Insomnia: How Lack of Sleep Can Damage Your Health

Last Updated on Friday, 21 October 2011 01:21 Written by Natural Health Team Friday, 21 October 2011 01:21

Health Information about Insomnia: How Lack of Sleep Can Damage Your Health

What is Insomnia?

The average person spends approximately 1/3 of his or her life sleeping. Although we do not yet fully understand either the purpose or the mechanics of sleep, we do know that an insufficient amount can have far-reaching consequences: our work performance, our personal relationships, and our physical and mental health all depend on getting an appropriate amount of rest.

The inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep throughout the night is a condition known as insomnia, and it is among the most common of all medical complaints; approximately 1/3 of all people experience a period of insomnia at least once during their lifetime. Individuals with insomnia typically experience at least one of the following symptoms:

– Difficulties falling asleep;
– Inability to stay asleep, or waking up too early;
– Sleepiness during the day;
– Fatigue or lack of energy;
– Irritability;
– Headache;
– Decreased ability to concentrate;
– Increased errors or accidents;
– Depression and/or anxiety;
– Continual worry about sleep.

Health Risks of Insomnia

If you are not getting the sleep that you need, your insomnia may eventually lead to serious consequences for your health. In the short term, your alertness and focus are impaired, which can have a negative effect on your school or work performance. Relationship problems may result from irritability due to lack of sleep, while fatigue may prevent you from participating in your normal activities.

In the long-term, the complications of insomnia can be even more severe. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and mood disorders are all associated with chronic insomnia; these conditions can be life-threatening, and they will certainly reduce the quality of your life.

What Causes Insomnia?

Insomnia is symptomatic of a large number of physiological disorders; if you are having difficulty sleeping, chances are that an underlying health problem is to blame. Illness, infection, mental health disorders, and medications can all keep you from getting the proper amount of rest. Hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances can affect your body’s ability to fall asleep, and dietary deficiencies can cause insomnia, as well. Exposure to toxic elements such as heavy metals, molds, and other environmental pollutants have also been shown to impair sleep.

Finding the Cause of Insomnia

By determining what is causing your insomnia, your health care provider will be better able to help you design a plan for managing your sleep problem. To find out what is keeping you up at night, your doctor may ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle, your sleeping environment, and even the sleep habits of your partner. A variety of lab tests can also be useful in pinpointing the cause of your insomnia in the event that a health problem is involved.

Managing Insomnia

The first step to getting back to sleep is to treat the underlying cause. Establishing good sleep habits may include nutritional support, exercise, detoxification, and incorporating a relaxation technique into your daily routine.

Good sleep hygiene is important for getting the rest you need. By following the guidelines listed here, you will find yourself drifting off easily, without the constant worry about getting enough sleep every night.

– Stick to a constant sleep schedule, with a consistent bed time and wake-up time;
– Avoid bright lights (including the television and computer) for at least two hours before bedtime;
– Do not exercise within three hours of bedtime;
– Make sure your bedroom is for sleeping – keep the TV, computer, and any other distractions in another room;
– Make sure your sleeping environment is cool, dark and quiet;
– Avoid caffeine, smoking, and alcohol, especially before bed;
– Don’t eat right before you go to bed;
– Try a relaxation exercise such as deep breathing before you turn in.

Over-the-counter and prescription sleep medications are best avoided; they may help you fall asleep, but they can be habit-forming, and they have a variety of negative side effects. By identifying the cause of your insomnia and making some adjustments to your lifestyle, you should be able to overcome your sleep difficulties naturally.

Wilma Townsend, the director of SAMHSA’s 10 X 10 Wellness Campaign, says that folks with mental health diagnoses need honest information to make decisions. She suggests several reforms and updates that would help to increase accurate information sharing.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Find More Mental Health Articles

The trigger of the nightmare that make stress

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 August 2010 03:19 Written by putra Friday, 13 August 2010 03:16

Every person must have been having nightmares. The dream made him wake up sometimes in a state of panic or fear such as being chased monsters or late for important meetings. Why would someone be a bad dream?

Dreams are the subconscious experience involving sight, hearing, thinking, feeling or other senses during sleep. Dream more often occurs when a person sleep accompanied by rapid eye movements (rapid eye movement / REM).

Scientists try to express the meaning behind the nightmares can disrupt sleep and make people into a panic.

Scientists believe the nightmare is not directly related to his waking life, but rather the reflection of emotion or problem that was encountered.

There are five themes of the most common nightmares of falling, being chased something fearful, feeling paralyzed, late for something and the death of a loved one.

Besides losing their teeth or hair can also become an unpleasant dream, especially for young children.

A report in the journal European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience shows that men were more likely having nightmares about violence or sacked, while women tend to the death and sexual harassment.

“The nightmare monster chased the fear of the possibility of reflecting the specific tasks that must be faced, but trying to avoid,” said researcher Dr. Michael Schredl of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, as quoted from Dailymail.

While the dream of losing teeth or hair are more common in women signifies the possibility of anxiety about appearance and presence of anxiety about something bad.

Based on the United States National Library of Medicine, there are several factors that can lead to nightmares, namely:

1. Anxiety and stress
2. Alcohol
3. Drugs
4. Fat content in foods
5. The physical condition of the ailing
6. Lifestyle changes are too drastic.

To be able to experience a dream, one must first pass through several stages, namely:
Stage 1: 4-5 percent, a mild conditions and people started falling asleep a little muscle activity decreases.
Stage 2: 45-55 per cent, heart rhythm and breathing patterns start regularly and lowering body temperature.
Stage 3: 4-6 per cent, began to sleep more deeply and begin preparing the brain to produce delta waves.
Stage 4: 12-15 percent, deeper sleep, breath began regularly, the more limited muscle activity and brain already produces delta waves.
Stage 5: 20-25 percent, eye movement and brain waves faster and faster, the muscles begin to relax, the heart rhythm increases, breathing becomes rapid and short, then the dream took place.

Therefore if you want to avoid the nightmare try to eliminate the feeling of fear, guilt, emotional, frustrated or unpleasant past. This feeling will burden a person so carried away into a dream.

How Hard Is It To Have A Bad Mood Accepted?

Last Updated on Sunday, 1 August 2010 07:46 Written by Natural Health Team Friday, 4 September 2009 12:12

I am not talking being sad, or angry, or depressed, but simply not wanting to be around happy people because you are not nearly as happy as they are. Think about it, you are sitting there in a room filled with happy people and all of them are trying to make you cheer up and you are not wanting it. How hard is it to simply be in a bad mood? What do you think?
Bad+Mood