Friday, September 12, 2008

Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder


This may sound very strange to many of us that have never experienced a sleepwalking occurrence or even been around a person that sleepwalks, but some individuals actually get up in the middle of the night, while asleep, go into the kitchen, and fix something to eat without even knowing they are doing so. This is known as Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder or NS-RED.

A person with Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder can get out of bed, walk into the kitchen fix a sandwich complete with all the fixings, pour a glass of milk, sit at the table, enjoy every last drop of the sandwich, go back to bed, and wake up in the morning not knowing they were up the night before.

Another sleep related eating disorder is known as night eating syndrome. With this condition, a person is fully awake and realizes they are eating during the night, but they are unable to fall back to sleep unless they eat.

Both disorders have similarities with the only real difference being that a person with night eating syndrome is fully awake and knows they are eating while a person with Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder is asleep and does not recall eating.

Symptoms of both Nocturnal Sleep Related Eating Disorder and Night Eating Syndrome include:

No appetite in the morning
Little appetite for breakfast
Eating more food after dinner than at the dinner table, this includes eating about half of the normal intake of food after dinnertime.
Having this eating pattern for at least two months

Individuals with either of these sleeping disorders can become overweight and develop Type II diabetes. The disorders are more often seen in women. About 1 to 3% of the entire population has this condition. A few people with sleep related eating disorders have a history of alcoholism, drug addiction, and other sleep disorders. Many times, dieters are prone to sleep related eating disorders due to the fact that they are hungry when they go to sleep.

If you believe you have a sleep related eating disorder, you should talk with your doctor. If you are on diet, learn what foods to eat that will fulfill your hunger pains so you are not hungry throughout the night, and begin a bedtime routine.

A bedtime routine can help some individuals especially if the eating is done during sleepwalking. In order to begin your bedtime routine, you should first invest in a few sleeping aids such as a white noise machine or tabletop waterfall fountain. Both of these will aid you in falling asleep and sleeping throughout the night. Remember, your bedroom should be dark and cool without any distractions such as a television.

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Help For Sleep Deprivation


Many individuals have trouble sleeping every once in awhile; however, sleep disorders are very serious and can lead to various health problems. If you are having trouble falling to sleep or are awaken throughout the night, it may be something as simple as you are not relaxing prior to going to bed or something outside your home could be waking you up in the middle of the night. If this could be the problem then you can combat the sleeping problem by investing in a tabletop waterfall fountain to help you fall asleep or purchase a white noise machine that will absorb sounds that might be waking you up.

On the other hand, sleep disorders such as nightmares, sleepwalking, or restless leg syndrome may not be as easy to fix. Talking to your physician about your symptoms can help you decide if you need more than relation tips. Stress is the number one reason many people do not sleep at night and can cause you to have trouble falling asleep or even causing nightmares that will awaken you.

No matter what the reason you are having trouble sleeping, creating a sleep environment can really help even if you need medical help as well. A sleep environment is one that offers a cool and dark atmosphere without any type of distraction. Yes, this means you must move the television, computer, or other distractions out of your bedroom. However, you can replace these items with such decorative and sleep aids as a tabletop waterfall fountain. Listening and watching the waterfall will help you drift off to sleep while relaxing you at the same time.

Another item that aids in helping individuals receive proper sleep is the Aromabreeze – Tabletop Spa Therapy. The Aromabreeze uses ultrasonic pulsations that create a soothing, healthy mist that utilizes light and aromatherapy at the same time.

For those having problems receiving adequate sleep these items often provide them with the proper relaxation tools in order to sleep the night away in peace.

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Do you have a Sleep Disorder?


Many Americans have sleep problems, as a matter of fact according to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders around 2/3 of all Americans have some form of sleep disorders and only 3% are finding help through their physician.

If you are one of the 2/3, you may not believe you need to seek to help from your doctor and try to carry on believing your sleep patterns are normal. If your daytime routine is being compromised for over a month you should seek medical help as stated by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. However, before seeking medical help there are a few things you can try at home. If these measures do not help with your sleep deprivation, then you should by all means talk with your doctor.

The first thing you need to do is create a sleep environment. In order to create a sleep environment, you may have to change some of things you do before going to bed. The bedroom should be dark and cool. This means, you should use dark drapes or ensure light is not coming into the room through the slits in the blinds.

The next thing on the list may be the hardest item on the list for most individuals to do and that is remove such things as televisions and computers from your bedroom. These are distractions that should not be in your sleep environment. If you want to watch television or be on your computer, do so in a different room.

The most important item of all for creating a sleep environment is a white noise machine. A white noise machine will absorb all those sounds at night that might be waking you up without you realizing what the noises might be. It could be the neighbor’s dog, traffic, or even sounds around your home such as the air-conditioner or heater coming on in the middle of the night.

If you are having trouble falling asleep instead of being woken up in the middle of the night, you might want to add a table top water fountain to your bedroom. A water fountain can aid in relaxing you and helping you drift off to sleep.

The good news is - there is help for individuals that are suffering sleep deprivation. Before taking medications it would be best to try the above tips, however, your sleep deprivation could be caused by a more serious condition that needs medical attention. If after using the above method, you are still not receiving enough sleep talk with your physician.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Sleep Apnea Fears


Sleep Apnea is on the minds of many new parents, thus they search for information that will help to prevent this tragedy.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that involves pauses in breathing during sleep. In the majority of cases, only one or two breaths are missed however, some infant deaths have been attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and possibly could be the result of sleep apnea. Many pre-mature infants today are given a machine that will let the parents know if their baby stops breathing during sleep by the use of an alarm sounding. However, not all parents have the advantage of receiving one of these machines according to the finances and of course whether the physician deems the machine to be necessary.

In order to relieve parents of the worries of Sleep Apnea and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, parents can now purchase a unique and innovative Baby Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor. The Baby Movement Sensor will sound an alarm the moment your baby quits moving. Baby’s move all the time, whether you realize their movements or not. This cool device senses all movements, even ones you cannot see. When your child is totally still for 20 seconds an alarm will sound, warning you that your baby is not moving.

The sensor pad is placed under the mattress of the crib, therefore you do not have to worry about your little one being uncomfortable whiel you are trying to protect him or her. The sensor pad will send a signal to the nursery unit if your baby does not move for the 20 seconds, then the nursery unit will sound an alarm.

Features of the Baby Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor include the movement sensor with sound monitor, movement sensor pad, low battery indicator, dual channels, alarm indicator, and more.

Receive peace of mind with the Baby Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor even while you are sleeping in the next room.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Sleep Paralysis


Sleep paralysis is beginning to be noticed in the news and many are wondering exactly what sleep paralysis is, what the symptoms are, what causes it, and if there are any cures.

Sleep paralysis is a normal body function that makes us paralyzed while we are asleep. This is actually a precautionary measure of our body to ensure we do not hurt others or ourselves while we are dreaming. Sleep paralysis only becomes a disorder when it is present during the waking state.

Causes of Sleep Paralysis

The cause of sleep paralysis disorder has been associated with stress, anxiety, sleeping on the back, puberty, depression, bipolar disorder, and narcolepsy.

Symptoms of Sleep Paralysis

The symptoms of sleep paralysis include the inability to mover the limbs or the truck which can occur at beginning of sleep or when a person is beginning to wake up. Hallucinations such as seeing things or even auditory when a person believes they hear things. In some cases, odors can also be noted. Feelings of pressure as if someone is holding you down which can bring on fear. Many people feel disassociated with their bodies as if flying above their body.

There are no real cures; however, reducing anxiety and stress has been shown major improvement. Establishing a bedtime routine and sleep environment is one of the top suggestions. A bedtime routine is easy to get into if you have the desire. The main thing is to have a relaxing period prior to going to bed, take a warm bath, or read a relaxing book. You should go to bed at the same time each night and awaken in the morning at the same time.

A sleep environment may be the best thing for anyone that has any type of sleep disorder. For a sleep environment, you will need to have a room that is dark and cool. Take out all distractions, such as the television or computer.

Other great investments are the white noise machine. According to the type of white noise machine you choose, you will be able to have a variety of sound emitted while absorbing all distracting noise inside and outside of your home such as the television in the other room or the neighbor’s dog howling at the moon.

If you have trouble relaxing prior to bed, a tabletop water fountain is a great item for letting you relax. Many people sit by their table top water fountain while reading before retiring. The soothing sounds of the waterfall help to melt away the stress so you can enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sleep Disorders


Sleep disorders are defined by anything related to sleeping such as problems falling to sleep, falling to sleep at inopportune times, sleeping too much, or even strange behavior while sleeping.

There are over 100 different types of sleep disorders that are placed into four main topics, which include difficulty falling to sleep & staying asleep, difficulty staying awake, difficulty with sticking to a sleep routine, and disrupted sleep patterns.

Insomnia is the number one problem associated with difficulties falling to sleep. Some of things that can cause insomnia include a person's health, depression, stress, poor sleeping environment, caffeine, alcohol, drugs, smoking, pain, and naps during the day.

Hypersomnias are the number one problem associated with difficulties staying awake, which include such illnesses as central sleep apnea, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and narcolepsy. Symptoms and causes are varied but stress and poor sleeping environments are at the top of the list.

Problems associated with the difficulty with sticking to a sleep routine can be caused by such things as shift work sleep disorder and irregular sleep wake syndrome. A proper sleep environment is the number one thing that needs to be accomplished to help with this sleep disorder.

Sleep Terror disorder and Sleep Walking are the number one problems associated with disrupted sleep patterns. Symptoms can include problems falling asleep, daytime drowsiness, tired during the day, depression, and irritability.

In some cases, these sleep disorders may need medications from your physician; however, creating a calm and relaxing sleep environment may do wonders.

Your sleep environment Check List

1. Your bedroom should be cool, dark, and quiet.
2. Watch your caffeine and food intake prior to going to bed.
3. Take all distractions out of your bedroom such as televisions, computers, and other things that may keep you awake.
4. Exercise should be done earlier in the day and not just before bedtime.
5. Get rid of stress! Add a table top water fountain to you bedroom. This will set the mood for a quiet and relaxing evening and help you drift off to sleep.
6. Go to bed at the same time every night.
7. Invest in a white noise machines. You may not even realize how many times your sleep is being disrupted by noises such as the hot water heater, the air conditioner, a neighbor coming home late in the evening, and so on and so forth. A white noise will absorb all those sounds and let you get a good night's sleep.

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