Depression is a clinical, mental and emotional condition that may give rise to feelings of hopelessness and chronic sadness. It slows down the way people process everyday activities and leads the patient to a sense of constant gloom and doom. It is a disabling mental condition as per who and may be caused due to reasons like genetics, changes in the balance of hormones, stress, grief, trauma and prolonged, chronic physical ailments.

Symptoms of depression are:

    Sleep irregularity: It relates to either insomnia or oversleeping that is, either you sleep too much or do not sleep at all. This could be because of work or other stress in your personal or professional life.
    Irritation or unnecessarily getting angry: You start losing your temper easily and that too for silly reasons. You think you are losing control.
    Feeling hopeless and sad: The first signal or symptom is the feeling of hopelessness. In this, case the patient loses the hope in everything. They feel like being trapped in some kind of cage, from which they are not able to come out.
    Lack of interest in anything: Everything seems to be of no use or interest, even your daily work. You don't want to do anything; even the things, which you loved to do like your hobbies and passions, which you no longer find interesting.

Here is a comprehensive list of homeopathic medicines which most doctors are likely to recommend for treating depression:

    Sepia: This medicine is beneficial to women suffering from post-partum depression (sadness or emotional conflict after giving birth) and menopause. Feeling of solitude and hopelessness with no energy to continue with life are some common symptoms that can be reduced with Sepia.
    Arsenicum album: This medicine is prescribed to control the symptoms like diarrhea, gastric problems, indigestion which patients often suffer from as a result of intense anxiety. Patients, appropriate for this medicine tend to be fastidious and restless. It is made of white arsenic and should be taken in prescribed potency because an overdose can cause gastroenteritis.

The above mentioned medicines are just some of the medicines, which should only be taken only after consulting your doctor, as causes and symptoms differ for each person.

Can Sleep Irregularity be a Sign of Depression?

Blessed are the people who can effortlessly fall asleep, especially at night. For some people, sleep appears like a distant dream that haunts them for days. Medically known as Insomnia, the disorder can take a toll on the physical and mental health of the individual affecting their personal as well as professional life to a great extent. The sleeping disorder may be temporary (Transient Insomnia) or long-lasting (Chronic that may persist for months). 

Some individuals may suffer from insomnia on and off (Intermittent Insomnia). Short-term insomnia may last for a few days or weeks and often improves on its own. Chronic insomnia needs medical attention at the earliest to avoid further aggravation and discomfort. On an average, a person needs 6-8 hours of sleep daily. In case of insomnia, a person may experience difficulties in falling asleep in spite of being tired and exhausted. Some may also not be able to enjoy a sound sleep (interrupted sleep).

Homeopathy and Insomnia
Homeopathic treatment has been a revelation in dealing with insomnia. With a holistic approach and the use of natural products and herbs, homoeopathy believes that evaluating and eliminating the underlying trigger can bring about drastic improvements in the case of insomnia. Insomnia may be an outcome of health conditions (secondary insomnia) such as diabetes, asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Alzheimer's disease over-functioning of the thyroid. However, the trigger can be stress, anxiety, following an unhealthy sleep cycle, having the dinner late at night and retiring to bed immediately after (often termed as Primary Insomnia). The Homeopathic approach in treating insomnia involves a right mix of the homoeopathic medicines and bringing about the necessary changes in the lifestyle habits. Understanding the pattern and type is important to treat insomnia.

In the case of primary insomnia, in addition to the intake of medicines, the homoeopathic approach also emphasizes upon eliminating the lifestyle habits that triggered the sleeping disorder.

Time and again, homeopathy has stressed that there should at least be a 3 hours gap between dinner and sleep to ensure there is a better digestion of food without any incidences of acid reflux or heartburn. Avoid heavy or spicy foods for dinner. Keep the dinner light and simple.
Try to live a stress-free life. Meditation, yoga, exercise, listening to soft and light music, can play an instrumental role to keep the mind and the body calm and relaxed.
A healthy sleep cycle (sleep early, wake up early) can go a long way to reduce the incidences of insomnia, especially Transient and Intermittent.

Insomnia - Why Homeopathy Is The Best Form Of Treatment?

Insomnia is a disorder where a person has difficulty sleeping. One can have problem falling asleep or staying asleep for long. Some people also have disturbed sleep. This can be a major problem as due to lack of sleep one feels tired and fatigued all day.

Recurring cases of insomnia hamper your daily activities and interfere with the smooth functioning of your life. Therefore, this condition should not be ignored and treated immediately.

Here are the various ways to treat insomnia:
Non-Medical (Cognitive and Behavioral treatment)
Several psychological and behavioral techniques can be used for the treatment of insomnia. Many of these methods can be easily self-taught and others require a therapist to be carried out properly. 

1. Relaxation training, which is also called progressive muscle relaxation involves the patient to tense and relax his muscles systematically in various parts or regions of the body. Relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises, various forms of meditation, mindfulness and guided imagery are used for treating insomnia people. The use of audio recordings for guidance in these techniques is quite popular.

2. Stimulus control enables building an association between the bedroom and sleep. This is done by limiting several kinds of activities done in a bedroom. This may include going to bed only when very sleepy and leaving bed if you cannot sleep within twenty minutes. A strict bedtime and wake up time schedule has to be maintained.

3. Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT involves changes in behavior like maintaining a strict sleep time schedule, elimination of afternoon naps and other habits related to sleep. A cognitive component is also added to this method. Unhealthy beliefs and fear regarding sleep are challenged and positive, rational thinking is encouraged. CBT is a very effective procedure for treating insomnia and the track record regarding success is high.

4. Changes in lifestyle are required to treat insomnia and prevent recurrence of insomnia, you should change certain habits and start some new practices. You should limit your intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Do not consume coffee or tea before going to sleep and avoid smoking. The habits may be stimulating and will keep you awake. Your diet should be balanced. You should avoid having rich and spicy food before going to bed. Avoid late meals and maintain a proper schedule for meals. Regular exercise can improve the symptoms of insomnia and you should try to work out every day.

Medical Treatment
There are many forms of medicines, which can treat insomnia. This includes over-the-counter medicines, as well as prescribed medicines. The type of medicine required completely depends on the severity and symptoms of your insomnia and other factors related to health. Therefore, you must consult a doctor before having any kind of medicine for treating insomnia.

The most common medicines for insomnia, which are usually prescribed by doctors are benzodiazepine hypnotics, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics and melatonin receptor agonists. However, medicines should only be taken after consulting with a specialist. Insomnia not only affects your health but also interferes with all your daily activities. Proper treatment should be taken to treat the same.

Ways to Treat Insomnia

Heavy medication is often not required to treat fatigue. Homeopathy is an effective approch to deal with fatigue as it stimulates the body to heal itself. In most cases, simply replenishing phosphate cell salts in the body can have a beneficial effect and give you more energy. These salts help regulate disturbances in the constitution of a person at a cellular level. Phosphorus salts or phosphate compounds can be found in our body fluids, tissues and organs. These salts are essential for energy production, communication between cells and other regulatory responses. It is also vital for healthy bones, teeth and membrane structures. 

Take a look at these five cell salts and how they can revitalize you and help fight fatigue.

Calcarea phosphate: This compound is a building block cell salt. It is essential for the healthy growth of teeth, bones and blood cells. It helps with a number of conditions created by structural stress and helps fight tiredness and restlessness. It is also a beneficial tonic for children exhausted by long periods of mental exertion such as studying. 
Ferrum phosphate: This is an iron compound that is critical to the health of blood cells. By fighting cold, cough and slight fever in the initial phase, it keeps the body healthy and helps build up the immune system. When alternated with calcarea phosphate, the iron in this cell salt is absorbed more easily. Thus Ferrum phosphate can also help regulate the hemoglobin levels in the blood and reduce physical weakness and fatigue. 
Kali phosphate: This potassium and phosphorus compound is considered as a nerve nutrient cell salt. It can be used to treat agitation and depression by calming the nerves. It also fastens the healing of damaged nerve structures. It can also help treat insomnia that follows a day of excitement and physical strain.
Magnesium phosphate: This is an antispasmodic cell salt and is also known as the homeopathic asprin. It is essential for well structured muscles and their connective tissues. Magnesium phosphate helps muscles move smoothly and can be used to treat minor spasms, radiating pains and to relieve pen up tension and cramps. It can also ease painful menstrual cramps.
Natrum phosphate: The body depends on this compound to break down acids and help with the digestive system. Thus this is considered as an acidity cell salt, which also helps with issues like headache, muscle ache, stiffness and fatigue.

Battling Fatigue with Cell Salts

It's International Women s Day yet again. A time to celebrate women s accomplishments- both those of legendary creators including Mother Teresa, Kiran Bedi, Anuradha Koirala   the anti-sex-trafficking activist & Mary Kom to name a few and the women in our lives who mentor and inspire us every day. It s a day to celebrate our journey towards gender equality and women empowerment.

This year s International Women s Day theme is  Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women's lives.  It comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women s rights, equality, and justice. The theme has taken the global campaigns and marches on issues ranging from sexual harassment and femicide to equal pay and women s political representation.

Women still have a long way to go to attain equality and non-discrimination from her male counterparts. 2018 International Women s day is an 'iron in the fire opportunity' to bring a call to action to entrust women with what they actually deserve, not only in a particular sector but to every woman who resides in urban as well as rural areas. It is a step to respect and appreciate the women who step out every day for the livelihood of their families and kids - a step to stop casual sexism faced by urban women in the workplace.

Women, experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace, not only bear strained relationships with their counterparts but also are at risk of numerous health problems. Let us know about the health effects of sexual harassment:

Depression: Self-doubt and criticism can lead to depression and loss of interest in work or other activities. Women also experience loss of self-confidence and feelings of failure & powerlessness.
Anxiety: Many women feel anxious about going to work, communicating with co-workers or being involved in social situations.
Insomnia: Sexual harassment trauma can cause nightmares and may lessen the woman's ability to sleep properly.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Studies say that sexual harassment meets the Criteria A1 and A2 of PTSD. The stress of sexual harassment may cause a woman to relive the trauma even when it is not happening, or avoid things or people that remind her of the sexual harassment.
The International Women s Day echoes a word for transforming the lives of women with a bold determination not just on papers but in reality to support the women all around the globe. Many working women have sad tales to tell as they are exploited at a very high level, and they actually lead a stressful life in comparison to their male counterparts.

So, the spotlight this year is to fight against the injustice that most women face every day and to bring about a change that will be remembered for years and will outshine the lives of such women who devote themselves for the livelihood of their families.

Join a campaign, embrace your inner activist and empower the women in your life...

The #TimeisNow To-

Raise your voice
Support each other
Share the workload
Get involved
Educate the next generation
Know your rights

#TimeIsNow - This International Women's Day, Empower The Woman In Your Life! 

Staying up late at night intentionally is not insomnia. If you find it difficult to fall asleep, or cannot sleep soundly for long, then it is indeed a case of insomnia. The inability to sleep can have terrible repercussions on your physical and psychological health.

A number of reasons could cause insomnia. Understanding the causes could help you identify your sleeplessness as insomnia and seek treatment right away.

What Health Issues cause Insomnia?

Here are some health problems of both the mind and body that can keep you awake  

  Stress Chronic stress and worry born out of our tense lives is a direct cause of insomnia. Long-term anxiety, panic disorders, as well as PTSD can induce sleeplessness.

  Irregular Sleep Patterns Your body would hate it if you deviate from the Circadian Rhythm   the body clock. It regulates the functions of your body, including your sleep patterns. But if you defy your body clock by sleeping at irregular hours   suppose you are staying up late to get some extra work done, or you may have opted for a night shift, or if you are experiencing a jet lag   then you will notice that when it is finally time for you to hit the bed, sleep will be elusive.

  Depression Depression is a horrific psychological disorder that makes a person lose interest in life itself. And one of the indicators of depression is loss of sleep. It is not just depression, but also other illnesses that cause psychological turbulence such as bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorders, triggering insomnia.

  Breathing Issues Sleep apnoea is a dangerous disorder that stops your breathing multiple times every night and will wake you up every time. Yet you will possibly not even remember waking up. However, this does disturb the quality of your sleep and affects your health adversely.

  Dementia Dementia is accompanied by a gradual loss of memory. But sometimes people who are suffering from dementia display anxiety, restlessness or even aggressive behaviour when it is time for them to go to bed. This is called the sundown syndrome and it might even keep them up all night.

  Pain Pain is one of the commonest reasons for losing sleep. Pain can originate due to any number of reasons   arthritis, a sprained joint, an injury, or if you are undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, then it may keep you awake at night. This is actually a vicious circle because the inability to sleep will aggravate your pain. Talk to your doctor who will prescribe the appropriate pain medication.

  Parkinson s disease This disease is another reason behind insomnia. Parkinson s disease interferes with your nerve signals and this might cause disruption in your sleep.

  Menopause When a woman inches closer to her menopause, her body reduces the production of oestrogen and progesterone. This imbalance of hormones can trigger sleep loss.

How long can you go without sleeping?

There is no data on how long a human can function without sleep. The longest someone stayed awake is 11 days. Usually, the body cannot last that long without some sound shut-eye. Your brain flushes out the waste matter its cells produce during sleep. That is why even 24 hours without sleep can make your brain sluggish and disoriented. If you stay awake for more than 48 hours at a stretch, your cognitive abilities will start failing you. Sleep is instrumental to a healthy mind and body. If you are experiencing insomnia, talk to a doctor immediately or look up some remedies.

Health Problems That Keep You Awake!

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