Care For Your Sleep

Archive for the ‘You and Your Sleep’ Category

Nowadays, a great deal of people suffer from various sleep disorders. Those conditions and their effects on our health and well being have been studies for many years. According to the findings of one of the latest researches, carried out by the scientists at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, some of those health conditions, like rapid eye movement (a disorder which is characterized by abnormal eye movement when a person sees nightmares or disturbing dreams) and others, are linked to higher risks of such a dreadful health condition as Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, if you frequently wake up at night frightened by bad dreams or in fears because of nightmares, if you wake up screaming or crying, it is likely that you are suffering from REM which can lead to Parkinson’s disease in the future.

A group of scientists leaded by Alex Iranzo, one of the neurologists of the hospital in Barcelona, carried out a series of experiments aiming to figure out whether the link between Parkinson’s disease and REM sleep disorder exists or not. The first part of the tests helped the Spanish scientists understand that Parkinson’s disease is related to decreased levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter necessary for normal function of our mind. These findings were received after a series of brain SPECT tests. It became apparent that this dopamine deficiency is linked to a lack of learning abilities and uncontrolled movements which are the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. It also causes stiffness, discomfort, tremors and other unwanted side effects.

Fortunately, there are very easy natural ways to raise the levels of this hormone in our brain. When we eat something we like, when we do something we like, when we have abundance of positive emotions, the levels of dopamine raise. The same effects can be caused by using special drugs and medicines.

Being back to the studies which lasted for three years: within this period of time Spanish specialists were monitoring the condition of the volunteers from the control group. It was noticed that within three years the levels of dopamine dropped down in average by 8 percent, but in those patents who suffered from sleep disorders this amount reached 20 percent. At that, in the end of the study three patients with sleep disorders from the control group whose dopamine levels dropped down by over 30 percent were diagnosed Parkinson’s disease. If you are interested, you can find more information and comments on this interesting study in one of the latest issues of Lancet Neurology journal.

Summer is the best time for vacations and holidays, for visiting family and friends, for weddings and honeymoons, for going to various tourist destinations and relocating ourselves closer to the world’s most famous beaches. All of these activities are strictly linked with traveling, sometimes  even long days of traveling, especially for those who enjoy long distance traveling with relatively slow vehicle. Tossing and turning in a hotel, or being unable to sleep in the bus or trailer is something very well-familiar to many of us. What to do and how to get the essential 7-8 hours of restful sleep when we are away from our sweet homes and the comfort of our own beds? Check out our sleep tips for travelers.

If you are not going to go too far away, or at least if you are going stay at the same time zone, you will not have to go through tough changes of your sleep patterns during traveling. However, still your nights can be bothered by the absence of the familiar comfort, therefor, the following sleep tips for travelers can be interesting for you:

• Do not eat and drink much before the time to go to sleep. A full stomach is not a good friend of those who expect having sleep problems while traveling.
• If you can not sleep in a bus or in a public place, use such sleep aid items as a sleep mask, earplugs and a neck pillow.
• While traveling, use your own bedding like pillows and blankets. Familiar items like that will help you create more comfort and assist in setting your mind up for sleeping.
• If you are driving, be sure that you do not impose your family and friends to danger by drowsy driving.

Those who are traveling across several time zones should be ready for certain sleep challenges, because our body needs time to get used to the day-nigh routine in new time zones. There are several useful sleep tips for travelers who’ll need to combat time zone related sleep difficulties:

• Try to get ready for the specifics of your destination clock beforehand. For example, in a week or so before your trip, try going to bed later or earlier, according to your destination’s local time.
• If you arrive deep at night and can’t fight against sleep, do several physical exercises right in the airport. Exercises will help awaken your system.
• Drink plenty of water. Specialists believe that dehydration causes huge fatigue during any travel, and it is very important to provide your body with necessary amounts of water to keep it toned and ready for normal sleep-awake routine.
• Get some sun. Sun rays are considered to be natural sleep regulators, and daily dose of sunlight will help you get adjusted faster to the new sleep-awake routine.
• Do not stay in bed if you can’t sleep because of time zone changes. Read a book, have a sit in your hotel’s lobby or bar, watch some TV. It usually takes up to 5-6 days to get totally used to time zone related changes, so these sleep difficulties will not be putting you down all your vacation long.

For most of us our favorite pillow is the best shelter to hide our problems, tears, stresses, fears and uncertainties after a hard and tiresome day. However, usually we have no idea that using the same pillow for many years makes the pillow shelter not only our emotions, but also millions and millions of dangerous germs and various types of bacteria! According to the findings of a research reported by The London Times the last week, our pillows put our health in danger due to exposure to numerous living organisms and bacteria that live in our pillows. In most of our houses, pillows do not receive proper care, and after 2-3 years of using a pillow up to 30% of its weight are actually bacteria, died mites and dried skin.

A group of scientists leaded by Dr. Art Tucker, a leading clinical scientist at St. Barts Hospital, made a series of probes into standard pillows and came up with the above stated conclusions.

The results of the probes for hospital pillows were especially worrying as overwhelming majority of hospital pillows turned out to be filled up with bacteria like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff), putting our health in extreme danger. That is why the specialists underline that it is necessary to pay immediate attention on the situation with standard hospital pillows as the bacteria or dangerous infections living in the pillows can’t be removed by simple using detergents for washing or whitening.

“People put a clean pillow case on and it looks and smells nice and fresh, but you are wrapping up something really nasty underneath,” Dr. Art Tucker said at the presentation of the results of the study at the Healthcare Associated Infections 2011 conference in London. He and his fellow-scientists are now advocating for using special high-tech pillows (for example the ones produced under the brand SleepAngel or others), which involve special technologies and letting less microorganisms to hide inside. To those who have no opportunity to buy these advanced and safe pillows, Tucker’s group recommends using good old technique: airing and drying the pillows under the sunlight. The specialists say that mites and bacteria would rather survive a 60 degree washing session than 2-3 hours of direct sunlight exposure. Along with that, it is still necessary to wash your pillows, both feather and synthetic, at least every 6 months.

Trying to count the sheep or using breathing exercises for inducing sleep, but can’t achieve the desired results? Check out the list of most common mistakes that many people do and which make them more awake at night.

• Being unaware of the fact how many hours a night your body needs to feel rested and relaxed. Specialists suggest that an adult person needs about 7-8 hours a day, but this number can vary according to your individual needs. Do not deprive yourself of sleep if you need 9 or more hours to feel refreshed and ready for the new day, remember that sleep is a priceless asset for your health and happiness.
• Remaining in bed and trying to fall asleep when you actually do not want to sleep. It is proven by the world’s leading sleep experts that staying in bed when you can’t fall asleep for more than 15-20 minutes leads to feeling more frustrated and disappointed, this way causing insomnia and a lack of sleep. Do not stay in bed, get up and get involved in some calming and relaxing activities, like knitting or playing a card game. These activities will divert you from negative thoughts and will help you feel sleepy soon.
• Taking too many naps in the daytime. Sometimes we wake up in the morning and, if we do not have to go to work,  we take a nap after the breakfast or after the lunch. As a result we stay awake for long time at night, and this way we damage all our sleep routine. Some people do really need daytime naps, but if you have problems falling asleep, try to avoid daytime naps in order to have healthier and better night sleeps.
• Reading a book or watching TV before going to bed. Many of us believe that watching TV or reading can help our mind to calm down and get prepared for sleeping. However, reading and especially watching TV activates your mind and makes it work more actively over what you are reading or seeing. Than is why before going to bed it’s better to listen to some calm music, meditate or have a warm bath. All these activities are not linked to increased thinking and making the mind busy before the bedtime.
• Taking a sleeping pill as a response on any sort of sleep disorders, even the ones caused by stresses. Sleeping pill do have excellent sedative and relieving properties, but they can not solve your problem in a long-term perspective. The best and the most natural way is using herbal remedies for inducing sleep. Those include various herbal teas like Valerian root tea, lemon balm tea, passionflower tea and so on.
• Using wine or other type of alcoholic drinks to induce sleep. It is true that in some people alcohol can have the effects like inducing sleep, however, after using alcoholic drinks as your sleep aid, you’ll notice that waking up in the middle of the night with that terrible stomach pain and headache became a common practice for you. Avoid using alcohol for falling asleep easier. Knowing the most basic alcohol abuse facts keeps us informed about the effects that alcohol has on our bodies.

Colors can play a role of very important symbols in our dreams. They not only make our dreams bright and meaningful. Usually, colors in our dreams symbolize our emotional and psychological condition, they serve for giving us signals about what we subconsciously think about, worry about or are scared of. Certainly, they should not be assessed on their own and should be combined with imagery. After learning about blue and green, as well as red color in dreams and pink color in dreams, it is time to check out closely what yellow and orange colors in our dreams mean and are related to.

Yellow Color In Dreams: This color is very important because yellow is a color of light and sun. Yellow color in dreams symbolizes our desire to focus, accumulate our energy and get ready for doing something great. It is a color of creativity, bright ideas, innovations and clarity. If yellow color dominates our dreams, it can mean that our brain is looking for ways to increase awareness and understanding of something. This is the color of rationalization, optimization and looking for solutions. Therefore, seeing yellow color in dreams can also be linked to aspiring for new horizons and new things in life, looking for ways to new types of happiness and making dreams come true. Yellow color in dreams is linked to the health of our urinary system and indicates our energy levels. It is a color of optimism, joy and new beginnings in your life.

Orange Color In Dreams: This color is known as  red color that is brought close to humanity by yellow. Orange color in dreams symbolizes ambitions, drive to new achievements and aspiration for changes in life. On the other hand, this color is considered to be a symbol of temperance and balance. Seeing this color can mean that you subconsciously want to get involved in new activities, discover new interests and start new hobbies. In other words, orange color in dreams symbolizes enthusiasm and adventurous state of mind. It can mean your friendly and opened intentions, as well as your desire to establish new relationships and make new friends. Orange color in dreams is connected with female strength and the function of liver. It is a color of harmony, equalization and balanced relaxed mind.