Learn Many Great Ways To Stop Snoring
The greatest way to stop snoring depends greatly on how often snoring occurs. Infrequent snoring from colds, allergies, or other illnesses is treated easily by treating the dominant cause of the snoring (the sickness) plus adding nasal strips to help open airways whilst asleep. Many nasal strips are even available mentholated which many people find soothing when they are ill.
For serious snorers, the solution will usually warrant medication, surgery or a change in lifestyle. Medication usually means pharmaceutical products such as throat sprays, snoring pillows, or mouth guards for ways to stop snoring.
Changes to One’s Lifestyle
Many habits that people have can actually contribute to their snoring. Smoking, drinking large amounts of alcohol, and being overweight all could cause snoring. So, quitting smoking, drinking less and the loss of weight viadiet and exercise are great ways to stop snoring.
Booze and Ciggies
Alcohol tends to relax all the muscles in the human body, including all the soft tissues of the mouth and throat. For this reason, reducing the amount of alcohol one consumes will prevent this over relaxation and could be a way to stop snoring.
Smoking is bad for every part of the respiratory system and it doesn’t come as a surprise that it would make snoring worse or even be the source of loud snoring. Quitting smoking is a huge benefit to a person’s overall health and may consequently be a way to quit snoring.
Being Overweight or Obese
People who are overweight, especially around the region of the neck, have an increased risk of the condition known as sleep apnea. Losing weight will incur various health benefits including being a way to quit snoring. Also, a regular and healthy diet and exercise can help a person sleep more soundly which also leads to less snoring.
Keeping a Regular Routine
Keeping a regular sleep regime is important for people who want a way to quit snoring. Waking and going to sleep in a more regular manner at the same time every day can prevent snoring and help in feeling more refreshed after each sleep.
Cat napping during the day can cause people to sleep less well at night. Waking during the night contributes to the snoring problem. Omitting naps from a person’s daily schedule is another great way to quit snoring.
Your Sleep Position Is Related To Snoring
For many people sleeping on their side prevents them from snoring, hence the reason many wives may elbow their husbands throughout the night. Something as simple as sewing tennis balls into the back of a person’s pajamas is a way to quit snoring, as that person wouldn’t be able to comfortably rest on their back!
What ever the cause of each person’s snoring, finding a way to quit snoring is possible. If the snoring doesn’t subside with the use of these tips it may be necessary for the person to see a doctor to be tested for a more serious condition called sleep apnea.
Various Middle Finger Waving Moon Man Lite-brites Terrorize Boston
August 31, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Night Terrors
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Various Middle Finger Waving Moon Man Lite-Brites Terrorize Boston
How awesome is the above headline? How awesome is it because it is one hundred percent true? Various middle finger waving moon men looking Lite-Brites were placed in select cities around the country in a marketing campaign to promote the late-night Adult Swim cartoon, “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” Boston authorities did the proverbial “freak out” when it was assumed that these boxes were bombs, not Lite-Brites. Both Lite-Brites and bombs do indeed light up an area around them, however one is more destructive than the other.
I cannot blame Bostonians and especially the authorities there for being a little jumpy given their previous track record concerning Logan Airport and 9/11. Boston technocrats did what people usually do best in institutions, cover their own asses. This happening: art installations directed by a corporate mechanism (Time Warner) through its chain of command and then mistaken for bombs by the government may be the most telling event on the current state of affairs in America since last night’s American Idol.
The American Government and corporate America are intertwined so tightly it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. I’m not surprised that somebody didn’t get the memo on this one. Who reads their memos anyway?
Read this memo: Awaken avant-garde artists. Time Warner is making you look bad because they’re using your tactics to sell their product.
Maybe Time Warner wanted the profane moon men boxes to be taken for bombs. Maybe Time Warner hoped to terrorize the population into watching a late-night cartoon. Maybe Mayor Menino receives campaign financing from Time Warner and he put some pressure on some underlings to make this happening happen.
Unlikely, of course. And that’s what makes this whole thing so sad and amazing at the same time. I’m not exactly sure what this event tells us about the state of America culture. I do believe that it tells us slightly more that the last State of the Union and slightly less than John Stewart’s, The Daily Show. I do know that I’ll never look at Lite-Brites again the same. They will find their place among clowns and Barbie dolls as yet another thing that is a little sinister and creepy, but also entertaining.
How to deal with night terrors – Part 6
August 31, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Night Terrors
Despite the popular misconception, night terrors are not nightmares. Nightmares occur in the latter part of a night’s sleep and are often vividly remembered by the child upon waking. Night Terrors are totally different. Seldom, if ever, will the child have any recollection of the terror the following morning, and they will occur during the first part of the child’s sleep pattern, within one or two hours. Furthermore, the disturbance can last for anything up to half an hour and will be accompanied by the child screaming and not respond to their parents during the episode.
The experience of night terrors is far more confusing and frightening for the parent than they are for the child. Fortunately, although not so for parents whose children suffer from this sleep disorder, night terrors are relatively uncommon, occurring usually in only around two percent of children up to eight years old. At worst it should naturally stop occurring by the time the child reaches the age of twelve. Furthermore it is normally an inherited condition.
Generally, children who have night terrors do not wake up during the episode. However, they will be likely to talking incoherently and run about screaming. Whilst their eyes may be open, they will not be able to describe their fears nor will they recognise the persons in the room with them or respond to any attempts at comfort.
Causes
As previously stated, it appears that night terrors are an inherited problem. There is no evidence to support the fact that they might be caused by psychological problems within the child. However, it is generally considered that children who are over-tired will be more prone to such attacks.
Dealing with the problem
It must be remembered that the fear being experienced by the child during a night terror episode is easily transmitted to the parent. Although the child will not be aware of what is happening, a natural parental reaction is to panic and rush to comfort, hold and protect their child and show that them that they are loved. However, despite these good intentions a totally different approach has to be taken when dealing with a child in the process of a night terror episode.
It has to be remembered that the child will not recognise the parent. During a night terror they will be seeing monsters and may even associate the shape of their parent as a manifestation of the monster. Therefore it is important that, as a parent, you do not rush to hug them as this may increase their
Snoring Prevention
If you or your spouse has a snoring problem, both of you are likely suffering. Snoring can interrupt a good night’s sleep and affect daytime activity because of fatigue, an often overlooked condition that is both annoying and potentially dangerous and has been cited as the cause of traffic-related and work-related accidents.
But that is not all the snorer has to worry about. Snoring contributes to serious health problems, such as:
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Increased stroke risk
• Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea
If the snorer relies on alcohol or sleep medication, he or she may experience even worse snoring as the muscles of the throat over-relax.
Why Do People Snore?
Sometimes, when a person lies down, the jaw relaxes and falls back during sleep, obstructing the airway and increasing the rate of air traveling through. This sets off a vibration in the soft tissues, producing that annoying sound known as “snoring”.
Other causes of snoring include:
• a too-large uvula and soft palate
• nasal congestion
• a deviated septum
• other obstructions in the airways
• large tonsils and adenoids
• Being overweight
Getting Help With the Snore Guard
One of the first steps taken by people who snore is a visit to their family doctor or dentist. Interestingly, one might not always think of the dentist as being able to help with snoring, but dentists trained in assisting snorers may be able to offer a solution known as the ‘snore guard’, also called an oral appliance.
A snore guard looks like an athletic mouthpiece. There are no moving parts, no batteries, no hoses and it takes just one simple visit to the dentist to learn how to use the device properly. No x-rays, lab work, needles or tools are needed, and best of all, the snore guard could be instrumental in helping you stop snoring the very same night.
The snore guard stops airway obstruction and maintains the correct jaw position, preventing the jaw from falling back and producing the snoring sound. The snore guard allows uninhibited breathing. It is a comfortable device and very convenient, even if you have a stuffed up nose from a cold. While wearing the snore guard at night, you can still experience small movement of your jaw, so there is no worry about potential morning jaw stiffness that is sometimes associated with TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder). The snore guard is 100% pain-free. Many people prefer the snore guard to a CPAP machine, a device worn during sleep that includes wearing a mask over the face while the CPAP machine gently forces air down the throat to maintain an open airway.
If snoring is a problem for you or your sleeping partner, see your doctor or dentist right away. If you are overweight, losing weight is important to controlling snoring. Smokers should also seriously consider quitting, to stop snoring and prevent other health problems well known to be linked to smoking. Your doctor or dentist has a solution for you to get your snoring under control, or learn whether a more serious condition, like sleep apnea, may be the cause.
Lack of Exercise – Sleep Walking To Obesity
August 31, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Sleepwalking
I have to admit I’ve put on a considerable amount of weight over the past year and I know why. It’s not because I’ve been eating more, but rather exercising less.
I’ve been writing another book and my research has had me virtually glued to the chair in front of the computer and only my brain and fingers have been getting a workout.
That’s my excuse, but not for much longer as the book is almost done. The stupid thing is I feel really lethargic. I know just a few minutes exercise a day would really energise me and most likely make me more productive. However, I can’t seem to drag myself away from the computer and find myself saying things like, “I’ll just do this first”, or I’ll do it “later”, “tomorrow”, “next week”, and the truth is I just haven’t done anything. It shows.
I’m not alone though. According to the latest BBC television news, half the nation will be obese within the next twenty-five years. It will cost the country something in the region of 45 billion pounds through health issues and lost work hours.
Obviously, not everyone is writing a book so what’s happening?
Well, it appears there’s a lack of education as far as food labelling is concerned and people are having a hard time deciding what’s good or bad. Despite the government recommendation of a simple traffic light system on packaging which clearly indicates green is good, orange requires caution and red is bad, some major supermarket chains have adopted their own versions which appear to be confusing everyone. Maybe that’s the idea?
Advertising too is being blamed for targeting young children with delicious but unhealthy snacks. Manufacturers know youngsters can be very influential when it comes to items in the trolley at the supermarket checkouts and of course they are the shoppers of tomorrow so it makes sense to get to them early.
Another important factor is the lack of exercise at school, especially for girls. I went to an all girls school, and whilst admittedly I left thirty six years ago, I could only see two pupils who I would consider to be “fat” on my dreaded final annual school photo.
Back then we only actually had sports lessons twice a week but they were double lessons and I hated them, mostly because we had to wear horrible big navy knickers and a white tee-shirt. We played tennis, hockey and netball, and went either swimming in the summer or cross country running in the winter. We also attempted athletics for the annual sports day and I remember landing on a rake once whilst doing the Fosbury Flop in the high jump.
Of course, back then, we also used to either walk everywhere or ride our bikes and it seems the youth of today do neither. It’s not actually their fault as we’ve become a society obsessed with safety and a fear of letting our children out of our sight, but I do have to admit there are some strange people around now. Also, there are far fewer safe areas to play these days as many parks and playing fields have been built on.
As a teenager I never ventured far but as my parents were unable to ferry me backwards and forwards to the local village dances I often found myself hitch hiking. Actually that just meant standing on the corner at the crossroads and someone would always stop and give me a lift, but in those days everyone knew everyone else so the likelihood of a stranger picking me up never crossed my mind. Now I wouldn’t dare contemplate either hitching a ride or giving anyone else a ride which is a shame. It’s a sign of the times though, and I reflect upon that sadly every time I see the face of an unlucky hitchhiker in my rear view mirror.
Going back though to my younger days, and outside of school I always used to exercise although I never thought of it in those terms. Rather, it was having unsupervised “fun” with my friends, something which also seems to be a thing of the past.
Until I started work I used to play football. This was long before it was fashionable for girls to do so and whilst you would never guess it now, I was quite good. I had lots of energy and could run. My friend, Josephine also played football, but in goal, and was extremely good too. I can picture her now diving for the ball with her long thick hair tied up in bunches with elastic bands.
Every weekday night a gang of us would meet up at the local recreation ground, pick two teams and play football until it was too dark to see the ball. Then we’d either run or ride our bikes straight home. It kept us fit and cost nothing.
Now, it’s very rare to see children playing any sport or taking any exercise at all unless the games are paid for and organised. Parents drop off and collect their offspring, all of whom have their own mobile phones.
For those children whose parents can’t afford these activites the opportunity for exercise is limited. They either spend most of their lives in front of a television or computer screen, or hang around street corners. It’s no wonder the nation is getting bigger and less sociable.
As I said I have an excuse for gaining weight but I’m ashamed to need one. Exercise should be as fundamental as breathing, not something I have to schedule in. I know lack of exercise and excess weight is a recipe for major health issues so unless I want to sleepwalk my way into obesity and be part of the aforementioned BBC statistic in a few years time I need to do something about it now.
How about you?
What are night terrors?
August 31, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Night Terrors
Night terrors have been a problem in humans throughout our entire existence. Romans had called this disorder Pavor Nocturnus, roughly meaning “horror of the night.” Many researches and scientists believe that night terrors occur because of certain imbalances in chemical levels of the brain and endocrine system. Another problem doctor fear may cause night terrors is an increase in brain activity, and most scientists and researchers agree that while this increase in brain activity is occurring, the brain “misfires”, or sends the wrong chemicals to the wrong system, causing a chain reaction of sorts. This chain reaction will eventually lead to the person waking up, out of breath, and sweating.
Researches agree that the symptoms of night terrors are the following: sudden awakening from sleep, persistent fear or terror that occurs at night, screaming, sweating, confusion, rapid heart rate, and inability to explain what happened, usually no recall of “bad dreams” or nightmares, may have a vague sense of frightening images. Many people see spiders, snakes, animals or people in the room, are unable to fully awake, difficult to comfort, with no memory of the event on awakening the next day, there are more but these are more mainstream.
Many people who experience night terrors are misdiagnosed as only having a bad dream. From the personal opinion of sufferers, however, anyone distressing from a night terror says there is no way either of these can be compared. Nightmares usually occur during REM sleep, and they are “bad dreams” that leave the person with almost full recount of the actions of their dream and the person may sweat or even speak in their sleep. Night terrors occur during stage four sleep about an hour after the person falls asleep, and usually leave the person with no memory of the dream that woke them up. Most people wake up and have no idea where they are,
and cannot remember anything except having a profound sense of fear. The subject is not fully asleep during a night terror, compared to a deep REM sleep the subject may experience a nightmare in.
Children are the most prone to this problem, almost six percent of all children suffer from this nighttime disorder. Oddly enough, there is no correlation to amount of night terrors and gender or age. Children from as young as three to as old as thirteen have reported suffering from night terrors. Researchers believe that the perception of night terrors can be passed genetically between
Narcolepsy treatments – Part 8
August 31, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Narcolepsy
If you suffer from narcolepsy you can fall asleep without warning. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night. You could be sitting at a red light in your car, or at your desk at work. Without warning you fall into a sound sleep.
You are suffering from Narcolepsy.
Once contracted, Narcolepsy is basically a disease that will last a lifetime. Regardless, under the care of a physician and a positive attitude toward preventing sleep attacks, narcoleptics are still able to enjoy long, productive lives.
There are several ways to treat this sleep disorder.
When under a doctor’s care, it’s extremely important to take medications exactly as directed. There are several stimulants that work well against the symptoms of narcopepsy. Modafinil and Ritalin are two of the more widely used medications.
It’s also very important to have a set routine for going to bed each night. Establishing a sleeping pattern that is consistent may help you sleep more soundly during the night. This will help combat insomnia and as a result, can help prevent narcoleptic episodes that might occur during the day.
Refrain from any use of caffeine or alcohol. There is always the possibility that they may conflict with any medication your doctor may have prescribed as part of your treatment.
Frequent naps during the day are helpful as well in reducing attacks of narcopepsy. Napping before a physical activity will combat the effects of insomnia in the event you had trouble sleeping the previous evening. This in turn will reduce the chance of an unexpected sleep attacks.
It’s important to keep a journal of daily routines that concern the sleeping problem. That way, if a significant reduction in narcolepsy attacks occur, your physician can be informed.
by carefully recording your ’sleep hygiene’ on a daily basis, your doctor will have a better idea of what helps or aggravates the narcolepsy. Eventually, a pattern may emerge that will enable better management of the disorder.
Four Familiar Snoring Effects
American Academy of Otolaryngology states that almost 50 percent of adults snore from time to time and another 25 percent always snore. You may not take snoring problems seriously since it is so common. However, chronic snoring does result in adverse health conditions if left alone. In this article, we will explore four familiar snoring effects.
1. Sleep Apnea
Usually snoring does not affect your health. But if your snoring is the result of a serious breathing obstruction, then it can be a sign of sleep apnea, a potential life-threatening sleep disorder.
Sleep apnea arises when your airway gets congested. After you snore, you will stop breathing for a short period of time. This will happen a few times throughout the night. You receive no oxygen for your body during that time. This will increase the carbon monoxide in your system and subsequently, you will wake up.
In 2003, a study by Stanford University showed that snoring is related to hormone deficiency in postmenopausal women. So, the risk of developing sleep apnea is four times greater than that of pre-menopausal women.
Left untreated, it can lead to hypertension and heart disease.
2. Poor Academic Performance
In July 2001, a study which involved 1,588 seventh- and eighth-graders highlights the impact of snoring on academic performance. The study finds that almost 13 percent of the lowest rung snores while only 5 percent of top performers snores.
3. Relationship Havoc
According to Dr. Laura Berman, a relationship and sex therapist in Chicago, snoring is a “big relationship divider”. No one is happy when they don’t get enough sleep. Don’t you feel irritated, sluggish or find it difficult to concentrate at work because of lack of sleep?
Excessive snoring can place intolerable strains on a relationship. Couples who used to be happy together now stay away from each other because of their partner’s nocturnal noise. You or your partner may even sleep in another room just to shut out the snoring.
On going snoring can wreak havoc on relationships especially marriages.
4. Decreased Sexual Life
Apart from affecting your relationship and health, snoring can also interrupt your sexual life. Studies reveal that married partners who snore excessively tend to experience reduced sexual drive. Often times, heavy snoring leads to sleep apnea.
When you have sleep apnea, you wake up several times in the night due to the blockage of air passage. So, you are deprived of oxygen and you don’t get enough sleep. As a result, you feel exhausted and depressed. These effects can crush your desire for sex.
So, snoring is not a minor problem especially if you snore a lot. The effects from snoring can be devastating in terms of health and relationship. If you find yourself snoring excessively, it’s time to tackle your snoring problem and find a suitable stop snoring remedy.
Insomnia Through Trauma?
Many people are suffering insomnia directly from trauma. Since the September 11 ordeal, millions of people each day are finding it difficult to rest. Some are trapped in the 2000 ordeal and are having difficulty leaving the past behind, while others are direct victims of the attack and suffering insomnia while they fight to control their painful thoughts.
If you are suffering trauma that is causing insomnia, thus it is time to get help now to deal with this ongoing disorder. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD has claimed the minds of many throughout the years. When a person suffers this disorder they often suffering ongoing insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks, fear, flashbacks, increasing nervous conditions and so forth that makes it difficult for the mind to cope.
Thus, few techniques are available outside of therapy that will help the person cope in the meantime, but for the most part ongoing therapy and medications are needed to help this persons survive insomnia.
Trauma is one of the leading stresses in life that causes insomnia. Still, other ailments and medical conditions contribute to symptoms of insomnia. When the central nervous system and elements of the brain are affected, a person might find it hard to rest peacefully. If you are suffering various illnesses medical attention is required in order to receive the medications needed to help you cope with the problems.
The most important training available to reduce stress and help a person to cope with stress and trauma is to help them to come to terms in the mind where they no longer blame them self for what has happen to them. In few cases, which are rare the person may not suffer guilt while enduring insomnia and trauma. The few cases are on track; however, techniques are necessary to help these people deal with other types of symptoms that occur when the mind is consumed. The main thing is learning to continue the fight to reestablish your identity. When you are robbed of self due to illnesses, it can make a person feel a sense of loss and lack of concentration continues since the mind is consumed.
Insomnia is one of the leading sufferings that are targeting millions round the globe each day. Technology development is ongoing, which is increases changes in the environment, which is one of the causes of acute insomnia. When a person has to continue to adapt to newer situations the mind sometimes feels overloaded, thus the mind finally shuts down the elements in the brain that helps a person find a source of relaxation.
When the psyche is powerless to discover a resting space, in the fullness of time the mind causes an individual to undergo continuing turbulence all through the daylight hours and night hours. Insomnia single-handedly can bring on symptoms of nervousness, panic attacks, irritation, annoyance, grogginess, and so on. Thus, when an individual has a mental disorder enforcing the sleeplessness it elevates the problems, thus coping skills are decreased. However, insomnia again never stands alone, unless the symptoms are linked to a recent tragedy or event. Light symptoms of insomnia may appear when death occurs, during a birth, switching jobs and so forth.
Additional steps can be intriguing while helping an individual cope with stress and work in the direction of sleeping calmly throughout night hours. Specified medications may well help those tormented by Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, since the symptoms of the disorder often trigger chemicals in the brain and will often affect the central nervous system.
It is important when suffer PTSD and insomnia that you avoid alcohol and drugs at all costs. It is also important to avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol before going to bed. The chemicals and substance will cause the mind to elevate in patterns, thus avoiding these harmful contaminates will help you rest during night hours.
Persons with PTSD will often avoid socializing, thus you may want to try to visit a friend that is caring so that you will avoid triggers, thus help your mind to find comfort.
Awareness Is The Key To Spiritual Awakening
August 30, 2009 by insomniac
Filed under Sleepwalking
The concept of awareness is what separates the unconscious sleepwalker from the consciously manifesting individual. When you walk in awareness, you lose the filters of judgment and conditionality, and open your eyes to the light of day. You come out of the fog and see your path clearly. Your perception of the world changes from night to day and finally you observe what serves you and what does not.
This concept of awareness allows you to view the macrocosm instead of being blinded by the limiting perceptions of the microcosm. You are aware of the big picture and your relationship to it. Instead of one angle you see 360 angles and how each angle relates to each other angle in forming the whole.
Instead of trying to put the puzzle together with no idea of what the finished puzzle is supposed to look like, you see the picture of how the puzzle is supposed to look and fit the pieces together with clarity. You don’t have fits and create dramas by trying to fit a piece where it doesn’t belong. You choose another piece that does fit and then go on to your next creation.
The puzzle starts coming together. As more pieces fall into place the picture becomes clearer and less effort is required to match the pieces of the puzzle together. Life becomes effortless, just like nature. Nature has the puzzle figured out. Man is still trying to see where he fits in the puzzle.
Consciousness and awareness go hand in hand in the life of the manifester. Even though the sleepwalker is creating, he is unaware that he is creating, so he feels like he is not creating at all. Awareness of your ability to create enhances that ability by allowing you to see what you are creating and understanding the connection between the conscious choices that you make and the manifestation of those choices into your reality.
Awareness builds on itself. The more you are aware, the more you are aware that you are aware. The more you are aware that you are aware, the more awareness you have of the fact that you are aware that you are aware. The higher the level of awareness that you allow yourself to assume the more you will see.
As you become more and more aware you elevate yourself so that you are looking at a bigger and bigger picture. This big picture shows you more and more perspectives of any particular situation and gives you a deeper understanding of the interrelatedness of the life process and how our creations relate to it.
Awareness is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets, and the less you use it, the more it atrophies. It can become so weak as to not be effective at all. Just like all muscles though, it will respond to exercise, so just like maintaining a healthy body, the key to using awareness is diet and exercise.
Feed your awareness a steady diet of thoughts that are in alignment of who you define yourself to be, and then be aware of those thoughts. Exercise your awareness by looking at your thoughts and looking at your life process and seeing how you can line them up.
Work at this. Exercise this muscle. Start building on your awareness by telling yourself that you are now aware of the fact that you are aware. Continue to diet and exercise your awareness and it will open up a world that has always been right before your very eyes. A world you didn’t know about until you removed the dirty filters of your perceptions through awareness.
As you continue to be aware, you notice that you feel you are finally awake from a long sleep. The sleepwalker that you were is now awake because you cannot sleepwalk when you are aware. The very process of awareness will wake you up. As you awaken, you view the world with a fresh point of view. You see things as they really are instead of through the fog of unconscious living. It is quite a revelation.
That is where awareness will take you. Be aware of this. Don’t fight it and don’t judge yourself to harshly when you wake up and realize that you have been sleepwalking. Be aware that your sleepwalking has allowed you to experience aspects of yourself that you are not in order to define yourself as who you are.
So be aware, but don’t judge.
