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It's been said that PAIN can be exacerbated by STRESS and vice versa.  So add in temperature fluctuations due to a broken internal thermostat, the result is a poor night's sleep contributing directly to pain and stress levels.

These problems can be measured in healthcare costs, doctor visits, prescription medication and over-the-counter pain meds that provide only short-term relief.  Women often continue the same old approach or turn to alternative therapies like acupuncture or homeopathy all to no avail.

So what's today's price of getting a good night's sleep? More sleep meds, an expensive new mattress or a fancy reading light?  This might sound simple, but Goodnighties recovery sleepwear with calming negative ions built into the fibers just may be the answer to your problems.  This new cozy non-binding nightwear with technology rooted in high-performance fabric is specially created for maximum softness and comfort for better sleep.  Many women claim it's like not wearing anything at all!  The negative ions blended into this special fabric is a patented process used for years to help professional athletes with fatigued muscles and has also helped racehorses heal at an astonishingly quicker rate.  Goodnighties, Inc. is the first and only company to bring this technology to women's sleepwear.  It also has superior moisture wicking properties to help regulate your body's temperature and is anti-microbial.

If you're thinking 'pixie dust'.....it's not.  The Science underpinning this fabric is real.  Scientist, Dr. Alfred Ouimet from the team that developed this notable patent states:

"This process is called 'IonX' and it naturally increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the muscles as well as activates body chemicals that improve muscle function and helps to block pain.  When sleeping, this restful state helps women stay in a deeper REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, resulting in a better night's sleep."

Women from coast-to-coast are raving about how much better they feel after sleeping in Goodnighties!

Goodnighties sleepwear has also been given 'thumbs up' by recognized Expert Pain Writer and Co-founder of the National Fibromyalgia Association, Karen Lee Richards.  Ms. Richards has personally endorsed Goodnighties and has confirmed the positive benefits of Goodnighties.  Ms. Richards recommends Goodnighties as a great value when compared to doctor visits, medication, etc.  "It's a simple 'washable' (and reusable) solution to my sleep issues!"  For those interested, the makers of Goodnighties are offering an introductory price (20% off). Use the code SLEEP BETTER and they'll take it from there. Take the 'Jammie Challenge'! Offer valid through 10/31/10. SOURCE Goodnighties.    

Neurim Pharmaceuticals (http://www.Neurim.com) confirmed today that the European Commission (EC) has approved a change in treatment duration with Circadin from 3 to 13 weeks (3 months). Circadin is indicated for the treatment of primary insomnia in patients who are aged 55 or over.

The approval was based primarily on data obtained in the latest SOUNDER-SLEEP Phase IV clinical study, indicating that Circadin was safe and more effective than placebo for at least 3 months. Circadin is now the only sleep medication to be approved for up to 3 months.

The latest study was a large randomized clinical trial that analyzed more than 600 patients, over 400 of whom where on Circadin treatment for 6 months. The study demonstrated improvements in sleep latency, quality of sleep and morning alertness, with no withdrawal symptoms and rebound insomnia. The safety and efficacy data provided in the study support the proposed changes in treatment duration. In particular, the analysis of data from the new study showed that the benefit observed after 3 weeks is maintained for at least 3 months. Moreover, at 3 months, about an extra 10% of responders were seen in the Circadin treated group.

Circadin (http://www.Circadin.com) is an innovative sleep medication that has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (SwissMedic) and the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) for the short-term treatment of primary insomnia, characterized by poor quality of sleep in patients who are aged 55 and over. The approval is based on clinical studies demonstrating positive effects on sleep quality, sleep induction, and most importantly next day alertness and functioning.

"We are pleased that the EMA recognized the importance of this therapeutic profile and recommended approval of the change in the posology of Circadin from 3 weeks to 3 months of treatment," said Professor Nava Zisapel, CSO of Neurim Pharmaceuticals, adding, "Importantly, Circadin's efficacy was maintained for at least 3 months and safety was maintained over the entire six months of treatment."

Dr. Tali Nir, VP Clinical and Regulatory Affairs of Neurim Pharmaceuticals explained that in the case of some hypnotics, concerns of safety and potential dependence issues have led to restrictions in the permitted treatment duration to ultra short periods for 2 to 4 weeks. Adding, "With Circadin there are no safety concerns and no concerns regarding withdrawal or rebound effects, as demonstrated in the study, which would limit the recommendation to treat for the full 3 month short term treatment period."

Circadin (http://www.Circadin.com) is the first and only IP-protected prolonged-release melatonin to be approved as an ethical drug by health authorities. Administration of Circadin to patients with primary insomnia improves sleep quality and morning alertness and facilitates sleep onset in patients aged 55 or over. Now it is also the first insomnia treatment approved for up to 13 weeks. Currently Circadin is commercialized in Europe by H.Lundbeck A/S and Nycomed, in Australia by Sigma, in Thailand by DKSH and in Israel by Teva. Circadin is undergoing registration in US, Asia and Latin American markets.

Neurim Pharmaceuticals (http://www.Neurim.com) is headquartered in Israel with offices in Switzerland and the UK. The company was founded in 1991 and is focused on drug discovery and development of treatments for age-related disorders, primarily in the central nervous system (CNS).

Insomnia has long been associated with poor health, including weight gain and even obesity. Now researchers at UCLA have found out why.

In a study to be published in the May issue of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology and currently available online by subscription, Sarosh Motivala, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and colleagues looked at two hormones that are primarily responsible for regulating the body's energy balance, telling the body when it is hungry and when it is full. The study found that chronic insomnia disrupts one of these two hormones.

To date, no study has evaluated nocturnal levels of the two hormones, ghrelin and leptin, in primary insomnia patients. Ghrelin, a peptide secreted by the stomach, stimulates appetite and increases before meals. Leptin, which affects body weight and is secreted primarily by fat cells, signals the hypothalamus regarding the degree of fat storage in the body; decreased leptin tells the body there is a calorie shortage and promotes hunger, while increased levels promote energy expenditure.

In the study, researchers compared healthy sleepers with those suffering from chronic insomnia and measured the levels of the two hormones at various times throughout the night. They found that while leptin levels averaged out over the night to be roughly the same between the two groups, levels of ghrelin were 30 percent lower in insomnia sufferers.

On the face of it, a decreased level of ghrelin would seem to inhibit weight gain; it is an increase in ghrelin, after all, that stimulates appetite. But Motivala compared his findings with other, earlier studies on sleep deprivation and speculates that a switch may occur during the day: Sleep loss leads to increased ghrelin and decreased leptin, a "double whammy" that stimulates appetite. Motivala is currently working on a study to examine this switch.

"The current study shows that insomnia patients have a dysregulation in energy balance that could explain why these patients gain weight over time," said Motivala, who is also a member of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA. "This is an exciting finding because it highlights how diverse behaviors like sleep and eating are connected. We are just beginning to explore the possible consequences of these connections, but it is another example of the importance of a good night's sleep for the body."

For the study, 38 male participants were divided into two groups 14 insomnia sufferers and 24 healthy subjects. Both groups had similar ages and body weight. Both groups underwent polysomnography sleep studies that monitor brain waves. Circulating levels of ghrelin and leptin were measured at 11 p.m., 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Ghrelin levels across the night were significantly lower in insomnia patients, while leptin were not significantly different between the two groups.

The UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology encompasses an interdisciplinary network of scientists working to advance the understanding of psychoneuroimmunology by linking basic and clinical research programs and by translating findings into clinical practice. The center is affiliated with the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Source: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

AmericInn(R) International, LLC officially kicks off "Sleep Better America," the hotel chain's new sleep advocacy and awareness campaign, with the launch of http://www.sleepbetteramerica.net. The new Web portal is designed to educate consumers about sleep-related issues with timely information, tools, tips, product reviews and clinical data from sleep-related studies.

The "Sleep Better America" Web site centralizes unique sleep-related content for consumers who want to improve their sleep quality on the road or at home. Sleepbetteramerica.net gives visitors access to one of the country's top sleep experts, Dr. Christopher Drake, a bioscientific investigator at Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit.

Dr. Drake will contribute articles, provide data from his own sleep studies and answer one consumer question that's submitted to sleepbetteramerica.net each week. In addition to Dr. Drake's contributions, sleepbetteramerica.net will provide visitors with seasonal sleep information, sleep tips for travelers, event highlights, reviews of new sleep products, the latest in sleep news and links to other relevant Web sites.

"We want sleepbetteramerica.net, and the entire 'Sleep Better America' campaign, to provide consumers with reliable information for dealing with personal sleep issues and concerns," said Dr. Drake.

AmericInn Hotels, known as the "quiet hotel" chain due to its trademarked construction process called AmericInn SoundGuard,(TM) is sponsoring "Sleep Better America" and its corresponding Web site to build awareness of how important a good night's sleep is to living a productive life.

"The launch of 'Sleep Better America' signifies our true commitment to providing all consumers -- not just AmericInn guests -- with tools and resources they need to sleep better and live healthier lives," said Arnold Angeloni, CEO of AmericInn. "We're proud of the expertise that AmericInn has cultivated regarding our quiet room environments over the years, and 'Sleep Better America' is the culmination of our hard work."

Every AmericInn property is built with the AmericInn SoundGuard(TM) process, which uses masonry block filled with sound-deadening foam, thick drywall and concrete slab floors to reduce noise between rooms. Carpeted floors, insulated corridor walls and guest room doors with thresholds and sweeps also help minimize noise.

SOURCE AmericInn International, LLC

Want to sleep peacefully and get up all refreshed and ready to give your best, well it is not all that difficult just click here and you have a solution at your finger tips.

So enjoy your weekends full of fun and a renewed spirit.

Pic courtesy Robyn Gallagher on www.flickr.com

Sleep a must for every human being as well as animals, birds, and insects, but what exactly is sleep, what are wakefulness, sleeplessness, night awaking, and the mechanism of sleep.

 
Interested in getting a clear picture and understanding the concept more clearly visit this website and be thorough with the basics of sleep. Read more about insomnia, the causes of insomnia and the different types of insomnia and the treatments available.

Pic courtesy Justin Marty on www.flickr.com

Sleep is one of the most revitalizing experiences for anybody as it keeps both mind and body healthy. Until recently insomnia was not considered as a significant medical condition, but today it is a serious disease which is caused by various emotional factors, environmental factors, physical imbalance, and some percentage of genetic components. As there are sleeping pills for an undisturbed sleep, there is a holistic approach to this sleep disorder. Holistic treatment incorporates behavioural therapy, meditation, yoga, herbs, mineral and vitamin supplement, massage therapy and last but not the least a proper sleeping routine.
Alternative therapies like those mentioned above are focused at investigating the root cause of the ailment, rather than just symptomatic relief. According to this holistic approach there are herbs which can be used during the day or 20 minutes before sleeping time, to name a few ;
Chamomile
Hops
Lavender
Valerian
Passion flower
Wild lettuce
Kava
California poppy
These are very effective in cases of sleeplessness, restlessness, nervousness, and depression. Remember the bedroom is a room for relaxation, sleeping and making love lets not make it a battlefield of worries try relaxing and prepare yourself or a deep and quiet sleep.
  
 

Insomnia is an epidemic; it truly is as we can see seven in ten are suffering from insomnia. Like we are what we eat similarly we can do much more than what we think we actually can, if we are able to take charge of all the thoughts and emotions nothing can stop us from what we want to do. Gradually it becomes a habit to control our inner feelings.
The subconscious mind plays a very vital role in conquering insomnia, it signals the mind to take charge of all the negative thoughts and reinforce the optimistic thoughts.
It is not a miracle that happens overnight as the symptoms of any ailment need to be cured rather than the ailment itself.
Popping up a sleeping pill and lying in bed anxiously waiting for our dear friend to do its magic is extremely easy. Real test is if we can overcome the causes of insomnia and get rid of it right from the roots.
To sleep naturally and soundly we need to work on it ourselves and believe in ourselves.

For at least 3 years I always associated bedtime and wakefulness with tensions and thoughts of worry because there was not a single night when I slept peacefully. God, how I dreaded those nights always wandering why is this happening to me. Like most of the insomniacs I failed to understand what is insomnia and what is it that triggers it.
So many hours of tension and spiraling thoughts and how I myself shunned my ability to sleep. Lack of sleep curbed my ability to concentrate on my daily work and I was gradually losing confidence in myself.
I always felt tired and exhausted and thought everything around me was going haywire. As if I was losing control and never thought I could regain control over myself as well as the situation.
But all in vain Insomnia like any other anxiety disorder is treatable however grave and chronic it may seem. We have been taught in school Nothing is Impossible.
Are you interested in knowing how to beat this so called chronic disorder, stay connected.

Pic courtesy www.flickr .com

Does everyone sleep well through the night? Yes, well actually No. About 40%- 50% of the population suffers from insomnia, and 5%- 10% suffer from chronic insomnia. Insomnia as we all know by now is difficulty to sleep through the night due to various reasons. The causes vary from person to person; similarly there are different medicines which help to sleep through the night. These drugs have some or the other significant side effect, although they might be prescribed by an experienced physician.
Excessive intake of these medicines may cause drowsiness and instead of feeling elated and full of energy a person feels very dull and groggy. Latest innovations in this field of medicine are some natural supplements or certain naturopathic pills, which if taken consistently and for the prescribed reasons have little or no side effects improving both quality and quantity of sleep.
However the market is floored with so many new medicines everyday, that it is hard to judge which one is most reliable. Out of the approximately 150 natural drugs in the market only a few have qualified the safety and maximum relief test.
For the detailed information click here. 
 

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.

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

Just read a very interesting account of an insomniac's journey to better sleep through a complete treatment program.

Mindy Clawson writes about being a periodic insomniac for many years and reaching a point of being unable to sleep without medication.  She was already doing what was advised in every article about insomnia; going to sleep at the same time every night, cutting out caffeine and alcohol, no TV in the bedroom etc. And yet she often woke in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep.

Clawson then describes her treatment at the Vermont Regional Sleep Center, which involved a combination of therapy, exercises, breathing exercises and self hypnosis. Most importantly, she was asked to maintain a sleep log, recording what time she felt tired, if she took alcohol, or a sleeping pill and what time she got out of bed.

She was told that if she woke during the night, and was awake for over 20 minutes, she was to get out of the bed, and do something else until she became tired.

One of the things that I found very interesting in Clawson's story, and could relate to it with my own experiences completely, was her diagnosis of waking up and not being able to go back to sleep.  Her doctor explained to her that everyone has "awakenings" each night, but most people simply drop back off to sleep, sometimes not even knowing they've woken up. For people who operate at high speed during waking hours, once the body comes out of deep sleep, the brain revvs up to full-operational mode.

Clawson reports that it took about 7 sessions with the sleep specialist, spread out over two months, for her to start to get seven hours and 45 minutes of sleep time consistently.

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Insomnia is a lack of sleep that occurs on a regular or frequent basis, often for no apparent reason.

Insomnia affects your energy level and mood, and your health as well because sleep helps bolster your immune system. Fatigue caused by sleep deprivation leads to lowered mental alertness and concentration. The lack of sleep caused by insomnia is linked to accidents on the road and on the job.

www.mayoclinic.com enlists some of the causes of insomnia as follows:

• Stress: Stress related to work, health or family prevents the mind from relaxing. Excessive boredom, such as during a long illness also causes stress and can keep you awake.
• Anxiety: Everyday anxieties or severe anxiety disorders can prevent sleep.
• Depression: Depression can cause either too much sleep or lack of sleep, due to chemical imbalances in the brain, or excessive worries.
• Stimulants: A number of medications can interfere with sleep, including antidepressants, high blood pressure medications, decongestants and weight loss products.
• Change in environment or work schedule: Travel or working night shifts disrupts the body’s circadian rhythms, making it hard to sleep when you want to.
• Long term use of sleep medications, which often become less effective over time.
• Medical conditions that cause pain, such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and neuropathies.
• Behavioral insomnia: This occurs when you worry excessively about not being able to sleep well.
• Eating too much too late in the evening: A feeling of heaviness or heartburn may cause discomfort and prevent sleep.
• Inherited condition: If you have inherited poor sleep tendency, take care not to overexcite yourself in the evening.

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