|
Our Products> For Anyone> Insomnia Sleep Aid: DreamEasy
About DreamEasy
| Insomnia Definition
| DreamEasy Hints & Tips |
DreamEasy FAQ | DreamEasy
Testimonials
100% Natural Herbal Sleep Aid Formula
More about sleep and what u can do to get
some...
Brought to you by "Herbal Headquarters -
manufacturers of DreamEasy Herbal Sleep Supplement"
Technically, nobody knows for sure why we sleep.
The simplest answer is that sleep restores our body, restores
our minds, and helps us function better mentally and physically.
Some believe our dreams help consolidate our memories and
learning experiences into our everyday lives, and there are
even theories about how sleep electrically recharges the brain
and restores brain chemicals to their proper levels.
What we do know is that few of us function very
well when deprived of the appropriate amount of healthy, regenerative
rest. However, as strange as it may sound, there are actual
cases of individuals who suffer from a rare permanent insomnia
and are unable to sleep at all and yet live relatively normal
lives. This condition is so rare that there are only 3 or
4 people in the world at present known to suffer from this
condition. An example is a case of a man from San Francisco
who had been unable to sleep since World War 2 (some 43 years).
Even prescription sleeping pills only gave him a slight drowsiness.
The suffering silent
It is common for a person experiencing the symptoms
of inadequate sleep to suffer in silence. There is a lot of
stigma associated with the inability to sleep and for some
it is a difficult topic of discussion. The result is that
much of the suffering goes untreated and in the end we all
pay the price. It could be argued for example that we pay
higher insurance premiums as a direct result of the poorly
focused, sleepy minded individuals and the weakened immune
systems resulting from the effects of sleep deprivation.
The experts want poor sleepers to know there
is a lot that can be done. The important thing is to do an
inventory of your waking and sleeping life. Look for factors
that can disrupt your sleep and do your best to minimize those
factors. If you are unable to do it on your own, then work
with a sleep specialist.
Practicing good sleep hygiene is important not
only for those suffering from a sleep problem, but for others
as well. If you don't adhere to the rules of natural sleep
hygiene, you too could develop a sleep problem. Understanding
what can adversely affect sleep is something that every man,
woman and child needs to know, it is that important to us
as individuals and to society as a whole.
The difference between being sleepy and being tired
You can be tired without being sleepy, they
are not the same thing. Tiredness is a feeling of physical
fatigue, lack of energy, exhaustion, or a combination there
of, while sleepiness is… well, we all know how we feel
when we don't get enough sleep now don't we? Hard to focus
and pay attention, irritable, not able to keep are eyes open,
passing literally between a waking and sleeping state.
Look Your Best, Feel Your Best, Be Your
Best!
Individual sleep requirements
Individual sleep requirements vary from one person to the
next. In fact the very famous scientist and inventor "Buckminster
Fuller" - inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician,
poet, cosmologist, and philosopher was known to have survived
quite well (into his late 80's) on only a few short hours
of accumulated sleep per day. He discovered that if when he
felt sleepy he simply stopped what ever he was doing, laid
down, and slept; he functioned at a heightened level of efficiency
and only required a few short hours of accumulated sleep in
any 24 hour period.
Although Fuller was an exceptional man, having
accomplished more in one life time than most would accomplish
in ten, he proves that there is no set rule as to the amount
of sleep that is ideal for any one individual. It is important
to experiment and determine for ourselves what enables us
to function at our peak level and feel rested and most alive.
Some find that 5 or 6 hours of good sleep is
enough, while others require a minimum of 8 hours or more.
Even a split shift of 3 hours sleep twice each 24 hour period
may work wonders and can even help in combating destructive
mental disorders such as depression. In fact altering sleep
patterns is a common practice when dealing with depression
in those individuals not responsive to drug treatment.
The fact is that there are true night owls and
true morning larks. People have a genetic predisposition to
be what they are. There are short sleepers and long sleepers.
Some require more sleep than average and some require less
than average to feel refreshed and energized.
As we grow older
No, you do not need more sleep as you age. If
you find that your sleep demand increases, then you are probably
compensating for a decreased quality of sleep. And when we
think about sleep, it's important to think not just about
the quantity, but the quality as well.
When we don't get enough sleep…
The first thing that happens if you don't get
enough sleep is you have problems with your memory and
concentration, and you get irritable. Have you ever had
trouble finding the words you are looking for when explaining
something you should know fluently? Have you ever been irritable
when not fully rested?
If taken to the extreme, sleep deprivation kills.
We know that lab rats die of infection if they are sleep deprived.
What this means is that rest is in some way connected to
our immune response, somehow allowing the body to rejuvenate
itself. It therefore follows that if we lived our lives sleep
deprived, we, in all likelihood, would not live as long as
we may do otherwise, and could even become more disease ridden
with age! So sleep… because you need it to live long
and to be healthy!
Biochemical changes that result from sleep
deprivation
Neurotransmission in the brain and central nervous
system are altered, and the secretion of certain hormones,
such as growth hormone, peak during sleep. One of the signs
of poor sleep in children, for instance, is stunted growth.
Poor quality of sleep and your quality of
life
The true impact of lack of sleep on the quality
of your life is impossible to calculate. If somebody in the
family does not sleep well, it affects the entire family,
and the more the family tries to help, the worse it gets and
then the more frustrated the family becomes. So as you can
see, even within the home it can be a vicious circle of self-perpetuating
doom. In fact it's very rare to find two insomniacs married
to one another, and there are higher divorce rates among those
individuals with sleep problems. So it does impact
the entire family.
Often people who are sleep deprived don't feel
they are performing their jobs adequately. Their concentration
and memory is impaired, and they make mistakes. They get irritable
and anti-social, which causes tension on the job, and they
can even become accident-prone.
The economic impact of sleep deprivation
in the United States
It is estimated that the cost to society of
sleep disorders is just under $100 billion US. That includes
lost productivity, absenteeism at work, people getting into
accidents, and the cost of medications such as sleeping pills
and/or stimulants.
Sleep disorders and depression
Although it's true that there can be a definite
connection between depression and the inability to sleep,
the stigma within our society is that if you can't sleep,
you must be depressed, and that's simply not true. Most
people with insomnia are not depressed, and it's unfortunate
that the average 30-year-old woman who goes to her doctor
and says she can't sleep, will most likely walk out with a
prescription for an antidepressant than a referral to a good
sleep specialist for evaluation.
Those with sleep disorders are also inclined
to believe their sleep issues are a problem that is in their
head and they should be able to figure it out on their own.
People don't realize that they can be helped and that there
are physicians who specialize in sleep problems. Often people
go to their primary care physician, and don't get an answer
and then just move on to an over the counter fix or alcohol.
What they should really do if this happens is
ask to see a sleep specialist. Sleep conditions do
improve if given the chance and people should not be embarrassed
to talk about it. Virtually all insomnia sufferers will improve
when their problem is addressed appropriately.
The problem need not spiral out of control.
One of the things that we've learned in recent years has been
that the longer a sleep problem continues, the more ingrained
it becomes and the more people become conditioned to that
sleep problem.
Take an inventory of your sleeping patterns
Keep a sleep diary to identify specific problem
areas. Note the time you go to bed, when you wake up, how
long it takes you to fall asleep, what you ate or drank right
before going to bed (if anything), whether you dream or not,
if you wake early, and the time you spend napping during the
day. If you plot out this information in a sleep diary for
a couple of weeks, you will be able to discover sleep patterns
of which you were previously unaware.
It is important to see what the best nights
and what the worst nights look like. This helps you recognize
that your sleep is not the same every night, which is important
because we tend to overvalue the poor nights and undervalue
the good nights. It also gives you an opportunity to try and
figure out what happened on the poor nights that made them
poor. Or alternatively, what happened on the good nights that
worked well.
Sleep when you are sleepy
Sleep when you are sleepy or get the heck out
of bed. Sometimes you get into bed and just lay there for
what feels like an eternity. To cut down on insomnia, doctors
suggest restricting the time you spend in bed to sleep. People
who have difficulty with their sleep often lay awake in bed
for extended periods, and then the bed becomes associated
with wakefulness rather than this nice, warm, delicious sleep.
So if you are spending eight hours in bed, but sleeping only
six, you should reduce the amount of time in bed to only six.
You need to break the over-learned association between being
awake and being in bed. If you are not asleep in 15 to
20 minutes, get up out of bed, go into another room and
engage in some sedentary activity until you begin to feel
sleepy. Then at that point, return back to bed.
Bed is for sleeping and for sex only
The tendency to live in bed can be counterproductive
to your quality of sleep. One of the most common mistakes
made by insomniacs is spending excessive amounts of time in
bed. It gets to the point were the bed is used as a place
to watch TV, talk on the phone, do paper work, study, read,
exercise, or play with the cat or dog. If you are not sleeping…
get out of bed!
Eliminating bedtime activities that have nothing
to do with sleep is important. You want to strengthen the
association between sleep and the bed or bedroom."
Look Your Best, Feel Your Best, Be Your
Best!
Get up at a consistent wake-up time
Once you determine a sleep pattern that works,
stick to it. Keeping regular sleep hours, in particular, your
wake-up call, can be very beneficial in controlling sleep
disorders. Bear in mind that it may take some experimentation
to determine a sleep pattern that works for you.
Your wake-up time in the morning is very important.
It helps regulate your biological clock so that you get sleepy
at the same time every night. When you go to sleep at night,
you've been awake for roughly the same number of hours, so
that amount of sleepiness becomes predictable and familiar,
and the more predictable and familiar it is, the less you
think about it and worry about it. The less you think and
worry about it, the easier you will fall asleep and the higher
the quality of sleep you get.
Beware the sleep stealers
What you do during the day and evening can affect
your sleep. You can avoid caffeine in the afternoon for example.
Caffeine is long acting, and it's a stimulant that will keep
your brain awake. By avoiding caffeine in the afternoon you
reduce the effect it may have on your ability to sleep easily
and soundly.
Alcohol in the evening is another dream stealer.
Although it may initially help you fall asleep, alcohol will
almost always lower the quality of sleep. People also tend
to smoke when they drink and smoking also is a sleep stealer.
Even if you are a smoker, try to refrain from smoking too
late in the evenings.
Exercise is an activity that is often misunderstood
by those having difficulty falling asleep. It raises body
temperature, and it makes it harder to fall asleep. If you
exercise approximately four to six hours before bedtime however,
it may in fact help you fall asleep later that night.
On having a sleep environment conducive for
sleep
This may seem obvious, but it can be remarkably
helpful. Your bed, sheets, light, noise, room temperature,
and snoring spouses all can be the difference between sleep
and insomnia. Some people have no problem falling asleep in
a room were there is noise and a light on, while others need
darkness and complete silence. If the temperature is not right,
change it. It could be your health that pays the ultimate
price in the end. Remember, people tend to sleep better in
rooms that are a little bit cooler rather than a little bit
warmer.
People tend to fall asleep as their body temperature
falls, and you can artificially elevate the body temperature
by having a hot bath or a long hot shower. This brings the
body temperature up, then when you get into bed and the body
temperature starts to fall, that helps you to sleep. So the
old story of a hot bath before bed in fact does help.
Sharing a bed with a partner who snores or moves
around a lot can be a nightmare. Periodic limb movements and
sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by loud snoring,
are extremely disruptive and require treatment from a sleep
specialist.
Snoring is a sign of partial obstruction of
our airway during sleep. Virtually everyone who has obstructive
sleep apnea will have very loud snoring that can often be
heard from other rooms, or even other floors in the building.
Snoring clearly can disrupt our sleep at night, even if the
individual doesn't stop breathing entirely. So rather than
being a sound of restful, restorative deep sleep, snoring
is actually a sign of disrupted sleep. If your partner
snores, get them help!
Take an inventory of your medical conditions
Underlying medical conditions also contribute
to sleeping problems. Pretty much all chronic illness such
as pain, impaired ability to move, or difficulty breathing
can result in a lack of sleep. Psychiatric conditions, such
as clinical depression and serious anxiety disorders, can
also be associated with long-term insomnia, and in fact many
medications including antidepressants, blood pressure medications
and certain over-the-counter drugs can also lead to sleeping
disorders. For many, a simple adjustment in medication can
often help minimize or eliminate altogether the negative impact
imposed on your ability to sleep.
In Conclusion…
As you can see, there are many things a person
must consider when attempting to correct destructive sleep
patterns or eliminate a sleeping disorder. You have an arsenal
of weaponry at your fingertips in your battle to achieve the
deep, regenerative, restful night sleep you deserve.
It takes effort and discipline, and it takes
common sense. Take an inventory, determine your strong and
your weak sleep patterns, come up with a strategy, and give
yourself the edge with DreamEasy Herbal Sleep Aid.
About DreamEasy
| Insomnia Definition
| DreamEasy Hints & Tips |
DreamEasy FAQ | DreamEasy
Testimonials
|
