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

6 Tips for helping you sleep better

Resting at night plays an important role in regulating your daily health and your level of energy throughout a day. Also, not only the quantity but the quality of sleep is also important for a healthy lifestyle. Bedtime habits do play a vital role in shaping up your lifestyle and personality as a whole. Here are 6 lifestyle habits that can help you to get sound sleep on a daily basis.

1. Having a fixed sleep pattern: Going to sleep and waking up approximately during the same time every day helps to maintain an equilibrium in the sleep-wake cycle. If this balance is maintained then your body will be accustomed to this pattern and as a result, you will feel less tired and sleepy during the daytime.

2. Maintaining certain dietary regulations: You should also maintain a proper diet plan and examine the consequences of the foods that you are eating and the fluids that you are drinking. Taking a proper and nutritious diet on a daily basis will help you to stay healthy by not disrupting your natural sleep-wake cycle.

3. Ensuring that your room has appropriate lighting: The level of light also matters at the time of your sleep. You should definitely make sure that there is a very minimal level of light around you during bed time. This should be done because the lesser is the light, the more comfortable you are while sleeping. Additionally, the sleep that you will get into a dark room will also be sound and undistorted as it helps keep all the sensory organs calm.

4. Regular exercise: Exercising regularly helps to improve the overall quality of sleep by making you tired at night and sending you to bed more efficiently. Light to mild exercises also helps cure sleep disorders like insomnia.

5. Opting for some relaxing activities before bed: Depending on your personality, you should follow simple techniques of relaxation in order to calm down the brain before sleep. Some of the most common relaxation techniques include- deep breathing exercise, muscle relaxing activity, visualizing a peaceful setting/ scenario and a light before-bed snack. The above-mentioned activities are just suggestive and you should do anything that helps you to get a sound sleep.

6. Having daytime naps: Having short naps of less than one hour is absolutely okay if you are excessively tired during the day or you did not have a sound sleep the previous night. But, if you are consistently having long naps during the day then you are bound to have sleep issues during the night. So it is advisable to sleep early and wake up early for a healthy schedule.



6 Tips for helping you sleep better

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which you experience frequent breathing pauses while sleeping. In case of some, the pauses may last for just a few seconds, while for others, it may continue for a few minutes. Sleep apnea is generally chronic in nature. There are three types of sleep apnea, namely Central, Obstructive and Complex sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs if the brain fails to transmit signals to the muscles responsible for your breathing functions. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs due to relaxation of your throat muscles. Complex sleep apnea refers to a combined condition of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.

Some of the possible causes of sleep apnea are as follows: 
1. Blockage of airway during sleep can cause sleep apnea
2. Putting on weight can cause obstructive sleep apnea
3. In some cases, large tonsil tissues can lead to obstructive sleep apnea in small children
4. Intake of certain medicines like Oxycontin or MS Contin can cause central sleep apnea
5. Male people are more prone to sleep apnea
6. Smoking is also a potent trigger for sleep apnea
7. At times, high blood pressure can induce sleep apnea
8. Suffering from sinus can also lead to sleep apnea
9. Large neck size (more than 16 inches) may cause sleep apnea
In case of some people, sleep apnea might be an inherited condition.

The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are mentioned below:
a. Sometimes, obstructive sleep apnea is accompanied by choking or snorting sounds.
b. You may encounter breathing trouble while sleeping, leading to a disruption of your sleep.
c. Maximum times, sleep apnea is accompanied by snoring.
d. Sleep apnea leads to a dry mouth, which can disturb your sleep.
e. You may feel dizzy during daytime.

Causes and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Getting a good night s sleep is needed not only to remove dark circles but to improve your overall health as well. Ideally, adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. This helps you stay physically and mentally healthy. However, getting a good night s sleep is easier said than done, as sleep apnea is one of the factors that could affect the quality of your sleep. This can cause a number of health issues including heart disease.

What is sleep apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder that can make your breathing start and stop repeatedly while you are asleep. These pauses can range from 5 times an hour to 30 times in one hour. Waking up tired after a long sleep and snoring are characteristic symptoms of this condition. This can be annoying for others, but for you, it could be life-threatening. When your breathing stops; your airways get blocked. 

This is characteristic of obstructive sleep apnea, as every time this happens, you wake up. This can increase the risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure, in turn, can cause arrhythmia, heart failure, and strokes. This can increase the risk of a fatal heart attack by up to 5 times.

Heart disease and central sleep apnea have a cyclic relationship. In this case, heart disease causes the person to retain water and salts. At night, this excess fluid can enter the lungs making the person wake up feeling short of breath. This is not necessarily because the airways get blocked but because the brain does not send the diaphragm a signal to expand and contract. This is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea.

Reducing your risk of heart disease caused by sleep apnea
There are ways to treat sleep apnea so as to reduce the chances of heart diseases. To treat it, it must first be diagnosed. Thus, if your roommate notices you snoring, consult a doctor immediately. For a diagnosis, you will need to undergo a sleep study. This involves staying overnight in the hospital where they will monitor your sleep. Treatment for sleep apnea is known as continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP. 

This form of treatment involves wearing a mask that regulates the air pressure as you breathe thus ensuring that the air passages do not close down. In case of obstructive sleep apnea, losing weight if you are obese, can also help treat the condition and keep the airways open. 

Sleep Apnea - How It Can Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease?

A good night's sleep is very essential for the body and mind to recharge and be ready to function to its full extent each day. Though, the constant change in lifestyle has altered the fixed sleep hours, it is still advisable that for a healthy lifestyle, 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep is essential.

Studies reveal that about 60% of the UK population is sleep deprived, getting 6 or less hours of sleep. Further, studies have shown that there is a good correlation between a person's food habits and the sleep pattern. While some foods are good at inducing sleep, there are others which help you reduce fatigue that sleeplessness brings in.

The following is a list of foods along with their most significant benefits:

Cherries: Cherries contain Melatonin which controls our biological clock and is often used to combat jetlag. Melatonin improves duration and quality of sleep.
Bananas: Bananas are loaded with Potassium and Magnesium, which are very good for cardiovascular health and cognitive functioning and are believed to induce peaceful sleep.
Mangoes: Mangoes help by boosting the immune system and provide a good night's sleep.
Blueberries: Blueberries are believed to reduce oxidative stress and muscle cell inflammation and are an excellent choice of snack for lack of sleep. Blueberries balance the level of blood sugar and stabilize the hormone of satiety, Leptin, thus, inducing better sleep.
Milk: A glass of warm milk induces sleep. Add a pinch of cinnamon and see yourself sleep even better. Scientists believe that Tryptophan and Serotonin do the magic. Not just milk, even other dairy products such as cheese can improve your sleep.
Fish: Salmon, Sardines, and Tuna are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and also contain vitamin B6. All these are believed to improve cognitive state and are believed to induce a restful sleep.
Nuts: Be it walnuts, pecans or cashews, all nuts have a soothing effect. They are a rich source of Tryptophan, which is an amino acid responsible for sleep. They release Melatonin and Serotonin which regulate the biological clock and manage sleep patterns.
Herbal tea: For instance, Chamomile tea and Valerian tea act as a mild sedative and encourage a healthy sleep. The whole act of brewing the tea with the aroma wafting through the air is believed to promote a soothing effect too. Green tea is also considered as a god sleep inducing agent.

8 Great Things To Eat For People Suffering From Poor Sleep

Getting a good night s sleep is essential for a healthy lifestyle. When a person is asleep, the body rejuvenates itself. Some people can fall asleep as soon as their head touches the pillow but others can find it hard to sleep. Conditions that affect a person s ability to sleep properly over a long period of time are known as sleep disorders. There are many different types of sleep disorders.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder. This is marked by frequent interruptions in the person s breathing. It may cause the person s breath to become shallow or even stop briefly. In many cases, the person may not be aware of this happening while they sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway. This makes the chest muscles and diaphragm work harder to pull air into the lungs.

Insomnia
Insomnia can be described as an inability to fall asleep. Waking up frequently in the middle of the night and finding it difficult to go back to sleep or waking up earlier than planned in the morning are also characteristic signs of insomnia. There are two types of insomnia; primary and secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia refers to the inability to sleep that is not connected to any other disease. If the person s inability to sleep stems from another disease, it is known as secondary insomnia. There are a number of factors that could cause insomnia. This includes life changes such as shifting to a new home, death of a loved one or change of jobs, emotional discomfort, environmental factors such as light or noise, jet lag, stress, etc.

Restless Leg Syndrome
This sleep disorder is also classified as a neurological disorder. It is characterized by an overwhelming urge to move one s legs while sleeping. This may be felt as a scratchy itchy, burning, pulling or throbbing sensation. Massaging the legs or moving it only provides temporary relief. The exact cause of this condition is not known but suffering from an iron deficiency, kidney failure, diabetes, Parkinson s disease or peripheral neuropathy can increase the risk of this sleep disorder.

Narcolepsy
This can be described as the brain s inability to control its sleep cycle. This can make a person fall asleep unexpectedly during the day while falling asleep at night becomes more difficult. In most cases, this sleep disorder is caused by reduced levels of a neurotransmitter known as hypocretin.

So, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or have difficulty sleeping, it is advised not to self-medicate and delay the treatment. Seek help from a professional right away and enjoy peaceful sleep.

Sleep Disorder - Know Its Types And Causes!

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