Posts Tagged ‘Sleep disturbance’

The Benefits of Naps

September 3rd, 2010

By Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs

Many people feel a mid-afternoon slump in mood and alertness, especially after a poor night of sleep. Many believe that this slump is caused by eating a heavy lunch. However, in reality, this occurs because we were meant to have a mid-afternoon nap.

Several lines of evidence, including the universal tendency of toddlers and the elderly to nap in the afternoon and the afternoon nap of siesta cultures, have led sleep researchers to the same conclusion: nature intended that we take a nap in the middle of the day. This biological readiness to fall asleep in the mid-afternoon coincides with a slight drop in body temperature and occurs regardless of whether we eat lunch. It is present even in good sleepers who are well rested. Sleep researchers have also discovered that the afternoon dip in mood and alertness is associated with poorer performance, particularly after a night of sleep loss, and a simultaneous increase in sleepiness-related accidents. In fact, deaths from all causes show a secondary peak in the afternoon after a nocturnal peak, presumably from sleepiness-related accidents

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Tips Overcoming Difficult Sleep - Insomnia

April 17th, 2010

overcoming-insomniaInsomnia can be defined as a situation where someone is having trouble sleeping or can not sleep well. The average person has experienced insomnia in his life. There are even more extreme states from 30 to 50% of the population experiencing insomnia.

Insomnia can affect all age groups. Nevertheless, the incidence of insomnia increases with age. This may be caused by the stress that often get attacked by older people. In addition, women more often said to suffer from insomnia than men. The other important information is Sleep Disorder Risk For Stroke.

Here are some tips that you can do to reduce the attacks of insomnia.

1. Exercise regularly.
Some research says that regular exercise can help people experiencing problems with sleep. Exercise should be performed in the morning and not a few minutes before bedtime. By exercising, you become a more optimal health so the body can fight stress that comes with better.

2. Avoid eating and drinking too much before bedtime.
Too much food will cause stomach discomfort, while drinking too much will cause your back often to urinate. Surely both of these conditions will disturb your sleep. But you can garlic consumption to make your sleep more easily.

3. Sleep in a comfortable environment.
At bedtime, turn off the lights, turn off the things that make noise, make sure you are comfortable with the temperature of your sleeping room. Keep your clock from view because it can make you anxious because they can not sleep while increasing the clock late.

4. Reduce consume drinks that are stimulants or who makes you awake like tea, coffee. alcohol and cigarettes.
This drink will cause you which of course does not wake you need if you want to sleep.

5. Eat snacks that contain little carbohydrate at bedtime, when available, add a glass of warm milk.

6. Bathe with warm water 30 minutes or an hour before bedtime.
Warm water bath will cause sedation or stimulating effects of sleep. In addition, warm water baths are also reduces body tension.

7. Stop watching TV, reading books, at least an hour before bedtime.

8. Use your bed for sleeping.
This will help your body adjust to the environment in which to sleep. When you lie in bed, it will arise stimulus for sleep.

9. Perform regular relaxation activities.
Listening to music, practicing breathing, meditation or yoga, and others will help slow down the process that occurs in the body so your body becomes more relaxed. This situation will easily you to sleep.

10. Clear your mind.
Get rid of all your worries upon the mind. One way to do this is to write down all your thoughts through the media blogs.

11. Sleep and wake up in the regular time period every day.
Messed-up sleep time will disrupt your sleep time further.

This is the tips to reduce your sleep problems. Always remember that sleep is a basic requirement for growth and repair body organ function were disturbed. Insomnia is not a congenital disease and thus would be easily healed.

If the steps above you still feel like a failure to overcome sleep problems, consult your doctor to find a way out.

source blogdokter


Sleep Disorder Risk For Stroke

March 22nd, 2010

sleep-disorders-risk-strokeSleep disturbance is one of the most common complaints found in patients who visited the doctor. It is estimated that each year 20% -40% of adults have difficulty sleeping and 17% of them in serious trouble.

The prevalence of sleep disorders tend to increase every year, it is also in accordance with increasing age and various causes. Research shows that sleep disorders increase the incidence of various diseases kardioserebrovaskuler. This is mainly related to disturbances in breathing during sleep (sleep disorder breathing).

Breathing disorders during sleep

There are 2 kinds of breathing patterns during sleep disturbance, ie Hypoapnea and apnea. Hypoapnea characterized by airway narrowing 50% -80% for more than 10 seconds and a decline in oxygen saturation of more than 3%.

While sleep apnea is characterized by the narrowing of the airways more than 80% for more than 10 seconds and a decline in oxygen saturation of more than 3%.

There are three types of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea, upper airway obstructive apnea, and forms a mixture of both.

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that occurs during sleep, which lasted for more than 10 seconds. Pathological sleep apnea say if the patient experienced episodes of apnea, at least five times in one hour or 30 episodes of apnea during the night. These periodic movements during chest and abdominal wall is very dominant.

Central apnea is common in old age, characterized by intermittent reduction in respiratory capacity due to decreased oxygen saturation. Central apnea is characterized by cessation of airflow and respiratory effort during sleep periodically, so that the movement of the chest and abdominal wall disappeared. It is possible damage to the brain stem or hiperkapnia.

Respiratory disorders (upper airway obstructive) during sleep characterized by increased respiration during apnea, increased effort and chest muscles with the aim of the abdominal wall to force air in through the obstruction. This more severe disruption if the REM phase. Respiratory disorders are characterized by gasping for breath or snoring during sleep.

Snoring is a sound place 3-6 times and then disappeared, and repeated every 20-50 seconds. Apnea attacks when the patient does not snore. As a result of hypoxia or hipercapnea, causing more active respiration is activated by the formation retikularis and medullary respiratory center, with the result that the patient awake and respiration back to normal reflexes.

Both at the central or obstructive apnea, the patient is often awakened repeatedly at night, which is sometimes difficult to fall asleep again. These disorders are often characterized by headache or feeling uncomfortable in the morning. In children is often associated with congenital respiratory disorders. In the adult respiratory obstruction septal defect, hypothyroidism, or bradikardi, heart disorders, hypertension, and stroke.

OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) and stroke

Obstructive sleep disturbance is one form of stroke risk factors are new. Recent studies Dräger (2007) showed no increased risk of stroke by 2.52 times in people with sleep apnea. It is also associated with increased risk of hypertension in OSA patients.

OSA is often found in stroke patients who managed to live, as much as 63% of those who survive, having this disorder. More evidence has shown the existence of a causal link between sleep apnea and stroke.

Excessive fatigue during the day associated with sleep apnea can affect the results of post-stroke recovery. Excessive fatigue during the day can reduce the ability and motivation of stroke patients to continue to run the recovery program. As a result, training for recovery is not done regularly, inhibition of recovery and the results will be much worse.

How to handle?

Before looking for diagnosing the cause of a sleep disturbance, should be determined in advance the type and duration of sleep disturbance (duration of sleep disorder), by knowing the type and duration of sleep disturbance. In addition to helping identify the cause also can provide adequate treatment.

The diagnosis of sleep disorders facility established in the Laboratory-Based Treatment Overnight Sleep Study (Polysomnography Complete). The medical team will formulate guidelines appropriate measures the degree of sleep disturbance, patient selection, overall health status, and patient expectations.

source detikhealth