Search Results for: sleeplessness

Sleep disturbances a wide spread disease

18. May 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Nowadays, every fourth person suffers under sleep disturbances. The international classification of sleep disturbances (ICSD-3), published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), differentiates between 97 different sleep disturbances. For being able to regenerate, body and mind need regularly sufficient sleep. A lack of sleep has severe consequences. But, when do we talk about a sleep disturbance? Then, when over a period from one to three months the problem is occurring at least three times a week.

Causes of sleeplessness

The causes are manifold. The most common causes for falling asleep or sleeping through disturbances are stress or mental illnesses. Wrong handling of sleep might also be a trigger of sleeplessness as well as irregular sleeping times. Here, shift workers and nurses are especially concerned. A further reason for sleep disturbances also might be psychiatric disorders like depressions, anxiety or eating disorders.

Forms of sleeplessness

Sleep disturbances can be divided into six main groups:

Insomnias: disturbances to fall asleep or to sleep through
Sleep apnoea: a sleep related respiratory disorder. Here, slackening throat muscles cause a blockage of the upper airways during the night. This life-threatening sleep disorder has many consequences: increased blood pressure and hence increased stroke- and infarction-risk, risk of brain damages due to oxygen deficiency, daytime sleepiness due to several arousals (mostly unaware), etc.
Hypersomnia: their causes are in the central nervous system. Example: narcolepsy.
Parasomnia: night mares, sleep walking and nocturnal outcry
Disturbances in the circadian rhythm: a disturbance of the inner clock
Sleep related movement disorders: restless legs or nocturnal teeth grinding (bruxism)

Impacts and consequences

Sleepless nights and their consequences are not only affecting our health but also our everyday life. Side effects caused by sleeplessness are diminishing performance, state of exhaustion and extreme tiredness. Once sleep disturbances become chronic the consequences might be far worse.

Generally, seek medical advice when your sleeping problems are longer lasting. But, there are some simple things you can do to support your sleep. At any case, a regular sleep-wake-cycle or relaxation methods like autogenous training, for example, are to be preferred to medication.

Somniloquy –- talking in your sleep

1. April 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Talking during sleep is called “somniloquy”. Most of the time, only incomprehensible sounds are audible. But some people say words and even sentences. Often, the “conversations” are not understandable since the muscles we need for talking are mostly inactive during sleep.

Somniloquy is no disease, it is a quite often occurring behavioral abnormality during sleep. About 5 % of all grown-ups are concerned and of children up to puberty even 50 %. Since evt. existing partners sleep themselves, the phenomenon often remains undetected.

Actually, somniloquy is harmless and may occur by itself or with other sleep disturbances. The only negative side effect is that the bedpartner might be disturbed by the mumbling.

Causes
Usually, talking during sleep occurs during REM-sleep. Here, it is possible that people concerned are saying out loud dreamed sentences. But, during the change of single sleeping phases in non-REM-sleep somniloquy might occur, too.

The causes are not fully examined, yet. But, it is proven that different influences like mental stress situations, fever, alcohol and the intake of certain medications favor talking during sleep.

Somniloquy often occurs more frequently within of families. This leads to the conclusion that it is hereditary. Still, the phenomenon also might occur, when no one else in the family is concerned.

Treatment
As long as you are only speaking during sleep and are not suffering under other sleeping problems, no treatment is necessary. Only, when somniloquy starts to be a social disturber or is leading to sleeplessness, a therapy might be considered.

There are simple remedies for self-treatment. The exercise of certain relaxation methods like Autogenous Training, Qigong or Yoga may reduce the frequency. People concerned should also pay attention to their sleep hygiene. For example, no alcohol and no heavy meals before going to bed. And of course, a regular sleeping rhythm is very important. Physical exercise during day as well as do without caffeine for a couple of weeks are further supporting.

In case, talking during sleep is triggered by an increased psychological stress or mental disturbances it is advisable to seek professional advice.

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Frequent sleeping announces end of puberty

25. March 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Like chronobiologists of the Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Basel, Switzerland, found out, it is a significant sign for the end of puberty when adolescents start to go to bed earlier. Due to the physical changes that happen at the beginning of puberty this is easier to recognize. For their research, the scientists chose 1000 girls because they better remember their first menstruation than boys their puberty vocal change or their first ejaculation.

The beginning of puberty at the age of about 11 to 14 changes the rhythm of the inner clock. Before this significant change starts, the children mainly go to bed early. The beginning of the puberty postpones sleep onset to the later night. Due to their inner clock that cares for a waking up signal until late in the evening adolescents don’t succeed in going to bed earlier. According to lead investigator Christian Cajochen falling asleep in front of the TV like many adults do would hardly happen to an adolescent. Now, since getting up time doesn’t change many adolescents accumulate a lack of sleep which is especially remarkable on Fridays. But of course, adolescents don’t go to bed earlier on a Friday since they are able to sleep in on weekends. On an average, they get up two hours later than an adult.

Up until now, the reason for their keeping late hours is not clearly explored. There are speculations that it might favor the partner search. But, according to Cajochen all adolescents are affected by an evening sleeplessness not only the ones who frequently go dancing. A further reason for the irregular sleep-wake-rhythm might be the decrease of the sleeping hormone melatonin that is influencing the inner clock as well. Whereby, pursuant to Cajochen there is no connection. The physical change during puberty might be responsible, too.

The older the adolescents are the later they go to bed. About five to six years after the beginning of puberty the sleeping pattern changes within one year. According to Cajochen the sleep of women is becoming regularly again at the age from 16 to 21 years depending on their first menstruation that is mostly between the age of 11 and 16 years. The need for going to bed earlier again rises.

The Swiss scientist states that according to the findings it would be advisable to postpone start of classes during puberty. Studies proved that a later start improves marks as well as attention. So far, a couple of schools tried to enhance the performance of adolescents with an activating lightning.

Sleeping pills

29. January 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Beside a balanced nutrition and exercise, the importance of healthy sleep more and more penetrates into awareness. The “New York Times Magazine” even wrote about a “sleeping boom”. With good reason: more and more people complain about sleep disturbances. Only when we start to suffer under sleep disturbances we start to notice how big the influence of sleep on our life and well-being is.

Taking sleeping pills is clearly the wrong way. Because: it is only possible to fight sleep disturbances when we correct the actual cause. For example: is permanent stress disturbing your sleep it is better to relieve everyday stress with a relaxation technique like yoga or progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen. Furthermore, sleeping pills have numerous side effects, may be addictive, lead to daytime sleepiness, may cause a worsening of the sleeplessness due to a habituation effect as well as negatively change the natural sleeping cycle.

Examinations in sleep labs revealed that the deep sleep necessary for physical recovery phases cease, at the same time REM-phases necessary for mental recovery are shortened. The condition created by sleeping pills rather resembles an anesthesia than a natural sleep that is essential for recovery of body, mind and soul.

It is a much better option to offer your sleep the preconditions it needs. The SAMINA sleep-healthy-concept will provide you with all necessary information concerning your healthy sleep!

Health, love and a happy life

28. January 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

At all times, sleep and its phenomena have preoccupied mankind. Western civilization is characterized by sleeplessness and lack of sleep. Every sleepless night raises questions and the following day is answering: restlessness, tiredness, lack of concentration, deficiency in performance, reluctance, …

Although no-one is consciously aware of his own sleep our active life arises from the condition of sleep. We are only aware of the results of sleep and dream: life, love, health, well-being, satisfaction and happiness. Let’s not forget: we are presented with these most vital things of our lives without our doing. Overnight, so to speak.

Sleep is a real contact with the universal powers as well as with the creative genius. The universal circle gets fulfilled be the rhythm of day and night. Sleep and dream are the mirror of our daytime, ingrained in our conscious as well as unconscious thoughts, emotions and actions. Night per night, dreams are setting free our life.

The first step into improvement of life-quality is to be aware of the sleep and its manifold benefits for the own life. Sleep is as essential as breathing, eating and drinking. Without good, healthy sleep waking life goes wrong.

For healthy sleep there are some basic parameters:
•   inner and outer readiness for letting go the daily events as well as our ego
•   a harmonious sleep surrounding as well as security
•   an anatomically correct sleeping underlay
•   darkness
•   no sleep disturbers like electromagnetic pollution and noise

SAMINA’s sleep-healthy-philosophy leads to the highest form of sleep, the bioenergetic sleep^®. Bioenergetic sleep^® balances all systems and functions of body, mind and soul. Only like this, the shaping forces of sleep are able to develop.

Lack of sleep is anything else but harmless

28. September 2015 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Although we are sleeping almost one third of our life it is the part in our lives we are neglecting the most. Instead of sleeping sufficiently and caring for our sleeping quality we are sleeping far too less and most of the time bad. The assumption that a grown-up gets along well without sufficient sleep is a wide-spread misbelief. Especially during the last couple of years, neurologists and sleep-scientists increasingly have concentrated on the consequences of lack of sleep. Their findings are alarming:

On the one hand, chronical lack of sleep is leading to a lack of performance. This damages working life as well as private life and the psyche, not least. Furthermore, lack of sleep leads to increased sleep disturbances. Beginning with fall asleep disturbances, to sleep through disturbances and to sleeplessness due to anxiety states more than fifty kinds of sleep disturbances are known. Sleep disturbances damage the cardiovascular system and lower life expectancy. Due to permanent tiredness during the day, people with a lack of sleep are living with an increased accident risk, in traffic as well as on the working place.

The recommended sleep duration for a grown-up is from seven to eight hours per night, but, there are also people who need less sleep. This average value says little about the individual sleep behavior of the single person. Some need more, some need less sleep. But, if you constantly feel tired and worn out you clearly suffer under a lack of sleep. This often leads to unrealistic optimism or misjudgement of reality. Possibly this might be the reason why negative consequences of the own behavior are insufficiently perceived. After staying up too long you will have the same effect like when drinking too much of alcohol, your reaction and your decision-making ability are noticeably impaired.

Further negative effects are overweight or memory-impairment. Since their physical and mental development is slowed down, the consequences of lack of sleep are especially huge for children.

In the beginning, consequences of lack of sleep may seem harmless but sooner or later they develop into severe problems and may permanently damage health.