Even though sleep is one of the most important aspects of our health, we tend to neglect it.  In the end, we certainly pay the price. The following article will examine the importance of sleep and how we can increase both the hours and quality of our sleeping habits.

Sleep has always been of great interest among certain circles of science. And for good reason.  It governs our thought processes, affects our analytical, mathematical, and reading comprehension skills, and also seems to affect our ability to learn and retain short term memories. Without sleep, we lose patience, feel disoriented, and become generally unproductive.

Mainstream businesses have built empires around the concept of improving sleep. Mattress companies claim to build sleep inducing technology through ‘innovative coil designs’, posture support, internal heating systems, etc. Pharmaceutical companies annually rake in billions with sleeping pills. Of course, you can’t leave out the sleep therapists, hypnotic/subliminal audio tapes, books, meditation, and so forth.  All of which are big business. The truth however…most of these things are a waste of time and money.  No scientific evidence supports that a thousand dollar mattress will help an insomniac any more than a hand woven cot. It’s simply about preference not price. As a matter of fact, some studies suggest that sleeping pills can do more damage than good.

So what works? The problem may be under the hood. One should explore possibilities such as clinical depression and/or anxiety. If one believes this is the case, professional help may be worth looking into. On the other hand, the solution may be easily attainable. Often times, people take ‘powernaps’ in the middle of the day. A 20 minute nap can offer that second wind we all need from time to time.  Unfortunately, these naps can cut into our sleep rhythms, ultimately keeping us up throughout the night.  Thus, making the need for powernaps even more necessary. This vicious cycle can make an already messy situation even worse.  If this sounds familiar, maybe you should consider shortening that 20 minute pit stop into 10 or 15 minutes. Some studies have shown that taking naps later in the day (say after 2pm) can have a more negative effect on how one sleeps at night. The earlier, the better.

The good news?  It may be a simple environmental issue.  Block out all sources of light, keep the room temperature very cool, read a book, write a paper. In short, engage in activities that will not cause unnecessary excitement just before bedtime.

Here is a sobering thought to illustrate how important sleep really is. It is called sleep debt. Let’s say one (specifically) needs 8 hours of sleep every night. Unfortunately, you have a busy week ahead and can only afford 6 hours per night for the next 7 days. That is 14 hours of sleep lost by the end of the week.  Conventional thought tells us that we can make up for the lost time by sleeping in for a few extra days.  This should do the trick. Right?  Unfortunately not. According to this theory, every lost hour will have to be repaid, eventually.  That is 14 hours of lost time.  You can only assume that this may take at least a week to bring you back to optimal performance.

To fully understand how important sleep is in our daily lives, one must suffer sleep deprivation for an extended period of time.  During my enlistment in the Navy, I slept an average of 4 hours a night.  This is not so bad after you become accustomed to it.  The human brain is very resilient/adaptable to ones circumstances. Unfortunately, I suffered three days of sleep deprivation during this time. I began hallucinating (i.e. seeing people who were not there), suffering irrational thoughts (such as paranoia, unnecessary bouts of anger, lapse in time and reason).  I also experienced physical fatigue, loss of appetite, and so forth.  Having suffered such symptoms in just a few short days makes me appreciate why insomniacs will go to such lengths as buying expensive mattresses, undergoing hours of therapy, changing their entire routine, all in the hope of getting a few hours of sleep at night.

Our body cannot survive indefinitely without sleep, which is fact, although certain individuals have unverified claims of undergoing years with no sleep.  At various times, all of us have suffered from lack of sleep.  Maybe it was a new mother who was awake half the night with a screaming, colicky baby. Or perhaps, it was the single guy who stayed out too late partying when he knew he had to work the next day; or simply an insomniac night of tossing and turning where you dejectedly looked at a digital alarm clock that slowly ticked off the hours and minutes toward your waking time. Either way, the next day, you are barely able to drag yourself through the day.

Image by Mr.Thomas via Flickr

But what I am discussing here is true sleep deprivation. The medical student going through internship and residency is known to work one hundred hours a week, with forty-eight and seventy-two hour shifts not uncommon. Those in the military, especially the people in the Special Forces, suffer lack of sleep for days on end due to prolonged combat patrols.  Even a college student, especially during finals week, is known to cram continuously for the entire week. Also, those people suffering from sleep apnea fail to get restful sleep and are actually sleep-deprived, even though they appear to be asleep.  In extreme cases, they are like prisoners of war and victims of torture which are deliberately deprived of rest.

Minor sleep deprivation can produce the symptoms every person is familiar with. The number one most common symptom is yawning, an almost involuntary reflex action that is difficult to suppress. Although scientifically unproven, it is generally accepted that yawning is also contagious, spreading rapidly around the area where the tired person is. Being irritable and/or quick-tempered is also a short term symptom.  The young child who has not had her nap is a good example of this when she throws a temper tantrum.   Either because of lack of sleep or because of the irritability (a symptom itself), stress and higher blood pressure is possible. A severe headache is also common among those who have a lack of sleep. This is partly why those who have a caffeine addiction normally get a massive headache when they try to withdraw from the drug. The body begins to tire because caffeine is beginning to leave the system. In addition, the entire body, especially the face, gives the appearance of no sleep. The most common looks are the well-known bloodshot eyes and bags under the eyes.  Those who are sleepy also tend to be more disheveled and careless about personal appearance.

As the human body continues to suffer lack of sleep, other more serious things begin to surface. The muscular system begins to show signs of strain, aches and pain which are not uncommon. Muscle cramps, also colloquially known as a ‘Charley Horse’, while extremely painful at the very least, can even result in bruising or tearing of the muscles affected by the cramp. The Charley Horse is especially prevalent in those who have been subjected to strenuous physical activity prior to the sleep deprivation. Critical diseases have also been linked to lack of sleep.

It has been suggested, although unproven, that insomniacs have far greater blood glucose levels. If true, sufferers of Type II diabetes would continue to experience an even quicker acceleration of the consequences associated with that debilitating disease. Those people who do not already have Diabetes would have a greater risk of getting it, especially those with the lifestyle signs already.  There is also a growing belief that wounds tend to heal slower in those without REM sleep, diabetic or not.  Another lifestyle cause of diabetes is yet another symptom of lack of sleep, namely weight gain and obesity, which could also worsen the disease. The hypertension and stress asymptomatic of insomnia are also leading causes of coronary disease and heart attacks. Long-term lack of sleep in children and teenagers has also been linked to delay of normal growth behavior, caused by failure to produce cortisol and growth hormones as normal.

The greatest and most rapidly occurring symptom of sleep deprivation is to the brain.  In minor lack of sleep, befuddlement and confusion are the most obvious. Those whose brain is at the heart of their job are especially vulnerable, for memory loss and lack of concentration are prevalent. That is why modern medicine is taking a second look at the long hours worked by those with crucial responsibilities, such as medical students, as their lack of concentration could very well put lives at risk. Several reports have been made annually in the United States alone from vehicle crashes caused by lack of sleep and many single-vehicle ‘mystery’ crashes are suspected to be caused by driver fatigue.

As sleep deprivation continues, more serious brain impairments tend to happen. That lapse of memory and judgment from short lack of rest could very well become permanent memory loss, as the brain suffers from remaining alert for extended periods of time. Cognitive reasoning becomes minimal.  The student studying for his finals could theoretically do much worse on the tests by doing without sleep, because his ability to concentrate on the questions is impaired. This is especially true for word and math problems, which seem to be affected the most.  Motor skills also begin to deteriorate and could also become long-term or even permanent. Certain psychosis, such as Bipolar disorder, has been suggested to have been either caused by lack of sleep, or at the very least exacerbated by it.  This is especially true with hallucinations associated with such neurosis as Paranoid Schizophrenia.

In short, it’s important to try to sleep well but without getting in any way anxious about this. Your body will thank you.

So you’re laying in bed all cuddled up next to the one you love after a long day of work. As the two of you slowly drift off to sleep, your mind is shutting down for the night when suddenly the bed shakes and the trinkets on your desk clatter together with the vicious snores of your beloved, waking you up and preparing you for another restless night of broken sleep. Though it may be difficult to force your loved one to face the facts, you need help if you’re going to make this partnership work toward healthier sleep habits.

Image by Arlette via Flickr

For all of you who have shy and timid personalities that think you can deal with it and get used to it, don’t kid yourself. Though you may think that you’re doing the right thing by biting the bullet for the person you love, you may end up just causing more damage in the long run. Snoring disrupts a necessary sleep cycle and those who snore may have health risks of their own. You need to confront your partner and let them know the difficulties you face during the night.

Some of the immediate things you may want to try are discussing new habits for sleep arrangements. Try setting up a schedule for sleep, allowing you to fall asleep first and have your partner join after you’ve had time to get into deeper sleep. Set yourself up so that when it is time to sleep, you are 100% ready to hit the pillow at bedtime. Avoid drinking anything caffeinated and stop yourself from taking that midday nap. Try becoming more physically active during the day as well, to use up that extra energy and make the wind down time much shorter.

• If the snoring is so loud that it wakes you in deep sleep, you may want to invest in very comfortable earplugs or noise cancelling headphones. Though these advanced headphones might be costly, if it helps you with a lifetime of sleep, the extra money is worth it. Instead of trying to sleep through snores, you can relax to soft classical music or more organic earthly tones and tracks while your partner doesn’t have to worry about being disturbed either. However, you may also have to find new ways of setting an alarm that will wake you up for work in the morning. Perhaps, invest in an mp3 player that can also do alarm clocks played through the headphones. If none of these options work for you, avoid using the alternate methods such as sleep pills or sleeping in separate rooms. After all, your partner still has many things they can do to help you, this burden is not just yours to deal with.
• One of the first things your partner should consider looking into is the reasons why he/she snores. Snoring may be an indication of some serious health risks. The actual snoring sound is a vibration caused by air moving through an obstruction while sleeping. Some of the obstructions include extra fat around the neck area, overly relaxed throat muscles, the tongue, or even enlarged tonsils. There are various ways to address the many different obstructions. However, the first thing to do is see a doctor for a diagnosis of the cause.
• If the obstruction is a clogged nasal passage, a very common cause, your partner should consider treatments such as allergy relief, air filters, humidifiers, and/or nasal sprays, especially during the night hours. This will not only help you sleep better but will help them sleep better, as these issues cause disrupted sleep for both partners.
• Though it may be a sensitive subject, if your partner is overweight, you should consider ways to encourage them to exercise and diet to obtain a healthier weight. There are covert way to help your partner deal with their weight, such as preparing meals for them and making their diet a healthier one. Help them avoid heavy dinners and dairy products at night. You can also suggest working out together, a nice way to have together time and work toward a common goal that will benefit both of you.
• Also discourage any alcohol or muscle relaxing drugs, as this will relax the throat muscles to the point of closing while sleeping.
• After a lifetime of sleeping on one’s back, it may be hard to change your partner’s habits now, but if you encourage them to sleep on their side it can keep the airways open easier and prevent the tongue from sliding back and blocking the throat. During the night, if you find them sleeping on their back, try to nudge them over onto their side and slowly build up a different sleeping pattern. You can even use yourself as a sleeping guard, positioning your body in a way that prevents your partner from sleeping on their back.
• Help your partner to quit smoking. Not only will this help their lungs for better breathing at night, it’s a good way to make them healthier in general. It may be hard to change such an addictive habit, but at least avoiding cigarettes in the evening will help reduce the stress on breathing at night.
• If your partner simply has a weak throat that collapses during sleep, there are various exercises that can strengthen the muscles in and around the throat. Such methods include facial and vocal exercises. Facial exercises include doing various expressions and active tongue movements. Many singers use vocal exercises, but following the same method as singers, your partner can strengthen his/her throat while also practicing lovely tunes for you.
• For other obstructions that deal with tonsils, overlapping tissues, or badly positioned jaws, your partner may want to consider various surgical options or therapeutic methods.

No matter what the cause is, snoring is not only tough for you to deal with, but it can mean serious implications of health hazards for your partner. Night after night of restless sleep can only go on for so long before both you and your partner will face more than just health problems. The stress from sleep deprivation can have a serious toll on the relationship dynamics as well. If you are serious about the one you love, you should take serious action to fix the problem and give both of you that safe haven you need when you lay down at night.

A person with sleeping disorder is not necessarily someone with psychiatric problems. It may actually be a byproduct of an actual experience that triggers a sleeping disorder. A U.S. Army sleep study can point the way for future research of sleeping disorders. A study presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting suggests that sleep disturbances like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), excessive awakening and insomnia, may be a normal result of combat experience, rather than a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), major depression or other psychiatric conditions.

The retrospective study, which will be published this summer as “Sleep Disruption Among Returning Combat Veterans fromIraq and Afghanistan” in the peer-reviewed journal Military Medicine, examined the electronic medical records of recently redeployed soldiers complaining of sleep disturbances. The purpose of the study was to uncover the relationship between common combat-related conditions among active duty military personnel and the frequency of a diagnosis of OSA and other sleep problems.

U.S. Army Capt. Vincent F. Capaldi, II, Sc.M., M.D., the study’s lead author, is a resident physician in psychiatry and internal medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Many of the Army’s sleep studies are run at Walter Reed, and it is widely known that sleep disturbance is a frequent complaint among deployed soldiers. In 2008, the Army reported that 8 percent of the U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan were taking mental health-related medications to treat sleep problems, while in Iraq, soldiers averaged 5.6 hours of sleep per night, significantly less than the 6.4 hours self-reports indicated they required to feel rested. Many soldiers continue to suffer from sleep disruptions for several months after returning home from deployment.

“In this study, we discovered surprisingly few and subtle differences in the sleep issues of soldiers with various psychiatric diagnoses, as well as between civilian and military sleep patterns among those with disturbed sleep,” said Capt. Capaldi. “While the study had limitations of size and scope, a key takeaway is that routine screening for sleep problems may be beneficial for all combat veterans, since many who suffer from sleep disturbance post-deployment are otherwise healthy.”

PTSD and TBI are both characterized by sleep disruptions. Nightmares and insomnia are core characteristics of PTSD, but OSA, restless legs, sleep terrors, nocturnal anxiety attacks and sleep avoidance can also occur. However, the study showed that many of the symptoms experienced by soldiers with these diagnoses occurred with the same frequency in civilians who sought relief at a sleep clinic. Sleep apnea, which occurred in 76.8 percent of the soldiers in the study, occurs at a similar rate in civilians seeking treatment.

Overall, the service members referred to the sleep clinic had higher rates of psychiatric diagnoses than the general population and war veterans who either have normal sleep or whose sleep disruptions are not severe enough to cause them to seek medical help. However, the sleep study participants did not have a higher rate of OSA than non-veteran sleep clinic participants, calling into question the commonly held view that sleep apnea and related sleep disorders are a function of PTSD and TBI. Rather, they appear to be a function of experiencing stress under combat conditions, even if that stress does not rise to the level of PTSD.

Do you snore loudly during sleep? Is your husband or wife complaining? You might not notice your snoring at night because you are asleep. However, your loved ones know who is the noisy one is. Snoring is caused by the obstruction of air movement in your respiratory structures. Sometimes, these noises are soft and quiet. However, often they are loud and  unpleasant to hear for those around you who want a good and pleasant night’s sleep.

1. Stop Drinking 3 Hours Before Bed
Alcohol before bedtime increases the relaxation of the tongue and throat muscles, making snoring more likely.

2. Eat Light at Dinnertime
Less food in the stomach during sleep, increases the lung capacity for oxygen.

3. Eat breakfast & lunch
This helps you eat less at Dinnertime

4. Breathe Through Your Nose
Train yourself to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth.

5. Keep Airways Open & Clear
Blowing your nose and keeping it clear will help you be able to breathe easier and help you not use your mouth to breathe while you sleep.

6. Sleep Using A Pillow
This raises your head position in relation to your body.

7. Avoid Sleeping on Your Stomach
It increases the throat obstruction

8. Sleep On Your Side.
It helps to open up airways as your tongue is less likely to stay in your throat.

9. Avoid Sleeping on Your Back
A trick to help – sew a tennis or golf ball on the upper back of your night-shirt so you won’t sleep on your back.

10. Exercise
A deeper, sound sleep is much easier to come by when your body has been working hard as the muscles that have been worked relax more easily.

11. Reduce Your Weight
Being obese and/or overweight greatly increases snoring. Losing weight will help to reduce snoring as there it literally reduces the amount of fat in the throat area which opens the airways.

The pressure of school or other peer or family pressures can affect a student. According to a study conducted by the Better Sleep Council, 43% of teenagers report that less-than-optimal sleep makes them unproductive the next day. It is very important for parents to know what level of fatigue is normal, how does one determine how much sleep a teenager needs and when to worry if a teenager is sleeping too much or is not sleeping enough.

“A teenager’s sleep needs and pattern will vary as they grow older due to biology and changes in life,” said Karen Albritton, MD, a board-certified oncologist and medical advisor to the 15-40 Connection, a non-profit focused on raising cancer awareness, action and advocacy among healthy 15 to 40-year-olds.

Dr. Albritton offers this teenage sleep advice:

• Check Your Body’s Sleep Needs: Log a sleep diary for one week and list the time you went to bed, fell asleep, any night-time awakening, and the time you woke up. Calculate your average hours sleeping and look for patterns over the week.
• Make Time to Sleep: Most teenagers require about 8½ to 9 hours of sleep. It is essential that teens make time to relax and sleep, a growing body needs time to rest and recover from the day’s work.
• Stick to a Schedule: Try to go to sleep at a consistent hour that gives at least 8 hours of sleep on a weekday and 10-11 hours on the weekends.
• Establish Good Sleep Habits: Avoid caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants and create a relaxing environment at bedtime that avoids bright lights, television, texting, loud music and computers.
• Listen to Your Body: If you are regularly getting more than 10 hours of sleep a day and still feel tired, you should inform a parent and consider seeing a physician to determine what your body is trying to say.

“Sleepiness may be a symptom of poor sleep habits, but excess sleep during the teen years can be a sign that something is not right, and can sometimes be a real medical condition,” stated Dr. Albritton. “It is essential that teenagers visit their doctor annually so serious ailments like cancer or disease can be detected early when they are easier to treat and survival rates are higher.”

Sleep disorders are familiar to many of us – most people have difficulty in sleeping from time to time.  Maybe it is because of the stress of our jobs or the worry of meeting our deadlines and projects.  Having enough sleep is vital for our well being and the proper functioning of our mental faculties. We should never dismiss sleeping difficulties as something trivial.  Whilst many sleeping difficulties can be resolved easily, we should also be aware of the ill effects of lack of sleep and that there are serious disorders that need medical treatment.  Most of us will not need any special diagnosis or treatment of sleep problems but for some of us this may help.

You might go to a sleep center, if this is available, when you are not able to sleep for 3 days, when your sleep becomes irregular, if you still feel exhausted after an appropriate sleep and you are wide awake regardless of being sleepy.  Sleep Health centers is a group of sleep medicine clinics that helps analyze, alleviate and support patients with sleep problems.  So why suffer anymore when there’s cure?

Sleep HealthCenters has entered into an agreement with U.S. HealthWorks to provide sleep medicine services as part of their occupational medicine programs.

Sleep HealthCenters will support U.S. HealthWorks by providing professional sleep apnea education, screening, diagnosis and treatment support.

“With 159 locations throughout the U.S. and growing, U.S. HealthWorks is concerned with protecting the safety and health of today’s workers, and the financial health of our clients,” said Joe Mallas, executive vice president of operations for U.S. HealthWorks. “We look forward to working with Sleep HealthCenters to offer a sleep program to our employer clients as well as the 10,000 employees we see every day.”

Each year, more and more companies are looking to occupational medicine to help maintain the health and safety of their employees. Sleep is one component that can affect an employee’s performance in a myriad of ways.

“Healthy sleep is vital to employee wellness and safety,” says Lawrence Epstein, chief medical officer of Sleep HealthCenters, based in Brighton, Massachusetts. “When an employee is not getting the proper amount of sleep, his health may be affected to the point where he is more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, work-related accidents and car crashes.”

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has publicly announced a focus on fatigue in commercial drivers, specifically addressing the potential impact of sleep apnea. Regulations surrounding these issues are possible.

“Sleep HealthCenters’ proactive sleep program screens, diagnoses and treats employees for sleep disorders,” states Paul S. Valentine, president and chief executive officer of Sleep HealthCenters. “We are able to provide national geographic coverage by working with a network of affiliated accredited sleep centers, currently numbering over 200. Our PAPCenter compliance system provides tracking and support customized to the individual, while also offering the ability to measure results confidentially for groups and subgroups.”

Sleep HealthCenters, based in Massachusetts, has a system of comprehensive sleep medicine centers and clinics. The company currently operates 26 facilities in Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and is affiliated with academic medical institutions such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, both in Boston.

Based in Valencia, California, U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group was founded in 1995. With 159 centers (including 25 worksite locations) in 15 states and 2,200 employees including approximately 350 affiliated physicians, U.S. HealthWorks centers help employers control work-related injury costs through quality medical care and effective management of claims and lost work time, while specializing in early return- to-work, injury prevention and wellness programs. (www.sleephealth.com)

We all know that sleep is essential.  It is an opportunity for our body to rejuvenate itself, to heal sore muscles, repair cellular damage and improve our immunity.  Sleep calms down our emotions and reduces stress.   It clears our minds and improves our memory and concentration.  It makes us feel better and function better.  Not everyone knows this, but sleeping can also burn calories.

Research has shown that listening to restful, nature sounds can provide relaxation and can help us achieve sleep.  Nature sounds generate positive vibrations that may aid in sleep.  The soothing effect of music provides mental comfort, calms our nerves and emotions, decreases respiration and heart rate, relaxes our emotion and brings us to a more peaceful state.  Relaxing music can improve sleep efficiency, quality and length.

Sleep is important; it is the body and mind’s opportunity to have a break in order to repair used muscles and enzymes.  Sleep reduces anxiety and preserves our intellect.

Do you know someone who sleepwalks?  Have you ever experienced sleepwalking especially when you are stressed?  Sleepwalking is a sleep disorder described as walking or doing other ordinary activities while snoozing.  This typically happens during middle infancy and during early teenage years.  When a person who sleepwalks is aroused, he may be confused and may not remember the event.  He may trip and lose balance, and as a result, gets injured.  No examinations or tests are needed to diagnose the disorder.  However, the person should have a complete checkup to discover if there is any medical basis of sleepwalking.

Did you know that aromatherapy can help with sleep disorders?  It is frequently used today as an alternative method to calm, cure and alleviate anxiety using therapeutic oils.  The essential oils are said to excite the part of the brain that controls mood.  Aromatherapy can help in reducing stress, improving behavior, diminishing pain, healing common diseases and treating aches and pains. And now it can be used to help you sleep well. You can use either single oil or a mixture of different scents.   Lavender is often used for encouraging sleep, but there are many others oils that have a soothing effect.

More and more people are starting to use aromatherapy to aid sleep. In addition to other measures, why not give it a try?