What is the best time to sleep?
This is one of those questions which bother many and sundry. Considering the different sleep schedules which different people might develop as a result of their work or other reasons, the correct answer is roughly around 10 p. M. It is good to follow a proper sleeping schedule so that you go to bed and wake up at the same time almost every single day. The body's internal clock or the circadian rhythm is linked to the cycle of the sun. Technically, it is better to wake up with the sun as it has a number of benefits for the human body.

The quality of sleep is known to be influenced by how late you retire for the night. The quality of rem (rapid eye movement) sleep tends to decrease if you go to sleep late. There is another type of sleep which is known as non rem sleep; this is a deeper state of sleep. The non rem sleep helps in revitalizing the body and leaves you energized once you wake up. Sleeping late at night is linked to higher levels of rem sleep, which might not be very beneficial for your physical or mental health.

If you go to bed late at night, you will experience more of the lighter rem sleep. This may lead to fatigue and restlessness the following day. It is also been shown that going to bed late and sleeping less than the usual eight hours is linked with problems in blood sugar levels and decline in cognitive function. It also raises your risks of high blood pressure.

Exposure to radiation from your cellphones or the glare from your computer screen before going to sleep may also affect the quantity and quality of your sleep. Make sure you eat a light dinner consisting of salads. Eating a heavy dinner before going to bed may cause digestive problems, thus impairing your sleep. Also make sure to exercise on a regular basis as it releases various hormones in the body that help in improving your overall wellbeing.

Just What Is the Best Time to Go to Sleep?

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

For diabetics, healthy eating is essential. This can be the most important tool available in managing diabetes and blood sugar fluctuations. This is because what a person eats has a direct effect on their blood sugar levels. When food is digested, it is broken down into a form of sugar known as glucose. This powers the body and acts as an energy source. For this, the body needs insulin. In the case of diabetics, insulin does not function the way it should or is not present in the required amounts. This causes the glucose to remain in the blood and in turn spikes blood sugar levels. The good news is that diabetes can be controlled. This is where the person s diet plays an important role.

Not all food causes an increase in blood sugar levels. The effect of a food item on a diabetic depends on how it affects the body s ability to process glucose. Processed foods, fatty foods, food with added sugar etc. can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. However, fruits and vegetables do not have the same effect. Foods that have a high glycemic index do not keep a person satiated for long but cause blood sugar fluctuations. On the other hand, foods with a low glycemic index do not cause blood sugar fluctuations and keep hunger satiated for longer. Hence, the former should be avoided as far as possible. Replace processed grains with whole grains, red meat with lean meat or fish and add plenty of beans and legumes to your diet. Trans fats should also be avoided.

Eating right can also help with weight management. Being overweight puts additional pressure on the insulin available which leads to frequent blood sugar fluctuations. Eating right accompanied by regular exercise is crucial to weight management. Keeping your weight under control can even help prevent diabetes especially in cases, where a person has a high genetic risk of developing diabetes. This can also help reduce the risk of further complications.

When it comes to diabetes, eating at the right time is as important as eating the right food. Diabetics should not leave long gaps between their meals. This is because having a gap of more than 3 hours can destabilize blood sugar levels and be dangerous for the patient. Hence, a diabetic should eat smaller, more frequent meals. It is also a good idea for a diabetic to monitor sugar levels before going to sleep and after waking up.

Importance Of Diet Management In Diabetes!

Sleep disorder is a medical and physiological condition that can come with a number of symptoms and pain points, including insomnia or problems in getting proper sleep, constant waking up at night on a rather frequent basis, difficulty in remaining asleep for long periods of time, waking up tired due to lack of restorative sleep where the brain does not go to sleep properly, waking up at a particular time early every morning and not being able to go back to sleep and a host of related problems.

There are many methods of dealing with the same including medication and sleep therapy. When we speak of medication, homeopathy is one such field of medicine that is known for its lasting efficacy. This form of medicine has emanated after centuries of research and has been in practice for over 200 years now. The medication prescribed by a homeopath doctor will usually have a small dose of naturally found elements so as to trigger the intrinsic healing prowess and system of the body into action. Few medicines with symptoms of sleeping disorder mentioned below-

Coffee Cruda: This homeopathic medicine is one of the most widely prescribed ones when it comes to issues that have to do with sleeplessness. It is best suited for patients who are facing a constant flow of random and often, worrying, thoughts in their mind, when they should actually be sleeping. This triggers insomnia and makes it difficult to maintain proper sleep, even when the patient finally manages to get some shuteye.
Kali Phos: This is also a well-known homeopathic cure for sleep disorders. This is ideally suited for patients of sleeplessness and especially those who are facing nagging worries, which have culminated into a state of stress. This kind of stress can have to do with one s studies, marriage, career, children and much more. It is also prescribed for patients who are having trouble when it comes to getting over some form of adversity in their lives like the loss of a loved one.
Natrum Mur: This is a homeopathic medicine that doctors usually prescribe for individuals who have been facing some chronic form of grief due to some incident or a series of such incidents in their life. Emotional disturbances can cause a repetition of thoughts and worry in their minds, which keeps them from getting any rest.
Nux Vomica: This medicine is ideal for those patients who have no trouble when it comes to falling off to sleep. But once they sleep, they find that they wake up frequently and cannot go back to sleep again. They may also have disturbing dreams, which can make their brain wake up and become too restless to go back to sleep in a hurry.
All homeopathic medicines although, do not have any side effects, but in order to make sure that they work effectively on a person they must be taken strictly under the supervision of a homeopathic physician as all times. 

Different Sleep Disorders & Homeopathic Remedies For Them!

"Nightcaps (Drinking alcohol before bed) give you the worst sleep ever!

Any alcoholic beverage (generally brandy, wine, beer, bourbon etc) consumed before bedtime is known as a nightcap. You may have a nightcap thinking you’ll get better sleep, but did you know that it’s actually responsible for giving you a disrupted sleep pattern? Nightcaps may gradually start interfering with your sleeping quality, causing you to wake up sooner than you want.

How do nightcaps adversely affect your sleeping pattern?

Recently, a study conducted by the University of Melbourne revealed the fact that alcohol before bedtime can give you the worst sleep ever. In this study, several volunteering adults were neurologically monitored in a lab for a few days. Half of them were asked to have nightcaps, while the other half was instructed to drink non-alcoholic beverages. After completing their observation, the researchers reached the conclusion that though alcohol resulted in greater number of sleeping hours, it left the participants feeling dehydrated and less refreshed in the morning due to fragmented sleep. This is because the sleep induced by nightcaps is very shallow, and having nightcaps regularly can result in less restorative sleep. 

The side-effects of nightcaps

Ruining your sleep is not the only ill effect nightcaps have on your health. Nightcaps give rise to other issues too, like snoring and night sweats. Moreover, consuming alcohol before falling asleep also weakens your immune system, damages your memory, speeds up the ageing process, results in nightmares, and causes headaches and insomnia. In fact, regular nightcaps are bad for your heart too. 

4 ways how you can prevent alcohol from affecting your sleep pattern

Nonetheless, if you want to include a bit of alcohol to your dinner, it can be done in the correct way to ensure that it doesn’t affect the quality of your sleep. You can follow these simple rules to minimise the ill effects of nightcaps:

1. Stick to the three hour rule: Ensure that you drink alcohol at least 3 hours prior to sleeping.

2. Limit yourself to a fixed amount: Always consume alcoholic beverages in moderation and try to limit yourself to only one or two drinks every day.

3. Sleep early: Try to avoid staying awake longer than you usually do as this adds up to alcohol’s abilities of disturbing your sleep.

4. Increase your water intake: Prevent your body from getting dehydrated by the effect of alcohol by consuming at least one glass of water for each glass of alcohol. Additionally, don’t forget to sip a few glasses of water after waking up in the morning.

Sleep is important for your overall well being, so try not to compromise with it by consuming nightcaps regularly, especially after knowing about its devastating effects.



Do You Know Nightcaps (Drinking Alcohol Before Bed) Give You the Worst Sleep!

Everyone knows that drinking a cup of coffee before bed can leave you tossing and turning for hours. Eating the right food not only gives the body the right kind of nutrition, it also affects the quality of your sleep. While some foods are sleep deprivers, others are sleep enhancers. Here are a few such types of food that you can include in your diet to improve your sleep.

Cherries: Cherries are rich sources of melatonin. This is the chemical responsible for controlling the body s internal clock. A serving of tart cherries in their raw, whole form or a glass of cherry juice(without added sugars) can improve sleep quality and help treat chronic insomnia. It can also be used to fight jet lag.
Walnuts: These nuts are rich sources of an amino acid known as trytophan. Trytophan boosts serotonin and melatonin production thus regulating the body s sleep-wake cycle. This can help you fall asleep faster and avoid tossing and turning.
Milk: A glass of warm milk is a well known home remedy for insomnia. Milk or any form of dairy is rich in tryptophan. As mentioned above, this helps people fall asleep faster by regularizing their circadian rhythm. Additionally, calcium also helps regulate muscle movements and calms the body by fighting stress and stabilizing nerve fibers. If you don t like the thought of plain milk, you could try other forms of dairy like cheese and yogurt.
Rice: Jasmine rice and other forms of white rice have a high glycemic index. This means that the body digests rice slowly and hence releases glucose produced during digestion very gradually into the body. This helps cut down the time it takes to fall asleep. A gradual absorption of glucose in the body also prevents a  sugar high  and its accompanying crash. This helps prevent waking up in the middle of the night and ensures that you sleep through the night comfortably.
Bananas: Bananas are great not only for your overall health but also for your sleep cycle. Bananas are rich sources of magnesium and potassium. These are natural muscle relaxants that promote sleep. They also help fight sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome and muscle cramps to give you a more restful sleep. Bananas are also rich in carbohydrates that are slow to digest and hence make people fall asleep faster. Combining bananas and milk is a sure shot way of falling asleep faster.

5 Foods For a Good Night Sleep

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