Pillow talk: Top tips on how to beat insomnia and get the perfect night’s sleep

From sundaypost.com

For many of us, bedtime can become an anxious wait for sleep that never comes and endless hours staring at the ceiling.

If that sounds like you then you are not alone.
In fact, research by the UK’s Sleep Council says in today’s fast-paced society, almost a third of us get a poor sleep most nights.
Nearly three quarters of us get less than the average sleep requirement of seven or eight hours a night – and 12% get less than five.
Even more alarmingly, 35% of us have suffered from sleep problems for more than five years.
Sleep deprivation can leave us exhausted, irritable and unwell. But it has also been linked to a whole host of chronic conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, obesity and depression.

                                                                        (Getty Images)

If a full eight hours’ sleep is elusive, it could be due to a variety of medical conditions.
Insomnia, and changes to typical sleep patterns, are often an early sign of perimenopause.
Racing thoughts, and persistent feelings of stress, make it difficult for many women experiencing menopause to unwind.
If you experience night sweats, a simple blood test at your GPs will confirm if you are going through hormone changes. Wearing cotton PJs can help.
If you are also a habitual snorer you may be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), where breathing becomes temporarily impaired and blood pressure rises. A doctor can help determine if you have OSA and offer treatment options.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), when limbs twitch and jerk, can also cause a restless night. One in 10 adults suffer from RLS, and the chance of developing this disorder increases with age.
Certain medications including those prescribed for high blood pressure, heart conditions and depression can cause the condition.
To alleviate RLS, a doctor may suggest cutting back on caffeine and alcohol, taking an iron supplement, and creating a targeted exercise regimen.
Asthma, diabetes, and gastroesophageal reflux disease can all negatively impact the ease of breathing, thereby making sleep more challenging for older adults.

However, healthy sleep habits can help relieve these conditions’ negative impacts on sleep.
Dr Renata Riha, of the Sleep Research Unit at Edinburgh University, says sleep is one of the three pillars of health, alongside good nutrition and physical exercise.
She said: “Some people don’t think sleep is important and try to fit a 25-hour lifestyle into a 24-hour day.
“The main reasons for not sleeping range from anxiety and depression, to worry, anger and medical conditions. But modern-day habits from bad diets and too much caffeine, to using phones and tablets too late at night, can also have a detrimental impact on our sleep patterns. It can lead to increased inflammation in the body and have an impact on all body organs, including the skin.”

Breaking the insomnia cycle can be difficult but the author of a new book, 222 Ways To Trick Yourself To Sleep, says she may have the answer. Using the latest scientific studies, Kim Jones has come up with a long list of tips and tricks to help you get a good night’s rest.
She says: “You may be surprised to learn that everything from warming your feet and how you breathe to reframing your thoughts and mindset, can all help to get you off to sleep.”

Some top tips to try…

Rock yourself to sleep

Researchers from the University of Geneva found that adults who took a nap in a rocking bed fell asleep faster than in a bed that was stationary.

Curb binge-watching

Resist the urge to watch ‘just one more’ episode. A study found that binge-viewing habits were associated with poor sleep, fatigue and symptoms of insomnia whereas regular TV viewing wasn’t.

Give yourself a face massage

A study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that women who had a 20-minute facial massage experienced a drop in blood pressure, as well as getting sleepy.

Listen to soothing music

Source some string-based beats with no extreme variations in volume and no repeated melody. This allows your mind to wander dreamily because you’re not anticipating the repeat.

Go green

Add plants to clear the air for a better sleep. NASA’s Clean Air Study says plants like peace lilies and chrysanthemums are good at removing household toxins.

Have a laugh

A study published by the Korean Journal of Adult Nursing found that elderly people who were prescribed laughter therapy improved their sleep and reduced their symptoms of depression.

Cover clock faces

If you start clock watching, you’ll start stressing about how much sleep you’re missing and it will be harder to drift off. Just set your alarm and turn it away.

Get some vitamin sea

A report by the National Trust found that people who took a coastal walk slept on average 47 minutes longer that night than they did the night before – and 35 minutes longer than those taking a walk inland.

Chill your pillow

Put your pillow in the fridge for the day. Because your neck and temples contain pulse points where blood vessels are close to the skin, it helps cool your blood down quickly so the rest of your body feels less hot.

Play mind games

Give your brain some mental exercise to do when you hit the hay. Try counting backwards from 100 – or even 1000 – in groups of five.

https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/pillow-talk-top-tips-on-how-to-beat-insomnia-and-get-the-perfect-nights-sleep/

Don’t lose sleep over insomnia

From augustafreepress.com

Losing precious sleep is terrible to experience, but sadly, it’s a common situation for many Americans. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, at least 50 to 70 million people in the United States deal with sleep-related problems. So if you do, you’re not alone!
You might not even realize that there’s something wrong with your sleep. For example, insomnia, a common sleep disorder, can sometimes go unnoticed. Those who have the condition may wake frequently, but not recall those wakeful moments. But it still impacts their rest, making them tired and lethargic.
Such effects from insomnia and other sleeping conditions can be catastrophic. Wanting to sleep but not having the ability to do so can be frustrating and isolating. And by next morning, that lack of sleep can make doing even the simplest activities difficult. Traveling to work could become exhausting, and then using up what little energy you have left to stay polite and friendly to co-workers could feel infuriating.
You don’t have to suffer from such troubles, though. There are quite a few ways to treat sleeping difficulties. And this article is here to help you navigate the waters of one of those difficulties in particular: insomnia.

Consider getting medication

If your insomnia is particularly severe, consider getting medication for your condition. While not the first choice of treatment for insomnia usually, prescription medication should help you if you feel incapacitated by your sleeping disorder.
To determine if medication is the right choice for your situation, talk to a doctor. Once you’ve given them your medical history, they should know whether medication will solve your sleeping problem. And if that is the case, they’ll also have a good idea on what medication is likely to work. For instance, they may decide that you should go on trazodone.
Whatever medication they feel is appropriate, don’t worry about the expense. Just order your prescription medication from an international or Canada drug centre like Canadian Med Centre. Doing this will enable you to connect to licensed pharmacies abroad in countries with stricter prescription pricing regulations. And in return, these pharmacies can connect you to medication at affordable prices.

Practise relaxation techniques

For those of you who don’t feel like their insomnia is severe enough to warrant medication, try relaxation techniques instead. Most of these techniques are something you can do on your own to help calm your body and prepare it for rest. More specifically, they aim to reduce physical tension and disrupt any thought processes that might affect your sleep.
There are a number of techniques you can try. Here are some you might want to consider:

• Progressive muscle relaxation — With this technique, you tense one group of body muscles separately, and then, you relax them. You do this for all of your muscles until eventually your body stops tensing and grows sleepy.
• Biofeedback — Using biofeedback with the help of a professional can help you see in real time how your body reacts to certain stimuli. From there, you can determine what helps you relax the best.
• Visualizations — This technique involves you imagining relaxing imagery. For instance, you may think of waves washing across a beach, and after a while, this may help you rest easier.

Talk to a therapist

Another way you can loosen the hold insomnia has on you is by going to a therapist. More specifically, try finding one who is licensed in cognitive-behavioural therapy. This form of therapy teaches you how to think differently and act on that new type of thinking. So with it, you can essentially re-train your mind on how to deal with insomnia and sleep. Gradually, you might realize that you no longer need to even think about it before you’re off to snooze-land in bed.

Remember to make your bedroom a sleep-positive room

Lastly, make sure you don’t forget the importance of your sleep environment. Many people use their bedroom for all kinds of activities aside from sleep. This can confuse your brain on when you should go to bed. So keep attention-grabbing items like phones and video games outside of your bedroom, and focus on turning your bedroom into a room exclusive to rest and sexual activities.
You’ll also want to limit any light and dust-attracting clutter in your bedroom to avoid keeping yourself awake or being troubled by allergies or asthma. After all, your bedroom should be designed to help you rest so you don’t have to lose sleep over obstacles like insomnia.
If you can’t fully alter your bedroom for sleep-friendly purposes, just keep in mind the other methods that can help you get your much-needed rest.

https://augustafreepress.com/dont-lose-sleep-over-insomnia/

Be cautious with sleeping aids

From journalgazette.net/features

Drugs an option, but behavioural changes preferred

Jill U. Adams | Washington Post

A lot of people out there don't get enough sleep – more than 1 in 3 American adults, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you're one of them, you probably know there are two main treatments for improving sleep: behavioural methods and medications.
When you're desperate for a good night's sleep, medications sure do sound appealing. But there are caveats with them all – the prescription pills, the over-the-counter products and the herbal supplements.

Before describing the medications in detail, I'll remind you that the prevailing wisdom is that cognitive behavioural therapy, which involves changing habits and bedtime rituals, is the first-line treatment for insomnia. Sleep experts say CBT is more effective and longer lasting than medication for most people – but then again, maybe you're not most people.
“There's clearly a subset of patients who don't improve with CBT,” says Andrew Krystal, who directs the sleep research program at the University of California at San Francisco. There's also a problem with access, he says, as CBT requires effort. Even some of the seemingly simple online versions have fees attached.

Another thing to consider before looking at medications is that sleep troubles often result from something else, such as sleep apnea or depression. Also, alcohol and caffeine intake can interfere with good sleep, as can certain medications, says Constance Dunlap, a District of Columbia psychiatrist.
A doctor can help you rule out or address these issues. “I get a lot of information,” Dunlap says.
For instance, a sleep study can identify awakenings from sleep apnea.
“My patients who have tried CPAP?” Dunlap says, referring to continuous positive airway pressure therapy for sleep apnea. “One hundred percent of them feel better.”
If the primary problem is depression or anxiety, Dunlap says physicians will address that problem along with the secondary insomnia.

But here is an overview for those interested in the various sleep medications and supplements.

Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines, such as Ativan and Xanax, are in a class of medications prescribed for sleep problems, but they carry concern about addiction. That's why clinical practice guidelines discourage using them more than four weeks.
The goal is to limit use, says physician Douglas Kirsch, a sleep expert in Charlotte, North Carolina, who is president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
A 2014 study documented benzodiazepine prescription rates and long-term use as highest in people over age 65 – and older people are at higher risk of side effects such as cognitive impairment and falls. There's some evidence associating benzodiazepine use with dementia, though no causal relationship has been determined, Kirsch says.
In a 2018 study, researchers estimated that 30.6 million American adults use benzodiazepines: 25.3 million use them “as prescribed” (in addition to insomnia, the drugs are used for anxiety, seizures and panic attacks); the other 5.3 million are misusing the medication (most commonly, they get the drug from a friend or relative).

Z-drugs
Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata – the “Z-drugs” that don't contain benzodiazepines but have similar effects – are common prescription medications for insomnia. They all have generic versions. Their claim to fame is that they help you fall asleep.
“If you do use a medication like Ambien, make sure you're getting enough time in bed,” says Kirsch. “Don't take it at midnight if you're waking up at 5 a.m.”
That's because the drug's intoxicating effects may still be present. Women are prescribed lower doses than men because they metabolize the drug more slowly.
Even with seven-plus hours in bed, Kirsch says, “The biggest side effect is feeling groggy in the morning.”

The Z-drugs are thought to be safer than their benzodiazepine cousins with regard to side effects and dependency, but they're not free of such concerns. That's why doctors encourage patients to use the lowest dose for as few nights as they need.
Krystal says many people's lives are improved by using Z-drugs to help them sleep. But “it's very difficult to know how long insomnia lasts,” he says.
If you're using the drugs nightly, how would you know whether you still have insomnia? Krystal says he plans periodic breaks from his patients' medication routines to see if the underlying problem has changed.

Over-the-counter
Over-the-counter sleep aids such as Unisom, ZzzQuil and Tylenol PM contain an antihistamine drug.
Usually it's diphenhydramine, which is the same as Benadryl. Benadryl, of course, has a side effect of drowsiness, which in sleep aids is, in fact, the intended effect.
But there's been little research on how diphenhydramine helps insomnia and, Kirsch says, “They are not free of side effects” – morning grogginess and dry mouth are common – “in older folks particularly.”
Diphenhydramine is deemed inappropriate for adults age 65 and older. The sleep aids can trigger cognitive impairments, dizziness and falls, in addition to increasing risk for liver and kidney dysfunction.

Trials, blockers
A different antihistamine compound has been developed specifically to combat sleep troubles – the prescription drug Silenor contains a low dose of doxepin.
Krystal ran a randomized controlled trial funded by the drug maker and found the drug helped older people improve sleep time and sleep quality. Subjects still awoke in the middle of the night, but they fell back asleep sooner than before. Also, they had fewer early morning awakenings, and side effects were inconsequential.
Krystal says that Silenor blocks the body's natural arousal system, which is mediated by histamine. Since that study, he continues to study the mechanisms of awakening, which, when blocked, represent a new strategy of aiding sleep – rather then enhancing drowsiness or sleepiness, as the other sleep aids do.
Another wake-promoting signal in the body is a small protein called orexin. Belsomra is a prescription orexin blocker that helps people keep sleeping toward morning and has little morning sedation.

Herbal aids
Melatonin is perhaps the best known of the body's natural signals for sleep. The hormone tends to rise with the darkening of the night.
Taking melatonin supplements may help some people by preparing the body for sleep. That means timing can make a difference, Kirsch says. “If melatonin at bedtime doesn't work, try taking it earlier in the evening.”
Still, Kirsch warns that melatonin preparations are not well regulated and that the actual amount in a 1-milligram tablet can vary considerably.
A number of herbal supplements, such as valerian, make claims about helping with sleep, but the scientific evidence for this is thin or non-existent.
As with other supplements, quality control is not well regulated.

The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health offers clear explanations of what is known – and what isn't – about the effectiveness, and risks, of various sleep supplements.
There are quite a lot of potential solutions for poor sleep. Medications are one path.
“If somebody wants to try sleep meds, do it in concert with a doctor so you can best understand how to do it,” Kirsch says. “There are different kinds of insomnia.”

http://www.journalgazette.net/features/20190408/be-cautious-with-sleeping-aids

Eight ways to trick yourself to sleep: Insomnia-busting ideas from a Welsh sleep guru

From walesonline.co.uk/news/health

Kim Jones, an author from Cardiff, shares her sneaky switch-off tactics

Almost a third of us regularly struggle to get a good night's sleep.
But there are plenty of ways you can trick yourself into sleepy submission.

1. Take a bath or warm shower at 9pm

It’s not actually the warmth of the water that helps you nod off - though it is lovely and relaxing, of course.
Rather, it’s all to do with a decrease in your body temperature when you get out of the tub.
Here’s how it works: Every night, your body’s core temperature needs to "fall in order" to send a message to your brain - so it can to pump out the sleepy hormone melatonin.

Soaking in warm water, or taking a hot shower, sends blood to your skin’s surface. And when you get out of the bath, your dilated blood vessels quickly radiate heat away from your body’s core. This helps your temperature to drop and send that message to your brain to produce melatonin.
In fact, a Loughborough University study found that people who took warm baths at 9pm dropped off more quickly and had better sleep than those who bathed earlier on.

2. Dim the lights

Another key tip is to avoid bright lights in the evening.
They fool your body into acting as if it’s daytime, making you feel more alert and stopping the natural rise in melatonin production that darkness should naturally bring.
Use the dimmer switch on overhead lights or – better still – use only lamps with low, warm, soothing lighting and low-wattage dimmable bulbs.

3. Dangle like a rag doll

In yoga, any move where you place your head below your heart is said to calm the nervous system.
But don’t worry - you don’t have to be flexible or tie yourself into knots to do this. Simply stand with your arms above your head and then fold your body downwards from the hips, reaching with your hands towards your toes as far as comfortable.

Then simply hang there like a rag doll, loosely shaking your arms back and forth and softening your knees so everything feels comfortable.

4. Sigh

Research has shown that the simple act of sighing can ease and release stress and muscle tension in your body – quite literally a sigh of relief, then.
Either before you get in to bed, or when you're lying there, breathe in deeply and on your out breath, let out a long, slow sigh. Repeat several times and you should feel more relaxed and ready for sleep.

5. Give your mind a pleasurable project

Plenty of sleep studies have found that "cognitive distraction" - steering your mind away from worries to pleasant thoughts - can help you drift off.
But how can you do this easily? Try giving your mind an imaginary, but not too taxing, task to do as you lie in bed.
Perhaps picture making a show-stopper of a cake or ponder over how you'd revamp a garden shed into a games or sewing room.
The task needs to be captivating enough to take your mind away from anything that’s worrying you – but not so exciting that it keeps you awake.
And do keep the task a fantasy. Don’t go planning a project you're going to do for real – or stress might set in.

6. Take your brain to paradise

                                                             (Image: PA/ThinkStock)

Think of something positive. Guided imagery is a proven relaxation technique that creates calm in your mind by helping you summon up mental images of being in a safe and perfectly peaceful place.
It has been shown to calm patients in hospital settings and help them sleep. You can download recordings or apps of guided imagery that can help transport you to anything from a powder-white tropical beach to a sun-filled meadow.

7. Squeeze yourself to sleep

Your body has to be relaxed to fall asleep easily.  But loosening tense areas in your body is easier said than done.
An easy way to slacken stubborn muscles is to squeeze them, then release.
Start from your toes - squeeze and curl them up for five seconds, then release.
Work up your body - circling your ankles, then letting them drop; tensing and releasing your calf muscles your thighs, bottom and so on - all the way to your eyelids and forehead.

This technique, sometimes called progressive muscle relaxation, has been found in studies to lead to better, more restful sleep.

8. Slow your breath

Most of us breathe too fast and shallowly, and that sends a message to our bodies that we are in fight or flight mode - hardly the ideal state in which to fall asleep.

Simply slowing your breathing down to six breaths a minute can help reduce blood pressure, heart rate and induce feelings of calm. The way to do this is breath in for a count of four and out for a count of six.
It may feel quite an effort at first, but with regular practice this will become easier.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/sleep-better-beat-insomnia-blues-16022664

Effective remedies to fight anxiety attacks

From english.newstracklive.com

Anxiety and depression has became one of the major problem. These are unpleasant experiences which are awful, intense and frightening. Anxiety attacks can last from a few moments to many hours An anxiety attack may be terrifying but if you want it to end, it will. It affects different people in different ways. Some might experience a low degree of anxiety while some have very high anxiety.

It is important to take care of your mental health as well as physical health when you are dealing with anxiety attack. Anxiety can cause hurdles in your daily work routine and disturb your social life. We bring you a few remedies which can help you in fighting depression and anxiety.

Lavender

Lavender herb acts as a natural remedy for treating anxiety. It helps to calm the mind. Lavender helps with restlessness, nervousness and insomnia.

Lower down  Caffeine Intake

Caffeine boosts your energy and makes you feel jittery. But, at the same time it increases your anxiety. Cut down on your caffeine intake. Coffee lovers who find it difficult to cut down can reduce step by step by consuming half cup a day. Switch to beverages with low caffeine content.

Sleep

Insomnia is one of the major symptoms of anxiety. Make a habit to go to bed early. Do not use mobile phones or watch TV while you sleep at night.

Meditate

It is one of the effective way to fight depression and anxiety. The main goal of meditation is to remove chaotic thoughts from your mind and replace them with a sense of calm and mindfulness of the present moment.

https://english.newstracklive.com/news/effective-remedies-to-fight-anxiety-attacks-sc53-nu-1003590-1.html

Think Your Way Out Of Insomnia

From npr.org

                                                                 Angie Wang for NPR

When you can't sleep, your thoughts can be your worst enemy. In this episode, we explain five key strategies to help break the spiral, based on what many believe is the most effective treatment out there: cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I.

Here's what to remember:

Log your sleep time to get a reality check on how much you're actually sleeping.

Write down your anxious thoughts; then replace them with more rational thoughts.

Restrict the amount of time you spend in bed based on information from your sleep log.

Find a relaxation technique.

Make it a rule: The bedroom is only for sleep (and sex); no electronic devices, no lying in bed, ruminating.

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/20/705224980/think-your-way-out-of-insomnia?t=1553540746582

Sleep deprived? What missing too much sleep might be doing to your body

From globalnews.ca/news

It’s the middle of the night and you’re staring at the ceiling.

Slowly, so slowly, the minutes tick by. It feels like forever before you fall back asleep – just in time for your alarm clock to go off.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Nearly one-quarter of Canadians reported experiencing symptoms of insomnia and about one-third reported sleeping for less than the recommended seven or eight hours, according to a Statistics Canada report from December 2018.
This can have profound consequences for your health that go beyond simply feeling tired, cranky and slow the next morning.
A growing body of research is pointing to the long-term consequences of too little or poor-quality sleep, suggesting it’s connected to poor cardiovascular and mental health, metabolic disorders and possibly even conditions like dementia.

Sleep is important to health, said Charles Morin, the Canada research chair in sleep disorders at Laval University and president of the World Sleep Society. “It’s one of the three pillars for sustainable health.”

While we’re asleep, our bodies are still busy, taking care of things that it doesn’t do when we’re awake. One example Morin gives is hormone production.
“At night, we produce a number of hormones including leptins. Leptins are an appetite-controlling hormone so if we only sleep four or five hours a night, we produce less of that hormone and therefore we’re at greater risk to become overweight and eat more,” he said.
Similarly, getting too little or too much sleep is associated with changes in how our bodies react to glucose, and a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

When we’re sleeping, our blood pressure also decreases relative to when we’re awake. Sleep disturbances, like insomnia or sleep apnea – a breathing disorder – can interrupt this rhythm. “It’s like the heart is working overtime and it may predispose these individuals to higher risk for hypertension,” Morin said.

A 2015 statement from the American Heart Association found that short sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of hypertension and of coronary heart disease, and recommended public-health campaigns to increase awareness of the importance of a good night’s sleep.
Sleep also affects your mental health. In a 2016 meta-analysis, insomnia was associated with a higher risk of depression, though the connection can go both ways – people with depression often have trouble sleeping, and trouble sleeping might lead to a higher risk of depression. Treating sleep disorders alongside depression can lead to a better outcome for both conditions, Morin said.

Sleep might even affect how well your brain works. Right now, an Ontario study is even examining a possible association between sleep and the brain’s health, alongside other health issues. The Ontario Sleep Health Study, which has examined about 2,800 people so far, is hoping to publish some results later this year, focusing on signs of dementia.
“What we’re interested in doing is taking a look at folks in mid-life and try and get a feeling for whether we are starting to see early changes in MRIs and cognitive function that may lead to dementia in a working-age population,” said the study’s principal investigator, Dr. Andrew Lim of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital.
During sleep, he said, the brain flushes out toxins. “There’s a mechanism whereby waste products that are produced by neurons and other cells in the brain build up during the day and then when you sleep, they are literally flushed out of the brain.”

In a 2017 review, researchers found that several studies point to a link between sleep deprivation and more amyloid-beta protein accumulating in the brain – thought to be a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Although clinical trials haven’t yet proven that sleep deprivation causes dementia or Alzheimer’s, Lim said, “I think the data is building that this might be one potential consequence of sleep disruption.”

The sleeping brain may also play an important role in learning and memory, he said. “When you’re awake, as you learn new things and as you remember new things and encounter new experiences, you form new connections between neurons in your brain, called synapses.”
“What happens is if you kept on building up new synapses, over time, your brain would simply become overloaded with new synapses, many of which are not necessarily important.” During sleep, he said, the brain reinforces synapses that are most important for learning and pares back the less important ones, leaving room for new connections to be formed the next day. “This process is critically dependent on sleep, making sleep an important mediator of learning.”

While trials showing this have so far mostly been done in mice – it’s much harder to examine synapses when you can’t do an autopsy of the brain – Lim thinks it’s clear that poor sleep makes it harder for you to learn. If you treat someone’s sleep apnea, for example, “you can see immediate obvious changes in cognitive performance.”

The upshot of all this? We need to make sleep a priority, Morin says. “There are very significant costs associated with chronic insomnia in the work environment and in one’s own personal life in terms of fatigue, decreased energy and even mood disturbances.”
If your poor sleep lasts for more than a few nights a week for a few weeks, and it’s having an impact on your daytime functioning, you should contact a health-care provider, he said.

“We need to prepare ourselves for a good night’s sleep, just as we do when we travel. We prepare our journey ahead of time. We need to do the same when we sleep.”
Although the amount of sleep needed varies from person to person, experts generally recommend about 7.5 to eight hours of sleep every night, with some rare people needing as little as six or as many as nine hours. If you feel tired after a night’s sleep, try sleeping longer until you find what’s right for you, the Canadian Sleep Society suggests.

If you have persistent trouble sleeping, or no amount of sleep makes you feel well-rested, contact a medical professional, since sleep is important for your overall health.
“I think we take it for granted until we have problems with it,” Morin said.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5053369/sleep-problems-health-effects/

5 Tips for Dealing with Insomnia Caused by Juvenile Arthritis

From juvenilearthritisnews.com

It can be hard to sleep when something is disturbing you. Room temperature, too much light, and sound are all simple things that can make it difficult to sleep. So, it’s no wonder that many people with chronic pain and fatigue suffer from insomnia, affectionately known as “painsomnia.” Kids with juvenile arthritis may find that pain keeps them up at night,
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for insomnia caused by pain. But there are ways to help manage it without having to turn to sleep medicine. Simple things can go a long way to help kids with JA get a good night’s sleep.

Keep a routine

My mum always said children benefit from being kept on a routine. For kids with JA, a consistent bedtime routine can help a lot. Going to bed and waking up at the same time help your child develop a natural sleep cycle. A warm shower, dim lights, and a cuddle can help calm your child, may dull the pain, and will let their body know it’s time to sleep.

Warm up

Many kids with JA benefit from heat therapy, which can be soothing and relieve pain. Warming up their bed with a hot water bottle 10 minutes before bedtime can do wonders for joints (make sure they do not sleep with it). The warmth may help them from becoming too stiff and tempted to get up to stretch. Heated blankets on a timer can also help when it’s time to get up in the morning.

Use weighted or heavy blankets

Weighted blankets are getting a lot of attention lately and for good reason. These comforting blankets help many people get a better night's sleep by providing gentle pressure that helps reduce anxiety and prepare the body to sleep. Some people in the chronic pain community swear by weighted blankets. In my experience, even using a heavy blanket can be helpful.
While it’s not a good option for all, especially those who have joints that are aggravated by touch, some kids may benefit from weighted blankets in a few ways. First, the calming effect helps them relax and feel tired. And second, the pressure can also feel good on tired joints, similar to how compression socks or gloves may relieve pain. I personally get much better sleep when using heavy (not weighted) blankets. And third, they may not experience as much fatigue during the day due to a more peaceful sleep. If you think a weighted blanket may be a good option for your child, talk to their rheumatologist or physical therapist.

Gear up

I swear by compression gloves and socks. Juvenile psoriatic arthritis always caused me a lot of enthesis pain, especially at night. Wearing compression garments helped me cope with the pain, calmed me, and helped swelling stay under control while I slept.
If your child benefits from braces, compression, or other gear during the day, ask their doctor whether it would be OK to use at night. Sleeping in something that helps control the pain will naturally make night-time easier. If it’s not possible, try to find alternatives. For example, a hard brace worn during the day could be swapped for a sleeve at night.

Distraction therapy

Since I was a teenager, I need to listen to boring podcasts or videos to fall asleep during flares. Thinking about the story or topic helps to take my mind off of the pain, and helps me relax. Distraction therapy goes a long way: Listening to an audiobook (preferably not an exciting one), gentle music, or a podcast is an excellent way to help take your mind off the pain as you fall asleep.

Sleepless nights happen

Sometimes you’ll do everything possible but your child still won’t fall asleep. It’s natural and OK. Sometimes fatigue can make you feel a little overtired and make it hard to sleep. Or it hurts too much to fall asleep. Whatever the reason, sleepless nights happen. Try to be patient. It takes a lot of trial and error to find things that work, and what works may depend on whether or not your child is flaring. But focusing on a calming routine and certain tools can make a difference for kids with JA.

https://juvenilearthritisnews.com/2019/03/14/5-tips-insomnia-sleep-disturbances-juvenile-arthritis-heat-therapy/

Is insomnia genetic?

From medicalnewstoday.com

Studies into the heritability of insomnia go back over half a century. Recent research points the finger at hundreds of genes, yet they can only explain part of the risk.

If insomnia affects you, there is a good chance that members of your extended family will have experienced it as well.
In fact, the chance is at least 30 percent, according to a recent article in the journal Nature Reviews Disease Primers.
"Insomnia tends to aggregate in families," explain the authors.

A 2015 study by Mackenzie J. Lind, from the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioural Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, and colleagues estimated the heritability of insomnia to be around 59 percent in women and 38 percent in men when comparing insomnia symptoms in identical and non-identical twins.
Speaking about her work to Medical News Today, Lind explained: "The amount of interest and research into the genetics of insomnia has definitely increased in recent years. However, [...] twin and family studies examining the heritability of insomnia and related phenotypes have been published since the 1960s."

So, which genes are to blame?

Finding insomnia genes

It makes sense to start with genes known to play a role in sleep, since insomnia is characterized by difficulties falling or staying asleep.
There is some evidence to suggest that the obvious culprits — namely, circadian rhythm genes and neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of sleep — play a role in insomnia. Yet Lind and others point out that there is a lack of robust and reproducible evidence for many of these candidate genes.

Over the past 2 years, MNT have reported on a couple of studies that used a different approach to identify candidate genes or genetic regions. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) scan vast amounts of genetic code to find locations with ties to particular traits.
These studies identified a number of novel candidate genes and genetic regions, including some specific to women and some that were specific to men.

The story got a lot more complex last week, when two new studies appeared in the journal Nature Genetics. Both dug deep into the human genome to identify additional regions of the genetic code with links to insomnia.

From genes to brain regions

In the largest GWAS of insomnia to date, the researchers analysed data from 1,331,010 people and found 956 genes across 202 locations in the genome with a link to insomnia.
Some of these genes were enriched in cortical areas and the striatum in the brain, particularly in a type of cell called medium spiny neurons, which are implicated in reward processing. There was also a link to pyramidal neurons in the claustrum, which is important for the processing of incoming stimuli.
The second study identified 57 genetic locations with links to insomnia.
The results point to increased expression of 135 genes in the cerebellum, frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, amygdala, and hippocampus.
The researchers also found an association with a type of cellular process called ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. This is a mechanism that targets proteins for destruction within cells, and scientists have previously linked it to insomnia.

Research is clearly making headway in identifying those genes that contribute to the genetic risk of developing insomnia — but the heritability is not 100 percent. What else is involved?

Stress also affects our genes

When asked which other factors might contribute to a person's risk of insomnia, Lind explained that environmental factors — particularly stress — are to blame.
While we generally accept the connection between stress and insomnia, what actually happens in the brain is less clear.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that our environment — particularly stressful life events — can change which genes are expressed in our cells without directly altering our genetic code. This phenomenon is called epigenetics.
Importantly, epigenetic changes can be passed from parents to children, but they are also thought to be reversible. Researchers have begun to uncover epigenetic influences on how our bodies regulate sleep and respond to stress.
The bottom line is that insomnia has a significant genetic component. Scientists have now identified hundreds of genetic locations that may each contribute a little bit to a person's overall risk of developing insomnia. Environmental influences can further shape how these genes are expressed, linking life events to insomnia before and after we are born.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324614.php

The simplest trick cured my chronic insomnia

From treehugger.com/health

After decades of increasingly complicated insomnia fixes, this one little thing changed everything.
For most of my life, I have been unlucky in sleep. Falling into slumber has never been a problem, but if I toss just a little too hard in the wee hours, all bets are off. Once awake, I will lay there and watch the hours pass, tick-tock tick-tock tick-tock, until surprise, it's time to get up. Considering that around 60 million Americans are affected by some form of insomnia, I know that I am not alone.

Given the importance of sufficient sleep for good health and emotional wellbeing, I have tried everything to coax those elusive forty winks into existence. I have tried most of the tips and learned how to hypnotize myself. I've created elaborate sheep-counting schemes, which worked for a while until I got so good at counting that it became automatic and no longer effective. I have tried herbs and supplements. I have stayed in bed and read; I have even tried sleeping like a Victorian – but nothing has ever helped long-term.

Until...


Until I got a sleep mask. A thing I always thought I would hate; that I imagined would be endlessly uncomfortable and make me feel claustrophobic. But lo and behold, the simple sleep mask has saved the day! Or the night, as the case may be.

Now I know I am not the first person to discover the soporific splendours of the sleep mask, I just had no idea that something material could fix my problem. I always assumed my insomnia was born from more intrinsic, genetic roots; that I was somehow wired to have a crazy-awake brain in the predawn hours.

But now when I stir at 2:00 am, or whatever time the insomnia sprites decide to strike, I put on my mask and somehow, miraculously, fall right back to sleep. I have actually, get this, been able to sleep in a few times. This is unheard of.

I can't say that I know the secret to its success. Living in the city that doesn't sleep means that I live in the city that is never really dark, and light does slip into the bedroom. But when I've previously blocked the windows of night light, it didn't make much of a difference. Does wearing the mask make it that much darker? Does it relax my eyes? Is there a soothing quality to having the soft fabric against my face? Is it simply psychological?
I don't know the answer, but I am grateful, whatever the magic may be. Getting enough sleep – which the CDC defines as seven or more hours for adults – is more than just for beauty. And also more than just a way to fight the corresponding daytime sleepiness, which often results in functional impairment throughout the day. It's imperative for good health. As the CDC explains, "insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and management of a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression."

With so many people suffering from an inability to sleep long enough, is it any wonder that Americans spend some $2 billion dollars a year on insomnia drugs? As the CDC notes, once a health care provider rules out any other potential causes (such as other sleep disorders, side effects of medications, substance abuse, depression, or other previously undetected illness) "they may treat chronic insomnia with a combination of use of sedative-hypnotic or sedating antidepressant medications."

The more we can avoid pharmaceuticals, the better. They end up in the water – just think about all the sleepy fish and drowsy frogs! (I don't really know if that happens, but drugs in the water are a very serious problem). And sleep aids in particular can do wacky things to people. Aside from the usual litany of potential side affects of most drugs, some sleeping pills may come with the bonus side affect of parasomnia.

As described by WebMD, parasomnias happen when one is asleep, and not aware of what they are doing – movements, behaviours and actions over which the sleeper has no control:
"Parasomnias with sleeping pills are complex sleep behaviours and may include sleep eating, making phone calls, or having sex while in a sleep state. Sleep driving, which is driving while not fully awake, is another serious sleeping pill side effect."

Which is all to say, man am I glad to have stumbled into a cure for my curse. I know that a sleep mask won't work for everyone, but if nothing else has worked for you so far, why not give it a try?

https://www.treehugger.com/health/simplest-trick-cured-my-chronic-insomnia.html

These are some natural ways to try help combat insomnia

From image.ie

Those who suffer from sleeping difficulties will be all-too-familiar with the nightmare scenario that comes with battling insomnia: one lies awake hour after hour, willing, pleading sleep to come and give your tired body and mind respite from the day before. But these frustrated demands are often ignored, and overtiredness kicks in as your worries swirl around your head.

Insomnia is a common problem that takes a toll on your energy, mood, health, and ability to function during the day. If the problem becomes chronic, the best thing to do first is to seek the advice of your GP, but as well as that, simple changes to your lifestyle and daily habits can help put a stop to sleepless nights. This week, a new study has said that insomnia may be "genetic" but even so, often, simple tweaks to your all-day routine can prep you for a much better night's sleep.
Here are six natural ways you can try - I tried-and-tested every one and each helped in its own way:

Make unwinding when you get home a priority

If walking in the door means confronting a pile of bills, hungry children or the work you didn't get to finish in the office, it's understandable that relaxation can seem all but impossible. But it's smart to start unwinding early in the evening, so you're marking a transition from your stressful daily life to your evening. Pencil in a five-minute window of you-time where you brew a cup of calming chamomile tea, take a bath if you have time, or just sit quietly alone and pay attention to your body as it begins to unwind. This is essential as it will be impossible to sleep if you're feeling in any way tense.

Smell your way to sleep

Lavender has a reputation as a mild tranquiliser. Simply dab a bit of the oil onto your temples and forehead before you hit the pillow. The aroma should help send you off to sleep. Or, put a drop of jasmine essential oil on each wrist just before you go to bed. Rose oil is also helpful; try sprinkling four or five drops on a tissue and hold it to your nose, taking 10 to 15 deep breaths before settling down to sleep.

Meditate

It isn't for everyone, but regular meditation may be a powerful tool for some insomniacs. The science as to why is still equivocal, but we do know meditation sends signals to your sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" response telling it that it's all right to relax. It can also help you put aside thoughts from the day, so it's especially useful for people prone to worry.

Use an app

In order to get a decent night of slumber, the advice is to stay well away from your phone, but the idea here is that the app plays in the background - with no light coming from your device. The blue wavelengths produced by your smartphone and other gadgets (and energy-efficient LED light bulbs) significantly suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, according to research, but certain apps have been designed to help you drift into the land of Nod. Relax Melodies is one of the best; this free app enables you to listen to custom mixes of sounds from a selection of over 50 ambient melodies.

Try 'Mantram'

This was suggested to me recently, and it's basically a modern sheep-counting technique. Mantram is the practice of repeating over and over in the mind certain syllables, words or phrases that help unify consciousness and counteract negative mental states. It is especially helpful for people with restless minds, whose turbulent thoughts keep them from relaxing, concentrating and falling asleep. The repetition of a verbal formula is a way of focusing the thinking mind and counteracting the damage done to both mind and body by thoughts that produce anxiety, agitation, and unhappiness. Try experimenting with it - choose a word, sound or phrase that is pleasing to you, and repeat it until you feel your senses begin to lull.

Don't nap

When trying to establish a regular sleep-wake cycle, don't nap. No matter how tempting it may be, an afternoon nap can make falling asleep at night even harder. "Extra" sleep on weekends can also throw off your regular sleep schedule and worsen midweek insomnia.

https://www.image.ie/life/these-are-some-natural-ways-to-help-combat-insomnia-59204

New study sheds light on insomnia and its link to genes

From bostonglobe.com

A recent study led by researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Broad Institute, and the University of Exeter Medical School in England has identified 57 gene regions associated with symptoms of insomnia.
The findings shed new light on the genetics of insomnia and its links to heart disease, and could potentially lead to the development of new ways of treating the disorder, according to a press release  from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Richa Saxena, a Harvard Medical School associate professor of anaesthesia at Mass General and senior author of the report, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that the findings “open the door into its biology in a way that wasn’t possible before.”

Previously, there were only four gene regions known to be associated with insomnia symptoms, according to Jacqueline M. Lane, a Harvard Medical School instructor at Mass. General who was one of the lead authors of the report, which was published in the journal Nature Genetics last week.

“Our findings confirm a role for genetics in insomnia symptoms and expand upon the four previously found gene [regions] for this condition,” Lane said in the press release. “All of these identified regions help us understand why some people get insomnia, which pathways and systems are affected, and point to possible new therapeutic targets.”

                                                                        Shutterstock/File

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects approximately 10 to 20 percent of the population, and studies have suggested that about a third of the risk of insomnia is inherited, according to the hospital’s press release.
Those suffering from the disorder may have trouble falling asleep and lie in bed awake for long periods of time. They may also have a hard time staying asleep and get up the next day feeling tried and fatigued.
Saxena said women are more likely to suffer from insomnia.

“As you age it gets more frequent,” she said. “It’s a very interesting disorder.”
Saxena said it took about a year and a half to complete this particular study, which looked at people who were between the ages of 40 and 70 years old.
Mass. General officials said the team of researchers analysed data from more than 450,000 UK Biobank participants, 29 percent of whom reported frequent insomnia symptoms.
In addition to identifying the 57 gene regions associated with insomnia symptoms, the researchers also found that increased insomnia symptoms were causative of symptoms of depression and a reduced sense of well-being, and nearly doubled the risk of coronary artery disease, the press release said.
Samuel E. Jones of the University of Exeter, the co-lead author of the report, said the findings suggest that depression and heart disease may be a result of insomnia.

“Insomnia has a really significant impact on millions of people worldwide,” Jones said in the press release. “We’ve long known there’s a link between insomnia and chronic disease. Now our findings suggest that depression and heart disease are actually a result of persistent insomnia.”
Researchers hope that gaining insights such as these will lead to better treatments in the future.
“All of these identified regions are possible new therapeutic targets for insomnia, and 16 of these regions contain known drug targets,” Lane said in the press release. “As well, the new causal relationships indicate the potential usefulness of insomnia therapeutics as possible treatments for coronary artery disease and depression.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/03/05/new-study-sheds-light-insomnia-and-its-link-genes/YydT7tMSiwzYoycVUZMQuI/story.html

6 Signs It’s Time to Seek Help for Your Anxiety

From psychologytoday.com

Like all emotions, anxiety is healthy, and we’re all prone to feeling it sometimes. Anxiety can become a debilitating problem, though, when the stress you feel is no longer in proportion to the situation. An upcoming test, job interview, or first date may make you feel anxious, and that’s healthy. But, if you feel symptoms of anxiety absent any apparent reason, or everyday things make you anxious—leaving your home, for example—it may be time to see a mental health professional. To know if your anxiety is unmanageable, you have to know the symptoms.

1. Physical Symptoms
The physical symptoms of anxiety may include an upset stomach, excessive sweating, headache, rapid heartbeat, and trouble breathing. If you get a stomach ache every time someone invites you to a social function; if you sweat through your shirt whenever you leave the house, even in the middle of winter; or if you feel like your heart is beating so fast it might burst when talking to a stranger on the phone, you may be unhealthily anxious. If your body regularly reacts to everyday stressors the way a caveman would if a lion chased him, your anxiety is no longer healthy.

2. Cognitive Symptoms
Memory issues, trouble concentrating, and insomnia are also symptoms of an anxiety problem. If you can’t fall asleep or wake up repeatedly during the night because you can’t stop thinking about things that stress you out, anxiousness is ruling over you. The same goes for if you can’t focus on work, or sit through a movie, or read a book, or if you seem to be continually forgetting things that happened even recently. When you’re severely anxious about something, even if the thing is “irrational,” it can be hard to function normally.

3. Procrastination and Avoidance
Whether it’s procrastinating about doing the thing that triggers your anxiety—like putting off an errand or not reading an important email until you’re “ready to deal with it”—or avoiding doing just about everything, excessive procrastination and avoidance are both signs of an anxiety issue. We all put off starting unpleasant or difficult tasks sometimes, but when you spend more time avoiding than doing, it may be time to seek outside help.

4. Overthinking and Constant Worrying
If worrying keeps you from functioning or you’re overthinking so much that you can’t focus on important work or sleep at night, you may have an anxiety problem. Your mind races, you lose track of your surroundings, and you’re so caught up in a storm of stressful thoughts that you miss your freeway exit. Anxiety tips over from healthy to unhealthy when it disrupts your life. If a recent health diagnosis has you worried, that’s totally normal. If you’re afraid that you’re dying every time you sneeze, that’s not.

5. Feeling Agitated and Restless
If you feel on edge, you can’t stop moving, and you’re quick to anger, you may be anxious. I’ve written before about how anger can disguise itself as anxiety, but did you know that anxiety can also disguise itself as anger? Anger can be a way to shield you from stressful thoughts. By raging at someone else, you can blame your anxious feelings on an outside force. And if you’re always moving, you don’t have time to ruminate on anxious thoughts. But neither response is healthy or helpful in the long term. When you feel agitated and restless more often than not, when you can’t stop moving and get easily annoyed or are prone to snap at people, you may have a serious problem with anxiety.

6. Panic Attacks
Often people mistake a panic attack for a heart attack. Tightness in your chest, rapid heartbeat, sweating and shaking, shortness of breath, and an upset stomach can easily be mistaken for a heart attack. It’s important to know the symptoms of a heart attack so that you don’t dismiss one by thinking it’s a panic attack or do the opposite and call 911 when you should call a psychologist. Frequent panic attacks are a sign you may have a panic disorder.

To differentiate between healthy and unhealthy anxiety, ask yourself: Is this manageable? If your anxiety keeps you from sleeping, working, social interactions, or errands, you may want to reach out to a therapist. If you feel anxious more than half the week for six months or longer, it’s probably time to seek help.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/mindful-anger/201903/6-signs-it-s-time-seek-help-your-anxiety