Sleep Aid Blog

Getting a good night’s sleep seems to be a troublesome task for most people. The hectic pace of life makes our minds and bodies keep on working even when we are ready to go to bed. There are medical remedies that can help cure insomnia but here are five basic sleep aid tips to consider to help cure your insomnia without the need to resort to prescriptions:

1. Try reading book before you go to sleep.

Reading a good book is effective in taking your mind off of unfinished business. Reading forces the mind to focus on the events transpiring in the story.

Use dim light in reading but not too dim as to strain your eyes. When your eyes are feeling tired from reading, you can simply mark the page in the book and then turn off the lights and enjoy a good night’s sleep.

2. List down all the things you want to accomplish the next day.

By doing this, you avoid thinking of things that you want to do. One of the things that cause insomnia is when you think about all the things that you want to accomplish. Jotting down these things can give you peace of mind and lead to having regular sleeping hours.

3. Do some breathing and stretching methods such as yoga that can help put you in a state of relaxation.

Releasing stress and worries can help you relieve your tired muscles. Massage your finger and feet, as well as any tired joints in your body. This will soothe all your muscles. For best results, keep your mind free and your eyes closed while performing the routine. This can help your body systems perform their normal functions.

4. Listen to soothing music or white noise.

Some people depend on relaxing music or sounds to ease the pressure off their tired bodies. You can play instrumental music from your cassette recorder or compact disc. You can likewise record the sound of the waves or the chirping of the birds and play it at night before you go to sleep. This can hasten the release of stress and allow your body to cool down and sleep more comfortably.

5. Try wearing a sleep mask.

Sometimes a little or too much light can cause people to exceed the regular sleeping hours thinking that it is not yet time to sleep. Wearing a sleeping mask or hiding beneath your covers can block out the light and cause you to fall asleep.

Remember insomnia need not be a hindrance from enjoying your life. Try these simple sleep remedies and find out if these will work before you even think of consulting your doctor.

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What is Sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is a set of complex behaviors that are initiated during slow wave sleep and result in walking during sleep.

How Common is Sleepwalking?

Medical reports show that about 18% of the population are prone to sleepwalking. It is more common in children than in adolescents and adults. Boys are more likely to sleepwalk than girls. The highest prevalence of sleepwalking was 16.7% at age 11 to 12 years of age.  Sleepwalking can have a genetic tendency. If a child begins to sleepwalk at the age of 9, it often lasts into adulthood.

How serious is Sleepwalking?

For some, the episodes of sleepwalking occur less than once per month and do not result in harm to the patient or others. Others experience episodes more than once per month, but not nightly, and do not result in harm to the patient or others. In its most severe form, the episodes occur almost nightly or are associated with physical injury.  The sleepwalker may feel embarrassment, shame, guilt, anxiety and confusion when they are told about their sleepwalking behavior.

If the sleepwalker exits the house, or is having frequent episodes and injuries are occurring then it is time to seek professional help from a sleep disorder center in your area. There have been some tragedies with sleepwalkers, don’t let it happen to your loved one!

What can be done about sleepwalking?

There are some things a sleepwalker can do:

• Make sure you get plenty of rest; being overtired can trigger a sleepwalking episode.
  

• Develop a calming bedtime ritual. Some people meditate or do relaxation exercises; stress can be another trigger for sleepwalking.
  

• Try taking some type of sleep aid to help keep you in the deeper stages of sleep so that you don’t sleep walk
  

• Remove anything from the bedroom that could be hazardous or harmful.
  

• The sleepwalker’s bedroom should be on the ground floor of the house. The possibility of the patient opening windows or doors should be eliminated.
  

• An assessment of the sleepwalker should include a careful review of the current medication so that modifications can be made if necessary.
  

• Hypnosis has been found to be helpful for both children and adults.
  

• An accurate psychiatric evaluation could help to decide the need for psychiatric intervention.
  

• Other sleep remedies such as Benzodiazepines have been proven to be useful in the treatment of this disorder. A small dose of diazepam or lorazepam eliminates the episodes or considerably reduces them.

What are Sleep Terrors?

Sleep Terrors are characterized by a sudden arousal from slow wave sleep with a piercing scream or cry, accompanied by autonomic (Controlled by the part of the nervous system that regulates motor functions of the heart, lungs, etc.) and behavioral manifestations of intense fear. Also known as Pavor Nocturnus, incubus, severe autonomic discharge, night terror.

What are the symptoms of Sleep Terrors?

• A sudden episode of intense terror during sleep
  

• The episodes usually occur within the first third of the night
  

• Partial or total amnesia occurs for the events during the episode.

How serious are Sleep Terrors?

Some people have episodes of sleep terror that may occur less than once per month, and do not result in harm to the patient or others. While some people experience episodes less than once per week, and do not result in harm to the patient or others. In its severest form, the episodes occur almost nightly, or are associated with physical injury to the patient or others. Consult a sleep specialist if you are concerned.

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5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an amino acid. The body makes 5-HTP from tryptophan (an essential amino acid) and converts it to an important brain chemical known as serotonin. Tryptophan and 5-HTP are sleep remedies that help raise serotonin levels in the brain, which may have a positive effect on sleep, mood, anxiety, aggression, appetite, temperature, sexual behavior, and pain sensation.

5-HTP may be helpful in treating a wide variety of conditions related to low serotonin levels, including the following:

Depression

Low levels of serotonin in the brain can contribute to the development of depression. Many drugs prescribed for depression increase serotonin levels. Studies indicate that 5-HTP may be as effective as certain antidepressant drugs in treating individuals with mild to moderate depression. Such individuals have shown improvements in mood, anxiety, insomnia, and physical symptoms.

Fibromyalgia

Although many factors can influence the stiffness, pain, and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia, evidence from several studies indicates that low serotonin levels may play a role in the development of this condition. 5-HTP has been shown to improve sleep quality and reduce pain, stiffness, anxiety, and depression in individuals with fibromyalgia.

Insomnia

Medical research indicates that taking sleep remedies with tryptophan before bedtime can induce sleepiness and delay wake times. Studies also suggest that 5-HTP may be useful in treating insomnia associated with depression.

Headaches

Some studies suggest that 5-HTP may be effective in children and adults with various types of headaches including migraines.

Obesity

There is some evidence that low tryptophan levels may contribute to excess fat and carbohydrate intake (which can result in weight gain). A study of overweight individuals with diabetes suggests that supplementation with 5-HTP may decrease fat and carbohydrate intake by promoting a feeling of satiety (fullness). Additional similar studies of obese men and women without diabetes found that supplementation with 5-HTP resulted in decreased food intake and weight loss.

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Insomnia is a common sleep disorder among all ages, especially among senior citizens. In most cases Insomnia treatments range from natural sleep aid products to over the counter medications and prescription medicines. Insomnia symptoms can include poor concentration and memory retention. People suffering from insomnia usually awake prematurely during the night and have trouble getting back to sleep after they wake up. Insomnia can leave you feeling irritable without any obvious cause. People suffering from insomnia also frequently experience decreased alertness and mental sluggishness.

Insomnia symptoms can last for as little as a day or be carried on for many weeks. In case of Transient Insomnia, the symptoms last for a few nights. In Short-Term Insomnia, the symptoms stay for two to three weeks. If they last more than three weeks, the patient is suffering from Chronic Insomnia. Health experts also sometimes distinguish between primary and secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia is characterized by symptoms of difficulty in falling asleep, waking several times during sleep, and fatigue. These symptoms last for a month and has unknown cause. In secondary insomnia, there is a known underlying condition. Depression is usually the major cause of secondary insomnia.

In order to diagnose the condition of insomnia, the physician will want to make sure that the symptoms are not being caused by any other sleep disorder, disease or side effects caused by medication. Along with the symptoms of insomnia, other disorders may be detected in the same patient; these include mania, depression, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

So what can we do to cure insomnia?

Do not take naps if you are prone to insomnia attacks. Maintain  a strict schedule for your bedtime and waking hour.

Eat your dinner at least four hours before your bed time. In some cases insomnia can be aggravated by digestive problems.

Avoid any drink that can cause sleeplessness. This can include coffee in any form, alcohol, and even tea (unless it is medicated). In case you must have your regular cup of coffee, at least ensure that you take it a minimum of four hours before your bedtime.

Start a daily exercise routine. In case you are not too fond of physical exercise, you can simply take a walk for 30 minutes daily. Once you have worked up to 30 minutes try to gradually increase it to one hour or so for best results.

If you find that you cannot sleep, do not fight it. Sleep usually comes after your body relaxes completely. The best thing to do is get up from the bed and do something that you enjoy that will help to relax the body.

Treatment for Insomnia

The Majority of people suffering from sleep disorders turn to sleep aid pills and prescription medications. Prescription sleep aids can prove to be work at first, but gradually some problems arise that need serious. These days, both over the counter medications and prescriptions pills are used for insomnia treatment.

Over the counter medications for insomnia are usually ineffective in log term insomnia treatment. First of all, they do not ensure the quality of sleep enjoyed by healthy people. They give about 5 % duration of deep sleep while in healthy sleep this duration is 10 % to 25 %. Secondly, over the counter drugs for insomnia mostly work by the action of antihistamines (anti-allergic chemicals) present in them. While antihistamines do cast a sedating effect, they are not to be used by people with prostate problems, angina, heart problems, and urinary problems. Antihistamines can add to the intensity of these conditions. Finally, over the counter drugs have a number of side effects like: drowsiness and dizziness (that may remain for twenty four hours), memory lapses, dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, and urinary retention.

Various types of medications, collectively called hyptonics, are prescribed for insomnia treatment. Hypnotics generally fall in three categories: benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. Most of the health experts agree on using insomnia medications for a short period only. In all cases of using over the counter drugs or prescribed sleep aid pills, it is important that the patient educate him/herself well on the possible side effects.

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If you have been listening to the news over the past couple of years you will notice an alarming trend of how harmful prescription sleep aid products can be.  These types of medications have been linked to problems including diminished sleeping habits, addiction, withdrawal symptoms and even death.

Did you know that most prescription sleep aid product are made from powerful narcotics which is the reason that people tend to feel sluggish or tired the morning after taking them. I don’t know about you but I think the last thing I should feel after getting a full night’s sleep is to feel tired. If you aren’t feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day when you wake up then there isn’t much of a point to taking these types of medications.

Some of the other side effects can include headaches, dizziness, sore throats and muscle pain. One of the more harmful effects can be the addictive nature of these types of medications.  Once a person starts taking them they become entirely dependent on them in order to get any type of sleep. Also, because of the narcotic properties of the drugs they tend to loose effectiveness after a period of time which leads the user in search of the next big sleep aid product put on the market by the big drug companies.  This can become a vicious circle for the user and often times will only allow them to get small periods of time where they are getting a good night’s sleep.   

So why do doctors then keep trying to cure the world’s sleeping problems with these prescription sleep aid products?  Well, I think the answer is simple, MONEY.  The drug companies seem to pump out these new products faster and faster with little to no increased results for the patients.  When are the big drug companies going to focus on naturally helping the user get to sleep on there own?  Many cultures around the world have been using natural sleep aid products for centuries with great results while not causing the harmful effects that a lot of the prescription products do.  Some of these ingredients include chamomile, valerian, hops flower powder and 5-HTP.  All these ingredients have been proven in clinical studies to help induce a state of relaxation and help the body relax allowing the user to get to sleep and stay asleep.  If I have piqued your interest about these natural sleep aid ingredients please look for future articles where I cover more in depth what they can do.

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Sleep deprivation ranges from weight gain,irritability, hallucinations and even depression. In the 1900s people slept for more than nine hours. Eight hours in the 1960s But now because of our increasing 24/7 society we are sleeping for six hours or less. Prof Foster says we are sleep deprived, harming our memory,mental dexterity, and health. But also losing our power of innovation.

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Can’t sleep?  Maybe it’s your routine that is causing the problem.  According to a recent German study your night time habits are just as important in getting to sleep as taking a sleep aid.  So what exactly does this mean?  To start, when you feel tired you should go to bed.  This doesn’t mean that when you get to the bedroom you turn on the television or start reading a book.  The study finds that by doing this you associate your sleep environment with something other then actually going to sleep.  This can keep your from starting to relax which is the precursor to getting to sleep.

Other habits you will want to avoid are drinking any kind of caffeinated drinks in the evening such as cola, coffee or tea.  Also you will want to avoid getting any kind of exercise at least three hour prior to bed time.  It can take several hours for you body to relax after a workout and if you are pumped up you will have a hard time getting to sleep.  Lastly, I would avoid taking any kind of prescription sleep aid products.  These products may help you fall asleep but in the end they are not sustainable, can be addicting and can cause health risks. 

So I guess by now you are asking yourself so what can I do to get a good nights sleep.  First off, try to maintain the same sleep schedule every night.  Your body has its own internal clock and you will find it easier to get to bed if you maintain the same bed time each night. In conjunction with going to bed at the same time you also want to keep the same schedule when waking up.  Try not to oversleep as this can make you feel even more tired.  Secondly, try to find some kind of relaxation technique that you can do about a half hour before bed.  If you haven’t tried it before I highly recommend doing yoga. Yoga is a great way to relax your body and help your mind focus and calm down.  Lastly, you might want to try an herbal sleep aid product.  I find taking one is not only safe but it helps me to feel relaxed and ready to get to sleep.  Since there are many different types of sleep aid products on the market what I would recommend is taking one that has at least the following four ingredients: Valerian, 5HTP, chamomile and humulus lupulus.  These ingredients when taken together help to naturally relax the body and take away the day’s stress.  Also as an added bonus both Valerian and humulus lupulus aid in easing indigestion and digestion.

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