Sleeplessness is usually associated with emotional or mental tension, anxiety, depression, work problems, financial stress or unsatisfactory sex life. While insomnia is not usually related to any physicalillness there are exceptions.
Any illness that can cause pain or discomfort may cause sleeplessness. The more mental energy you consume the more sleep you will need.
This is because when the brain works overtime it uses up blood sugar leaving you mentally exhausted. Sleep patterns also change in old change.
A sweet drink before bed increases the brains supply of the amino acid L-tryptophan. This increases the likelihood of falling asleep more easily.
Herbs that may be of help Sleeplessness are valerian, skullcap, hops and passion flower. Magnesium and Calcium are usefull minerals in relieving Sleeplessness.
All of these natural approaches are non habit forming and most importantly non toxic. Sleeplessness Alters Metabolism.
A lack of quality sleep may lead to love handles and double chins. Doctors at the University of Chicago found that not getting enough sleep altered basic bodily functions such as regulating blood-sugar levels, storing away energy from food and the production of various hormones.
The study examined the effects of sleep deprivation on a group of 11 young men in their 20’s. For one week the participants were allowed only four hours of sleep a night and were told to continue the normal routine of their lives. After one week of four hours of sleep a night, the participants’ metabolic levels and their ability to process carbohydrates were the same as those of a 65 year-old man.
The young men took 40 percent longer than normal to regulate their blood sugar levels following a high-carbohydrate meal.
Their ability to secrete insulin and to respond to insulin both decreased by about 30 percent. A similar decrease in acute insulin response is an early marker of diabetes.
Sleep Apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. Sleep Apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. There are two types of sleep apnea : central and obstructive. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles to initiate respirations. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when air cannot flow into or out of the person’s nose or mouth although efforts to breathe continue. In a given night, the number of involuntary breathing pauses or “apneic events” may be as high as 20 to 60 or more per hour. These breathing pauses are almost always accompanied by snoring between apnea episodes, although not everyone who snores has this condition. Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both sexes but is more common in men. Sleep apnea seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis.
Studies show that the condition of Jet Lag, actually results from an imbalance in our body’s natural “biological clock” caused by traveling to different time zones. Our bodies work on a 24-hour cycle called “circadian rhythms.” These rhythms are measured by the distinct rise and fall of body temperature, plasma levels of certain hormones and other biological conditions. All of these are influenced by our exposure to sunlight and help determine when we sleep and when we wake. When traveling to a new time zone, our circadian rhythms
