12 Tips to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

12 tips to get a good night's sleep

1. Skip caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, and its effects can take as long as 8 hours to wear off fully. Go easy on coffee, colas, certain teas, and chocolate, which all contain caffeine. Reaching for them in the late afternoon can make it hard for you to fall asleep at night.
   
2. Avoid nicotine. Nicotine is a stimulant. It can cause smokers to sleep very lightly, or to wake up too early in the morning because of nicotine withdrawal.
   
3. Don't take naps after 3 p.m. While naps can help make up for lost sleep, late afternoon naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
   
4. Exercise, but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days, but not later than 2 to 3 hours before your bedtime.
   
5. Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed. Having a "nightcap" or alcoholic beverage may seem like a good way to promote sleep, but it’s not. Alcohol robs you of deep sleep and REM sleep, keeping you in the lighter stages of sleep. You also tend to wake up in the middle of the night when the effects of the alcohol have worn off. In addition, heavy alcohol ingestion may contribute to impairment in breathing at night.
   
6. Have the right sunlight exposure. Daylight is key to regulating daily sleep patterns. Going outside in natural light for at least 30 minutes early each day can contribute to healthy sleep.
   
7. Pass up large meals and beverages late at night. A light snack is okay, but a large meal can cause indigestion that interferes with sleep. Drinking too many fluids at night can cause you to awaken frequently to urinate.
   
8. Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. As creatures of habit, we have a hard time adjusting to altered sleep patterns. While it’s tempting to sleep late on weekends, it won't fully make up for your lack of sleep during the week, and will make it harder for you to wake up early on Monday morning.
   
9. Relax before bed. Leave time to unwind at the end of the day. Make relaxing activities, such as reading or listening to music, part of your bedtime ritual.
   
10. Create a good sleeping environment. Eliminate anything that might interfere with sleep, such as noises and bright lights. Consider removing distractions such as TVs, computers, and cell phones from bedrooms.
    
11. If possible, avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep. Some commonly prescribed heart, blood pressure, or asthma medications, as well as some over-the-counter and herbal remedies for coughs, colds, or allergies, can disrupt sleep patterns. If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor or pharmacist to see whether any drugs you're taking might be contributing to your insomnia. Ask whether they can be taken at other times during the day or early in the evening.
    
12. See a doctor if you continue to have trouble sleeping. If you consistently find it difficult to fall or stay asleep, or if you feel tired during the day despite spending enough time in bed at night, you may have a sleep disorder. Your family doctor or a sleep specialist should be able to help you. It is important to rule out other health or psychiatric problems that may be disturbing your sleep.

How Obesity And Sleep Apnea Are Connected

To begin with, let’s answer the question “What is sleep apnea?“.

The sleeping disorder sleep apnea is defined by 5 to 15 failed breath intakes in one hour. The most common form of sleep apnea is OSA, the obstructive sleep apnea. Obstruction of the airway during sleep is the cause for OSA. Another form, that occurs quit rarely is CSA, central sneep apnea, where the signals to initiate the breathing movement sent by the brain ar unsufficient at best. This article will be about the vicious cycle of sleep apnea and obesity. But that does not mean obesity is the single cause for sleep apnea, other causes like 

Diabetes and life style will be dealt with in more articles.

First of all: Don’t take this as a just a form of heavy snoring! As a serious medical condition, it does not only immediately effect the individual’s health (daytime fatigue, uncontrolled moods, indomnia, headaches). It also negatively affects the overall medical condition. Through the frequent oxygen deprivation other organs, like liver, kidneys and the heart can be permanently damaged. Sleep Apnea also increases the risk of strokes.

Men are more likely and obese individuals are far more likely to have OSA. Obesity can cause large tonsils, enlarged tongue and increased fat in the neck which press on the airway, when the throat (pharyngeal) muscles relax during sleep. 17 inches neck-circumflex in men and 16 inches in women indicate an increased risk of the individual to suffer from sleep apnea.

In the following I would like to show you what it is so important to cure sleep apnea, especially for obese people.

It is most important to act immediately when OSA is diagnosed, as sleep apnea and obesity influence each other negatively and make recovery increasingly hard.

1. the overall deterioration of the individual’s physical and psychological condition will make a regular exercise and healthy lifestyle plan harder to follow up with.
2. hunger is often caused by fatique and poor sleep. The reason is an alteration in the satiety hormones through fatigue and their influence on hunger.
3. sleep deprivation often increases blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose which are often already present in obese individuals.
4. the hormones that control eating habits are often deranged by sleep apnea, which often leads to worsened obesity, higher blood pressure and glucose intolerance.

It’s a vicious cycle that leads to the ever faster deterioration of the obese individuals health. Obesity is never healthy, but in combination with sleep apnoe it becomes a very serious long term medical condition. If you have reason to believe that you have sleep apnea, please see a doctor and get it diagnosed in a sleep lab. If you are diagnosed with OSA you will have to follow thru with a strict weight loss and exercise plan. But the good news is, that it will dramatically increase your overall well being and improve you life quality dramatically.

Best Remedies For Insomia

If you struggle for hours on end to get to sleep you will already know that a lack of quality sleep can seriously impact on your life.

Insomnia can make the sufferers moody and irritable and generally lacking in energy for the days tasks, indeed chronic insomnia can lead to serious health problems. Everybody needs a different amount of sleep before they wake up feeling fully rested and if this is not the case then you may be suffering from insomnia.

Many cases of insomnia can be cured with simple changes to your routine.

The first thing to do is to try to work out the root cause of your insomnia, the causes can be broken down into two main categories, physical and emotional. Stress, anxiety and depression are certainly some of the major emotional problems associated with insomnia.

But your daily routine and physical condition can certainly have an effect on your sleeping pattern, so a good place to start with remedying your insomnia is with the physical remedies.

Set a regular schedule:
 

Try to set a regular time of going to bed and also getting up in the morning, even at the weekends so that your body gets used to a regular sleep cycle.

Relax before bed:
 

Try to relax before bed by having a warm bath or reading, avoid all vigorous exercising and stressful activities such as gaming. Reading or listening to calm music can be used before bed as a way of training your body to get ready for sleep.

Regulate your bedroom:
 

Make sure your bedroom is a comfortable regular temperature and is not too light, blackout blinds can be useful for this. Try to make sure your bedroom is not to noisy, you could try earplugs.

Avoid stimulating substances:
 

Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are all stimulants that can effect your ability to sleep.

Don’t lie in bed awake:
 

Don’t try to force yourself to get to sleep, get up and do something restful like reading or listening to music until you feel tired. Being anxious about not being able to sleep will only make the insomnia worse.

If you are feeling anxious or stressed you can certainly find it difficult to sleep.There are simple relaxation techniques which can help you release the tension of the day and hopefully fall asleep much quicker, and best of all there are no medical effects.

A variety of relaxation techniques help you achieve the relaxation response, including

* deep breathing
* progressive muscle relaxation
* meditation

* visualization

 * tai chi
 

It is beyond the scope of this site to go into great detail about these techniques and some take a lot of time and effort before the benefits become evident, but the benefits can be huge. A brief guide to two of the simpler techniques follows.If you decide to investigate the activities further you can make them part of your bedtime routine.

Deep breathing Techniques:
 

Deep breathing is a simple relaxation technique which is easy to learn and can help to relieve tension and anxiety.

If we are feeling anxious or tense we tend to take short shallow breaths which limits the intake of oxygen 

causing further stress on the body.
 

Deep breathing exercises can help to stop this vicious circle.

1. Lie on your back.
2. Slowly relax your body. You can use the progressive relaxation technique we described above.
3. Begin to inhale slowly through your nose if possible. Fill the lower part of your chest first, then the middle and top part of your chest and lungs. Be sure to do this slowly, over 8 to 10 seconds.
4. Hold your breath for a second or two.
5. Then quietly and easily relax and let the air out.
6. Wait a few seconds and repeat this cycle.
7. If you find yourself getting dizzy, then you are overdoing it. Slow down.
8. You can also imagine yourself in a peaceful situation such as on a warm, gentle ocean. Imagine that you rise on the gentle swells of the water as you inhale and sink down into the waves as you exhale.
9. You can continue this breathing technique for as long as you like until you fall asleep.

When You Tried All Non Drugs To Ease Insomnia , Learn About Vitamins And Minerals

There are certain vitamins and minerals that if not at optimum levels in a person’s body, can contribute to insomnia.

Insomnia may mean you have a hard time going to sleep or that you have a hard time staying asleep. Usually, you will know if you are experiencing insomnia because you will remember tossing and turning or being awake at night

Insomnia can be caused by fear, stress, anxiety, medications, herbs, caffeine, depression, or other mental conditions and sometimes occurs for no apparent reason. An overactive mind or physical pain may also be causes. Finding the underlying cause of insomnia is usually necessary to cure it.

Sleep medication can be a recognized medical sub-specialty. Doctors who specialize in sleep medicine assist men and women who are unable to get to sleep easily. Sleep doctors are able to detect and treat both prevalent and rare get to sleep disorders. Some common sleep issues are insomnia, jet lag, sleepwalking, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

A properly balanced diet regime is critical method to deal with sleep issues.  Check your iron level. Iron deficient women tend to have a lot more difficulties sleeping, so if your blood is iron poor, a supplement may help.  Cut out coffee, chocolate, and caffeinated soda, especially within the evening.  Carbohydrate snacks such entire grain crackers before bedtime may assist to promote get to sleep. Gentle, slow music is an additional remedy that may aid to enhance sleeping without medication.

A child who gets sufficient sleep is more likely to be cheerful throughout the day. The much better the little one sleeps, the happier the whole household will be. Most sleep difficulties in children aren’t a result of bad parenting. If your child has an ongoing get to sleep difficulty, then you must talk to your child’s physician or to a sleep specialist. In reality, sleeping is your most valuable activity with the day.

Tryptophan is an amino acid which is a precursor to serotonin, which is then converted to melatonin.  Magnesium is often a natural sedative. Deficiency of magnesium can outcome in difficulty sleeping, constipation, muscle tremors or cramps, anxiety, irritability, and pain.

When you eat a diet rich in fats, sodium, and unnecessary sugars, your digestive tract pays the price. One of the side effects of an unhealthy digestive tract is stomach upset, heartburn, and indigestion. In many cases, those symptoms show up at night when your body is trying to rest.

Since vitamins are so critical both for growth and get to sleep, it might be a good idea that everybody in your home takes a vitamin supplement.

How To Cure Insomnia Naturally

Insomnia can affect anyone no matter what age they are, but most people don’t really know what insomnia is. It means the quality of sleep which one gets and not the amount. Usually someone with insomnia won’t be able to complete the natural sleep cycle and as a result not be thoroughly rested.

The causes are as numerous as the possible cures. Generally there is some issue or anxiety which has caused the sufferer to worry. If you go to bed feeling tense or anxious your mind will remain overly active and it will be very hard to fall asleep.

Another cause of insomnia is shift work. If you work night’s you do of course need to sleep during the daylight hours. The body produces a chemical at dusk called melatonin which starts to prepare the body for sleep and consequently you become drowsy around bedtime.

If you try and sleep during the daytime firstly unless you have very heavy curtains at the window sunlight will keep you awake, not to mention external noises and birds singing! Your body won’t have produced the sleep inducing chemical melatonin, and this will also make it very hard for the body to go into a full sleep cycle.

Insomnia can also be caused by having too much to eat, eating the wrong foods just before bedtime or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Spicy foods, stodgy foods and alcohol should be avoided prior to going to bed.

The body can tell you whether it’s ready for sleep or not depending on how comfortable you feel. The body needs to be able to rest and if the digestive system is working overtime then restful sleep won’t be possible.

So what is the answer to the question how to cure insomnia naturally? Firstly there are several methods of relaxation that have proven to be very effective. Do you remember the old joke of counting sheep to help you sleep? Well maybe there really is something to be said for it!

It doesn’t have to literally mean counting sheep, it could be thinking about a favourite place such as a sandy beach with the waves gently hitting the shore, or a green meadow with a gentle warm breeze creating ripples in the grass.

Try relaxing each part of your body combined with deep breathing. Start from your feet and work your way up to your head. By the time you reach your head you may already be asleep.

You can also buy relaxation cds with natural sounds such as the rain, waves crashing against the shore, birds singing or just very soothing and calming music.

Another effective way to overcome insomnia is to take a naturally soothing supplement. Chamomile tea can be calming, or a cup of hot chocolate can trigger the pleasure center of the brain and prepare the body for a relaxed state. You can even take melatonin in supplement form to help trick the body into believing that it’s night time.

You could try alternative therapies such as hypnosis. A therapist can help you to try and re imagine events in a more positive light, by focusing on the positives of a situation instead of the negatives you will feel calmer and happier. As a result you will be less likely to lay awake in bed feeling stressed and anxious.

Most times you should be able to cure insomnia naturally without the intervention of drugs, but sometimes in severe cases it may be necessary for a very short time. Sleeping pills can be addictive if taken for any length of time and should only be taken as a last resort when all else fails.

Your Relationship and Snoring

Are you in a relationship now? Are you having headaches and sleepless nights because of your partner’s snoring? Have you talked to him or her about this?

You might want to sit with your partner and discuss with him about how to cure his condition since there are a number of creative ways to treat snoring. To identify the cause of snoring is the first step to take for this treatment process. It is only when one has pinpointed the reason or reasons behind his or her snoring problems that one will be able to successfully cure the illness. The following is a list of the most common causes of snoring that you might like to look into and compare notes with, to help and guide you and your partner in this journey:

The first cause for snoring is to do with age. If the person gets older the throat becomes narrower and the lesser the muscle tones are in one’s throat. Because of this physical condition, breathing is constricted, which could lead to open mouths while sleeping and eventually to the person snoring throughout the night.

The second cause has to do with a person’s physical attributes such as having a cleft palate or being born with a narrow throat. Meanwhile, men are more prone to snoring since they have narrower airways.

The third cause has to do with inborn or acquired nasal problems. When one has sinusitis or a runny nose means that the air passages are blocked, which also means harder inhalation. This, in turn, creates a void in the throat that could lead to snoring.

The fourth cause has to do with one’s weight. A person who is on the heavy side is more prone to snoring because of the increased fatty tissues and lesser muscle tone found in the throat.

The fifth cause is about alcohol intake, the smoking habit and taking specific drugs. This is because the substances that are from these activities tend to relax the muscle found in the throat, which could be the reason for snoring. Finally, the sixth cause has to do with one’s position while asleep because sleeping on one’s back has been proven to contribute to snoring. This is because sleeping on one’s back relaxes the tissues in one’s throat and blocks the air passage.

This is only a guide for you and your partner to be certain what is the cause of your loved one’s snoring since if you value your relationship with your partner you would like to sleep beside the person. Thus, it is indeed important that the two of you can get involved in making a way to stop the snoring. Good luck to searching the cause of your partner’s snoring. Take note that you need to be with your partner in the entire treatment process. Don’t forget to show your love and support until the problem is solved.

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