Archive for the 'Sleep Info' Category

Sleep study is also known as Polysomnogram.

It is an overnight recording of sleep pattern and behaviors associated with sleep.

It is essential to determine what stages of sleep an individual achieves and whether there are any sleep-related abnormalities.

Polysomnogram Test Procedure

In this procedure, to record brain waves, eye movements, muscle tone, body movements, heart rate, and breathing several sensors are applied with glue or tape to the body’s surface. Audiovisual recordings are made also to view later for study. None of the sensors used are painful or harmful.

With the simple clip on the index finger, even the oxygen content of the blood is measured painlessly. There are connecting wires to the sensors, but you are free to get up and walk about as needed.

Every attempt is made to let you have a normal night’s sleep during the sleep study, well as normal as can be considering you are wired with wires and patches and plugs.

Some people typically sleep better when away from home, while others sleep worse, but generally, the results or the value of the sleep study are going to be get effected in either case.

It is proven that chronic sleep problems affect 40 million Americans every year and an average of 20 million to 30 million individuals will lose sleep on an occasional basis according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Compound this with the knowledge that 22 million American citizens work night shifts or swing shifts which causes many disruptions with the bodys normal cycles in terms of sleep considerations.

These sleep disorders, if left untreated can evolve into full blown sleep deprivation which can cause problems with

• Person’s ability to function on the job
• Their driving skills and personal relationships
• Their ability to learn, remember and concentrate

It has also proved that a person’s cognitive functions get effected with consistent lack of sleep, which includes impaired memory, a slower reaction time, an inability to concentrate, a shorter attention span and a reduced ability to learn and process new information.

Being too tired to learn can lead to lack of adequate performance at school or work for an individual. When an individual is deprived of sleep, his or her brain will have a difficult time while processing new information.

We all need good night sleep, although there are varying differences with circadian rhythms and sleep styles to be energetic, to be alert, and to stay healthy.

Sleep is made up of distinct stages with certain characteristics defined by brain waves, eye movements, and muscle tension.

In a sleep lab, electroencephalography (EEG), electro-oculography (EOG), and electromyography (EMG) are used to record these stages. The two broad categories of sleep include:

• Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
• Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

REM Sleep

There are small, variable-speed brain waves, rapid eye movements like those of eyes open wakefulness, and no muscle tension during REM sleep. It is during REM sleep that you have most of your dreams. You may have a recall of vivid imagery when you wake up from REM sleep.

NREM sleep is composed of four different levels or stages - 1, 2, 3, and 4, which are characterized by different combinations of brain waves, eye movements, and reduced but not absent muscle tension. Different stages of sleep include:

• Stage 1 - light sleep
• Stage 2 - moderate sleep
• Stages 3 and 4 - deep or delta sleep

The Princess and the Pea is a well-known fairy tale about how a princess could feel that pea under a mattress that hindered her sleep.

What is it about your mattress that might be keeping you up at night? Do you have any ideas?

Everyone is under stress or numerous life changes and that might inhibit your sleep patterns.

Only time will help those causes of sleeplessness. However, what if your sleep problem stems from your mattress? Do you know what to look for? Do you have any ideas on how to go shopping for a new one?

Grab a pillow, hunker down and read on about some tips that can steer you in the right mattress direction.

1. Do not go mattress shopping without them when you share your bed with a spouse or significant other. Both of you must feel comfortable with the mattress choice.
2. Each mattress comes with different tops. Pillow tops, memory foam inserts, extra thick and cushy mattress covers  there are a multitude of options to choose from. Be sure to test mattresses with these various tops when making your mattress selection. Test driving a mattress with a pillow top will have a totally different feel than one with just a cushioned top or a memory foam pad.

This article explains a few things about nap, and if you’re interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don’t know.

Naps have differing effects on adults and babies.

For adults, naps can be helpful if you find it hard to get a constant period of sleep at night long enough to sustain you all day long.

According to research and the experiences of mothers, the length and quality of naps affects nighttime sleep and nighttime sleep affects naps for babies.

For Adults

For adults, naps can be advantageous or detrimental depending on whether you have a hard time falling asleep or not. If you do, don’t take naps during the day but if you must, make them no longer than 30 minutes.

Naps will be advantageous to you if you find yourself during the day unable to get an continuous sleep cycle at night long to enough to keep you alert enough all day long.

Take a nap, if your busy lifestyle won’t allow you to get adequate rest at night. Thirty percent of Americans nap four or more times per week.

The best course of action to take sometimes isn’t clear until you’ve listed and considered your alternatives.

The following paragraphs should help clue you in to what the experts think is significant.

Everyone has perhaps heard that humorous sex reference in regards to quality over quantity.

However, what about when it pertains to a good night’s sleep? For most people, how relaxing you feel after a night’s sleep describes how your behavior will be for that day.

Every person’s sleep patterns differ, so one person might need eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep to feel rested while another person might only need about six hours.

Your quality of sleep is what actually counts in the game of life. You might say that you get eight to ten hours of sleep, but if the quality of that sleep was not good, that quantity does not account for much.

We all need sleep in order to function. Like breathing and eating, it is an essential of life. When you feel rested, thanks to a good night’s sleep, you probably feel like you could tackle anything that came your way.

The following article covers a topic that has recently moved to center stage–at least it seems that way.

If you’ve been thinking you need to know more about it, here’s your opportunity.

To nap or not to nap, that is the question.

There is a great debate as to whether or not napping finally hurts or helps you. Did you know that most mammals do not have sleep patterns like humans? In fact, most mammals nap off and on all day and all night long.

Meanwhile, you and many other people recognize a distinct daytime and a distinct night time when sleep should happen. But when that sleep is interrupted in any way, what does it lead to? The consequence is that you might feel tired the next day and catch yourself nodding off.

In other words, you are sleep-deprived [Sleep Deprivation]. Some people believe that taking a nap during the day will affect your sleep patterns at that night.

Another group believes that taking a short nap during the day will not hurt your probability of a good night’s sleep. So who is right and who is wrong? The answer could be both of them.