You Must Try a Snoring Pillow!
If you are already in the market for buying a snoring pillow you might realize it’s benefits. Typically this type of pillow is made from a very firm type of foam so that it offers more support than other pillows. As with simple pillows, your head and your neck are unlikely to collapse in the same manner. Usually a snoring pillow has an indentation or cutout area either in the middle of it or around a side so that it can cradle your neck and give you added comfort. These work for snoring because they don’t allow the head to fall back below the area of the neck and the mouth to fall open. With a closed mouth there is less snoring and any snoring there is is not typically severe. However there are other reasons to consider a snoring pillow, apart from snoring itself.
For people with painful back and leg problems, the time when they suffer most discomfort is often when they first wake upin the morning. This is usually because their back and neck are not supported, causing cramping in many areas of the body. When a snoring pillow is used to cradle the neck this means the back can relax as well, since it’s not working so hard to keep the neck supported. The whole body is in a state of relaxation when the back is relaxed. Very often those who use a snoring pillow report that they wake up feeling much more refreshed and with fewer back problems and pain.
Those who have breathing problems such as sleep apnea or a deviated septum may also benefit from a snoring pillow. Tissue around the neck can fold around the airways if not properly supported, which chokes off air flow. The tongue also can fall into the back of the throat, collapsing the airway. While a snoring pillow may not actually cure or prevent all breathing problems at night they can certainly help with these issues by keeping those airways open.
March 21, 2009
Herbal Teas Are Natural Sleep Aids
Many herbal teas are available in the market for sleep problems like insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by chronic problems falling asleep, staying asleep or only sleeping for several hours and being wake unable to fall back to sleep. It is typically followed by functional impairment while awake.
It can be caused by another disorder, by changes in the sleep environment, by the timing of sleep, or by stress. Researchers do not know exactly why people need sleep, but we do know that lack of sleep can kill. Humans deprived of sleep for long periods begin hallucinating and develop other mental problems.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is an herbthat has been long used as a remedy for insomnia. Some studies suggest that like conventional sleeping pills, valerian may affect levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA.
Unlike other sleep medicines Valerian is supposed to be nonaddictive and not cause grogginess in the morning. But valerian doesn’t work for everyone. Side effects of valerian may include mild indigestion, headache, palpitations, and dizziness.
Kava is an anti-anxiety herb that may be helpful for anxiety-related insomnia. However, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an advisory to consumers about the potential risk of severe liver injury resulting from the use of dietary supplements containing kava. To date, there have been more than 25 reports of serious adverse effects from kava use in other countries, including four patients who required liver transplants.
Professional herbalists do not prescribe herbs simply to treat symptoms such as insomnia but aim to correct the imbalances within the body that cause those symptoms. For example, sedative herbs such as hops and valerian are used to relax the nervous system so that you enjoy natural, restorative sleep. Each herb contains a variety of active constituents and has a main action and several subsidiary actions which determine the conditions for which it is most appropriate.
Numerous plants have sedative action. Plants commonly prescribed as aids in promoting sleep include: passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), hops (Humulus lupulus), valerian (Valeriana officinalis), skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla).
Unless otherwise specified, for insomnia, take one or two cupfuls of an infusion or decoction in the evening about 30-60 minutes before bedtime. On waking up at night you can take an additional cup. Where a remedy that will not make you drowsy is indicated for conditions associated with insomnia, you can take it three times a day.
There is also a tea made with favor mint, lemonbalm, chamomile, and some herbalist put in catnip.
Reduce the dosage of herbs taken by mouth by a quarter for children under five years old and by a half for children under twelve. Consult a professional herbalist and your doctor before administering any herbs to children.
March 20, 2009
Are You Aware Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Normally during sleep, air moves in and out of the lungs as the upper airway (throat), chest muscles, and diaphragm move in a coordinated fashion. In a person with sleep apnea, air movement is periodically disrupted or reduced.
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can affect a person’s ability to safely perform normal daily activities. It is thought that approximately 25 percent of adults are at risk for sleep apnea. Men are more commonly affected than women; other risk factors include middle and older age, being overweight or obese, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The throat is surrounded by muscles that open and close the airway while speaking, swallowing, or breathing. If these throat muscles relax unnaturally during sleep or if the throat is unusually small, the airway may be narrowed. This can result in snoring and decreased air flow into and out of the lungs, which is called an obstructive hypopnea. Complete closure of the airway results in cessation of all air movement, and is called an obstructive apnea. A person can suffer from apneas and hyperapneas during sleep.
Changes in blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels occur when breathing is abnormal during sleep. Even if these levels change only slightly, the brain recognizes that there has been an interruption in normal breathing. The brain also recognizes when more work is required to get air into the lungs, as may occur when the throat is completely or partially blocked.
This causes partial awakening (arousal) from sleep. Although the brain may be partially awake, the person may not sense that he or she is awake. When these arousals occur, the throat muscles contract, the airway is reopened and normal breathing resumes. Often but not always, a loud snore or snort is associated with this. The person often goes back to sleep quickly, usually without being aware of the episode. Alternately, some patients with OSAH awaken suddenly and completely with a sensation of gasping, smothering, or choking.
Once sleep resumes, the throat muscles relax, the airway closes, and the pattern repeats itself. This cycle of abnormal breathing, disruption of sleep, resumption of sleep, and recurrence of abnormal breathing can occur many times throughout the night. In this way, OSAH can cause significant sleep disruption and deprivation as well as notable episodes of reduced blood oxygen levels. This is true even if the person is not aware of the frequent interruptions. In addition to poor quality sleep, OSAH may be associated with an increased risk of or worsening of common heart problems.
Loud snoring and severe daytime sleepiness are the main sympoms of OSAH. However, some people have no symptoms. For example, if the person does not have a bed partner, he or she may not be aware of the snoring. Sleepiness can also develop gradually over time to the point that the person accepts it as normal.
Other symptoms may include one or more of the following:
• Restless sleep
• Awakening with choking, gasping, or smothering
• Awakening with chest pain or discomfort
• Morning dry mouth or sore throat
• Morning confusion
• Morning headaches
• Personality change
• Memory impairment, difficulty concentrating
• Impotence
• Frequent awakenings to urinate
Surgery is generally reserved for patients who cannot tolerate or do not improve with non-surgical treatments such as CPAP or oral devices. The upper airways may get reshaped or the jaw may get repositioned after a surgery which can be helpful in some patients. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures; it removes the uvula and excessive tissue in the throat, including the tonsils if present. Other surgical techniques include genioglossus advancement, maxillary-mandibular advancement, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), alone or in combination. In general, it is hard to predict how effective a surgical treatment will be in reducing or eliminating sleep apnea. Thus, such treatments should be considered with caution.
A permanent opening in the neck is caused by the surgical procedure Tracheostmy. It is reserved for patients with severe disease in whom less drastic measures have failed or are inappropriate. Although it is always successful in eliminating sleep apnea, tracheostomy requires significant lifestyle changes and carries some serious risks (eg, infection, bleeding, blockage).
Sleep Treatments - What You Need to Know About Insomnia
Insomnia can strike many people either as an ongoing or just occasional. Irrespective of how often you endure insomnia it’s crucial to get help and comprehend the mechanics in having the best night’s rest possible.
Getting a great evening of rest starts out with finding sleep problem treatments that are going to work for you. Before you start trying different sleep methods you should first list out everything that may be causing insomnia and take care of those first. Is it because you cannot relax, or is there noise that is bothering you or have you determined that you are unable to sleep because you are physically uncomfortable with the mattress you are sleeping on.
Sleep problem treatments run from doctor prescribed medications to herbal remedies as well as both physical and psychological options. Although there are many treatment options available, it is first more important to discover the root cause of your sleep trouble as this will be a factor in deciding how to proceed with further treatment.
to get the proper sleep you just might have to combine many treatments as well as change areas of your life that may be causing sleep interruptions. You may need to work home remedies like a warm glass of milk along with a routine of exercise and herbal medicine. You may also find that psychiatric support essential to help you deal with stress and anxiety as well as including a physician prescribed medication.
Many people may not be aware that one of the troubled sleep treatments are simple lifestyle and diet modifications. When trying to find a cure for insomnia, you need to look at all substance like , drugs, alcohol and nicotine as well as a lack of physical activity can interrupt your sleep patterns. Only by ridding yourself of harmful substances while increasing your exercise routine, you have a better chance to fall into better sleeping habits without depending on sleep medications.
Alternative health products is a great resource to try to get your sleep problems under control with out drugs. There are a resounding number of teas and drinks that not only are palatable but also provide benefits to help combat sleeplessness. With them, your body can finally settle down, your mind loosen and increase the positive production of chemicals resulting in more sleep hormones. It is good to now many treatment choices are available for those folks who are concerned with fixing the base symptoms that go hand in hand with severe sleep problems. You can find a great deal of benefit by initially looking into your daily routine and see what can be fixed that might be causing you to have difficulty sleeping. Once past these possible contributors if you continue to have trouble getting to sleep then you may decide to look at solutions with natural attributes before you go ahead and start taking doctor prescribed medicines.
When you take into consideration the factors that occur in your daily routine that can contribute to insomnia, so taking the time to locate what these are and removing them will push you quickly down the path of a deeper sleep more often.
Read more here at Sleep Treatments.
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