I just don’t get enough sleep, since the time Nick is born, said a friend of mine. This is the case with most of the parents of new born babies. Babies have no specific schedules or times till the age of atleast one. We can’t change their round the clock time so it is necessary for the parents to adjust their sleep timings and work out a proper routine which will enable them to have sound sleep.

Parents of babies should encourage each other to indulge in daily exercise at least 2 hours before mealtime. Say no to nicotine, caffeine and any type of alcoholic beverages. They should take a 10-15 min nap in the day time when the baby is sleeping, but try and avoid a prolonged sleep as this will disrupt the good night sleep. Parents should try and make the baby sleep at specific intervals, so that he gets habituated to specific sleep timings and sleeps through the night. The bedroom should be clean, neat, with very dim lighting and with some soothing music making the sleep times an effortless, happy and tranquil experience. The tossing and wandering in bed will reduce slowly as you and your baby get adjusted to a healthy regime.So parents just need to be a little patient and thoughtful so that both their bundle of joy and themselves can enjoy a good amount of sleep.

Pic courtesy www.flickr.com

A research at the University of Washington shows that the people who work in the night or do a night shift are deprived of their peaceful sleep at night. This sleep which the body requires is reduced to a large extent; this is because how much ever a person sleeps in the day time it cannot compensate or the night sleep. The hands of the clock always go clockwise and the numbers always start from zero to ten.
When a person is deprived of sleep the insulin levels take its toll. Due to the fluctuating insulin levels the risk of neurodegenerative disorder in the brain increases, which culminates into a mental disorder such as Alzheimer. In such cases there is a gradual memory loss which can be life threatening. In the normal course insulin promotes the learning and memory, but the resistance cases inflammation which is an important step in the development of Alzheimers.
A person who is deprived of his prescribed period of sleep can interrupt a bout of depression.

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It is seen that as people grow old they tend to sleep less. Ofcourse, there can be various reasons for this, like their body and brain tend to function less as people grow old. Proper sleep and the cognitive functioning of the brain are interrelated. But what is cognitive functioning of the brain? It  is the high level functioning of the brain, comprising of learning, storing information, logic application and problem solving capacity of the brain.

Whether it is the quantity, meaning amount of sleep, or the quality i.e peaceful sleep or disturbed sleep, or lack of sleep that is responsible for the cognitive functioning of the brain is a subject of debate.  It is seen that elderly people who are insomniacs and have trouble sleeping are more prone to improper and unstable functioning of the brain.

It is concluded that inadequate sleep is the main cause of memory loss, but if proper medication is taken along with exercise and a healthy diet, together these can slow down the pace of this malfunctioning of the brain.

Work, work and more work, that’s what people everywhere are focused on. Not once is a thought spared as to where all this work will take them. People are so busy trying to make both ends meet that they don’t get a single minute for themselves. What do they get in return - often hours of sleepless nights.

So the crux of the matter is, that our body needs atleast 6-7 hours of peaceful sleep every night, once in a while it is okay if this routine is skipped. More than  40% of the population in the US, sleep for less than 5 hours, which is not a trivial problem. The lesser we sleep the more prone are we to strokes and cardiovascular deaths. The correlation between such cardiovascular risks and less sleep is clear, but, curiously this risk is even higher if people sleep for more than 8-9 hours.
The pressure in the society, to cut down on sleep, so as to squeeze out as much as is possible in the given time may not be a good idea, especially if people are sleeping for less than 6 hours.

So please think twice before thinking “it's fine, I'll just finish this much work and then sleep, it hardly makes a difference. ”

Pic courtesy www.flickr.com, Work is never done by Tumbleweed

Did you know, that the National Commission on sleep disorders attributes approximately 38,000 cardiovascular deaths to sleep apnea. This is a chronic condition where the air passage in the throat becomes blocked, preventing the air from entering the lungs. This blockage is repeated throughout the night for as much as hundred times an hour.

Unfortunately the people suffering with this type of Obstructive Sleep Apnea don't even realise this struggle for air and oxygen while they are sleeping. Since they do not get their required peaceful sleep, these people might suffer from any of these symptoms.
Loud Snoring, Snorting or Gasping for Air
Frequent Nighttime Urination, Morning Headaches
Irritability, Daytime Sleepiness
Memory Loss, Lack of Energy
Drowsy Driving, Excessive Stress
Cardiovascular Strain, Erectile Dysfunction
Increased Risk for Accidents, Weight Gain
Depression, High Blood Pressure
Stroke

So find out if you have Sleep Apnea!

Sleep study, medically known polysomnography,  is a test which records the activities of the body while sleeping.  For many years a standard test required a patient to actually go to a Sleep Lab. The technicians put a number of electrodes to the forehead,  body and scalp using an adhesive and video shooted and monitored the entire process with the reactions.

Due to the technological advancement, things are much easier. The test can be conducted with a simple,  safe and clinically proven self testing device. This accurate diagonising sensor measures the pulse rate,  chest movement,  oxygen level along with snoring,  if any in the privacy of your home.  So no pains no tedious procedures and no risk,  a sleep study is just a phone call away.

All of us experience insomnia or lack of sleep in our life at some point of time. It might not be a killer disease, but it does lead to depression, fatigue, frustration, and deaccelerated functioning of mind and body. People spend hours and nights trying to get a good night sleep, but this inturn leaves them stressed out and worried. Those suffering from insomnia are unable to sleep for more than 3-4 hours every night.
There are various reasons for such sleeplessness, as there are causes, there are remedies also such as, Homeopathy, Ayurved, Naturopathy and ofcourse Allopathy. However one remedy for such ailment which is highly effective without any side effects is Yoga and Meditation which gives us not just physical but also mental and internal peace. click here for more information

There are many people who even after a long and hard day of work, when they are in their comfort zone -their bed, they keep tossing and turning from one side to the other, just to get some peaceful sleep. But when they are doing so they do it with a grim face and an irritated state of mind, which still worsens the condition. Why? cause the mind and body are not in tune with each other and very unstable.
Instead, one should go to bed when the body and mind know and tell that it is time to sleep. At that point of time we should lie still in bed,  put a nice smile on the face and tell ourselves I am sleeping, I am s-l-e-e-p-i-n-g, till we know that we actually are.
Of course any thing works only if done consistently and with full dedication and concentration. So GOODNIGHT and SWEET DREAMS.

Pic courtesy www.flickr.com c1970 smiley of suehawkins photostream

According to Carlos Schenck, a psychiatrist at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorder Center, apart from the many sleeping disorders such as eating or driving while sleeping sexomania is one of the most critical disorders, including masturbation, fondling another person, intercourse and other sexually assaultive behavioural patterns.
This sleep disorder can be the outcome of various other physical and mental ailments such as, Restless Leg Syndrome, Insomnia, Narcolepsy or severe tiredness, making people feel very embarrased and humiliated.
However it is important to know that such an ailment can be treated and cured over a period of time with the help of proper medication and diet.