Dr. Rajan

Sleep Wake Disorder is a very uncommon syndrome which causes irregular sleeping patterns without any real schedule.

Causes
Persons with brain malfunctioning and those who do not have a regular routine during the day experience such disorders. People with changing work shifts often experience such disorder. Also, travellers who often move from one country to another with different time zones may also have these symptoms. There's no cure for this disorder, but treatments, including hormones, medicine, and light therapy, can help get you closer to a normal sleeping pattern.

Symptoms
Persons with such disorder experience sleeping or napping more than usual during the day, have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep at night and wake up often during the night.

Exams and Tests
A person must have at least three abnormal sleep-wake episodes during a 24 hour period to be diagnosed with this problem. The time between each such episode varies from 1 to 4 hours. The doctor may advise you to go ahead with a device called actigraph in case the diagnosis is unclear. The device looks like a wristwatch, and it can tell when a person is sleeping or awake.

Treatment
Though there is no simple cure for irregular sleep-wake syndrome, however, several therapies and lifestyle changes may help a person return to a normal sleep-wake cycle. These include:

1. Hypnotherapy is the most important managing tool/therapy.
2. Stress and its management through psychotherapy is one of the most important management tools.
3. A regular daytime schedule of activities and mealtimes need to be fixed.
4. You should not stay in bed during the day for long.
5. Use bright light therapy in the morning like those from computer screens and television. The period of exposure should also be increased. Exposure to blue light should be minimized at night.
6. You should take melatonin at bedtime. This is a hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle. By taking doses at the right times, you might be able to shift your body clock earlier or later.
7. Make sure to make the room dark, quiet, and as comfortable as possible at night.
8. Also one should try to minimize the amount of noise in the sleep environment.
9. Add more structure to the patient’s day by scheduling social interaction, exercise, and other activities.
10. Your doctor may prescribe drug to control the timing of the sleep-wake cycle.
11. Finally, you should take proper care of yourself. Make positive changes in your lifestyle. You can even ask your boss to make your work schedule a bit flexible.
12. The ultimate goal of these lifestyle changes is to help the person sleep longer at night and make him feel active and awake during the day.
13. Most people have sleep disturbances on occasion. But you need to see your doctor if such sleep disorders occur regularly. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.

The most common respiratory disorder, asthma, is an allergy. Allergy is when the body’s immune system recognizes something in the system as foreign (or antigen) and produces what are known as antibodies. These antibodies cause allergic symptoms ranging from skin skin rashes to breathing issues to even anaphylaxis.

People who have asthma dread the spring season when the air is full of pollen, and they have severe attacks. In simple terms, what happens during asthma is the air pipes narrow down, leading to symptoms of chest congestion, breathlessness, coughing, and wheezing.

Ayurvedic belief is that asthma is caused due to some triggers like stress, exercise, cold air, and excessive pollen. These increase the Kapha component or dosha, which leads to mucus formation in the air passages leading to narrowing of the airways. Some causes include:

• Weak lung tissues
• Damp environment
• Cold and/or stale food
• Increased ama (mucus) formation

Strange as it may sound, Ayurveda believes that impaired digestion causes asthma.

Management: Ayurvedic belief is that managing asthma requires effort aimed at various things including food changes, exercise, and airway management. Some of the significant tips are listed below.

• Increase consumption of honey and warm liquids like herbal teas
• Eat a lot of old cereals and whole grains (rice, barley, oats, green grams, etc.)
• Reduce dairy products as they are difficult to digest and hard on the stomach
• Avoid white flour, oily foods, sugary foods, cold-stored foods, processed foods, and fried foods. These again are hard on the stomach and not easily digested.
• Exercise should be done in moderation, as too much exercise can add to the shortness of breath and congestion
• Try various home remedies and repeat what works for you well. Black pepper powder in warm milk can help relieve the congestion.
• Ginger root can be powdered along with black pepper and stored as a powder. This can be mixed in warm water or milk and consumed 3 to 4 times a day
• Steam inhalation where cumin seeds can also be added to the water is found to be very beneficial.
• A concoction of guava leaves, black pepper, milk, and water can be boiled. This, when consumed for over 6 to 8 months, helps improve immunity.
• Neti therapy where the nasal passages are cleared of mucus is also a very effective way to improve breathing and keep the airways clear.
• Stress management either through meditation or mild exercise is very important, as asthma is known to worsen during periods of stress.
• Herbal oil massages also help improve circulation and nerve supply and therefore improve immunity.

Ayurveda believes these improve immunity and thereby control asthma. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!