Sleep apnea side effects: Sleep

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Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep - are you getting enough? For some people, enough is four to six hours. Other people just don't feel right with less than eight hours. People need more or less sleep at different phases in their life. Women may need more or less sleep at different phases of the month.

The simplest way to tell if you're getting enough is by noticing every morning - do you feel rested? Do you wake up without an alarm clock and feel ready to get right out of bed and start your day?

\"sleep Apnea\"

Not getting enough sleep is one of the most direct ways that we self-sabotage our success and well-being. When we are better rested we not only feel better, but are calmer, smarter, more rational, nicer to be around and we look better. Why wouldn't we choose to have that every day??

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

1. Set the Stage - turn off the computer and television at least one hour before you'd like to fall asleep, and turn on some music that you find relaxing. Test what your stereo system will do when the recording is finished - does it SNAP! or does it "wrrrr" - this will make a difference as you're drifting off. My CD player makes a very soft "wrrrr" noise (though I honestly can't remember the last time I was still awake when the CD was over).

2. Music without words - words can provoke and direct your thoughts more than instrumental music or pure vocal sounds.

3. Music with natural "breaths" - music where the soloist takes natural pauses to breathe can help you to slow down your own breath - try flute, other wind instruments or voice (either with no words or words in a language you don't understand).

4. A good book - For bedtime reading, try to stay away from material that gets you thinking about things you deal with during the day. Magazines or stories that distract you from your own life may help you to drift into sleep.

5. Imagery - If you find that your mind is racing when you are trying to sleep, picture a viewpoint where you're traveling down a road. See your thoughts as signposts that you're passing. Concentrate on letting them pass right by.

6. Progressive muscle relxation - Imagine that a ball of light is traveling along your body, beginning at the top of your head, going down to the tips of your toes, and then coming up again. As it passes your muscles, they fill with light and relax.

7. Take a nap - If your sleep has been interrupted or there've been unavoidable late nights, an afternoon nap can help you catch up. Experts advise that naps should be taken earlier in the afternoon, rather than later, and that we should keep them to 30 minutes or less. This will avoid disrupting your sleep at night.

8. Lavender Bath - Take a hot bath and add a couple of drops of lavender oil. Lavender has naturally occurring relaxing properties.

9. Chamomile Tea - Calms the nervous system and helps to promote restful sleep.

10. Take 500 mg Calcium with 250 mg Magnesium at bedtime - The calcium has a calming effect, and the magnesium works along with it.

The advice and information in this article is not meant to replace medical advice. If you suspect you have a serious sleeping problem such as sleep apnea, or if you experience insomnia or extreme fatigue, please consult a healthcare professional.

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

Stop Breathing While You Sleep? You May Have Sleep Apnea

If your spouse notices that you stop breathing for more than 10 seconds more than 10 times an hour during sleep, you may have sleep apnea. Many overweight people suffer from sleep apnea and have difficulty staying awake during the day because stopping breathing interferes with deep sleep, causing them to wake up tired each morning. A report in Archives of Internal Medicine shows that obese people are at high risk for suffering from daytime sleepiness, even when they do not have sleep apnea.

If your doctor suspects sleep apnea, he will probably refer you to a sleep specialist. Most of the time, you will be diagnosed as having sleep apnea. Since there are no effective drugs, you will usually be given a special CPAP machine. Some people adapt easily to the CPAP machine and benefit from it, but others find it uncomfortable and cannot sleep with it on.

\"sleep Apnea\"

There are two types of sleep apnea: in one, the airway is obstructed, in the other, a person just stops breathing with no obstruction and is usually overweight. Therefore, if you have sleep apnea and are overweight, you should get on a diet and start an exercise program to lose weight, the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. People who have obstructive sleep apnea should be treated for their asthma or nasal obstruction. If you snore loudly, check with you doctor to see if you need cortisone nasal sprays or antibiotics. If you feel sleepy during the day, the most effective treatment is a nap. Some people with asthma do not have respiratory obstruction; they just stop breathing and are normal. They may have been incorrectly diagnosed as having sleep apnea because normal people stop breathing for up to 10 seconds up to 10 times a night.

Stop Breathing While You Sleep? You May Have Sleep Apnea

However, if you suffer daytime sleepiness, inability to stay asleep at night or stop breathing for more than 10 seconds more than 10 times a night, you may be cured by taking naps for between 30 and 60 minutes each afternoon or whenever you have an overwhelming feeling of tiredness.

For journal references on this article see the More Health section of my web site (below.)

Stop Breathing While You Sleep? You May Have Sleep Apnea

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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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What REALLY Happens When You Sleep?

Ever wonder what your brain and body do while you are sleeping? Well, sleep is the time the brain directs the body to heal and repair itself, rebuild damaged or worn-out tissues, and restore chemical balance.

And if that's not enough, your immune system also manufactures more natural killer cells to fight off infection and disease. Also, your pituitary gland produces growth hormones, which in children, promotes growth, but in adults helps repairs and renew tissue.

\"sleep Well\"

Although your body may be essentially motionless for much of the night, your brain is active, busily cycling through the five stages of sleep. Each cycle occurs several times throughout the night.

Among other things, your brain is organizing and storing memories. Interestingly, one type of sleep occurring each night is accompanied by rapid eye movements (REM). REM sleep is the time when most dreaming takes place.

However, you generally won't recall the content of your dream unless someone or something awakens you during the dream, and you remain awake long enough for memory to activate.

Even with all these activity, your brain still manages to recharge during a good night's sleep so that you awaken felling energized and ready to go. But if you don't sleep well, you awaken groggy and fell irritable because poor sleep interferes with your brain's ability to prepare itself for another day of physical and mental activity.

Stages of sleep

If you think you just fall into bed, turn the lights out, go to sleep and remain in relatively still and inactive during the night, you don't have the whole picture. Even though sleep is restorative and allows you to recharge your batteries, it's still a very active time for your brain, which orchestrates a wide range of nighttime activities while you snooze.

You may be surprised to find out that sleep is divided into five distinct stages that serve different purposes. Stages 1 through 4 are known as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) or non-REM sleep. The fifth stage is the REM stage where the most dreaming occurs.

The brain cycles through these five stages about five or six times each night, and as night progresses, and your brain continues to cycle through the sleep stages, REM sleep periods become longer, and deep sleep periods get shorter.

As morning draws nearer and you gradually approach wakefulness deep sleep ceases almost entirely and your brain cycles between Stages 1, 2 and REM sleep.

What REALLY Happens When You Sleep?

Alvaro Castillo has been writing health articles for five years. One of his specializations has been on nighttime health, such as insomnia, as well as stress and headaches. For more information check out his website at [http://www.mynighttimehealth.com]

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Want Better Sleep? Tame Your Over Active Mind

Have you ever wondered why your mind always seem to be more active at night? Well actually it's not, but because you're trying to relax you are more aware of it. During the day our minds are taken up with our day to day activities but as soon as we lie down at night, our minds seem to switch on. One thought follows another and another and soon you are worrying about everything, including the fact that it's 2.30 am and you're still not asleep!

How can we stop negative thoughts from intruding on our sleep?

Sleep Well

Unfortunately it's easy to become negative in our thinking. The mind tends to go into problem solving mode at the end of the day. We focus on our problems and this can build stress which keeps us awake.

To stop this nightly torture, ask yourself the following questions:

Do you take responsibility for things that you shouldn't? Are you worrying about other people's problems? Remind yourself that you can't think for anyone else and just let those worries go.

Are you worrying about something specific? Write it down before going to bed. Tell yourself firmly that you will think about this issue tomorrow morning. The subconscious mind will hear you, but you MUST consciously stop these worrying thoughts as soon as they surface. This becomes easier with practice.

Busy minds are not necessarily a symptom of stress. If you are creative you may have more ideas than you can deal with. Write them down when they pop up or use a voice recorder by the bed.

Some other ways we can stop our spiralling thoughts and get some rest

Be aware of this; you are not your mind. Your mind is your personality, you are the person who owns your mind and you have to tell it who's in charge! You don't have to follow the path your thoughts are taking.

The mind must be redirected and made to think on one stress free thing. Realize you can control your thoughts, be aware in what direction your thoughts are leading.

I'm not going to trot out the usual remedies for sleep here, simply because physical remedies don't work too well for over active minds. Trying too hard to relax when your mind's racing can do more harm than good. You need to distract your mind and focus it on one thing only.

This will stop one thought developing into another and another.

How to do this? Well to start with we can use an outside source to focus our mind. For instance, listen to a CD. A relaxing CD is not always helpful under these conditions, try an instructional tape where there is someone talking. This will stop your mind wandering and your thoughts will focus on the voice, the more boring the better!

Training your mind to do what you want is the key to better sleep and less stress in your life.

Want Better Sleep? Tame Your Over Active Mind

Want to know how to cure insomnia and achieve healthy sleep? Visit http://www.insomnia-connection.com your resource for good sleep advice and articles. Sign on for our newsletter and receive 2 books absolutely free! Wendy Owen is a health researcher and author.

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Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep - are you getting enough? For some people, enough is four to six hours. Other people just don't feel right with less than eight hours. People need more or less sleep at different phases in their life. Women may need more or less sleep at different phases of the month.

The simplest way to tell if you're getting enough is by noticing every morning - do you feel rested? Do you wake up without an alarm clock and feel ready to get right out of bed and start your day?

Sleep Well

Not getting enough sleep is one of the most direct ways that we self-sabotage our success and well-being. When we are better rested we not only feel better, but are calmer, smarter, more rational, nicer to be around and we look better. Why wouldn't we choose to have that every day??

2. Music without words - words can provoke and direct your thoughts more than instrumental music or pure vocal sounds.

4. A good book - For bedtime reading, try to stay away from material that gets you thinking about things you deal with during the day. Magazines or stories that distract you from your own life may help you to drift into sleep.

5. Imagery - If you find that your mind is racing when you are trying to sleep, picture a viewpoint where you're traveling down a road. See your thoughts as signposts that you're passing. Concentrate on letting them pass right by.

7. Take a nap - If your sleep has been interrupted or there've been unavoidable late nights, an afternoon nap can help you catch up. Experts advise that naps should be taken earlier in the afternoon, rather than later, and that we should keep them to 30 minutes or less. This will avoid disrupting your sleep at night.

8. Lavender Bath - Take a hot bath and add a couple of drops of lavender oil. Lavender has naturally occurring relaxing properties.

9. Chamomile Tea - Calms the nervous system and helps to promote restful sleep.

10. Take 500 mg Calcium with 250 mg Magnesium at bedtime - The calcium has a calming effect, and the magnesium works along with it.

The advice and information in this article is not meant to replace medical advice. If you suspect you have a serious sleeping problem such as sleep apnea, or if you experience insomnia or extreme fatigue, please consult a healthcare professional.

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

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