to have sleep problems despite use of melatonin.

6. Herbal medications: As the chemical combinations in the medicines are known to have adverse side effects on human beings, the trend of herbal medicines is growing. Valerian, kava kava, chamomile are certain herbs that are known to relax the body and reduce stress.

Sleep disorders can be very disturbing as it directly affects our performance whether at work or at school. Prolonged sleep problems can create havoc in one’s daily life. Hence they must not be ignored. Treatments of sleeping disorders can vary, depending on the specific sleep disorder, but these are certainly helpful.



Sleeping Disorders – Learn More About This Common Problem

June 27, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Treatments




The term “sleeping disorders” is usually associated with sleepwalking and insomnia or inability to sleep. Sleeping disorders are common in today’s society. As per Wikipedia, there are around 14 varieties of sleeping disorders beginning with twitching in the eyes to restlessness in the legs.

Sleeping disorder is a feature of the modern times caused by stress, drug abuse, alcoholism, smoking, drastic changes in lifestyle, and poor eating habits, in addition to lack of proper physical activity. Normally, people sleep for around six to eight hours. The maximum number of hours a person sleeps is ten hours. If you do not get the required amount of sleep, your immune system will become weak, and this in turn can lead to all sorts of medical and health problems.

Most of these problems can be successfully treated. You can also prevent the occurrence of these problems if you take a few basic precautions. An undiagnosed or neglected sleeping disorder can create a lot of problems for you. Sleeping disorders can disrupt the harmony of your life. In extreme cases, it can also be life threatening.

If you spend your sleeping hours worrying about being unable to sleep rather than actually enjoying a good night’s rest, you could probably be suffering from a sleeping disorder. Those who have a sleeping disorder are, most of the time, not even aware that they are facing a sleeping disorder until the problem has seriously affected their life and career. People who suffer from sleeping disorders are usually depressed because their problem keeps them from living a normal, happy, and productive life.

A clinical test called Polysomnogram helps medical professionals to diagnose a case of sleeping disorder. A medical doctor has to make separate treatment plans for separate individuals because all individuals are not the same and don’t respond equally to a common treatment plan. As per Wikipedia, these methods are used for the treatment of sleeping disorders: taking prescription drugs such as Rozerem, Ambien CR, Ambien, Lunesta, and so on (these are sleeping tablets), psychotherapeutic/behavioral, and others.

People suffering from narcolepsy, a type of sleeping disorder, have to undergo a special type of test in which the activity of their brain is monitored to determine their peak sleeping points. Due to their problem, narcoleptics can’t work on machinery-related jobs that require a high degree of awareness and alertness.

Usually, people diagnosed with sleep disorders are given medication for a specific period of time. A sleep disorder makes the sufferers feel that they are not normal or that they are sick. On the contrary, a sleeping disorder is not really a sickness; with the proper treatment, you can easily treat it. Taking therapy will help you train your body to get the sleep that it requires.



Insomnia Causes and Treatments Guide

June 26, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Treatments




the non-medical types of treatments, such as environmental changes are not enough to treat your insomnia. It may be that these types of changes are not practical for some people. In cases like these, there are a number of medications and sleep aids that can be helpful.

As long as it isn’t used for a long period and instructions are followed, it is relatively trustworthy method to try to cure insomnia. Since this is the most common type of insomnia treatment, that is definitely good news.

Sleep aid medications come in prescription and over-the-counter forms. You cannot obtain a prescription unless you are currently seeing a physician. If you have accurately diagnosed the condition, you are probably under the care of a doctor already. This is essential for determining if the condition is caused by an underlying medical condition. If the main issue is melancholy or depression, you can treat insomnia with anti-depressants.

Hypnotics are usually used when the condition is diagnosed as only a sleep disorder. Hypnotics are designed to get you to sleep faster and keep you there longer. It will help in providing better rest and sleep cycle.

Hypnotics come in either half-life or full-life. Obviously, half-life hypnotics are designed to to stay in the system half of the time that full life hypnotics do. This is so daytime activities will not be disrupted. Even though the intensity of the drugs and dosages are different, the medication is commonly prescribed for a short length of time and the dosages will decrease in time.

One of the most commonly used over-the-counter sleep aids is the antihistamine. They are meant to hinder the production of bodily chemicals that result in such allergic reactions. Because they are able to calm an individual, it is possible to use it to allow one to rest and sleep. There is controversy about how useful such cures are. Be aware that you should not consume spirits or alcohol with store bought sleeping aids even though the medication might not have chemicals that reduce pain. You should always consult your doctor before taking them for pain, even though they do not require a prescription.

Insomnia can also be treated by using melatonin supplements. At night, the body produces melatonin in order to make it tired and let it know it’s time to begin falling asleep. It manages this by altering your physical state, such as decreasing the temperature of your body as well as your blood pressure.

Do make sure that you do not overcompensate for the level of melatonin in your body. This can be dangerous if too much melatonin is introduced into the system. There are less stringent tests that melatonin undergoes in comparison to the other drugs. As this is such, there is less knowledge about the side effects or the long term impacts.

Some types of herbs such as St. John’s Wort, chamomile, lemon balm and valerian root are commonly thought to help those with insomnia. Bear in mind that such aids and supplements are not tested as stringently as in the case for medical treatments. This would imply that there is a lot that is not known about its impacts and how useful it will be in the long run.



Valerian-lemon Balm Extract Aids Children With Restlessness

June 23, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Treatments




Dyssomnia consists of many different sleep disorders. Those with dyssomnia may have difficulty falling asleep, may wake up during the night, may have night terrors, or may walk in their sleep. Even though these sleep disturbances may be temporary, up to thirty percent of children suffer from them. Another condition that affects many children is motor restlessness, in which children are unable to sit still and concentrate, especially in situations demanding discipline and attention. Some situations of general motor restlessness may be temporary, but it can also be a personality characteristic that continues beyond childhood. Clinical trials that have occurred in the past have shown that the combination of valerian root and lemon balm herb can improve sleep quality and mood in those adults who have sleep disorders. Both of these herbs have been approved by the Commission E of the German government to be taken for sleep disorders.

The purpose of the following study was the test the effectiveness and tolerability of valerian and lemon balm on children who have motor restlessness and nervous dyskoimesis sleep disturbance. The study was conducted in 207 pediatric clinics across Germany on 938 children under the age of twelve. Each child was asked to complete a baseline study visit which included a complete medical history, a review of his or her current diagnosis, and documentation of the incidence and severity of symptoms by the doctor. Each child was instructed to take four tablets daily of valerian and lemon balm tabs, which contains 160 mg of valerian root dry extract and 80 mg of lemon balm leaf dry extract. The child was instructed to return for a second and final visit after four weeks. During the visit, the child was examined and his or her doctor recorded the incidence while assessing the tolerability of the product. Both the doctor and the child’s parent had to complete a questionnaire to evaluate the child’s response to the product.

With a total of 918 children evaluated in the study and the average age being 8.3 years, the average duration of this study was 31.9 days. The percentage of children who were reporting daily symptoms dropped from 61.7% to 12.5% after taking valerian and lemon balm tabs for four weeks. At the final visit, symptoms of restlessness or dyssomnia were rated as absent or mild in the majority of children, compared to the moderate or severe symptoms reported in the majority of the children at the beginning of the study. Most of the doctors and parents rated the efficacy of the product as being good, while doctors rated the tolerability of the product as very good or good for 96.7% of the children. Only two adverse events were noted, vomiting and urinary tract infection, but neither was attributed to the valerian and lemon balm tabs

.

The authors of the study believe that taking the valerian and lemon balm combination for four weeks allowed children to experience fast and significant improvement of their symptoms. They also concluded that valerian and lemon balm tabs are well-tolerated and effective in the treatment of children who have restlessness or dyssomnia. Because current treatments for restlessness and dyssomnia include synthetic psychotropic drugs which may cause addiction or adverse side effects, authors recommend conducting a head-to-head comparison of valerian and lemon balm tabs with synthetic drugs in children.



Wondering How To Stop Snoring? Here Are The Best Snoring Remedies

June 23, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Snoring




Here are some effective snoring remedies if you want to know how to stop snoring. These remedies fall into two major categories: long term and short term, or proactive and reactive or, preventative and prescriptive. Let’s have a look.

How To Stop Snoring With Long Term Snoring Remedies

You need to know the difference between what will cure your snoring by attacking its root cause and what will merely mask it by only treating the symptoms (while the cause remains intact). Let’s take a look at what is causing your snoring.

Snoring is caused by a narrowing of the airway to the point where air is partially obstructed causing the snoring noise to occur. It doesn’t get more complicated than that. If the airway is completely closing cutting off breathing in the process, then we call that obstructive sleep apnea. If this is happening you need to see a doctor immediately. The preventative steps to eliminating snoring can also eliminate sleep apnea.

The secret of how to stop snoring with long term snoring remedies is to find out why your airway is narrowing during sleep. The first thing that should be considered here is weight. People who are overweight build up fat and tissue all over their body, including the neck and throat. Losing just 10 pounds of bodyweight can decrease or even stop snoring all together. If there is no improvement after losing 10 pounds then lose another 10 pounds. I’m serious! Losing weight will also put you at less risk of a myriad of other chronic diseases.

If you are as thin as a rail or you are certain that your snoring has nothing to do with your weight, then the next option you need to consider is throat exercises. These special exercises strengthen the muscle and tissue in your throat so the airway doesn’t narrow during sleep and cause snoring. I talk about these exercises in other articles on my site.

Finally, if you are certain your snoring has nothing to do with being overweight. And, you have faithfully tried the throat exercises by still snore. Then and only then would I consider you a candidate for snoring surgery. However, this decision needs to be made with your doctor.

How To Stop Snoring With Short Term Snoring Remedies

Knowing how to stop snoring with short term snoring remedies is the second piece in curing your snoring problem. The long term remedy isn’t going to give the results now. But, you need to stop snoring now. You need some solutions to stop your snoring while you are waiting for the long term remedy to kick in. Basically the effective approaches are of three kinds. First, make sure you are not doing anything to cause your throat to narrow while sleeping. The second approach is to control your sleeping position. The third approach are to use devices.

Keeping The Throat Open

Do not eat, drink or take anything that will cause your throat to relax and narrow. Do not drink alcohol, take pain medication or any medicine that causes you to relax before going to bed. These items cause the muscles in your throat to relax and your throat to narrow.

Sleeping Position

Sleep on your side, not your back. Sew a tennis ball to the back of a shirt and wear it while you sleep if you need to. Also, sleep with your head higher up. There are also special pillows you can buy for this.

Snoring Devices

Visit your local drug store and see what they have for snoring strips or other stop snoring devices. Mayne you will find one that works for you.

Remember that these short term solutions for how to stop snoring with snoring remedies are only going to stop the snoring temporarily. If for some reason none of these options don’t work you will still snore. On the other hand, the long term approaches may get rid of your snoring for ever.



Put an End to Emotional Terrorism in Your Relationships

June 19, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Night Terrors




First let me explain what I mean by “emotional terrorism.” When you have a relationship, at home or at work, with a person who’s constantly humiliating you, harassing you, pressuring on you, taking pleasure in your pain, saying negative things about you or making you feel worthless, then you are caught in a situation of emotional terrorism.

By staying in a relationship with someone who feels the need to put you down and beat you up (physically or psychologically), you actually keep on feeding his destructive attitude. It’s hard to conceive why so many people stay together with such a partner, but they do. This is because of a belief that they don’t deserve any better, that they are not worthy of real love. They lack self-respect and don’t really consider getting out of the relationship. They are stuck because the vibrational energy of the dysfunctional relationship matches the low level of their own self-esteem.

People without self-respect attract, by their vibration, abusive individuals who then “confirm” that they don’t deserve any respect. The outside world mirrors to you what’s going on inside yourself. If you have a partner who is beating you up, then that’s because somehow you are already beating yourself up from inside. Does your partner constantly harass you? Does your partner drown you with negative remarks, no matter what you do? Then start by looking to how you are harassing yourself, and how many negative remarks you are aiming at yourself. Being surrounded with negative people is caused by your relationship with yourself being very degrading as well.

Your partner doesn’t love you? This first thing to look at is whether you really love yourself. Because if you love yourself, so will your partner. If you love yourself, then it is impossible for an unloving partner to remain in your life. If you maintain a positive inner dialogue with yourself, then you are simply not aligned with a person that is trashing you with negativity. When you find yourself in a long-term relationship with such a person, then this is testimony to how bad your relationship with yourself really is.

Step 1 – First you have to honestly examine the quality of your external relationships. If the quality of the relationship is very low, then break up and leave. It’s only fair to take some time to fully make up your mind, but remember that leaving someone doesn’t have to take ages. However, your own security is always the first priority. If you are in danger then leave immediately. Later on, when you get back on your feet again, you can still take time to analyze the situation to see how you got involved in such a relationship.

If you notice that your relationship is bad, but there is no immediate threat to your life or well being, then step out of the grasp the emotional terrorist has on you by doing the following. First, understand that someone who has to hurt other people to feel good himself, is a vampire. He sucks your energy up to stay alive himself. These people are sick, both in their head and in their heart.

Probably they had a troublesome childhood and never learned how to love, but this is no excuse for their behavior and surely not a reason for you to stay with them. Don’t play therapist in your relationship! Any adult who commits himself to positive change can do it, but it is not your role to bring your partner to a healthy behavior. You will lose time, energy and self esteem. Your efforts will be in vain. Why would this energy vampire make an effort to better himself if he can easily feed off the energy of his victim? Ask yourself this question: “Do I want to be the victim of an energy vampire?”

Everybody who has lived through a vampire-victim relationship knows how difficult it is to withdraw from the grip of such a person. Their tactics are so subtle and covert that it is indeed difficult for the mentally sane person to understand the strategies of the emotional terrorist. Everything they do is set up to make you doubt.

Behold the infernal vampire-victim combination: the vampire pretends to “know everything” while the victim “doubts herself.” This combination is fatal, because whenever you see clearly and realize you’re targeted by emotional terrorism, the vampire will promptly start acting very friendly just to make you second-guess your conclusion. Whenever you see him like he really is and decide to leave, his strategy is to go back to some kind of honeymoon feeling to make you doubt your opinion. You will say to yourself, “How could I have thought so bad about him? See how friendly he is! Nobody else has ever said such kind words to me.” Beware! Don’t forget that the vampire will lull you to sleep before attacking! You become less awake, less alert, and when you have been fooled again into thinking he’s a friendly person, things go back to “normal” and he attacks again.

His attacks get worse and worse while your defense gets weaker and weaker. He wants to empty you completely, until there is nothing left of you. What he wants (unconsciously perhaps, but that doesn’t matter) is to depersonalize you, to cut your ego into little pieces, until you no longer exist as your own person; that’s when he has complete power over you.

Step 2 – After examining the quality of your relationship, the second thing to do is to carefully listen to yourself! Instead of listening to that energy vampire, listen to your feelings! Whenever you are experiencing fear in your relationship, you are not in a loving relationship! Love and fear do not go together. Where there is fear, love cannot exist. Take your feelings seriously! Fear doesn’t come falling out of nowhere; it is an important signal that something is wrong.

Step 3 – Here’s a trick to quickly escape somebody’s grip. Make a list of everything the other says just to make you feel bad. Assign a number to each phrase, and learn this list by heart. Now every time he gives you a negative remark, don’t react to it but instead go to your list and mark the corresponding phrase. Every night, review your list and keep statistics: make an overview to check daily how many times he used the first phrase, the second phrase, and so on. This will help you to stop reacting to the negativity and to stop feeding it. So don’t answer, but just check your list. It will only take a few days to know the list by heart!

Step 4 – Be aware of the fact that an emotional terrorist will not just let his victim slip through his hands without a fight! He will double his efforts to keep you down. Don’t stay with someone like that. If it is your partner, leave him. If it is your boss, find yourself another job. If it is your mother or father, keep some distance for a while and go visit them in little doses. Talk to a lawyer if you must. In any case, a person behaving like that cannot be cured in a matter of weeks. If you ask me, he may never be cured at all in his lifetime.

Staying in this kind of fearful relationship is a ticket to hell! So don’t stick around waiting for the impossible, but start living your own life. You are worthy of living a life of love, happiness and freedom! NOBODY deserves to undergo such destructive behavior!

Step 5 – Now that you have left that person, you can start to have a look at the relationship with yourself. Do you love yourself? Learn how to love yourself! Make a commitment to yourself never to get involved in such kind of relationships again. Be kind to yourself. If you want to do something for these people, pray for them, visualize how they get healed inside, but don’t stay with them. It is not your responsibility to cure them. To destroy yourself is not an option and won’t help them out either! You were meant to be loved, never forget that! Take care of yourself!



Difficulty Sleeping: Try Asking Yourself This Question

June 19, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Bruxism




An increasingly large number of people are experiencing difficulty sleeping and our society as a whole is suffering from the results.

We all deserve a good night’s sleep, but when we don’t, our lives start to change. In the short term, difficulty sleeping isn’t a problem and can be easily modified but left to develop over time we could have a major problem on our hands.

We start to look and feel tired. We tend towards irritability and illogical mood changes rather than calm logical decision making. We can’t focus, listen for any length of time and our memory looses its edge Delicate and precise becomes lumbering and inaccurate and in the extreme, our ability to operate machinery of any kind loses all judgment and control.

Further sleep difficulties can cause a breakdown in our immune system, a rise in blood pressure and possible pressure on the heart. Left un-modified for very long, chronic insomnia will develop, perhaps sleep apnea and even a disruption of the sleep phases and para-somnias such as night terrors.

I think that if you are experiencing difficulty sleeping then you first have to examine for yourself, the answers to the question: “What exactly is the problem with my sleep?” Secondly you will need to share this information with your doctor. Yes, it could be serious and you will need professional help!

1…Try asking yourself the question first!

When you ask the question, “What exactly is the problem with my sleep?” you will tend to answer in one of five possible ways. They are as follows:

* I Have a Problem Falling Asleep: this may occur on first going to bed which could be the start of sleep latency or onset insomnia, or it may occur during the night, which is more of a sleep fragmentation often caused by jet-lag or shift-work disruption.

* I Have a Problem Staying Awake: this could be early signs of narcolepsy especially if you are falling asleep at inappropriate times and loosing control of your limb. It could also be a sign of extreme tiredness due to sleep apnea occurring during the night.

* I Have a Problem Getting Up in the Mornings: this may be a problem with sleep inertia where it takes an hour or more to become fully awake. This could be caused by sleep apnea or a delayed sleep phase disorder.

* My Sleeping is Disrupted: such things as sleep-walking, sleep-terrors, nightmares or bruxism (teeth grinding!) may be occurring during your normal sleep time. These are known as para-somnias and often require treatment.

* My Sleeping Partner Affects My Sleep: this is usually caused by a partner snoring, having restless legs, excessive teeth grinding or constantly waking up from sleep apnea. You won’t sleep well until their problems are solved!

2…Now do something about it!

Once you have decided on the parameters of your sleeping difficulties you are armed with information that should be shared with your doctor. You could learn more by visiting our website, but whatever you decide to do, you should include a visit to your doctor to share your concerns. Step Two: Take Action!

We all tend to have difficulty sleeping at some time or another but if the problem persists we need to take action before the problem becomes chronic. Look carefully at your needs, collect information and share it all with your doctor.



Tips to Maximize Natural Light in Your Home

June 19, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Narcolepsy




If home renovation plans are in your future, one goal you should have in mind is to maximize natural light in your home.  In fact, incorporating natural light into your home’s interior is one of the latest trends in interior design.  One major reason that this trend is catching on is our desire as a nation to go green and reduce our carbon footprint.  Taking advantage of the natural light that is available during the day means turning off lights indoors.  The more light that gets inside, the less electricity you’ll use.  This helps to preserve our natural resources.  Of course, the money that you’ll save on your electric bill is an added bonus.

 

Another good reason to maximize natural light in your home is for the health benefits it provides.  Natural light helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm.  This is the “body clock” each of us has which helps us to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed.  Lack of sunlight can throw off that “body clock” and disrupt waking and sleeping patterns.  This leads to daytime drowsiness, poor work/school performance, and even depression (especially in the winter time when sunlight is scarce anyway.)  Keeping a steady supply of natural light flowing into the house staves off those blues in the winter and keeps you mentally alert when you need to be and drowsy when it’s time to sleep.

 

If you’re ready to let the sunshine in, here are some tips that will help you maximize natural light in your home:

 

* Install skylights.  Nothing beats a few strategically-placed skylights to bathe your home in sunlight.  When choosing a location for installation, try to pick the side of your house that receives the most daytime sunlight.  Another good tip is to install skylights in areas or rooms that get used frequently.  This will further cut down on the need to turn on lights during the daytime, meaning a reduction in electrical costs.  Another great place to install skylights that is often overlooked is the bathroom.  You’ll create a spa-like atmosphere right in your own home.

 

* Install blinds.  This is an easy and very economical way to maximize natural light in your home.  Blinds allow you to control the amount of light that comes indoors.  If it’s a hot summer day and you need to cool off, simply close them.  Adjust the slats to allow a little or a lot of sunlight in, depending on the type of weather you’re having, or raise them entirely for full exposure.

 

* Replace heavy draperies with sheer curtains.  Naturally, the heavier the fabric, the less light that is allowed to get through.  Sheers on the other hand will allow light through even when closed.  If you don’t like the idea of not being able to block out the sunlight in a room from time to time another option is to install curtain tie backs.  These are very inexpensive and will keep your curtains pulled back during the day when the sun is shining but still allow for privacy at night.

 

* Remove obstacles from the outsides of windows.  Trim overgrown hedges or shrubs.  Cut back tree branches that are blocking the glass.  Move patio furniture that might be in the way. 

 

* Keep windows clean.  Sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it?  The great thing about this one is that it won’t cost you more than a bottle of glass cleaner and a rag.  Homeowners often don’t realize how dirty their windows actually are until they take a few minutes to give them a good cleaning.  Sometimes a simple cleaning can improve a window’s transparency by ten to twenty percent.  This can make significant difference in the amount of natural light that will be able to get through.

 

More often than not, homeowners recoup the cost of installing skylights, purchasing better curtains, etc. in the energy savings that are realized over a few years or less.  It’s just one great reason to make some changes that will maximize natural light in your home.

 

 

 

 



Sleep Disorder Treatments – Revealed

June 18, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Treatments




It is not uncommon to suffer from a sleep disorder, however, many people who suffer from sleep disorders do little about it because they don’t think it is a big deal. But consistent lack of sleep can cause anxiety and depression. That is why it is important to consider trying various treatments for these conditions.

In order to find effective sleep disorder treatments there must a diagnosis of the type of disorder being presented by the patient. Some of the symptoms include feeling sleepy, irritable, or tense throughout the day, difficulty staying awake while watching television or reading, and red eyes as well as red half circles under your eyes.

Some of the symptoms of a consistent lack of sleep can be cause for concern such as falling asleep while driving and having slow reactions along with emotional outbursts. Requiring caffeine throughout the day to stay alert can also be a hint that a sleep disorder could be present and treatments should be investigated.

The person suffering from a sleep disorder may have difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, as well as, have difficulty staying awake through the day. Some of the most common treatments are aimed at curing insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy.

Insomnia is typically a short-term sleep disorder that prevents adequate rest and is usually caused by stress, a poor sleep schedule or irregular bedtime, as well as a physical or emotional problem. There are natural treatments for insomnia like:

* Learning breathing and relaxation exercises

* Doing Yoga

* Exercising more throughout the day.

Your diet can also play a role in treating your sleep disorder. Try to avoid:

* caffeine

* alcohol

* sugar

Medical Intervention May Be Needed As Treatment For Some Sleep Disorders

Some sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, may require medical treatment. Sleep apnea is usually accompanied by heavy and loud snoring and causes the person to wake up possibly hundreds of times during the night without remembering being awake. A partially blocked airway is causing the sleep loss and these sleep disorder treatments include the use of devices to help force air into the mouth while sleeping or a mechanical dental device to help keep the mouth in the right position to breath throughout the night.

Restless Leg Syndrome is a relatively newly accepted problem, accompanied by symptoms of involuntary leg and feet moving while relaxing and trying to sleep. A similar sleep disorder, periodic limb movement disorder may involve different body limbs during sleep, causing interrupted rest. Treatments for these sleep disorders may include medication, lifestyle changes and alternative remedies listed above.

Narcolepsy is indicated by uncontrolled sleep periods during the day as well as short-term loss of muscle control during emotional times. Some of the sleep disorder treatments for narcolepsy include counseling, medication and behavioral treatments. For any disorder with long-term potential health effects, medical advice should be sought.

If you suffer from a sleep disorder, rest assured because there are treatments available that can help you get the sleep you need. Please don’t wait to help yourself. Getting the proper amount of sleep is vital to your health and well-being.



Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Treatment Insomnia

June 17, 2009 by insomniac  
Filed under Treatments




Hong Kong is estimated that 20-30 percent population suffer from insomnia problems. Modern medicine to the cause of insomnia can be divided into physical reasons, physical reasons, the spirit of factors and causes of the four major drug categories. In Chinese medicine treatment, the cure for their own, primarily the use of Chinese medicine and acupuncture treatment. Insomnia is a common disease of Chinese medicine brain. As early as 2000, China has an ancient Medical Books “via” said the disease as “Insomnia” or “not to sleep.” This shows that Chinese medicine is the first understanding of insomnia.

The cause of insomnia

Ancient Chinese medicine that caused insomnia and this is “Silv injured spleen, spleen blood loss, as in Insomnia.” This shows that the blood deficiency such as blood loss, Jiubing weak, the elderly period of decline and often lead to malnutrition and anaemia is the main cause of insomnia. Also known as the “Stomach Qi and does not and can not sleep,” that is not catering section, dyspepsia, spleen and stomach damage can lead to insomnia.

Modern medicine to the cause of insomnia can be divided into four categories:

A good reason: such as pain, coughing, itching of treatment, or cardiogenic pulmonary asthma, gastroenteritis, such as diarrhea and vomiting, often can lead to insomnia;

Drug reason: many drugs such as caffeine, ephedrine, Isoproterenol, and so on, can lead to insomnia.

Western medicine in the treatment of insomnia

As regards treatment, traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment of the disease, mainly sleep-rule, but will have long-term use of sleeping pills drug dependence, but only a temporary solution of governance.

Chinese medicine treatment of insomnia has extensive experience of 2000, the application of the Prescription Zhuochun launched an attack a few. It is a Chinese medicine hospital on China’s treatment of insomnia in a solution, this side has soothe the nerves of Yang Xin Gong, the clinical effect of the following: a total of 40 patients with treatment of insomnia, the results fully recovered 34 cases, six cases improved. Its prescriptions composed as follows:

Night cross vine 1 2 1 2 Albizia

Sang Shenzi 5 Qian Qian Xu Changqing 5

5 Bo Ziren 5 Suanzaoren money money

Schisandra 2 money Salvia 5 money (Jianfu)

In acupuncture treatment, after many years of experience in clinical practice, use of green effective in the treatment of insomnia, to the day-rule, if your baby to sleep that night Haoshui general. Its treatment of insomnia with the five points of the body parts, such as the head of the sleep three injections, ear soothe the nerves of four points. Point the hand of sleep, sleep four points of the neck and foot-2 sleep, and so on.

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source:http://www.tcmadvisory.com/index.asp



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