Tag: sleep disorders

How to Tell If You Have a Sleep Disorder

There are many people that have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. They may feel very sleepy during the day. They may have trouble falling to sleep or staying asleep. Friends or relatives may tell them they look very tired. They may experience mood changes, irritability or become overly emotional. Often they have difficulty paying attention, concentrating, or remembering things that are important. These are all symptoms of sleep deprivation, and possibly of a sleep disorder.

A person that has an undiagnosed sleep disorder will usually answer the question, “What is the problem with your sleep,” with one of five answers. Those answers will be; “I have trouble falling asleep,” ” I have trouble staying awake,” “I can’t get up in the morning,” “I seem to do strange things in my sleep” or “I can’t sleep because of my partner.” The particular answer chosen helps to narrow down the possibility of a specific type of sleep disorder.

When someone says “I can’t fall asleep” it can mean several things. There could be a problem when first going to bed, after waking up in the middle of the night, or in the early morning hours.
Many people have the problem of not being able to fall asleep when they go to bed. This is called sleep latency. Sleep latency can be a very serious symptom of certain sleep disorders, including sleep onset insomnia, delayed sleep phase disorder, shift work, restless leg syndrome or paradoxical insomnia. Many times the problem is not being able to stay asleep, which is sleep fragmentation. Often a person with this complaint can fall to sleep easily when they go to bed, but wake up often throughout the night. Sleep disorders may include sleep maintenance insomnia, shift work. If a person wakes up very early in the morning and cannot get back to sleep, it could be a sign of advanced sleep phase disorder or sleep maintenance insomnia.

If the answer to the question is “I can’t stay awake” and the person is falling asleep at inappropriate times there may be a sleep disorder such as narcolepsy , obstructive or central sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, restless leg syndrome, shift work or advanced sleep phase disorder.

Those that say “I can’t get up in the morning” and take an hour or more to fully wake from their sleep may suffer from excessive sleep inertia. They are having difficulty making the transition from sleep to being awake. Sleep disorders that could be responsible for excessive sleep inertia are sleep apnea and delayed sleep phase disorder.

A person that answers the question with “I do strange things in my sleep” may find that their sleep is full of surprises. Sleepwalking, Sleep terrors, confusional arousals, REM sleep behavior disorder, nightmares, sleep-related eating disorder and bruxism are all types of sleep disorders known as parasomnias.

If a person answers “I can’t sleep because of my partner” snoring, sleep apnea, bruxism, restless leg syndrome, or periodic limb movement disorder may be the sleep disorder to blame.

How would you answer the question of “What is the problem with your sleep?”

An Alternative Approach for Overcoming a Sleep Disorder

Having a sleep disorder can be very disruptive to everyday life. Sleep deprived people are usually excessively tired and sleepy. They tend to become irritable and very emotional. At times they become a danger, not only to themselves, but also to those around them.

Some people use alternative, natural ways to lessen the effects of their sleep disorder. Many people focus on diet and nutrition, while others use herbs and supplements. Still others believe in the positive effect of exercise, relaxation and sensory techniques, meditation or behavioral and cognitive strategies. Often people use a combination of these approaches to help alleviate the symptoms of their sleep disorder.

A healthy diet is essential for optimal energy and a restful sleep. Avoiding certain foods is as important as including others in your daily diet. Eating a wide variety of foods and drinking plenty of water will keep your body well- balanced and provide a more stable energy level. Avoiding food that is grown, treated or processed with chemicals, and limiting the amount of sugar and caffeine will also help your overall physical condition. Many foods promote a restful sleep and are helpful in relieving some of the symptoms of certain sleep disorders. Eating the proper snack before bedtime can increase natural serotonin levels. Serotonin acts as a natural sedative and is made in the body from the amino acid tryptophan. Foods that a re rich in tryptophan include chicken, turkey, cheese, cottage cheese, fish, milk, nuts, avocados and bananas.

Many people use herbs and natural supplements as an alternative approach to treating their sleep disorder. There are many nutritional supplements and herbal products on the market. It is important to know how a specific product acts on the body as well as on the specific sleep disorder.. For example many people with restless leg syndrome have an iron or folic acid deficiency. Taking an iron supplement may alleviate some of the symptoms of RLS. Many herbs are well known for promoting a natural sleep. A clamming tea of chamomile or lemon balm can be very relaxing to many people that suffer from a sleep disorder.

Exercise and relaxation techniques, whether used alone or together, can reduce stress and muscle tension. Many people that use these techniques to lessen the symptoms of a sleep disorder do these before going to bed. They not only ease physical tension but they calm the mind and prepare the body to sleep. These techniques include mindful exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises and yoga.

Meditation and visualization are also used by some sufferers of sleep disorders to calm the body before sleep. Two common forms of mediation are meditation on the breath and mantra meditation. Both of these types can have a positive effect on relieving stress and calming the body. Many people focus their energy on a healing visualization as a method of alternative therapy for their sleep disorder.

Sensory techniques that people use to lessen the symptoms of their sleep disorder are hydrotherapy, and aroma therapy. The two main techniques included in hydrotherapy, which means water therapy, are relaxing in an Epsom salt bath and a lymph stimulating footbath. Aroma therapy includes the use of therapeutic essential oils in baths, massage oils, room sprays, and simple inhalants.

Alternative practices and techniques can help many types of sleep disorders. Often they are used in conjunction with traditional medication and practices.

Causes Of Chronic Fatigue Symptoms

Drowsiness is a simple feeling that can be relieved by going to sleep. Fatigue is more serious such that sleep can never relieve the condition. Apathy is more different as it is a condition where one doesn’t completely care of the things around them. All three are fatigue symptoms. Fatigue is the condition when one is suffering from tiredness, lack of energy, and weariness. Chronic fatigue symptoms are more serious than what you may think.

They require medical attention as there can be other serious health case overlooked. For example, a thyroid problem can cause fatigue symptoms. Another is the condition of depression, which is different from CFS, but displays similar symptoms such as low energy level and fatigue lasting a day.

Sometimes, the symptoms of chronic fatigue are associated by other illnesses, such as diabetes, addison’s disease, eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia, arthritis, kidney disease, congestive heart disease, lupus, cancer, and even malnutrition. If the patient is suffering the symptoms due to one of the mentioned diseases, medical advices are needed before giving them any kind of treatment. These symptoms are entirely different from the normal and common chronic fatigue symptoms, which often happen to adults who lead a pretty stressful and unhealthy lifestyle.

Causes of chronic fatigue symptoms can be divided into two types, psychological and physical, which include the following:

Sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy, or apnea
Asthma or hay fever
Hypothyroidism
Anemia
Illegal drugs or alcohol regular use
Ongoing pain
Grief and depression

There are home care treatments which can help overcome most of the chronic fatigue symptoms. Adequate and regular rest each night is one thing. Eating balanced and healthy diet, as well as drinking lots of water everyday, is another to curb the symptoms. Learning to avoid a sedentary daily lifestyle can bring the energy out of you. Even simple walking and jogging can help you relax. While maintaining a reasonable personal and work schedule will avoid you from getting easily tired. Or avoiding the increase in your stress level will keep those symptoms away.

Also, taking off from stressful circumstances will help you avoid too much stress. Taking vacation, dealing with relationship problems in a calmer way, taking multivitamins, and avoiding stress-triggering activities are simple yet proven ways to avoid those chronic fatigue symptoms. It also works if you avoid too much night life activities as well as refraining from too much consumption of nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, or drugs.

Alternative and Natural Remedies

If considering medication, there are alternative or natural remedies which can help the condition. There are different alternatives readily available such as having a reflexology massage. It is not only a good way to relax but it also helps improve your blood circulation. While acupuncture, on the other hand, is perfect for the more adventurous type. It increases physical and mental strength, a very ideal way to help overcome those symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Other natural remedies include meditation, which helps bring in your inner piece. And also aromatherapy, which gives you not only inner peace but helps you instantly relax after a whole day of stress and demands. All these natural remedies are believed to bring effective calming results; however, if the patient is suffering from other illness, it is advised that they seek medical advice from a qualified, professional physician before trying out any of these alternative medications.

The Healing Benefits of Fish oil

“What are the healing benefits of Fish oil and how can it help someone with cardio vascular diseases?”

This is one of today’s biggest question on one of this century’s enigmatic disease called cardio vascular diseases, which is often associated with ones lifestyle, diet and even stress and depression.

The primary cause of cardio vascular diseases is still not known, however, experts agree that emotional or physical trauma are among the factors that develop the disease. Some experts also believe that cardio vascular patients have constant abnormal transmission responses to pain.

Insomnia and other sleep disorders are also common in cardio vascular patients, leading to increased stress levels on the patient and could rapidly spread the disease throughout the human body, while another theory supposes that cardio vascular diseases is also linked to the metabolical changes in a person’s blood flow, leading to symptoms of weakness and chronic fatigue.

A much more simpler theory suggests that cardio vascular diseases may be inherited and flows along family lines, still there is also no proof to attest to that claim.

Although there is no established prevention for cardio vascular diseases to occur in a person, the management and treatment of the disease has significantly improved and advanced over the years.

Despite the somewhat enigmatic cause of this disease, one treatment method that is popularly adopted by cardio vascular patients is an Asian therapeutic treatment approach is fish oil supplements, since it is a very good source of Omega 3 acids which significantly help in ensuring good oxidation in the body and helps improve blood circulation and muscle strengthening, among them the human heart.

Fish oil has been adopted as a good treatment for internal diseases for over a thousand years now and traces its roots back to ancient Japanese and Chinese natural healing methods.

Currently, thousands of cardio vascular sufferers have benefited from the healing powers of fish oil, and many of these consistent testimonials are that it significantly relieves stress and anxiety, strengthens the body’s natural self-healing ability, balances the functions of the human organs and glandular systems, promotes a positive spiritual and emotional well-being, enhances relaxation including sleep, relieves pain, removes toxins from the body and strengthens the body’s immune system.

Today, cardio vascular diseases and fish oil are mutually associated with each other, since a growing number of cardio vascular patients have found fish oil to be a healthy alternative to the treatment of the disease, although it is pointed out that it is not a direct healing medication that will actually ‘cure’ the disorder, its supplemental properties- when administered accordingly with conventional treatment- hastens the healing process.

The healing benefits of fish oil especially for those suffering from cardio vascular diseases – are not just made popular by lip service or media hype, but more from the results of a healing experience that have eased the suffering and pain of thousands of those with cardio vascular diseases.

Science and technology has indeed found a way to harness this wealth of the deep for the benefit of mankind and now that we have it at the palm of our hands and what better way to make the most of it is to embrace the healing benefits of fish oil to our day to day living, be it for treatment or even just as a health supplement.