Archive for February, 2007

Several factors may contribute to the inability to sleep well as you get older. Some of the common causes include:

Poor sleep habits:

1. Uneven sleep-wake patterns can affect your circadian rhythm timing and make it difficult to maintain a regular sleep schedule.
2. Alcohol before bedtime can disrupt sleep
3. Daytime sleeping can interfere with night time sleep
4. Everyday stress can cause sleep problem

Medical illness:

1. Heart failure can cause breathing problems that can disrupt sleep.
2. Pain is one of the common cause foe poor sleep in older people.
3. Urinary problems and frequent need to urinate may cause frequent awakenings.
4. Constipation can cause uneasiness which can disrupt the sleep
5. Sinus problems, nasal congestion, allergies can interrupt the sleep.
6. Rapid heartbeat and palpitations can disturb the sleep.
7. Itchy skin conditions often cause sleep problems.
8. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causes discomfort that can interfere with sleep.

Medications:

1. Prolonged sleeping medications use may cause daytime drowsiness.
2. Sedative antidepressants and sedative antipsychotics can cause daytime drowsiness. Sleeping during the day disturb nighttime sleep.
3. Smokers have more sleep disturbances than nonsmokers. Smokers also have difficulty falling asleep and decreased sleep duration. Caffeine and nicotine reduces the amount of sleep.

Different ways to make your baby sleep:

• Decide where baby sleeps best: Decide where you baby sleep comfortably. Some babies sleep best in their own crib in their own room, some sleep better in their crib in the parents’ bedroom, other babies sleep best right next to their mother in the parents’ bed. There is no right or wrong place for babies to sleep. Parents should use various sleeping arrangements at various stages during the infant’s first two years. Be open to altering styles as baby’s developmental needs and your family situation changes.
• Set consistent nap routines for baby sleep: choose out the times of the day that you are most exhausted, for example 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Lie down with your baby at these times every day for about a week to get your baby used to a daytime nap schedule. Babies who have constant nap routines during the day are more likely to sleep longer stretches at night. [Baby Sleep Problems]
• Soothing down: Give baby a warm bath followed by a soothing massage to relax tense muscles and busy minds. Be cautious, because this will stimulate some babies.

Drug Related Sleep disorders:

Many prescription and nonprescription medications can cause sleep problems. The severity of sleep problems caused by a medication will vary from person to person.

The following are nonprescription medicines which may cause sleep problems:

1. Medications with caffeine which includes brands Anacin, Nodoz and Excedrin as well as cough and cold medications.
2. Pseudoephedrine, including the brand Sudafed.
3. Nicotine, which disturbs the sleep and reduce total sleep time. Smokers report more daytime sleepiness and minor accidents than do nonsmokers, especially in younger age groups.
4. Illegal drugs such as amphetamines, methamphetamines and cocaine

Alcohol related Sleep disorders:

Alcohol may induce sleep as it is considered as a sedative or calming drug. But the quality of sleep is often fragmented during the second half of the sleep period.

Alcohol increases the number of times you awaken in the later half of the night when the alcohol’s relaxing effect goes off. Alcohol keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep and prevents you from getting the deep sleep and REM sleep you need.

Alcohol’s sleep-inducing effect may decrease with continued consumption just before bedtime, as its troublesome effects continue or increase. The sleep distraction resulting from alcohol use may lead to daytime weariness and drowsiness.

Women with fibromyalgia will experience worsening of their symptoms during pregnancy.

Some physicians argue that certain symptoms disappear during pregnancy due to changes in a woman’s hormones.

They have found that women have the typical pregnancy symptoms of headaches, morning sickness, and dizziness in the first trimester but may suffer flares in fibromyalgia symptoms in the third trimester.

Many physicians recommend their fibromyalgia patients to discontinue their medications during pregnancy. No medications have been found to be completely safe for a pregnant woman. The important time in the development of your baby is the first four to six weeks.

This is why it is wise to plan your pregnancy at least a year in advance so you can arrange when you will discontinue your medications. Doctors agree that the best cure for chronic pain during pregnancy is exercise, massage therapy, meditation, rest and relaxation.

Natural and peaceful forms of exercise are suitable for pregnant women, particularly those with fibromyalgia. Some of these exercises may include aquatic exercise, Pilates, yoga [Yoga Pose Basics], and stretching, especially back stretching.

You can also go for heat therapy, like a warm bath, but the temperature of the water should not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

What are the Facts about Teen Sleep?

The facts about teen sleep are:

• Biological sleep patterns alter toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence because the teens cannot be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm.
• Teens need about 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep.
• Many teens suffer from sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea.
• Teens tend to have uneven sleep patterns across the week because they typically stay up late and sleep late on the weekends, which can affect their biological clocks and upset the quality of their sleep.

Why Do Teens Have Trouble Sleeping?

Teens need 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night. During teenage, the body’s circadian rhythm is reset, telling a teen to fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning.

Melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleeping and waking patterns is produced later at night in teens than it is for kids and adults, making it harder for teens to fall asleep and this alters the circadian rhythm. This phenomenon is called delayed sleep phase syndrome and it is common in most of the teens.

Facts about women sleep:

Unfortunately, many women are ignorant of the negative impact sleep problems can have on their health and performance.

Identifying the unique complications that contribute to sleep problems in women is an important step in achieving better sleep.

• Sleep Habits: Almost three out of four women do not get seven or more hours of sleep per night during the work week. On an average, women sleep approximately 6 to 6.5 hours per night during the work week. While many women experience difficulty sleeping, only 4% of women currently see a physician regarding their sleep problems.
• Consequences of Sleep Loss: Middle-aged women who sleep on an average of five hours or less may be more likely to have heart disease than women who sleep eight hours. Sleep loss may increase hunger and affect the body’s metabolism, which makes it difficult to maintain or lose weight. Majority of women report that sleep problems interfere with house hold activities.
• Hormones Affecting Sleep: Sleep is disrupted during the menstrual cycle. When hormone levels are at their lowest during menstruation, many women complain of sleep problems. 40% of menopausal women sleep problems which are associated to hot flashes.

Who gets Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder (NSRED)?

One to three percent of the population seems to get Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder; and ten to fifteen percent of people with eating disorders are affected.

Both men and women are susceptible to these disorders, but they are more common among women.

The problem may be chronic or appear once or twice and then disappear. Many people are severely distressed for their nocturnal loss of control.

Their behaviors may lead to depression [Therapy for Depression] and weight gain.

Many of these individuals diet during the day, which leaves them hungry and vulnerable to binge eating at night when their control is weakened by sleep.

In some cases, people with Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder sometimes have histories of alcoholism, drug abuse, and sleep disorders other than NSRED, problems such as sleep walking, restless legs, and sleep apnea. Sleep walking is the most common sleep disorder related to Sleep Related Eating Disorder among them. Their sleep is fragmented, and they are often exhausted when they wake.