Sleep Deprivation and Stress

By Peggy Everson

Are you too busy to get a good night's sleep? Do you use your night trying to fit in jobs you didn't have time to get done through the day?
Some activities, such as working or caring for dependents, are usually classified as being unavoidable. That's because they usually are! Other activities such as socializing and entertainment, even though optional and discretionary, are still considered by most as necessary for a fulfilling life.
Sleep is often slotted into whatever time is left available after everything else has been attended to or indulged in. Are you still doing laundry at 2:00 a.m.?
However, would you prioritize sleep if you knew that it can help make you more capable of achieving your desired level of productivity? Or that it can strengthen your immune system and help prevent a slew of diseases and conditions?
Adequate sleep and healthy sleep patterns can prevent Alzheimer's Disease manifesting later in life and can assist in repairing the effects of chronic stress now.
Anyone who has lain awake after a hard day knows exactly how it feels when stress makes resting so elusive. The link between stress and sleep is very much a two-way street. While stress can make it difficult to fall asleep, sleep deprivation can largely contribute to causing stress and worsening its effects and symptoms.

Shift Work Sleep Disorder
Whether you are working as a long-haul truck driver or a college student pulling an all-nighter just to beat your assignment deadline, lack of sleep definitely takes a toll on your physical and emotional health. We're not nocturnal creatures. This is why those who are working on the night shift will often find themselves having difficulty overcoming their natural diurnal pattern and sleeping on demand. Sleep deprivation is very common among night shift workers. It has become prevalent enough for it to have an official name: 'shift work sleep disorder'.
The book titled Principles and Practice reported that night workers often have five to ten hours less sleep every week than those who are working a regular daytime schedule. Medscape Neurology and Neurosurgery reported that those people working on a night shift are at higher risk of suffering from stress. In turn, they are more prone to different kinds of stress-related health problems such as heart disease, hypertension, infertility, weakened immune system and stomach problems.

How Stress Impacts Quality of Sleep
Most people find it hard to sleep at night as they ruminate on stressful thoughts. Several scientific studies show that stress can have a huge impact on a person's quality and quantity of sleep. Individuals suffering from insomnia were found to experience a greater number of stressful events in life compared to people who were not insomniacs.
Studies also show that personal perception or appraisal of stress can either increase or reduce the tendency to suffer from insomnia. This means that even if you haven't been experiencing situations which others may consider stressful, but you perceive these things to be stressful, you will more likely to suffer from insomnia.
This reinforces the understanding that lack of sleep and stress both negatively impact the other. The bottom line is that being able to rest, or the lack of it, has a huge influence on the number of stressful events that you will likely to experience and how you well you'll be able to deal with them.

Sleep Deprivation Influences an Individual's Perception
Lack of sleep can strongly influence your perception of the events that are happening in your life. In order to support this statement, a study was conducted in which the participants were asked to take an exam that was judged to be mildly stressful. The results indicated that those participants who were sleep deprived experienced higher levels of stress while taking the exam, compared to participants who had no issues with sleeping difficulties. Other research done outside the laboratory also showed that sleep deprivation leads to psychological strain and stress.
The good news is that you don't have to be a life-long victim of sleep deprivation and stress. Make the effort to assess your lifestyle habits and make healthy changes to them. Subtle changes to behaviours and diet can provide an increase to both the amount and quality of sleep. This will lead to noticeable improvements in productivity and short and long-term health, especially relating to overcoming stress and its effects.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Sleep-Deprivation-and-Stress&id=9924598

Sleeping like a Victorian could be the cure for insomnia

The secret to waking up feeling refreshed and energised dates back to the late 19th century.

From bodyandsoul.com.au

Insomnia is literally the worst. Especially when one minute you’re peacefully sleeping and then suddenly you’re awake, going over the hundreds of little jobs you’ve been putting off for weeks. Goodbye requisite eight hours of sleep.
But apparently, instead of working out how you’re going to get all the laundry done, have time to get the dog washed and when you’ll be able to squeeze in a quick gym session, we should do what the Victorians did and embrace our disjointed sleep.

Back in the day waking up during the night was common. In fact, according to Roger Ekirch, a professor of history at Virginia Tech, in a pre-electricity world, people would go to sleep after dark for a few hours in what was called ‘first sleep’ and then wake up around midnight. They would stay awake for an hour or so, reading, writing or having some late night fun before going back to sleep. ‘Second sleep’ complete, they would wake up refreshed and ready to face another day in the factory.
The Sleep Coach, Cheryl Fingleson, says that the idea of sleeping like a Victorian has some merit.
“The Victorians got it right, have two good blocks of sleep which will be helpful to regenerate your brain and body, which is better than trying to fight to have one sleep.”
She says lying around, tossing and turning, and watching the minutes tick by actually stimulates a hormone called cortisol in our brain. This tricks us into thinking it’s time to wake up for the day, making it harder to fall back to sleep.
Instead like our Victorian forbearers, she says when we wake up at night we should “go to the toilet and then have a glass of milk or calamine tea, listen to soft music or read a boring book and then go back to sleep.”

Fingleston also has some other great tips to help you sleep better:

• Throw bath salts or Epsom salts into a warm bath, this is a great way to relax your body.
• Try a massage before bed to help work tension out of your muscles and soothe you to sleep.
• Listen to music that helps you to relax and drift off to sleep. Try the sound of waves, quiet music that you enjoy or calm talking.
• Try to face your feet south in bed. Research shows that this aligns your body with the magnetic field of the planet, bringing your own energies into harmony.
• Lie on your back and place your hand on your navel. Then make small circles in a clockwise direction as you gently glide your hand over your stomach. Continue making circles until you reach the outside of your stomach. Then reverse them until you reach your navel. Repeat process with the other hand but anti-clockwise. This process helps the digestive system and fosters deeper relaxation.
• Deep breathing is also very important as many people only use the top part of their lungs. Lie on your back, check each part of your body to see if there is tension anywhere. Inhale, first filling your lower belly, then your stomach then your chest and the top of your lungs. Hold for two seconds then exhale emptying your lungs. Repeat till you drift off.
• Make your room your oasis of calm peace. Keep mess to a minimum and no electronics.
• Eat a small low protein or high carbohydrate snack before bed such as biscuit, juice about a half hour before bed.
• Try to avoid naps during the day so you will feel sleepier by bedtime. If you absolutely have to nap, only nap for 20 minutes.
• Drink herbal tea - try chamomile, anise or fennel tea before bed to help you to relax
• Stop all screens (computer, iPad, phone or TV) at least half to one hour before bed.

https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-advice/sleeping-like-a-victorian-could-be-the-cure-for-insomnia/news-story/29de3efc5a5af53fb809de877c807d31

Survey links insomnia to workplace incivility

From upi.com

A new study suggests that difficulty sleeping could be influenced by rude co-workers, verbal abuse or having a bad day -- and can be counteracted by doing something fun and distracting to let the issue go.A new study suggests that difficulty sleeping could be influenced by rude co-workers, verbal abuse or having a bad day -- and can be counteracted by doing something fun and distracting to let the issue go.

Workers' difficulty sleeping was linked to rude behaviour by others while on the job, including verbal abuse, according to a survey of U.S. Forest Service employees.Researchers surveyed 699 employees of the agency, asking them to rate the level of rude behaviour, the frequency of negative thoughts about work, insomnia symptoms and the ability to relax after a bad day. The findings were published Monday in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

"Sleep quality is crucial because sleep plays a major role in how employees perform and behave at work," Dr. Caitlin Demsky, a researcher at Oakland University, said in a press release. "In our fast-paced, competitive professional world, it is more important than ever that workers are in the best condition to succeed, and getting a good night's sleep is key to that."
Negative work issues may also be linked to cardiovascular diseases, increased blood pressure and fatigue, according to the authors.

The researchers noted that up to 98 percent of U.S. employees have experienced uncivil behaviour in the workplace.
"Victims of incivility are more likely to decrease their work effort, organizational commitment, and the amount of time spent at work, all of which have implications for organizational performance," the researcher wrote. "Although several studies have indicated a range of negative outcomes associated with workplace incivility, much less is known regarding the mechanisms through which workplace incivility negatively influences both work and non-work outcomes. There also remains a lack of understanding regarding resources that can mitigate the harmful effects of workplace incivility."

The respondents, who averaged 49 years old, were asked about number of children under 18 living at home, hours worked weekly and frequency of alcoholic drinks. These issues have been linked with sleep issues in past research.
Among those studied, 41 percent were classified as supervisory.

In the study, they found rude or negative behaviour at work, including being judged or verbally abused, was associated with more symptoms of insomnia. But they found people who could do something to relax after recover, including yoga, music listening or walking, had better sleep.
"Incivility in the workplace takes a toll on sleep quality," Demsky said. "It does so in part by making people repeatedly think about their negative work experiences. Those who can take mental breaks from this fare better and do not lose as much sleep as those who are less capable of letting go."

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2018/04/23/Survey-links-insomnia-to-workplace-incivility/6201524495984/
The authors also suggested that employers reduce workplace incivility.

The Relationship Between Alcohol and Insomnia

From alcoholrehabguide.org

What Is Insomnia?

Alcohol and insomnia have a complex relationship. Insomnia is a disorder that prevents someone from achieving a restful night’s sleep. This could mean that they aren’t reaching a deep level of sleep, are waking several times through the night, or can’t fall asleep to begin with. Any of these possibilities mean that when the person wakes, they aren’t feeling rested. On a day-to-day basis, this doesn’t seem like that pressing of an issue. In the long-term, however, it can be detrimental to one’s mood, energy level, physical and mental health, work performance, and quality of life.

Insomnia can be easily treated for most and, if it is caught early enough, completely avoided before any permanent damage has taken hold. Unfortunately, many attempt to use the sedative effects of alcohol to combat their insomnia through self-medication. However, alcohol can greatly complicate the issue.

Causes of Insomnia

Causes of Insomnia vary greatly from case to case, but most come down to some external stressor. Something as simple as a change in schedule that disrupts our circadian rhythms, commonly referred to as our “internal clocks,” can be the cause. Other causes can include:
     Stress

Poor sleep habits

Eating too much too late in the evening

Other mental health disorders

Medication side effects

Medical conditions

Other sleep disorders

Using caffeine, nicotine, and/or alcohol too late in the evening

How Alcohol Affects People with Insomnia

When people in America notice they’ve developed issues falling asleep, their first reaction is often to have a drink. 20% of adults in the United States will use some form of alcohol to help them fall asleep. Alcohol may help many fall asleep on occasion; however, the use of alcohol, even a single serving, will make it more difficult for someone to reach deep sleep, also known as REM sleep. Without deep sleep, our mind and body are unable to do what’s necessary to prepare for the next day.

The major issue is that people may not feel the negative effects at first. They can try it a few times and think their sleeping problems are cured. Eventually, however, they notice that they are tired when they wake up. The solution seems simple; they have another beer, another glass of wine, another shot. The more they take, the more they feel they need, and soon, they’ve built a dependency on alcohol in order to feel relaxed.

Alcohol and Insomnia Statistics

• 20% of adults in the US use alcohol to help them fall asleep.
• In 2011, it was estimated that 252.7 days are lost across the US Workforce due to the symptoms of Insomnia, every year.
• It is estimated that 30% to 35% of adults in the US deal with some kind of Insomnia symptoms.

Insomnia as a Co-Occurring Disorder

While Insomnia can lead to a dependency on alcohol, the opposite, like many mental disorders, is also true. In general, the use of alcohol can prevent someone from falling into deep sleep, which is crucial to maintaining normal brain function, physical health, and emotional well-being. The toll this takes could already cause strain to one’s life and relationships. This means that someone self-medicating spirals deeper into their dependency, turning it into a full-blown addiction faster.

Someone looking for treatment for their Insomnia, without taking their alcohol use into consideration, could make the problem worse. If they aren’t forthcoming about their dependency or possible addiction, then a doctor can’t prescribe proper treatment. This may mean they are given medication that should not be mixed with alcohol or are given poor treatment because they have given insufficient information.

Treatment for Alcohol and Insomnia

Treating a co-occurring disorder without treating someone’s alcohol dependency, and vice versa, can mean setting up a possible relapse before treatment has truly begun. Rarely is it the cravings of alcohol that drive those in recovery to relapse. It is, rather, the symptoms of withdrawal taking physical and mental toll on the person quitting that pushes them back. Insomnia is a very treatable disorder and taking the time to treat it can mean the difference between recovery and relapse.
If you or a loved one are suffering from Insomnia that you believe is tied to an alcohol use disorder, then your problem is likely more severe than you realize. Please reach out today. There is a dedicated treatment specialist waiting to help.

https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/resources/dual-diagnosis/alcohol-and-insomnia/

7 Secrets of Women Who Beat Insomnia

From purewow.com

Let’s talk about sleep. Sweet, glorious, elusive sleep. We’re willing to bet if you clicked on this story, you’re not getting enough of it. That sucks. But luckily, you can learn from the tired folks who have come before you and conquered restless nights, using tricks like the following seven. Follow their guidance.

They Know What to Eat Before Bed Women who have perfected the art of getting enough sleep know that what you do before getting into bed is as important as what happens when the lights go off, and that includes what you eat for dinner. Instead of taking another melatonin capsule, try eating one of these six dinners, all of which utilize ingredients (like walnuts and tuna) that are scientifically proven to give you a better night’s sleep.

They Sleep with the Door Open While some sleep tricks seem a bit out there, this one’s actually backed by science. In a study published by Indoor Air: International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health, scientists observed a group of healthy young adults sleeping over a period of five nights. Those who slept with the bedroom door open reported a better and longer night’s sleep than those who slept with the door closed. Why? When you open your door, you’re providing more ventilation to the room, which might help some people drift off more easily. Opening the door also caused the temperature of the room to lower slightly, to about 67 degrees Fahrenheit—optimal for sleep. So instead of tossing and turning, crack open your bedroom door.

They Create a Routine Some nights, you’re in bed by 10 p.m. Others, you drag yourself to your room at 1 a.m. It can be tough to set a sleep routine and stick with it, but it’s super important. And yes, you should stick with your routine on the weekends. Sleeping until noon on the weekends won't actually make up for a week of bad nights. Choose a reasonable time to go to bed and wake up each night and day, and make a concerted effort to stick to your timetable. It’s worth it in the long run—we promise.

Their Rooms Are Set Up for Success The design and layout of your room can actually play a huge role in how restfully you sleep. Maybe, for example, your sheets are making you too hot. That polyester or jersey cotton blend might look and feel nice, but you’re actually trapping in heat, which might make it harder for you to sleep comfortably. Try an organic percale sheet set that will keep you cool overnight. Here, seven other ways your room might be messing with your sleep.

They Know Their ‘Sleep Opportunity’You’ve probably said the following upon waking up after a less-than-restful night’s sleep: “Don’t worry, body. Tonight, I promise to get eight hours of sleep.” But according to Matthew Walker, director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab and author of Why We Sleep, unless you plot out your sleep opportunity, you’ll never log the hours of shut-eye you actually need. According to Walker, the secret to a good night’s sleep is calculating the number of hours of sleep, plus the number of hours you know you’ll need to fall asleep. (That’s your sleep opportunity.) For example, if you know you need eight hours in order to be productive the next day, but you also need 30 minutes to read in bed and 30 minutes to fall asleep and you always wake up 15 minutes before your alarm, you actually need to get in bed nine hours and 15 minutes before you get up. (This means a 10:15 p.m. bedtime versus 11:30 p.m.) Do the math and get ready to have your most restful sleep in months.

They Don’t Hit Snooze In the moment, giving yourself nine extra minutes of shut-eye seems nothing short of blissful, but in reality, every time you hit snooze and drift back to sleep, you start a new sleep cycle that will be interrupted in a few minutes anyway. Since that cycle will end before it’s truly finished, chances are you’ll feel even more tired when you wake up for good. It’ll take some getting used to, but training yourself to actually get up when your alarm goes off is so worth it.

They Know What to Do When They Can’t Sleep To be honest, even if you follow all of these tips, there might still be some nights when you wake up inexplicably in the middle of the night. When that happens, know how to get back to sleep without disturbing yourself too much. Here are a few tricks to try: First, visualize your childhood home. When you’re not thinking about the stresses of the day (or not being able to sleep), you’ll drift off faster. Next, set your thermostat between 65 and 68 degrees. That’s the sweet spot for a good night’s rest, according to science. And finally, turn off your phone and computer. We promise, there’s nothing happening on Instagram at 1 a.m.

https://www.purewow.com/wellness/how-to-beat-insomnia

Help for when you're wide-eyed at 3 a.m.

From medicalxpress.com

(HealthDay)—Something like this has happened to most of us: You wake up, wide awake, only to discover that it's 3 a.m. Suddenly your mind fills with worry about how hard tomorrow will be if you don't get more sleep. The problem is, you toss and turn and can't get back to sleep.
What to do?
First, don't keep your eyes trained on the clock. That just adds to your distress.
Instead, clear your mind and relax your body. Tighten a muscle for a few seconds and then release. One by one, try this with a few muscle groups—your feet, legs, stomach, for instance. Focus on how relaxed your body is becoming.
If you're still awake a few minutes later, though, get up and out of bed. In fact, leave the bedroom. Go to another room to listen to soothing music or read a boring book—not a heart-racing thriller. If you start to feel drowsy, return to bed.
If not, be productive and do a chore you've been putting off. You might feel tired later on, but you'll have a sense of accomplishment about completing the task.
One night of disrupted sleep is not uncommon—it's something most everyone has experienced. But if insomnia becomes a pattern, it's time to correct lifestyle habits.
Are you drinking too much caffeine? Using electronics too late into the evening? Exercising too close to bedtime?
Restricting late-in-the-day caffeine and tech usage should help. But don't stop exercising—just do it earlier in the day.
It's also possible that an underlying health issue is playing a role in your sleep issue. For instance, sleep apnea, reflux or pain from a chronic condition can make it hard to fall sleep or wake you up in the middle of the night. Talk to your doctor about steps to better control your health and get the sleep you need.
If you have a clean bill of health and are still plagued by insomnia, consider cognitive behavioural therapy to change negative thoughts about sleep and relax your mind. Some therapists, as well as online programs, offer short-term versions of this therapy designed specifically for insomnia.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-youre-wide-eyed.html

Post-exercise insomnia: How late workouts can disrupt your sleep and what to do about it

From bt.com

If you’ve ever decided that a little late-night exercise might help you sleep, you might be doing more harm than good

How does exercise affect your sleep?Generally, post-workout you’re probably a little dehydrated.
Dehydration leads to an increased heart rate and can make it difficult to bring down your core body temperature, crucial to help you get to sleep.
Exercise also produces the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine which will keep your body feeling alert.
Cortisol and bright lights at the gym stops the production of melatonin – the sleep hormone.

Why is sleep important after exercise?

Physical activity puts stress on your muscles and nervous system. These are both rebuilt during sleep.
A strenuous workout will cause microscopic tears in your muscles. During sleep your muscles receive extra oxygen and nutrients to help them grow and heal.
Your pituitary gland releases growth hormones which helps your muscle tissue and new cells are regenerated.

How to get to sleep after a workout

To make sure your exercise routine doesn’t upset your sleep pattern, try not to work out less than three hours before going to bed.
Drink lots of water before, during and after exercising.
After getting all hot and bothered in the gym, have a hot bath or shower and keep your bedroom cool.
The process of warming up your body and then cooling down again helps you get ready to go to sleep.

http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/sleep/exercise-night-sleep-insomnia-workout-11364262624440

Study reveals why your brain might sleep without you knowing it

From bodyandsoul.com.au

The new research shows that even if your partner is snoring, they might actually be awake.

Individuals who suffer from insomnia often report that they were unable to get a good night’s sleep, despite the fact that they might have been snoring all night.
Now, a new study, published in the journal Sleep, validates their experience by examining the phenomenon of “sleep misperception” and has found a clear link between conscious awareness and sleeping patterns.
Researchers analysed the sleep patterns and experiences of 32 people with insomnia and 30 without the condition. Using polysomnography, a traditional sleep studying method, the scientists examined the brain waves of the participants by injecting a radioactive tracer in their arms while the participants were asleep.
They also took brain scans of the participants to determine where in the brain the activity occurred. The participants were then asked about their sleeping experience the following morning.
The results found that people with insomnia who reported they had been awake, even when the polysomnography showed otherwise, had increased activity in the areas of the brain associated with conscious awareness during the dreamless phase of sleep.
The study’s lead author Daniel Kay, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, explained that both insomnia sufferers and good sleepers can go through an inhibition process when they fall asleep, however those with insomnia may not feel as though they are asleep until their brain experiences a greater inhibitory activity in areas that are linked to conscious awareness.
He further suggested that practicing meditation may help relieve any impairment in inhibitory activity.

“In patients with insomnia, processes involved in reducing conscious awareness during sleep may be impaired…one of the strategies for targeting these processes may be mindfulness meditation,” explained Professor Kay.
“It may help patients inhibit cognitive processes that are preventing them from experiencing sleep.”

http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health-news/study-reveals-why-your-brain-might-sleep-without-you-knowing-it/news-story/5072ce50be5907dfd769a5fa0cfdf345

Natural sleeping pills: these products will cope with insomnia

From sivtimes.com

Doctors say that approximately 10% of adults suffer from insomnia and sleep disorders. It is only those who appealed for help to the doctor, and how many more men and women prefer to deal with insomnia on their own?
In any case, take sleeping pills, doctors do not recommend. Such drugs can be used only in the case if the person had suffered a serious nervous breakdown or sleep more of the day and night and can’t sleep.

There are a number of products, the properties they alternative sedative drugs, that’s just the only natural and harmless substances.

These products at the moment to cope with insomnia:
– chamomile tea;
– black tea with a pinch of cinnamon;
ginger drink with honey, mint and lemon;
citrus fruit;
– bananas;
– chicken eggs;
almonds;
– oily fish;
– warm milk;
– cherries;
– any cabbage.

In each of these products contain substances that contribute to increase the production of melatonin – the sleep hormone which regulates circadian rhythms.
The doctors can recommend taking melatonin tablets, but in this case, the person is likely to damage their health, taking medicines for a long time. Therefore, it is better to try to fight insomnia with natural drugs in the form of foods and beverages.

https://sivtimes.com/natural-sleeping-pills-these-products-will-cope-with-insomnia/6364/

If you constantly suffer from Intrusive thoughts that prevent you from fully sleep, then consult a therapist who will help you to get rid of this problem and begin to fall asleep.

Five Things Movies Get Wrong About Insomnia

From tvovermind.com

The movies embellish a lot of things and tend to get a few wires crossed when showcasing one ailment or another, but insomnia is one that not enough people know about and thus the movies can get away with it more often than not. So long as people don’t know something about what’s being shown there’s a good chance that they won’t cry foul when they see it displayed onscreen. The problem with that is the misconceptions that it brings about and the false beliefs that it can create in those that don’t know any better. Being informed by the movies isn’t always expected but it’s appreciated when it happens.
Here’s a few things about insomnia I’m kind of hoping you knew.

5. Insomnia has little to do with any other medical conditions.
This of course is very false. If your body and mind are out of whack then chances are that your resting patterns will be as well. If you’re stressed, depressed, or in any way unbalanced for whatever reason your body will react to this by trying to fix the problem or by shutting down in some way that you might not realize until it happens that you can’t function normally. Stress is a very big cause of insomnia.

4.  You can only have insomnia if you can’t fall asleep.
Not going to sleep is just one sign of insomnia. Waking up too early, waking in the middle of the night, and not being able to go back to sleep are also symptoms that can signal that a person has insomnia. Any frequent pattern of sleep loss can qualify as insomnia really.

3. You should try as hard as you can to sleep.
Forcing yourself to sleep is not the answer. If you actively attempt to just lie in bed and find yourself going stir crazy then it might be better to get up and move around for a bit to see if that tires you out. If lying in bed is more relaxing then do this, but always listen to your body and follow, as much as you’re able, what it’s telling you it needs.

2. Insomnia is a temporary thing.
In stress-related cases insomnia can in fact be temporary. It might go away once the stress is relieved or a certain situation is resolved. But if a person continues to experience symptoms then it might be time to seek treatment or, at the very least, advice on what to do next. Insomnia can damage one’s health to a great extent and is not to be taken lightly.

1. You can catch up on sleep.
It’s possible to make yourself feel better by getting more sleep now and again when you can, but catching up on your sleep can affect your sleeping patterns in a way that can further disrupt your life. It’s necessary to get an ample amount of rest per day as this is how the body calms itself and can thereby ready a person for the next day to come.
Too little rest throughout an extended period of time can wear down the mind and the body alike.

http://www.tvovermind.com/movies/five-things-movies-get-wrong-insomnia

Lying Awake Every Night? 6 Ways To Become A Heavy Sleeper

From thealternativedaily.com

Ever wake up feeling exhausted? Maybe you got plenty of hours in bed, but you hardly feel like you’ve slept at all. Getting a decent sleep isn’t all about putting in the hours; rather, quality matters more than quantity. So here are six ways you can get a better, deeper sleep. Try them for yourself!

1. Yoga
This might sound like a cliché, but have you tried yoga? A survey by the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health found over half of yoga practitioners reported experiencing better sleep. Yet it isn’t just self-reporting; there’s some scientific evidence that regular yoga can significantly improve your sleep. This 2004 study found “statistically significant improvements” in sleeping patterns for participants who took part in a simple, daily yoga class. The study was small, but the results line up with what yogis the world over have been saying for years: if you want a decent night sleep, then nothing beats yoga.

2. Magnesium

Health supplements are a controversial issue, but there might be something to them when it comes to magnesium. There is clear scientific evidence suggesting a link between low levels of magnesium and a range of issues like insomnia, depression and sleep apnea.
There’s also some evidence showing that magnesium supplements can help somewhat. An Iranian study found participants given supplements of 500 milligrams of magnesium fell asleep faster than those given a placebo, though their overall sleep time didn’t change much.
Of course, quality beats quantity, though many experts are sceptical of large-dosage magnesium supplements, and recommended dietary changes instead. So if you have trouble getting a good, deep sleep, try eating more magnesium-rich foods like nuts, leafy greens, fish, chicken and beef.

3. Calcium
Along with magnesium, calcium is also often considered by experts as a key ingredient for a good, deep sleep. The general idea is that calcium may be linked to REM sleep. A deficiency of calcium might make REM sleep more difficult to achieve, thus leaving you feeling tired even after a full night of snoozing. So consuming more calcium probably won’t make you sleep more, but it might make you sleep better.

While any pharmacy will stock standard calcium supplements, you can also try changing your diet. Along with the obvious dairy products, other good sources of calcium include soybeans, nuts, bread, broccoli, cabbage and okra. Try adding more of these foods to your diet, and you may notice improved sleep. Be aware, though, that consuming more than 1,500 milligrams of calcium a day can cause stomach pain and diarrhoea. So, use everything in moderation.

4. Meditation

Like yoga, meditation might be surprisingly effective at improving your sleep patterns. This small study found a once weekly, two-hour mindfulness program significantly improved the quality of participants’ sleep. The program largely focused on meditation and other exercises aimed at improving sleep. A separate control group also participated in a sleep awareness program, but didn’t engage in meditation. Instead, they focused on theory and education surrounding sleep. Ultimately, it was those who meditated who ended up getting the best sleep.
If you want to try meditation, stick with a five-minute session before bed, focusing on your breath. With practice, you’ll be able to work your way up to longer sessions in no time.

5. Melatonin
When it comes to talking about ways to improve your sleep, melatonin is hard to avoid. This hormone is naturally produced by the body, and plays an important role in getting you to sleep in the first place.
Nowadays, synthetic melatonin supplements are extremely popular. This popularity isn’t entirely misplaced: there is some evidence showing melatonin supplements can help some people sleep better. 
However, there is plenty of other research out there that indicates commercially-available melatonin supplements might not help most people, such as this study, this one and this one too. Then there are the experts who warn against children taking melatonin. The general idea seems to be that melatonin can help, but only in low doses.

6. Passionflower
Finally, there’s the latest miracle trend: passionflower. This South American herb has become a buzzword in recent years, with some advocates claiming it may be able to “eliminate insomnia,” while also curing everything from anxiety to ADHD, slowing the onset of menopause and helping with blood pressure issues.
Many of the more eyebrow-raising claims are far from conclusively proven, but that doesn’t mean passionflower can’t get you to sleep. In fact, there is some promising evidence to indicate passionflower tea can improve your quality of sleep. Worst case scenario: you get a tasty exotic tea before bedtime.

https://www.thealternativedaily.com/6-ways-to-become-a-heavy-sleeper/