Sleep Disorders

In bed, men and women are simply a mismatch

26. February 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

One is snoring, one is freezing, one is hot. For couples, often a restful night is not selfunderstood. But, why do nights spent together often become a torture?

Because of different sleeping habits, the shared bed often is a controversial issue. The one prefers sleeping with the window open, the other one needs a hot-water bottle for falling asleep. One loves to listen to music before sleeping, the other one wants to fall asleep while watching TV. Snoring, pulling away the blanket, tossing and turning in the bed – just some examples of disturbing factors. These and the stress involved with not being able to sleep through lead to a bad mood in the morning and have a negative impact on the relationship. The final consequence: moving out of the common bedroom.

Women better sleep alone
Even when we want to spend the night together and to wake up in the morning well rested, many only succeed in doing so when sleeping alone. Especially for women, sleeping alone is healthier and more restful. The female sleep is much more sensitive to noises, women sleep more alert – evolutionary, women are protecting the family during sleep. On the other hand, the proximity of the partner has a soothing effect on men and their sleep is more relaxed.

In any case: a decision for separated beds should not be a decision for abandoning love life. Instead it could be an opportunity to refresh the sex life. A nighttime visit in the partner’s bedroom as well as putting some effort in conquering the own partner again might care for some updraft.

But, should you prefer spending the night together you should start to work on the pre-conditions. Do you share one blanket or does every partner have an own one? Do you spend the night in a double- or twin bed that can be separated just as the fancy takes you? These are habits that vary from country to country. In Germany, for example, separated blankets are common whereas in America the partners often share one blanket.

The German psychologist and sleep scientist Jürgen Zulley is of the opinion that separated bedrooms only should be an issue, when one of the partners is massively disturbed by the other one. Objectively, it is better to sleep alone – but of course, the subjective feeling is far more important.

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Sleep apnoea – and now?

23. February 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

You assume or know that you are suffering under sleep apnoea? Ideally, you are already clear about the degree of severity due to a sleep apnoe screening. Now, there is no obstacle for a successful therapy and consequently an increase of your quality of sleeping as well as of your life.

Basically, there are two possibilities how to treat sleep apnoea: a mechanical opening of the airway or a surgical procedure for enlargement.

CPAP-therapy
With the CPAP (=continuous positive airway pressure) therapy, a small mask put over the nose produces a continuous positive overpressure. The individually adapted mask softly blows air into the nose. This leads to the continuous positive overpressure which prevents from a collapsing upper airway. Only after a few minutes the proper pressure is reached and finally a restful sleeping without breathing interruptions is possible! Disadvantages of the therapy are the often disturbing wearing of the mask, dryness of the air arises, allergies, etc.

Orthodontics and operation
A further possibility to treat sleep apnoea is to move forward the jaw by a sleep apnoea splint. This splint is adapted by an orthodontist; it has to be worn during night and helps to keep the airways open during sleeping.

Depending on the initial situation an operation might be necessary. If a growth disturbance of the jaw is cause of your sleep apnoea, it may be remedied with an operation.

A new technology are airway stimulators so-called “tongue-pacemakers”. They get surgically inserted and stimulate the motor nerve of the tongue. The tiny impulses prevent the tongue from falling back and blocking the airway. A disadvantage is that only one or two percent can be treated with this technology.

Alternative: inclined sleeping

In co-operation with the well-known sleep- and space-doctor Prof. Dr. Karl Hecht, Berlin, the sleep psychologist and SAMINA founder Dr. med. h.c. Günther W. Amann-Jennson has summarized the findings of the US-scientists Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer concerning effects of the horizontal sleeping position on sleeping quality and health. Their conclusions were considered in a further innovation of the sleep-healthy-concept of SAMINA – SAMINA Gravity. Here, the positive effects of inclined sleeping are combined with the holistic sleep-healthy-concept of SAMINA. Combined with the largescale body-grounding of Lokosana^® this leads to a pronounced positive use.

Shortly, we will release the documentation of the pilot-study of Prof. Dr. Hecht concerning SAMINA Gravity and sleep apnoea. This much can be revealed: the effects are highly pleasing and promising.

In any case, independently from which solution is best for you: thinking about and putting into practice the enhancement of your physical fitness, a change of diet to lose weight, eventually necessary reduction of alcohol and nicotine as well as optimization of your sleep surrounding are very helpful!

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Sleep apnoea – what’s that?

22. February 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

When you are suffering under sleep apnoea you are having breathing stops during sleeping. Life-threatening breathing stops. Men as well women are concerned – whereby overweight men predominate – and they all are snoring heavily. It is assumed that only in the German speaking area of Austria, Germany and Switzerland there are more than 15 millions suffering under sleep apnoea; but, there is a high number of unreported cases. Not least because people concerned very often don’t know about their disease.

Often, their bedfellow not only notices the loud snoring noises but also the breathing stops which may even last up to one minute! Certain anatomical constellations as well as insufficient muscle tension in the throat lead to a narrowness in the upper airways. Due to the too loose muscles in the throat, the pressure in the throat decreases during inhaling and the airway gets completely blocked.

The consequences are disastrous: while we are asleep, our brain is not able to realize the fateful situation. Only when the oxygen deficiency becomes life-threatening the concerned human being startles, gasps for breath with a deep and lout snoring breath – and finally oxygen is reaching the lungs again. And the whole cycle starts again. Often, a hundred times per night!

Most of the time, the people concerned don’t even realize these phases of startling. But, the body is reacting massively: first of course, there is the lack of oxygen which might lead to damages in the brain and heart. Due to the startling, blood pressure as well as pulse frequency massively increase and this in turn raises blood pressure as well as the potential risk of infarction as well as of stroke, the release of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline is increased. Furthermore, people concerned are not able to reach the state of rest and relaxation needed for healthy and sufficient sleep. Experts estimate, that about one third of sleep gets lost. Sleep measurements for example clearly show that phases of deep sleep are not reached or only reached for a short time. Inevitably, lack of sleep with all its consequences arises. These consequences range from lack of concentration as well as momentary nodding off and thus increased risk of accident (during work as well as in traffic), increased risk of burnout, overweight, diabetes etc.

Out of these reasons it is important to clarify even a suspected sleep apnoea with an expert. For example, there is the possibility to do a so-called sleep-apnoea screening at home. ENT-specialists or sleep medics offer an appropriate measuring instrument with which one can determine whether you are suffering under sleep apnoea and if yes its degree of severity. This is the basic for determining the needed therapy.

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Hints for your bedroom lead to a healthier sleep

18. February 2016 von Schlafexperte Prof. Dr. med. h.c. Günther W. Amann-Jennson Leave a Comment

What you really need for healthy sleep
Healthy sleep is important for our well-being. Unfortunately this fact remains ignored by many people. Only when sleep fails to appear, one is not able to fall asleep, spends sleepless nights or gets up in the morning feeling absolutely whacked one starts to look for solutions. Here, your bedroom, your bed, its content, darkness and the earth’s magnetic field are playing an important role, too. Sleep psychologist Dr. med. h.c. Günther W. Amann-Jennson knows what to pay attention to for sleeping restful and healthy.

“When it comes to health and our well-being, sleep is a 90 % factor. From biological point of view and regarding recovery and relaxation, our bedroom is the most important room in our house or apartment and the sleeping place the most important place. This explains, why some important things have to be considered for a healthy and restful sleep”, so sleeping expert Amann-Jennson. If possible, the bedroom should be a quiet room with soundproof windows and shutters. Per person, count about 7.5 m2 to have enough oxygen for the night. A tilted window or thoroughly ventilation before going to bed care for enough fresh air. A breathable plaster or wall paint or wood paneling are advisable. Special colors like pastel colors in yellow, pink or light blue for example care for a relaxed atmosphere, note that the ceilings should be slightly brighter than the walls. For the floor, wood treated with natural waxes or oils should be preferred. In case you are using a carpet, prefer a carpet made of sheep wool. If possible, do without chemical or synthetic materials.

The bed: its size, positioning and furnishing
The bed is the core of every bedroom. It should only consist of natural materials like wood, natural rubber, sheep wool, cotton etc. Furthermore, the bed surface should be about 35’’ above the floor (90 % of the dust pollution are up to 8’’ above the floor). Per person, the ideal size of the bed is 35 to 39’’ in width and about 8’’ longer than the body size of the sleeping person. When positioning the bed in your room, care that it preferable is aligned from north (head) to south (foot) -– this is because of the influence of the earth’s magnetic field.

Darkness and no electric devices at your sleeping place
Amann-Jennson draws the attention to an often neglected factor: “Healthy sleep needs absolute darkness, since the production of the sleeping hormone melatonin takes place because of the so-called “dark-stimulus”. Light stimuli from in- or outside of the bedroom during the night not only disturb sleep but also increase the risk for diseases, especially for cancer.” Out of this reason it is important that curtains or shutters care for absolute darkness. Ideally, the room temperature ranges between 61 to 64° F, the humidity about 50 %. Best is, to disconnect electrical and electronical devices like radio alarm clock, TV, computer, cordless and mobile phones. The emitted electromagnetic pollution negatively influences our sleep. Mirrors, too, should not be in approximate vicinity to your bed – they reflect and increase high frequency radiation.

Healthy sleep needs an undisturbed earth’s magnetic field
“Natural magnetic fields are influencing our organism as well as our sleep. The importance of the sleeping direction in the earth’s magnetic field was already shown by the Max-Plank Institute for Biochemistry 20 years ago. In comparison with sleeping in east-west-direction, simply sleeping in north-south-direction led to an improvement of the phases of deep sleep. Nowadays, at most sleeping places, the earth’s magnetic field is disturbed through field influences or metal accumulation. Here, the magnetic field has to be stabilized with special carrier substance. Double-blind-studies revealed that the stabilization of the earth’s magnetic field leads to a massive improvement of the sleeping quality”, the expert goes into detail. Exactly this knowledge is implemented in the grounding overlay Lokosana^®.

Feeling whacked and constantly tired?

12. February 2016 von Schlafexperte Prof. Dr. med. h.c. Günther W. Amann-Jennson Leave a Comment

Get more energy with bioenergetic sleep^®!
Every physical activity needs energy. We only can supply our body with enough energy by healthy nutrition, recovery and sufficient sleep, but in our performance-oriented society it often is impossible to do so. Out of this reason, more and more people suffer under tiredness and states of exhaustion. Best is not to fight against them but to accept them as a signal of our body that our lifestyle is not good for us. Tiredness is a sign of our body, saying that we need a break. And you should take this break.

A simple change of your lifestyle and your way of sleeping can ensure recovery. You simply have to fulfill the needs of your body: healthy food, exercise and restful, bioenergetic sleep®. Here, your inner clock can be very helpful: there are larks, who like to get up and to go to bed early and owls who go to bed late but who are not able to get sufficient sleep because of social obligations (job, school). The latter are often those who suffer most under exhaustion. For them it is important to recover well on the weekend and to make breaks during the day.

Are you still feeling constantly tired you should clarify the cause. In some cases chronical diseases might be responsible for physical and mental exhaustion. The “common” tiredness clearly differs from the symptoms of the so-called fatigue syndrome. When suffering under the syndrome tiredness occurs almost constantly and is not alleviated by sleep nor by breaks. Concentration decreases and memory problems occur. Along with these, people concerned suffer under sleep disturbances, depressive moods or anxiety. The symptom often is accompanied by physical complaints. Painful muscles or joints, digestive disorders as well as hypersensitivity to light or noises are common symptoms. Here, medical aid is a must.

Tiredness is a signal which shows that something is wrong with our body. It protects from overload as well as from underload. We also get tired and sluggish, when we have too less activity. Of course, there is the pleasant tiredness which signalizes that it is time for a nap as well as the tiredness that occurs when our well-being is disturbed. When we are only tired in the evening, even when we are dead tired, it just shows that we are healthy, sleep sufficiently. Our body simply signalizes to stick to our rhythm.

The only sustainable mean against tiredness and exhaustion which also prevents from fatigue syndrome is healthy sleep. You ensure healthy sleep by optimization of your sleep. Here, the “sleep-healthy-trio” is needed; the “sleep-healthy-trio” consists of sleeping system (bed), sleeping place and bedroom. Also important are nutrition and exercise, sufficient water supply, time management and relaxation exercises that prevent stress. Here, healthy sleep is the trigger that brings back vital energy and cares for a high-level quality of life.

Climb your career ladder while sleeping

11. February 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Numerous studies prove: people with a lack of sleep make more mistakes, work less efficiently, make more wrong decisions, are more prone for sickness, get less promoted than people with sufficient and healthy sleep. Especially entrepreneurs and manager who are under a lot of pressure and who often have to travel between different time zones within a few weeks or months are strongly affected by sleep disturbances and lack of sleep.

Let’s begin with the effects of lack of sleep on our health: Our immune-system is constantly weakened by a lack of release of different hormones like melatonin, leptin or prolactin and our metabolism disturbed. The saving of new experiences, assimilation of impressions as well as detoxification of the body need sufficient and restful sleep. Coronary diseases, overweight, burnout, depressions, increases susceptibility to stress, irritability, forgetfulness, quicker aging process – all of these are consequences of lack of sleep. Of course, this is not only influencing our well-being and our quality of life but also our job-performance. Tired managers often act like a drunken person, like a study of the University of Michigan proofs.

Not really perfect preconditions for making the right decisions and for ideally reacting on upcoming challenges.

Now, let’s take a look on the other side: health as well as physical-mental fitness are basic preconditions for personal and professional development. Check your sleeping habits, your sleep surrounding and your sleeping underlay. Here, you can easily and quickly create effective support for your sleep as well as your career.

•   Care for a regulated sleep-wake-rhythm, this is very important for your health of sleep – especially when you have to travel a lot.
•   Integrate regular times for relaxation in your everyday life, this will make it easier to relax in the evening. On or two occasional minutes during the day are already doing wonders!
•   Start to slow down about one hour before going to bed. No more working on computers, no rich dinner.
•   Check your sleep surrounding. Is your bedroom quiet, dark, at a pleasant temperature? By the way: electrical devices like TV and computer or mobile phone are real sleep disturber and really do not belong into a sleep enhancing surrounding!
•   Last but not least the most important piece for your healthy sleep: your bed. Only a high-quality, natural and holistic sleeping system cares for the necessary career-enhancing sleep surrounding! With the bioenergetic sleep-healthy-system^® of SAMINA your body, mind and soul will get the necessary support and precondition for relaxation and detoxification. This enables, that the process in your body, important for your health and your memory formation, are able to function undisturbed and you can regain strength for new challenges.

In Europe, numerous business- as well as wellness-hotels are furnished with SAMINA Power Sleeping Rooms so that you are able to support your career on the road!