Tag: Sleep Disorder

Tech Use At Night Compromises Sleep Health

Humans are meant to sleep at night. That’s what our body clock tells us. Sleep at night is different from sleeping at other times of the day. Your circadian rhythms tell your body when it is sleeping time in order to allow your body to rest and recharge for what awaits you the following day. Many restorative processes happen once you drift off to dreamland, which is why you should get that recommended eight hours of sleep daily for your optimal health.

Smart gadgets are a huge part of our lives. Most people can’t stop tinkering with their gadgets even if it is already bedtime. Unfortunately, using these gadgets prevents you from drifting off to sleep earlier or on time. The blue light they emit is also harmful to your health as your brain perceives it as sunlight making you more alive, alert and awake more than ever. Your brain should be able to cool down from working hard the entire day but it stays sharp and wide awake because of the gadget you are using. Today, it is rare to see somebody not yet hooked to smart gadgets especially if you are living in big and populated cities.

Fifty percent of teens report feeling addicted to their cellphones and a new study in the journal Child Development shows nighttime usage of a cellphone can increase anxiety and depression in teenagers and reduce self-esteem.

This is the first study that shows a direct link between screen time and mental health.

Researchers note that rates of anxiety and depression in young people have risen 70 percent over the past couple of decades.

Psychologist and CBS News contributor Lisa Damour told “CBS This Morning” that what’s important about this study is that it shows a “pathway” between using cellphones at night and disrupted sleep. 

“We’ve suspected that there’s a problem here, we’ve seen correlational studies, but this shows us that teens using their phone late at night leads to disrupted sleep which leads to increased depression, emotional fragility and sometimes acting out.”

(Via: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/late-night-cell-phone-screen-time-teens-mental-health-sleep/)

Not only are adults at risk of losing sleep from tech use, but even teens and young kids too. They often already have access to these devices early in life, something most adults didn’t have way back then. Constant use of smart gadgets can have a negative impact to sleep as well as influence certain developmental milestones a child is supposed to achieve that may lead to stunted growth and the development of sleep disorders.

“I find that winding my brain down at night, I find that incredibly difficult,” admits Falcone, who was averaging about three hours sleep a night.

“It’s this really interesting state of tiredness but an inability to go to sleep. In my brain I was running through my invoice data entry job that I had been doing that day, finishing it off in my brain. But I was too tired to get out of bed to go to the computer to actually do it.”

SLEEP EPIDEMIC

According to the results of a new survey by an independent research company (commissioned by Nourished Life), 65 per cent of respondents suffer from sleep deprivation or disturbed sleep. 

Of the 1003 Australian adults surveyed, 30 per cent said they slept soundly “most of the time” while only 5 per cent said they slept well every night.

Like Falcone, many (35 per cent) said they experienced memory loss as a result of their exhaustion, one in three (33 per cent) reported that they were too tired to have sex and one in five said there were times they felt too unsafe to drive.

(Via: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/94372390/why-95-per-cent-of-us-cant-wind-down-our-brains-before-we-go-to-sleep)

Likening sleep deprivation to an epidemic actually quite fits the bill. People these days don’t mind losing sleep if it means they have more time to browse their newsfeed or stream a new movie. In exchange, you become more sickly and perform poorly at work/school/home because your body wasn’t able to rest properly the night prior. The solution is actually simple. Resist tech use and put your gadgets out of sight a few hours before bedtime. You won’t die if you won’t be able to read about the latest news on social media but your health will suffer if you constantly deprive yourself of precious sleep.

But if your problem is more physiological, getting professional help is a must because sleep remedies aren’t always that effective. For instance, sleep apnea shouldn’t be ignored and you should try both old and new treatment options to find out what works best for you. Of course, anything you try should always have your doctor’s approval even if it is just the use of a simple anti-snoring mouthpiece device like https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/good-morning-snore-solution or this one: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/sleeptight.

What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Sleep is actually a necessity but is becoming more of a luxury these days as numerous things compete for your time and attention. Juggling your multiple responsibilities in and out of the house can be overwhelming at times that you often stretch your day far out into the night to ensure everything’s all taken cared of before your head hits the sack. It’s a sad reality really that you unconsciously give up and sacrifice many of the things that are important in life for the fleeting interests and obligations you busy yourself with in your pursuit of success and happiness.

However, you can also end up tossing and turning at night because of annoying but potentially life-threatening conditions like sleep apnea. There are different types of sleep apnea but the most common type is the obstructive one, a dangerous type of sleep disorder where your breathing constantly stops and start during your slumber. It happens because the muscles in your throat relax now and then that in turn blocks your airway while you are asleep.

Last week, actress Carrie Fisher’s autopsy report contained a surprising detail: The Los Angeles medical examiner listed sleep apnea as a factor in the “Star Wars” actress’ death.

Fisher also had cocaine, methadone, ethanol and opiates in her system.

Sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing while sleeping, for 10 seconds to a minute or longer. This can happen repeatedly during the night, causing blood-oxygen levels to dip and putting a strain on the heart.

Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, is caused by the upper throat muscles relaxing, which makes the airway narrow and close. Another type is central sleep apnea, where the brain doesn’t send the right signals to the muscles that control breathing. Complex sleep apnea, the third type, is when a person has both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

(Via: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/20/health/sleep-apnea-explainer/index.html)

It shouldn’t really come out as a surprise that people can die from sleep apnea to think that 18 million Americans are now diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in the US alone albeit of different degrees of severity. Many are getting help. So, don’t take snoring issues lightly because it is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong and you need to act on it right away while you still can.

When you have obstructive sleep apnea, “not only are you likely to wake up with a headache and fall asleep during the day, but you’re also at risk of dying suddenly,” says cardiologist Bruce Wilkoff, MD.

“For most patients, sudden death is not caused by a heart attack, but by abnormal heart rhythms.”

Sleep apnea is diagnosed when you stop breathing for 10 seconds or longer — at least five times an hour — during sleep.

Researchers suspect sleep apnea causes abnormal heart rhythms, which lead to sudden cardiac death, for a number of reasons, says sleep medicine expert Reena Mehra, MD, MS.

“Sleep apnea may lower oxygen levels, activate the fight-or-flight response and change pressure in the chest when the upper airway closes, stressing the heart mechanically,” she explains.

It may increase inflammation and cause unhealthy changes in blood vessels as well.

(Via: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2017/06/why-sleep-apnea-raises-your-risk-of-sudden-cardiac-death/)

While snoring is the most prominent symptom of sleep apnea, not all snorers are actually diagnosed with the disease. Sleep apnea’s progression can be gradual or not depending on the type of lifestyle you live, so try to get yourself checked as soon as you can if you don’t want to end up with more debilitating conditions that are worsened by sleep apnea and the accompanying lack of sleep you often suffer from. And be considerate of your partner or spouse as well. Even though it’s you taking all the risks, they also end up losing sleep having to put up with your loud snoring.

Traditional treatment often includes the use of a CPAP machine that most patients realize is far uncomfortable to use. Even if it’s the best treatment there is for this condition, it defeats its purpose if patients aren’t willing to use it. Find out for yourself if you think CPAP may or may not be a good fit for you: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/why-a-cpap-machine-is-probably-not-for-you. But don’t lose hope yet if you aren’t comfortable in using a CPAP machine yourself because there are handy anti-snoring mouthpieces and mouthguards you can use like this one: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/good-morning-snore-solutionx that works better CPAP minus all the hassle. The important thing is to get yourself checked as soon as possible if you value your health and ultimately your life.

The Sleep Clinic Boom

Sleeping is more of a luxury for many folks these days. It is rare for people to get that needed eight hours of sleep daily. Most of the time, it is normal for a person to lack sleep, especially if they have a deadline to catch or they are busy with a certain event that they lose track of time because of all the preparations. However, people rarely get themselves checked or treated for lacking sleep. I mean, you just have to deal with it and get on with your life even if you didn’t sleep well the night before. It is something you don’t talk openly to other people.

However, a lot has changed over the years. People are more open now in discussing the various health issues they have to deal with in secret like their sleeping habits. The number of sleep clinics these days is a testament to how people take their sleep seriously today. Numerous studies show that your health deteriorates with chronic sleep deprivation. People are increasingly becoming more health conscious that our modern sedentary lifestyle is quickly catching up to us. If you truly suffer in your sleep, you can confirm it after undergoing sleep tests in reputable sleep clinics.

Not too long ago, sleep was barely on the radar of concerns for the vast majority of businesses, neither in regards to employee wellness nor as a way to reach consumers. Typically, the issue of sleep was treated as an afterthought or inconvenience.

And while bragging about perpetual sleep deprivation and burning the candle at both ends is still a commonplace for many, in the past few years, perspectives have started to shift. A growing body of research and increased public awareness of sleep has led this trend.

In turn, the new awareness of sleep has awakened industries both old and new on several fronts.

  1. The elevated awareness of sleep’s benefits and necessity

In the past decade, science has made significant headway into understanding sleep. While it may seem like a basic function, shuteye is actually quite complex and interconnected with several other aspects of mental and physical health.

(Via: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248030)

Some people actually feel uncomfortable at first at the thought of spending the night in a sleep clinic that is so sterile you feel overly conscious. Then, you’d be strapped all over with leads and a stranger is watching your every move all throughout your stay. Mind you that the real action actually happens once you sleep. But as uncomfortable it may seem, a stay at a sleep clinic can do you more good than whatever it is you are worried about especially if you really are suffering from an undiagnosed sleep disorder.

Lisa: Would you talk about the risks of not treating sleep apnea?

Dr. Gosman: Not treating sleep apnea can cause long term health issues, including high blood pressure, strokes and heart attacks. It can also limit a person’s abilities to perform duties at work, operate a car or heavy machinery safely.

Lisa: Debbie, can you tell us about a sleep study, what it is and what it will tell you?

Debbie: Patients watch a short video so they know what to expect and have an opportunity to ask any questions. Then the patient settles into one of the center’s hotel-like rooms.

During the study, we measure their oxygen and monitor their heart rate. Generally, once the patient lies down and realizes that they can sleep on their side if that’s more comfortable, most patients do well.

(Via: http://www.nrtoday.com/life/health/important-to-get-sleep-disorder-treated/article_f35d55b2-097e-5ee9-be58-db30348b2585.html)

Two types of people get tested in sleep clinics. First, the ones who volunteer to get tested oh so desperately. Second, there are the ones who are still in denial of their condition and quite clueless of what to expect. In particular, patients with sleep apnea are afraid of the unknown. Many of them don’t know what happens during sleep tests. They think it might be painful especially that electronic leads will be attached to them. They’re also conscious about how to act when someone is watching their every move. They’re even conscious if others can tell what they are dreaming about. Some find it hard to drift off the sleep but despite these initial worries, they still manage to sleep and get tested after all.

More often than not, the culprit is sleep apnea. It is a deadly sleep disorder that causes breathing pauses in your sleep and may lead to sudden death if not treated right away. Better get it over with and get on the waiting list of the nearest sleep clinic now than suffer in silence in your sleep, or better yet, the lack of it. You’d likely get prescribed to have CPAP or a similar snoring mouthpiece or gadget that can address any physical aberration and prevent those deadly breathing pauses during your sleep. Try https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/zquiet or https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/snorerx. Both are convenient to use and works great. You can now sleep soundly at night without worrying if you’d still be able to wake up the next day.

Is Sleeping The Holy Grail Of Health?

A good eight-hour sleep each night can do wonders to your health and well-being. Imagine how energized you feel after waking up fully recharged and ready to take on the world. It is the best medicine anyone can get to help keep them moving on with life no matter what life throws at you. So, don’t compromise your sleep or risk not only losing your precious sleep but experience how your health deteriorates if you constantly pull frequent all-nighters.

Nobody is in charge of your health than yourself. If you don’t take care of it, nobody will. Many important body processes happen when we sleep. Important growth hormones are released to promote normal growth and development especially for growing kids and adults can benefit a lot from it too. Sleep is the most important luxury most adults long for especially that adulting takes too much of their time away from home and lose precious sleep.

Not getting a good night’s sleep can have a negative impact on a person’s health. Studies have shown that not sleeping enough or having a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, can lead to hypertension, prediabetes, and other cardiovascular problems, according to Dr. Alcibiades Rodriguez, assistant professor of neurology and medical director of the NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center-Sleep Center.

Quality and quantity of sleep should be taken into account, Dr. Rodriguez said. Most people should sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night. That can be hard for some, but the type of mattress and pillow you use can help. Dr. Rodriguez said a perfect mattress or pillow for everyone doesn’t exist because comfort depends on the person and their needs. For example, if someone needs neck support they may need a firm pillow that can hold up their head.

(Via: http://www.fox5ny.com/news/247298450-story)

However, getting a good night’s sleep becomes more challenging by the day as tech distractions keep us wide awake during the wee hours of the morning. We can’t stop fiddling with our smart gadgets and not only do we lose precious sleep but expose ourselves to too much blue light as well – a very short wavelength with higher energy that has a negative impact on your health and sleeping pattern.

It’s no secret that a good night’s sleep can do wonders for your mood. Now, a new study shows that improving your Z’s over time is associated with better health and well being. In fact, researchers say, scoring better shuteye perks up mental health as well as winning the lottery. (Yes, really!) 

The findings come from analysis of more than 30,500 British people who were followed for about four years. University of Warwick researchers found that people who reported improved quality of sleep over that time period, or who reduced the amount of sleep medications they took over that time, tended to also improve their scores on screening tests for physical and emotional health.

Overall, their mental health improvements over the four years were comparable to those seen in British lottery winners two years after hitting a medium-size jackpot worth up to about $250,000. So, to be clear, we’re talking about a long-term mood boost—not the immediate euphoria of striking it rich.

Unsurprisingly, people whose sleep patterns got worse over the study period were more likely to see their physical and emotional health scores go down.

(Via: http://www.health.com/sleep/sleep-physical-mental-health-lottery)

There are various gadgets that help manage sleep disorders, so you don’t have to lay wide awake at night and wake up the following day grumpier than ever. All you got to do is get yourself checked and ask your doctor for the best solution to your sleeping woes.

A wealth of possible treatments from oral appliances, throat exercises, and nasal resistors (just to name) a few are available. However, some patients prefer not to use any attachments or devices while they sleep and opt for a surgical solution. And that is why I have a job…

In a likely oversimplified view, the problem of excessive narrowing during sleep is caused or worsened by an imbalance between the space size housed by the facial skeleton, the amount of soft tissue and fat contained by and around it, and the tone and strength on throat and tongue muscles. These factors interact and will lead me to choose among different strategies. There isn’t a perfect solution for all!

(Via: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/precision-just-what-you-need-for-sleep-apnea-treatment_us_58cb4d9ee4b07112b6472c3b)

Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder people complain of these days. And snoring is its annoying symptom that will make you want to sleep in a separate room, away from your snoring partner or just cover his/her face with a pillow, perhaps. However, it is actually a deadly condition that should not be taken lightly. People who snore has died from their sleep and it has happened many times over, it can happen to you too if you’re not careful enough.

You can choose from high quality anti-snoring mouthpieces and mouthguards that help reduce snoring and improve breathing or try other alternatives that include CPAP, throat exercises, and surgery among others. Sleep lost can never be regained. Make sure you get enough of that daily snooze so you function better during the day and stay as healthy as you can for as long as you can.

Can Sleeping Pills Cure Your Sleep Deprivation?

We all just want to head home and get some well-deserved snooze after a long day at work or at school. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. Nowadays, a big chunk of the population suffer from sleeping issues – whether it is insomnia, sleep apnea, or an over-reliance on drugs to help put you to sleep.

There are medicines that work primarily to help people fall asleep faster. They are often prescribed to be taken for a short-term only. They don’t work the same for everybody. However, most people end up abusing sleeping pills and taking it every single day so they no longer waste precious time counting sheep while tossing and turning at night. Or, it can also work the other way around for people who want to fight off sleepiness because of obligations and such. But is it safe to rely on medicines to help you sleep or are you actually doing more harm to your body than good?

The pharmaceuticalization of sleep, put simply, refers to the ways in which sleep becomes a site for manipulation or augmentation through pharmaceutical use. There are different ways in which sleep can be pharmaceuticalized – for example we can use pharmaceuticals to induce sleep, to consolidate broken sleep, or to prevent or delay sleep.

Pharmaceuticalization can occur across different levels, such as in the way people think about and understand sleep as being something we can alter by using pharmaceuticals, through the prescription of pharmaceutical treatments for sleep problems by a doctor or the purchase of over the counter medicines to encourage or delay sleep within our domestic environments and daily routines.

While many thinks of sleeping pills negatively, they do serve their purpose. There are people who truly struggle to get enough sleep at night and they can benefit a lot from these medicines.

However, we must not forget that the benefits of sleep medications are real and tangible for those who rely on them to manage their sleep problems.

The chemical manipulation of sleep and wakefulness has a long history – recipes for sleep- inducing home remedies can be found in cookbooks dating back to the 16th Century and 18th Century medical textbooks list medicines that can be used for their sedating effects.

Although pharmaceuticalization/depharmaceuticalization of sleep can be considered as being somewhat in flux, I’d be surprised if the pharmaceuticalization of sleep and wakefulness did not continue in one form or another both inside and outside of the medical encounter.

(Via: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170404/Pharmaceuticalisation-of-todaye28099s-sleep.aspx)

Imagine not being able to sleep the night before. You’d probably end up skipping work or school or decide to go after all but act grumpy, exhausted and dazed the whole day. And it is costing money for both the employee and the employer.

Sleep disorders are a primary cause of absenteeism and underperformance in the workforce, according to a recent study by Ronald Kessler, Professor at Harvard Medical School.

In particular,Australia has one of the highest rates of absenteeism in the world, with rates rising by 7% in the last six years. In fact, absenteeism caused by sleep disorders is costing the Australian economy $33 billion per year and can cost the average Australian business over $3000 annually.

Research also suggests the annual cost per employee for insomnia is $4,770 and for the ever-growing number of insufficient sleep suffers, its $3,510 per annum.

(Via: http://www.hcamag.com/hr-news/how-sleep-disorders-are-punishing-businesses-234233.aspx)

Hence, sleep deprivation affects businesses in more ways than just having a disgruntled and inefficient employee.

An employee who seems grouchy or unproductive may be suffering from insufficient sleep. Lack of sleep has negative consequences for the workplace, including decreased productivity and increased absenteeism, according to human resource and medical professionals.

Sleep deprivation is “frequently the root cause of decreased productivity in the workplace,” Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, a job-search website, told Bloomberg BNA in a March 23 email.

A recent survey by CareerBuilder found that many employees are just not getting enough sleep. The survey was conducted to find out whether workers think they’re getting enough sleep and what the consequences could be if they aren’t, Haefner said.

An occasional night without sleep makes you feel tired and irritable. After several sleepless nights, “your brain will fog, making it difficult to concentrate and make decisions,” Haefner said. “You’ll start to feel down and may fall asleep during the day. Your risk of injury and accidents at home, work and on the road also increase,” she said.

(Via: https://www.bna.com/wasted-days-wasted-n57982085801/)

Now, going back to the issue of taking sleeping pills, will you compromise your health and your work by suffering in silence because of sleep disorders you may be battling personally or will you seek help and take medicines that can help you sleep better and function like a normal waking person the next day? Talk to your doctor so you understand the risks involved for both sleep-deprived patients and patients who rely on sleeping pills to sleep.

Remember that there is a reason you have a hard time sleeping at night and it is often associated with a sleeping disorder. If that is the case, go get yourself checked and undergo sleeping tests in sleeping clinics to get to the bottom of it. You need not use a CPAP but an anti-snoring mouthpiece like this one may actually work: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/why-a-cpap-machine-is-probably-not-for-you. If not, this one is also an option: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/good-morning-snore-solution. There are different solutions and managements available whatever your sleeping problem may be, so you can finally say goodbye to sleepless nights for good.