Pain related sleep disruption has affected a large number of people around the globe. Statistics has it that, in India, about 25% of the population suffers from pain-related sleep deprivation. Studies call it  the vicious cycle of pain and sleep  as pain affects your ability to sleep and lack of sleep makes the pain even worse.

Back pain and arthritis are examples of some common pain-related medical disorders. People with these types of chronic pains have reported persistent sleeplessness or have had immense trouble falling asleep.

The following are the primary sleep disorders associated with chronic pain:

Insomnia: It is a medical condition that is characterized by an inability to fall asleep no matter how physically exhausted you are. Insomnia can be acute (lasting for one night to a week) or chronic (that lasts for more than 3 weeks).
Hypersomnia: It is a condition wherein you tend to sleep excessively; in this condition, you will have trouble being awake throughout the day or can fall asleep at any point of time.
Sleep Apnoea: This is a sleep disorder wherein breathing pauses and resumes repeatedly. Risk factors include obesity, age and gender; it is more commonly observed in men. This condition can be chronic with symptoms such as snoring loudly or feeling very tired even after one has had a night s sleep.
Restless leg syndrome: It is a sleep disorder wherein you continuously move your legs while sleeping. However, this condition can also cause you to move your legs even if you aren t sleeping.
Some of the causes of sleep disorders due to chronic pain are:

Pain
Worry and anxiety
Sweating at night
Depression and other mental disorders
Treatment

A pain and sleep disorder should be simultaneous as both the components of it, pain and sleep, are interrelated. Some of the ways people with chronic pain can still have a good night s sleep are:

Limiting caffeine intake
Abstaining from alcohol and smoking, as these disrupt the sleep cycles, thus aggravating the existing pain.
Practicing meditation and other relaxation techniques
Pain killers or sleeping pills can be administered, but only with the doctor s advice.
Hot water fomentation over painful area during night, for better sleep.

Back Pain and Bad Sleep

Hair loss or alopecia is a problem common to both men and women. It can leave you feeling very miserable. But rather than getting upset knowing the cause will help you tackle the problem efficiently. 

The following are few shocking causes of hair loss that you may not be aware of:
1. Hair loss can be a hereditary problem for some people. It can be common to both men and women. Males may encounter male pattern baldness and females can encounter female pattern baldness.
2. Women can face hair loss problems for using hair styling tools. You must avoid hair strengtheners, curling irons and dryers in order to control hair loss.
3. Hormonal imbalances can lead to hair loss. Thyroid problems or levels of estrogen getting reduced in cases of women can cause hair loss.
4. Lack of protein in your diet can also result in hair loss. Insufficient protein intake according to your age may trigger hair loss.
5. Intake of too much steroids like birth control pills can also be a contributing factor.
6. Stress is also a major contributing factor for hair loss. Any form of prolonged anxiety or trauma can lead to hair loss problems.
7. Sudden and excessive weight loss also sometimes may be the cause for uncontrolled hair fall.

In order to combat the problem of hair loss you must consult a doctor and undergo the required treatment. 

The following are few treatments that can prove to be helpful for you: 
1. Many clinics nowadays provide hair transplantation treatment. You may consider hair transplantation if you encounter hair loss at an alarming rate.
2. Increase the intake of proteins in your diet. Include food like fish in your diet which is high on protein.
3. Massage hair oils like coconut oil, almond oil, amla oil as they will help nourish the roots of your hair.
4. Onion juice is proved to be very helpful in growing back hair on your scalp. Apply it on your scalp and it may help you to grow back your hair.
5. Applying henna at home can also increase the volume of your hair and make it look beautiful too.

Along with the above mentioned treatments, eating healthy and sleeping well will also help you to tackle your problem of hair loss. Normally a person sheds fifty to hundred strands of hair per day, but if it is more than that, consulting a doctor is highly recommended.

Shocking Causes of Hair Loss and Treatment

Migraine is the most severe forms of headaches. Migraine attacks usually include nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light along with the severe headaches, which are sometimes unbearable. If faced with this condition, there is only one way out to suffer through it, though pain medications do help manage the pain.

Being such a common condition, there is constant research being done about how to help people deal with migraines. In addition to popping pain killers, there is more than what a person can do to reduce the pain.

Identify the triggers: Those who have had migraine for a while would know what triggers the attack. Whether it is chocolates or eggs, get to know what can induce an attack, and if possible, stay away from it.
Stick to a schedule: Whether it is in terms of food or sleep, try and develop a routine and follow it.
Physical workout: Develop an exercise regime to cover at least 30 minutes of physical exercise. Most people see a dramatic difference with a regular exercise routine.
Bid goodbye to smoking: If you are a smoker, work at quitting this habit. It is one of the known triggers and also aggravates regular headaches.
Stress management: Whether you are going through physical or emotional stress, migraine attacks can become more frequent and severe. Manage physical stress by not sitting at the same location for prolonged periods and by doing small exercises to relax the shoulders, knees, and jaws. For emotional stress, identify what helps you relax and follow it. While deep breathing works for some, for others, it could be music. Whatever your relaxation technique may be, ensure that you follow it. Work on improving relationships that stress you out. A regular exercise routine and sleep pattern also helps in reducing physical stress.
Despite these methods, migraine attacks do happen. Follow the next few steps when you know you are getting an attack.

Stop your regular activities and find a calm environment for yourself. Let this place have less of light and sound as they can aggravate migraines.
Sleep if you are able to.
Go for a warm bath if possible.
Try hot or cold compresses, which can numb the senses and reduce the pain.
Have a caffeinated beverage as this will provides relief. Do not have it in excess as you will have hangover effects from the caffeine.
Use only those medications that were prescribed by your doctor. Do not experiment.
Lifestyle changes including exercise, diet, and stress management play a vital role in dealing with migraines.

Migraine - How To Deal With It?

Winters can often be gloomy, which is why the Spring Equinox comes as good news for those counting the days until warmer weather. It is the time when equator passes through the center of the sun and the days become longer.  The spring equinox does not only mark as the beginning of the spring, but has great influence over our health.

On an average, we need 8-10 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated. This helps ensure proper blood circulation that takes nutrients to all the calls of the body, aids digestion, maintains proper functioning of the heart and brain and helps remove toxins from the body. Drinking water also helps improve metabolism and can, therefore, help you manage your weight. However, sometimes, you need to drink more water. The spring equinox is one such time of the year when the body needs more water. 
The equinox refers to the passing of the earth s equator plane through the centre of the sun. There are two equinoxes in a year; once in march and once in September. On an equinox, the length of the day and night is almost equal. The equinox in March is known as the Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox and occurs typically around the March 20. This marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. 
For a few days before and after the equinox along with the day of the equinox, the sun is directly overhead and very strong. Thus, it is essential to drink a lot of water and stay indoors as far as possible. If you must go out during the day, carry an umbrella or wear a car. The strength of the sun s rays can dehydrate the body very fast causing nausea, heat strokes and blackouts. In addition, the heat can also make you sweat excessively thereby increasing the amount of water expelled from your body. An easy way to check your body s hydrated levels is to check your urine.  A pale yellow, straw-like colour indicates good hydration while a darker yellow means that your body is dehydrated. 
While drinking water is important, drinking water the right way is equally important. Drinking a bottle of water at once may give you the impression that you have drunk enough water, but in reality, the body cannot absorb so much water at one time. Instead, you should space out your water intake and drink throughout the day. Juices, soft drinks, tea, coffee etc cannot be used as a substitute for water. The caffeine in tea and coffee can actually dehydrate your body further and hence should be avoided at this time. If plain water does not sound appealing to you, you could infuse it with herbs like basil or fruits and vegetables like strawberries, oranges, lemons and cucumbers to add flavour. 
Washing your face often and showering twice a day can also help hydrate your skin and cool you down. Alternatively, you could fill a spray bottle with water and spritz yourself from time to time.

The Spring Equinox - Why You Must Keep Yourself Hydrated?

Leading a life with peripheral neuropathy is quite similar to riding a roller coaster. Managing the pain can be frustrating at one time and overwhelming on the other as patients can experience alternating symptoms with debilitating pain. So you should learn about the various treatment options as they can help you go a long way in managing the pain.

The peripheral nerves are considered the longest in the body which extend from the hands to feet. When these nerves are damaged, you may feel some sort of pain, tingling in the hands and feet and even numbness, and these symptoms can even get worse and you may experience stabbing pain with increasing weakness. 

There are many things that you should know about peripheral neuropathy as they would help you to manage the condition much more effectively.

Diabetes is the leading cause of neuropathy: More than 70% of diabetics develop symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. So you should keep your blood sugar within optimum levels as a means of reversing diabetic neuropathy.
A melange of causes behind neuropathy: Though diabetes is the number 1 cause of peripheral neuropathy, other causes include deficiency of vitamin B12, alcoholism, traumatic injury, chemotherapy and exposure to toxic substances. Physicians may find it difficult to pin-point the cause and when this happens. This is often termed as  idiopathic neuropathy .
Medications causing neuropathy: If you are suffering from diabetes and being treated with the drug named metformin, you may develop peripheral neuropathy.
Preventing neuropathy is the most recommended way: While it is the fact that some nerves may potentially get damaged from certain surgeries or injury, peripheral neuropathy can be potentially prevented or sometimes stopped from spreading. As diabetes is a major cause of diabetes, being watchful about your diet and exercising regularly can help you go a long way to prevent diabetes as well as neuropathy.
Pain is not simply confined to a tingling sensation: Though pain and a tingling sensation is the commonest and easiest way of recognising the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, each of your sensory, motor and autonomic nerves can show different set of symptoms that you should be watchful of.
A diet may make the symptoms even worse: You can either help or hurt your nerves with your choice of foods. For improving symptoms, you should avoid food with excessive sugar, refined grains and artificial sweeteners as they may strain your nerves and irritate them further.
Whether you are recently diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy or living with it for many years, understanding a few conditions would help you make informed decisions about your well-being.

Peripheral Neuropathy - 6 Things You Should Know!

A breast lump is a restricted swelling, projection, lump or knot in the breast that doesn't feel like a breast tissue. There are diverse reasons why breast lumps occur.

Not all lumps are cancer. These can also be breast conditions that are not harmful and which can be easily curable.Knots that feel harder or are not the same as the rest of the breast need to be checked. This kind of irregularity might be an indication of breast cancer.

A self-examination should be your starting point. This is how you can detect a lump on your own:

Step 1: Begin by taking a look at your breast in the mirror. Keep your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.

This is what you need to search for:

    Breasts that are their typical size, shape, and shading
    Breasts that are uniformly formed without distortion or swelling

In the event that you see any of the changes mentioned below, convey them to your doctor:

    Dimpling, puckering, or protruding of the skin
    A nipple that is not in its initial position
    Redness, rash or swelling

Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the changes mentioned above.

Step 3: While you're in front of the mirror, search for any indications of liquid or blood discharge from the nipples.

Step 4: Next, examine your breasts while resting.Use Your right hand to feel your left breast and use your left hand to feel your right breast. Cover the whole breast from your collarbone to the highest point of your mid-region, and from your armpit to your cleavage to search for any lumps.

Step 5:Examine your breasts while either standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest approach to examine their breasts is when their skin is wet, so this step could be done while taking a bath as well.

Diagnosis:

    Mammogram: Mammography is a technique using X-rays to diagnose and locate tumours of the breasts.
    Breast ultrasound: Breast ultrasound utilises sound waves to create pictures of the breasts from the inside.
    Breast MRI:This involves using an effective and attractive field, and radio frequency pulses to create photos of the insides of the breasts.
    Ultrasound-guided biopsy: During this sort of biopsy, utilising ultrasound imaging to discover the bump, a radiologist will give you anesthesia and afterward insert a needle into the lump to evacuate some tissue for assessment under a magnifying lens. Stereotactic biopsy and an X-ray-guided biopsy may also be used.

Possible treatments:

    In case the knot turns out to be cancerous, surgery is typically performed.
    You may have a few discussions with different doctors for additional treatment, including radiation treatment and chemotherapy or hormone treatment.

What You Should Know About Breast Lump Detection

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