From Insomnia to Better Sleep

There are many genres and sleep music music songs, which have long been known to promote sleep. The BBC has written a great article about listening to jazz to promote sleep.

There are however more ways that sound and music can produce a more relaxed state and sleep. I do not advertise or endorse products I have not used or products I do not rate. There is one product that I had immediate results with, and that I have not experienced the same levels of relaxation with anything else. I have used the CD myself and have found it to be the best thing I have come across to enhance relaxation. As I used the CD, I seemed to get more inteligent, taking less time to learn things. The most impressive thing I discovered was that I began waking up fully refreshed quite early in the mornings – even weekends! This was quite a revelation for me. I tried the insight program the first time as I went to bed. Within 10 minutes I was asleep. I had a lot of difficulty sleeping, suffering from bouts of insomnia. Another thing I also suffered was from not being able to get out of the bed in the mornings! This is why I say the insight program is THE best mind improvement tool. After the first time I listened to it I woke up at 7am full of energy! I could not believe it. And this wasn’t a “one-off”. I have not since reverted; naturally awakening between 7-8am.

What is this “sleep music”?

The Insight CD is tool which helps to improve sleep and reduce stress by using a technique called “binaural beats”. The way binaural beats work is that two different wavelenghts which compliment each other are played on each ear. The mind and brain realise that these two signals are different and sets about trying to fit these wavelengths together. In this way new neural pathways are opened up between the left and right hemispheres. Deeper brainwave levels are produced as an effect. So by listening to the CD through headphones, you can:

• Improve your sleep and increase energy and vitality
• Significantly reduce stress and anxiety
• Achieve profound states of relaxation
• Improve mental and emotional well-being

The Insight program has been used for those who practice self hypnosis or meditation. The relaxing meditative state produced by the CD has, according to Insight, been proven to reduce stress and anxiety, to dramatically improve the quality of your sleep, and to promote long-term improvement in mental and emotional well-being.

The other benefits as mentioned above also manifested for me. I can honestly say that this is a GREAT product! Check out the insight program yourself.

The program is also available in a 2 disc set including the Focus program. For more information visit the awakened minds website.

Magnesium is an essential mineral for the human body. It is even known as the “relaxing mineral” because of its role in relaxing muscles. The German University, Albert-Ludwigs, conducted a trial and discovered that people who suffered from resltess leg syndrome and insomnia showed significant improvement after taking a 300mg magnesium supplement for four to six weeks.

If you do not want to take supplements, all is not lost. You can easy get more magnesium into your diet by eating nuts, wholegrains, beans, dark green vegetables, fish, and lean meat.

At one time or another we have all had a sleepless night. It is not uncommon to have a few sleepless nights now and again. So before rushing out for sleeping pils or worrying about sleep disorder diagnosis establish if there is a direct or momentary cause of the restless night. Sleepless can be brought on by many things such as unresolved problems and things on your mind that need to be sorted out. There may not necessarily be a negative cause of sleepless nights, remember Christmas eve when you were a child? However, if there are negative elements in your life affecting your sleep it could progress to chronic insomnia.

So if periods of sleeplessness are caused by stress, tension, negative emotions, anxiety, depression, or any of the other negative possibilities, they need to be resolved.

Get a pen and some paper and make a list of the thoughts and problems racing through your mind or that you have to deal with. Put them in order of priority, and if possible add to it a potential solution. Try and get closure on each of the things you have listed so it will no longer be racing around your mind. To a large degree sleep disorders that have mental problems at their roots are generally best dealt with by coming to an acceptable solution to the problem which is running around in the mind.

That, coupled with simple herbal sleep remedies are relaxation techniques will soon restore your regular sleep patterns.

If physical pain is at the root of the sleepless nights then consultation with your doctor and some pain relief might be the way to move forwards.

Sleepless Nights

So if you are having sleepless nights the first thing to do is look for the cause.

Is there something on your mind?
Are you worried about something?
Are you under a lot of stress or pressure?
Have you done something that you are ashamed of?

All of these things can keep the mind doing overtime and thus not relaxing and calming down sufficiently to allow you to drop off to sleep.

See if you can isolate any of these things in your life and then figure out what you would need to do to resolve them.

If your sleeplessness is caused by pain or discomfort then this needs to be resolved medically.

Sleep is a state which our body mind and conciseness falls into on a regular basis and in that state we are largely unaware of our surroundings.

Why do we sleep?

It is commonly believed that we sleep to rejuvenate the mind and body although the actual reasons why we sleep have never been been accurately isolated we know that it we do not sleep we start to suffer from fatigue of both body and mind.

If we do not sleep we start to feel tired and with that comes a slow down of many of our mental and physical activities.

So we can best figure out why we sleep by locking at the effects of not sleeping, but that does not answer the basic question. It has been found that the body uses only a little less energy while sleeping than it does while awake. So although we it makes sense on the face of it……the idea that we sleep to rest the body does not actually hold true under sleep study.

But sleep studies concerning mental activity and functioning can be mapped fairly accurately. The brain and the mind are severely effects by lack of sleep and go into a decline very quickly. And the only remedy for that decline…….is sleep.

Types of sleep

There are essentially two types of sleep.

• Non REM Sleep
• REM Sleep

REM Sleep.

REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement and

REM sleep starts to happen about an hour and a half after we fall asleep. Sleep study has shown that brain wave activity in REM sleep is similar to that while we are awake.

We also dream during REM sleep whearas in Non REM sleep it is thought that we do not dream.

The percentage of REM sleep declines as we get older. Small children spend up to half of their sleep in the REM stage of sleep, whereas adults spend only about 20% in REM.

Non REM Sleep.

Sleep studies have also shown that Non REM Sleep can be split up into 4 distinct stages

• Stage 1: The eyes are closed during Stage 1 sleep. But it is easily interrupted and if you are woken up you might not think that you have been asleep. A feeling of falling sometimes happens in this stage of Non REM Sleep and can jolt you back to being awake.
• Stage 2: In this second stage the body starts to relax more deeply and the heart rate will usually decrease.
• Stage 3: Stage three is the first onset of deep sleep, the muscles of the body are very relaxed. This stage is also known as slow-wave sleep because studies show that the brain activity is at its least.
• Stage 4: This is the final sage of deep sleep before REM sleep.

How much sleep do we need.

The amount of sleep we need depends upon a few things. One of the main difference seems to be age.

As a rule of thumb:

• Babies sleep for about 17 hours each day.
• Older children only need 9 or 10 hours a night.
• Most adults need around 7-8 hours sleep each night.
• Older people need the same amount of sleep, but will often only have one period of deep sleep during the night, usually in the first 3 or 4 hours, after which they wake more easily. We also tend to dream less as we get older.

This seems to be very much a standard with children but as we get older our individual sleep patterns change. Some people regularly get 4 – 6 hours of sleep per day and do very well on that but others require more 7 – 8 hours seem to be the average.

The longer days of summer can mean an increase in energy and levels of activity for many. The result is more work and play — and less rest.

But don’t let that extra daylight rob you of your sleep! Adequate sleep is essential for optimal mental, emotional, and physical health — not to mention your happiness.

One study published in the journal Science found that the quality of our sleep has a greater influence on our ability to enjoy our day than our income or our marital status. Yet, we remain a sleep-deprived culture.

Seven to eight hours each night is recommended, particularly during the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., which is the most beneficial time for restful sleep. Our bodies are designed to work with nature, which means resting when nature rests. Try to catch the “10 p.m. Angel Train”, in other words go to bed between 9:30 and 10 p.m. at least three nights a week for a few weeks, and pay attention to how your body and mind function the next day.

Avoid late-evening news, as well. What you put your attention on right before you sleep colors the quality of sleep and your dreams. Unless you want your psyche to be digesting bad news and intense images while you sleep, opt for something calming instead.

As you’re drifting in the twilight zone, consider the following:

• Refrain from negative thoughts. Replace “I am dreading tomorrow; it’s going to be an awful day” with an intention to support what you want to create: “Tonight I will rest comfortably and feel refreshed upon awakening, ready to do my best at all the tasks I encounter.”
• If you wake in the middle of the night be careful of such thoughts as, “Oh no! It’s 2 a.m. I’m never going to get back to sleep. I’ll be exhausted all day.” Instead try: “Excellent. I’m now able to give my mind additional directives to ensure my success tomorrow morning. In the time I have remaining in the night I will rest deeply and receive the equivalent of an extra eight hours of sleep. When I awaken at 6 a.m., I will be well-rested, refreshed, and ready for a great day.”
• Upon waking in the morning replace “Ugh! I feel miserable and want to stay in bed” with an effective affirmation: “My body is relaxed and at peace. My mind is clear and calm. I can create my day however I choose. I choose to live this day fully, feeling great, at the top of my game. I now awaken feeling refreshed, revitalized and in tune with life!”

Sleeping problems and sleep disorders are grouped into three categories: Insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.

Insomnia

Insomnia itself is broken down into two sub categories, primary insomnia and secondary insomnia.

Primary Insomnia

Primary insomnia is a condition itself; the sleeplessness is not a symptom of something else. The condition is not a result of other things, but exists as a condition.

Secondary Insomnia

Secondary insomnia is occasioned by some cause and is a symptom of the other thing. For example, these things could precipitate insomnia:

• Pain, stress, depression.
• Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine.
• Some other type of illness

There can also be an increasing effect of secondary insomnia where sleepless nights compound leading to more stress, therefore the cycle continues.

Once the real cause of the insomnia has been identified and treated the insomnia can be overcome.

Chronic Insomnia

Insomnia can be said to be chronic if it continues for more than 3 days per week for more than a month. Less then this would be called acute insomnia or short-term insomnia.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that disrupts your normal sleeping pattern. It can cause you to fall asleep suddenly, without warning and also tends to make you feel excessively drowsy during the day time. Narcolepsy can also include sudden loss of muscle control (cataplexy), hallucinations, and disturbed sleep patterns.

Narcolepsy is a relatively rare condition. Research suggests that it affects approximately 3-5 people in every 10,000, with men and women being equally affected.

Sleep Apnea.

Sleep apnea is a different sort of sleep disorder to both insomnia and narcolepsy. Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. These pauses often occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

Sleep apnea is usually a chronic condition that can disrupt your sleep three or more nights each week. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. Because of the poor quality of the sleep you get you can often feel tired and fatigued the next day.

You don’t have to put up with sleepless nights. There are many things you can do to help with getting to sleep.

There are many herbal based sleep remedies which are available over the counter. You do not need to get stronger drug based things such as the “sleeping tablet”.

Natural cures for insomnia.

A simple but very effective mineral combination is calcium and magnesium. These two minerals complement each other in their absorption by the body. These minerals are essential for a good nervous system, therefore they will help the body to naturally relax. They are available in tablets and also drinks seem. The best tablet based ones should be chelated. This means there is a substance that is attached to these minerals that act as a delivery system direct to the body. You can get hold of this at any health food store but try to get a preparation which also includes cider vinegar, as this will help your body to absorb it.

Calm tea: A relaxing blend of Chamomile Flower, Peppermint Leaf, Catnip Leaf, Strawberry Leaf, Linden Leaf and Flowers, Passion Flower Herb, Skullcap, Licorice Root and Valerian Root will help you reduce stress. This combination also reduces mucous and muscle cramps.

Digestive Tea: A combination of soothing herbs like Peppermint, Papaya Leaf, Hibiscus, Mint helps digestion and is good for heartburn, indigestion, circulatory problems, and nausea. The blend specially helps for gas, diarrhea and ulcers. Improving your digestive system by taking this tea will help reduce stress and therefore control the insomniac symptom.

Sleepy Tea: A combination of Valerian root and Chamomile flowers is the right combination for relaxing moments before bed. It helps in relieving stress and anxiety, indigestion, and insomnia.

Lifestyle and sleeping problems

If you suffer from insomnia there might be some simple things that you could try to improve your sleep.

• Avoid stimulants. Cutting stimulants out in the later part of the day will undoubtedly help your sleep and the quality of your sleep. Avoid Try to avoid things like chocolate, caffeinated sodas, and caffeinated teas, coffee.
• Don’t go to bed hungry. Have a light snack a while before you go to bed so that you are not hungry, but try to avoid a big heavy meal
• Exercise. Include some exercise in your daily routine, but avoid exercise before bed. But if you lead a life which includes a lot of sitting down and not much movement, including some good exercise in the day will help with your sleep.
• If you are not comfortable in your bed try adjusting the height of the pillows or even replacing your bed. Comfort has a lot to do with good restful sleep.
• Avoid watching TV in bed. Even reading in bed can be a problem if the material is very stimulation. But if you find that reading in bed helps you to sleep be sure you use a very small wattage bulb to read.
• Keep routines and regular bed times. A cup of herbal tea an hour before bed can begin a routine

There is no one particular cure for narcolepsy unfortunately. However, there are a combination of approches one can take to reduce the symptoms. Treatment of narcolepsy is best done with a combination of lifestyle changes, scheduled naps, and drug treatment. Also, drug treatments can also help deal with secondary symptoms such as catalexy, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.

Medications for Narcolepsy

The drug most used for excessive daytime sleepiness and narcolepsy attacks are stimulants. Popular stimulants are Ritalin, Modafinil, Dextroamphetamine, and Pemoline. These drugs do have side effects such as irritability, anxiety, quickened heart rate, hypertension. If you are considering using any please consult a doctor.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes are very similar to those recommended for insomnia, the idea is that if you can better regulate your normal sleep pattern and then supplement that with a couple of naps during the day, the effects of narcolepsy can be greatly reduced.

Some lifestyle changes may include:

• Avoid stimulants. Cutting stimulants out in the later part of the day will undoubtedly help your sleep and the quality of your sleep. Avoid Try to avoid things like chocolate, caffeinated sodas, and caffeinated teas, coffee
• Don’t go to bed hungry. Have a light snack a while before you go to bed so that you are not hungry, but try to avoid a big heavy meal
• Exercise. Include some exercise in your daily routine, but avoid exercise before bed. But if you lead a life which includes a lot of sitting down and not much movement, including some good exercise in the day will help with your sleep
• If you are not comfortable in your bed try adjusting the height of the pillows or even replacing your bed. Comfort has a lot to do with good restful sleep
• Avoid watching TV in bed. Even reading in bed can be a problem if the material is very stimulation. But if you find that reading in bed helps you to sleep be sure you use a very small wattage bulb to read
• Keep routines and regular bed times. A cup of herbal tea an hour before bed can begin a routine

Medications for the secondary symptoms of narcolepsy

Cataplexy, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis are usually treated with antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Drugs such as imipramine or chlorimimipramine, are the most widely prescribed medications for the three subsymptoms of narcolepsy.

A cure for narcolepsy is probably still some time away but there are effective treatments which can reduce the symptoms and allow sufferers of narcolepsy to life a near normal life.

Sleep hygiene refers to the routine and set precedure a person goes through in order to prepare and relax into a deep and relaxing sleep. Sleep hygiene is a good place to start looking at when acute insomnia creeps in. Sleep hygiene can be broken down into a number of steps which each have an effect upon your sleep and the quality of sleep.

• personal habits
• sleep environment
• preparing for sleep

Personal Habits

Your personal habits have a lot to do with sleep hygiene. It does not just mean how you prepare for bed, but also how you go about in your daily life. For example, here is a list of things to be aware of and implement:

• Set a fixed bedtime and an waking time
• Avoid napping during the day
• Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime
• Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime
• Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bedtime
• Exercise regularly, but not right before bed
• Handle stressfully situations so they do not play on your mind

All of the above things will help you to get a good and restful nights sleep.

Your Sleep Environment

Where you sleep is very important. Your bed should be a comfortable and relaxing place where you can switch off from the events of the day. Here are some tips:

• Use comfortable bedding
• Find a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping and keep the room well ventilated
• Block out all distracting noise
• Do not use your bed to do work or eat or anything else

Preparing For Sleep

This is part of the “winding down” cycle of the day. It is best to get into certain habits that suit you. Try these tips:

• Try a light snack before bed
• Practice relaxation techniques before bed
• Don’t take your worries to bed
• Take a warm bath or wash
• Establish a comfortable sleeping position and stick with it

All of the above are included in the heading of sleep hygiene and are very important. Each of us will have a different sleep hygiene pattern, there is nor golden rule. But if you are having trouble sleeping try these sleep hygiene tips and see if you can establish a pattern that works for you.

Sleep apnea is a problem in which the sufferer, when they are asleep, has pauses in their breathing. These pauses in breathing can last just a few seconds or they could even last minutes, the breathing often returns with a loud snore. Sleep apnea can happen fairly regularly, anywhere from 5 to 30 times per hour.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

One of the main symptoms of sleep apnea is daytime sleepiness often with irritability or restlessness and this is due to the interruption to deep sleep by the condition.

Common symptoms also include:

• Loud heavy snoring, often interrupted by pauses and gasps
• Falling asleep during the day
• Irritability and a short temper
• Morning headaches
• Forgetfulness
• Changes in mood or behavior

Although these sleep apnea symptoms are common to the condition they are also common with other sleep problems such as insomnia and narcolepsy.

Therefore if you think you might have sleep apnea or any other sleeping disorder be sure to consult your doctor to isolate exactly what the problem is.

Sleep Apnea Testing

Testing for sleep apnea can be very difficult to do as you are asleep when it happens and your partner will probably also be asleep so there will be no one there to hear or detect it.

Therefore some form of specialist testing will be necessary.

Epworth Sleepiness Test is a test which is carried out by sleep clinics.

The Epworth sleep test does not prove or disprove Sleep Apnea or any other sleep problems. Many other things could contribute to excessive daytime tiredness but the test is an indication of whether further testing is needed.

Sleep Apnea Statistics

Because it is difficult to diagnose sleep apnea and a lot of sleep apnea problems probably go unnoticed, the actual statistics for sleep apnea can be difficult to establish.

Approximately 4% of the men and 2% of the women who suffer from sleep apnea meet what is called the “diagnostic criteria” for the disorder. This criteria is an average of 10 apneic episodes over the course of an hour of sleep.

So if you feel that you have a sleep problem or sleep apnea the best advice is to seek diagnoses.