October 13th, 2007 by Phil

Sleep deprivation is generally the cause of sleep disorders such as apnea, narcolepsy and insomnia. Sleep deprivation affects millions of people around the world and is the lack of sleep which is crucial for restoration and rejuvenation.

Contrary to what people think, insomnia is not defined by the number of hours a person sleeps. As we get older, we tend to need less sleep. Babies might need between 10 to 14 hours a night and children between 9 to 12 hours sleep. Sleep is important for growth as well as for restoring muscular energy.

The optimum amount of sleep for most adults is around 7 to 8 hours a night. Although as I said it really does differ from person to person, some people may need as few as 4 hours, or as many as 10 hours of sleep per night.

If you feel refreshed during the day and not sleepy until bedtime, then obviously you’re getting enough sleep. The amount of sleep required varies from person to person and depends on a number possible of factors including, age, genetic make-up, the amount of exercise you get, what you do during the day, the quality of your sleep and whether you are still growing.

5 hours of deep quality sleep is far better than 12 hour of broken sleep. It’s important to note that it’s the quality of sleep obtained at night and not just the quantity that determines how you feel the next day. There are various stages of sleep and it’s in the deeper stages that the body is able to restore.

Lack of sleep generally causes daytime tiredness, lethargy, aching muscles, blurred vision, headaches, nausea, irritability and frequent yawning. Although sleep deprivation is not life threatening it can adversely affect brain functioning. You may find that your ability to concentrate or carry out tasks more problematic.

You may find that after a good night’s sleep that you feel refreshed and energized. Sleep enables you to restore and rejuvenate many functions of the mind and body. Without sleep your immune system may weaken leaving you susceptible to illnesses. Sleep is essential for the release of growth hormones for proper physical and mental development.

Sleep studies have found that sleep deprivation can have the similar affects to those of excessive alcohol. Thousands of accidents a year occur due to falling asleep or loss of concentration, mainly while driving or operating dangerous machinery. Its total cost, in terms of illness, injuries, and decreased quality of life is staggering. A constant lack of sleep severely affects quality of life and can often lead to mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Sleep deprivation affects all ages including students in high school. In act in a recent study it was revealed that 1 in 4 students admitted to falling asleep in class. Most schools start early which prevents students getting enough sleep. Forced sleep deprivation over a long period can lead to insomnia. Fortunately in many school districts, opening school times have been delayed to give students more time to sleep.

However this doesn’t prevent the fact that people are working longer hours than ever and with electricity, the average amount of sleep a night has decreased dramatically.

With sleep deprivation becoming an increasingly growing problem and insomnia affecting a third of all adults, more needs to be done to counteract this problem. People need to be made aware of the seriousness of sleep deprivation and more importantly how to deal with it.

October 6th, 2007 by Phil

Do we have control over stress? Some people wake up and feel that they are not in control of their thoughts and emotions, and they might wake up in a bad mood, with negative thoughts about themselves and the rest of their day. We’ve all experienced a bad day where nothing seems to go right.

What we all need to realize is that we do have control of our thoughts and emotions. In a relatively short space of time you can learn to handle stress and control your emotions. It’s important that we deal with stress as it can have detrimental effects on our physical and mental health.

Stress is an overproduction of adrenalin and other hormones, when these hormones are not expelled quick enough, we may experience a spike. In the short term this can affect our mental and physical state of being. We may feel upset, angry or hurt. Physically we may feel tense, irritable and on edge.

In the long run, too much stress will have a far greater impact than just a headache. Too much stress increases your chances of heart disease, stroke, heart attacks and psychological disorders. What’s more, stress is a major factor in causing sleep disorders.

So what can we do to reduce stress?

Here are some ideas you can try when you feel stressed:

In the next few post, I will show you how you can deal with stress using a simple yet highly proven and effective technique. In the meantime, take it easy on the cushion.

September 30th, 2007 by Phil

Did you know that the combined sales, of the top pharmaceutical companies in 2004 amounted to 550 Billion dollars? Just to reiterate, that’s Billion, not million in sales. Unfortunately a large proportion of their profits go into advertising campaigns rather than research. Unaware that these corporations are profit and success driven, we become susceptible to their advertising campaigns selling the dream of a perfect life.

As most of their profits come from prescription drugs, their campaigns have taken a strategic shift to maximize profits. One way they have done this is by targeting doctors. They even suggest that you go ‘Ask you doctor about …X drug’ in their advertisements. Considering that the average American spends three and three-quarter hours in front of the television a day, it’s unlikely that we have not been exposed to their advertising efforts.

Did you know that there an estimated 100,000 deaths in the US each year from adverse drug reactions? Unfortunately we never get shown or told the uglier side in these advertisements. Instead we are subjected to false hopes of a perfect and healthy life. Well it’s good to know that these big pharmaceutical companies aren’t just in it for the money and really have our health and well being in mind (sarcasm). So before you go rushing out to ‘Ask Your Doctor’ about the next life changing pill, watch this video:

September 30th, 2007 by Phil

You think with all these top scientists and advance technology that someone could beat insomnia with a magic pill. But what you need to understand is that insomnia is not a disease or a virus, it’s not a cancer that can be surgically removed or treated with kemo-therapy and it’s not a headache or a cough that can be bettered with a little medication.

Like with depression and anxiety disorders it needs to be treated in the mind. Although mental disorders tend to manifest physical symptoms, the source is in the brain. But like breathing, the mind already knows how to sleep. It’s the sub-conscious that is the key to unlocking your ability to sleep, that’s the ‘sleep in a bottle’.

Our ability to naturally fall asleep has developed over thousands of years, it’s been ingrained into our DNA. It’s our conscious mind that has hindered and counteracted our ability to sleep. Even if you have suffered from insomnia for years, there is hope and it can be overcome.

Relying on sleeping pills to fall asleep will only make conquering insomnia even more difficult in the long term. Insomnia sufferers often turn first to sleeping pills for a quick fix solution, to help them fall asleep. Sleeping pills may seem to help the problem at first, but they do not treat the underlying cause of insomnia and often lose effectiveness over the long term.

Many insomniacs who depend on sleeping pills become chronic users and will often change from one brand of sleeping pills to another as they begin to lose their effectiveness. Another danger is that many sufferers will increase their dosage without seeking professional medical advice. It has been estimated that there are over 1000 deaths a year due to overdosing on sleeping pills alone.

September 25th, 2007 by Phil

Want to know how to sleep better at night?

If you suffer from insomnia, you’ll be glad to know that there are effective solutions to help you regain a normal sleeping pattern. Insomnia doesn’t develop overnight, rather it’s a learned negative habit.

Just as you’ve learned these negative habits that prevent you from getting any sleep, you can learn positive ones to counteract your old habits. Sometimes sleeplessness can be triggered by a traumatic event such as a death in the family or troubling times.

More frequently, insomnia is the result of normal daily life; work, relationships and family life can all be factors in its cause. We live in a profit and success driven world where heart attacks, strokes and depression are becoming common place. Stress is an accepted part of our daily lives and yet it is one of the most destructive factors to our mental and physical health.

We often undermine its negative effects and ignore the body’s signal of excessive stress. In fact, even a little stress a day is bad for you. When we experience it in huge doses, you may experience headaches, tension, palpitations, blurred vision and irritability.

Too much stress can weaken the immune system and lead to psychosomatic illnesses, depression, anxiety disorders, heart attacks and strokes. This is why it is absolutely vital to deal with stress. The most effective and healthy way to combat stress is to deal with it before it emerges, so that it can be expelled quickly.

How is this done? There are too highly effective and powerful techniques you can try; EFT which stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Through these techniques you can learn to counteract stress before it unleashes its devastating effects on the mind and body.

Sleep is an integral part of life. It’s vital for restoration and growth and essential for health. It’s important to remember that the sleep process doesn’t begin as soon as you rest your head. The day reflects into the night. You cannot expect to rush around all day, with thoughts of worry, stress on your mind and expect to fall asleep soundly if you suffer from insomnia.

So pay attention to your day, deal with stress effectively. A life without stress is a happy and healthy life. Without stress sleep will come more easily.

If you enjoyed this article on how to sleep better, stay tuned for more!

September 22nd, 2007 by Phil

Learn hypnosis, EFT and NLP and much more. You can beat insomnia and attain deep refreshing sleep every night. Please watch the following video or visit How to Beat Insomnia

Please add any comments!

September 19th, 2007 by Phil

Natural sleep remedies are increasingly popular among insomnia sufferers as they are generally non-addictive and safer compared to prescribed sleeping pills. In this article I will mention a few natural sleep remedies that are widely available on the market and explain some of their benefits and usage.

Please note that although natural sleep remedies are perceived as being safer than sleeping pills, they should still be taken with caution and should not be taken unnecessarily. It is recommended that you consult your doctor before considering taking any natural sleep remedies.

Natural sleep remedies may contain natural ingredients that may interfere with prescription medication or may not be suitable for you. Seeking medical advice is a must before considering taking any sleep aids or remedies.

Prescribed Sleeping pills on the other hand are generally bad news. Sleeping pills will break down your body’s natural sleep cycle and make sleep very difficult in the long term. It may also affect the amount of deep sleep you attain during the night as the chemicals in most major sleeping pills interfere with normal brain wave patterns.

You may find that you wake up feeling groggy, drowsy or tired. Other Side effects include urinary retention, blurred vision, dizziness and palpitations. Sleeping pills may help you get to sleep but with continual use your body will build tolerance, and you may find that you need to ‘up’ your dose to attain the same affect.

Here are some natural sleep remedies to consider: Standardized Valerian extract is a safe and non addictive sedative which works by calming the mind and body. It has been used for centuries and again is widely used. Valerian is available at most pharmacies and is a natural remedy to aid sleep. Taken before bedtime it can ease nerves and calm the mind to help you drift off to sleep. Lemon balm and Hops, are also soothing remedies which can calm and relax the mind and body.

If you are suffering from mild depression, this could be the cause of your insomnia. St John’s wort, is fast becoming a popular herbal remedy, it is widely available and is used to treat mild to moderate depression. As with all medicines it is recommended to consult your doctor for advice. It may be a natural remedy, but it may not be right for you.

To cope with fatigue and to boost your immune system, try Ginseng. Ginkgo Biloba is also widely available and can help improve memory, concentration and increase oxygen flow to the brain.

Although side effects are rare when taking natural sleep remedies, you should stop taking them immediately and seek medical advice if you experience anything unusual. To be honest it is best not to take anything at all. Instead pay attention to your sleep habits (also referred to as sleep hygiene). Your daily routine, habits, diet and emotional levels all play a part in how well you are able to sleep.

It’s far more effective to tackle the cause of insomnia rather than the symptoms alone. Here are some simple steps you can take to improve your sleep:

• Get up and sleep at the same time everyday.
• Wind down an hour or so before you sleep.
• Relax with some soothing music or chamomile tea.
• Leave your work at work!
• Expose yourself to sunlight in the day.
• Ensure that your bed is comfortable and supportive.
• Ensure your bedroom is quiet, dark and not to warm.
• Talk about your problems and don’t let your emotions build up.
• Remind yourself that bedtime is for sleep and not a time to worry.

I hope you find these simple tips useful.

Taking natural sleep remedies may aid sleep, however you may also want to consider alternative therapies and practices such as acupuncture, hypnosis and reflexology.

September 17th, 2007 by Phil

Sleep is an important and necessary part of life, without it your mind and body cannot function to its highest potential. Sleep can give you the strength and energy you need to tackle a stressful day. Sleep can enhance your mood, improve your health, strengthen your immune system and reduce the risk of disease.
Recent studies have shown good sleep can prolong life and people who sleep more are less likely to develop a depression, diabetes and gain weight. With proper revitalizing sleep you not only feel like a different person, you are a different person. Sleep can give you life, make you feel brand new, and ready tackle anything.

So how has something so simple, so essential to restoring the mind and body’s health become so difficult to achieve? How has sleep become a waking nightmare and affected so many millions of people around the world?

For a lot of people the answer lies within the world we live in; from when we wake up we face a barrage of stress and yet we never pay attention to the early signs that the body is screaming out, and when we do, it’s too late, the damage has been done. We develop aches, pains and build excess tension which affects the mind and body, sleep is then inhibited.

We block the natural process as the sub-conscious has been continuously over-ridden by the conscious mind. Sleep becomes seemingly impossible and by forcing sleep we only make it more difficult and a vicious circle develops. But what you’ll be glad to hear is that your sub-conscious still knows how to sleep and in the next few posts we will be looking at some simple techniques and methods to help you restore a normal sleeping pattern.

September 14th, 2007 by Phil

So you’re suffering from insomnia, another sleepless night and you’re wondering how much more you can take before you crack. You’re tired, no you’re more than tired, you’re completely exhausted yet you still can’t sleep. You feel like you’re being punished for something you’ve done ‘Why can’t I sleep?!!’ ‘Why can’t I beat this insomnia?!’ ‘What’s wrong with me?!!’ You take another sleeping pill, hoping to fall asleep. You lie there awake, tormented by the clock as it ticks away any time left to sleep, any chance of being remotely energized or awake the next day. You can’t remember the last time you’ve slept well, you’ve tried all the sleep remedies but you can’t seem to overcome this problem, this nightmare, this dreaded insomnia.

Sound familiar? Over the next few weeks we’re going to look into insomnia in more depth. After all you wouldn’t go to war without knowing more about your enemy. By learning more about insomnia we can look at ways to deal with it and learn to overcome it.