You might have a wonderful morning routine to keep you healthy. However, do you know what really determines health is also your bed time routine? Each night you end one day and stand at the brink of starting a new one. It is therefore crucial how you organize your bed time.

Here are 7 things to adopt for your bed time- 

1) Plan for next day: Preparing in advance always gives you more time and leaves you stress free. Things like looking for keys, deciding what to wear etc make you late and add to your morning stress. Prepare also for breakfast or what to cook the next day. Planning at night doesnt take much time and makes your next day start on a good note.

2) Shut out the buzz: Most of us say goodnight to family and head to bed only to spend the next hour checking Facebook and social media. Or you end up watching a funny video or movie late into the night. If you keep yourself distracted, you can't go off to sleep early or get quality sleep. The light from your gadget's screen can be harmful and stress inducing. It is best to give yourself an hour away from your mobile phone or other gadgets before you sleep.

3) Write a 'Thank-You' Diary: There are many ways to become a more positive person and the best is to have appreciation. Try finding out that 1 thing (more is better) that you are thankful for. Do it everyday. This practice right ahead of your sleep time calms you down, makes you feel happy, satisfied and goes on a long way in contributing to a heathy lifestyle.

4) Stretch it out: Like most people do you also have a job where you keep sitting for long hours? Stretching really works, it helps lengthen tendons and muscles and can reduce the frequency and severity of cramps ensuring you get a better night's sleep.

5) Try meditating: Our work life has become ever so demanding, we are constantly bombarded with information via the television, social media, the internet, friends and work which results in stress and anxiety! Few minutes of meditation before bed, slows down your brain activity which results in a deeper and more peaceful sleep. You will wake up feeling well-rested, energized and ready to take on the day!

6) Book by your side: Reading before bed is has amazing benefits. Firstly, it calms the nerves by eliminating excess sound and vision stimulus (exactly the opposite of what you get from watching television!). It helps you to wind down and sleep better, it also improves brain function, your memory and the thinking process overall.

7) Sleep is crucial: Foremost is to simply make sleep a priority. It is not as simple as it sounds. Sleep deficiency directly relates to increased stress, weight gain and productivity loss. Going to bed late and managing with 5 or 6 hours sleep sets a bad tone for your day.

Your happiness and general wellbeing is controlled by how relaxing you make your bed time.

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Dr. Sapna Zarwal Tells You How To Improve Your Bed-time Routine

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!

For most people, the screen of a cell phone is the first thing they see in the morning and the last thing they see before going to bed. Nobody can deny the fact that living without a cell phone today is extremely difficult but must we be so glued to them? Staring into a phone or tablet screen, before going to sleep affects your sleep as well as impacts your health. Here's how:

It is harder to fall asleep

We feel sleepy when the brain releases a hormone called melatonin. This release is determined by the body's circadian rhythm which is controlled by light exposure. The blue light of a cell phone screen interferes with this rhythm and tells the brain not to secrete melatonin. This makes it harder to fall asleep even after you have switched off your phone.

It hampers the quality of your sleep

A direct effect of sleeping late is a reduced amount of sleep. On top, that, using a cell phone before going to bed also hampers the quality of your sleep. When an office email or a text message is the last thing you see before going to sleep, your brain cannot completely shut off. This makes you tense even in your sleep.

It lowers your attention span

When you wake up from a restless night's sleep, your productivity suffers. Not getting enough sleep is known to hamper your decision-making skills, impairs both long term and short term memory and make you distracted. This leads to unnecessary stress and anxiety.

It increases the risk of weight gain

The body is more likely to feel hungry when you don't have enough sleep. This is because sleep-deprived people have a lower metabolism. Thus using a cell phone before sleeping also increases your chances of snacking on something unhealthy to get through the day and in turn you put on weight.

It weakens your immune system

The body's immune system produces antibodies that fight infections while we are asleep. Depriving the body of the sleep it needs weakens the immune system by not giving it enough time to build its forces. Not only does this increase the risk of falling ill it also slows down recovery from illnesses.

It damages your skin

Sleeping late at night and not getting enough sleep can cause dark circles, puffy eyes and fine lines across the face. The blue light of a cell phone screen also tells the body to secrete cortisol which makes the skin less elastic and smooth.

Thus, even if you look at a phone screen for just five minutes every night before going to bed, the side effects last much longer and affect your mental and physical health as well as your looks.

Browsing on the Phone Before Sleep: Effects on Health

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

After a hard day the only relief one has is to get a good night s rest and drift off to the world of sweet sleep. You might find yourself wide awake at night, even when your body is extremely tired. This difficulty to fall asleep naturally is called insomnia. If this inability to sleep continues for a long time, it becomes a sleep disorder and can cause many physical and health issues.

Reasons behind Insomnia  

The lifestyle of the twenty first century can be very demanding. A disorder like Insomnia can be easily triggered with various factors they include:

1. Emotional stress: The rollercoaster of emotions that one deals with had a huge effect on their sleep cycle. A stressed mindset will find it hard to be put to rest and as this unwanted stress continues each day.

2. Fluctuating hormones in a woman s body: Women tend to be the victims of insomnia more often than their male counterparts. These changes may include conditions such as PMS, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.

3. Use of caffeine and anti depressants:  Excessive coffee drinkers might find it difficult to relax their brain, since the caffeine in tea and coffee keeps one brain alert, hence too much of caffeine consumption can be a cause of insomnia. Even smokers might face the same problem since the nicotine acts as an alerting agent.

4. Systemic disorders: Disorders like Asthma and Hyperthyroidism and other various medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, arthritis, allergies, hyperthyroidism and Parkinson s disease can do the same.

Treating insomnia with homeopathy

The reason why Insomnia can be treated the best way through homeopathy is because this treatment is both free from any side effects and is quick in its effects as well in comparison to other conventional methods which induce artificial sleep that can have harrowing effects.  On the contrary, homeopathy is a completely natural treatment that doesn t include any artificial drugs and its small doses work just the right way.

Medications

1. Coffea Cruda is a homeopathic medicine that is most often used for treating insomnia of acute origin or when the disorder only lasts for a brief moment of time.  As the name suggests it is made from coffee beans.

2. Nux Vomica is more suited when insomnia is due to the abuse of stimulants like too much of alcohol, coffee or nicotine. Other medicines such as opium, aconite, arsenic are also recommended by a specialized homeopath. 

It is always recommended to consult a specialized homeopath before taking any medication.

Understanding Insomnia and its Treatment Through Homeopathy

Spine surgery is conventionally performed as  open surgery , which means the region being worked on is opened with a long entry point to permit the surgeon to view and access the area. Technical and scientific advances have permitted more back and neck conditions to be treated with a less obtrusive surgical technique. The minimal invasive spine surgery (MISS) does not include a long cut, and it prevents causing damage to the muscles around the spine. As a rule, this causes less pain after the surgery and a speedier and healthy recovery.

Spine surgery is normally suggested when non-surgical treatments like medicinal or exercise based methods have not helped in lessening the excruciating symptoms of your back problem. Moreover, surgery is just considered if your doctor can pinpoint the correct reason of your pain, for example, a herniated circle or spinal stenosis. 

MISS is also called less obtrusive spine surgery. In these procedures, surgeons utilise particular instruments to get to the spine through little cuts. The surgery process is as follows:

During the surgery, a little entry point is made and the tubular retractor is embedded through the skin.
It is also inserted into the delicate tissues down to the spinal cord.
This makes a passage to the little range where the problem exists in the spine.
The tubular retractor holds the muscles open and is set up all through the surgery.
The surgeon gets to the spine utilising the little instruments that fit through the focal point of the tubular retractor.
Any bone or disk material that is expelled goes out from the retractor.
Any gadgets needed for the fusion process, for example, screws or rods, are embedded through the retractor.
A few surgeries require more than one retractor.
Keeping in mind the end goal to see where to put the entry point and embed the retractor, the surgeon is guided by fluoroscopy.
This strategy shows ongoing X-ray pictures of the patient's spine on a screen throughout the surgery.
The surgeon additionally utilises a microscope to enlarge the view through the retractor.
Towards the end of the procedure, the tubular retractor is expelled and the muscles come back to their original position.
This restrains the muscle damage that is more ordinarily found in open surgeries.
It is very important to talk about these risks with your doctor before your surgery or procedure.

Infection: Antibiotics are consistently given to the patient some time before, during, and regularly after the surgery to reduce the danger of infections.
Bleeding: A specific measure of bleeding is normal; however, this is not commonly dangerous.
Pain in the grafted area: Some patients will encounter surgical pain at the bone joint site.
Recurring symptoms: A few patients may encounter a repeat of their side effects.
Pseudarthrosis: Patients who tend to smoke are more prone to pseudarthrosis. This is a condition wherein there is insufficient bone formation. In case that this happens, a minor surgery may be required.
Nerve damage: It is possible that the nerves or veins might be harmed during these operations. These complications are extremely uncommon.
Blood clots: Another complication is blood clots in the legs. This poses a threat because these clots can break off and settle in the lungs.

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery - A Guide On What To Expect?

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