Sleep & Insomnia: Why sleep is important to good health

• Types of Insomnia
• What is sleep?
• Importance of sleep?
• How much sleep do you need?
• Is insomnia a serious problem?
• Causes of insomnia?
• How to improve sleep?
• Should you take sleeping pills?
• Natural cure for Insomnia

Everyone needs sleep because lack of sleep can affect our health and wellbeing. Some people spend enough time in bed, but their sleep is not refreshing. While occasional restless nights are often normal, prolonged insomnia can interfere with daytime function, and may impair concentration, diminish memory, and increase the risk of substance abuse, motor vehicle accidents, headaches, and depression. In a 2002 survey, the National Sleep Foundation found that 58% of adults have trouble sleeping at least a few nights a week.

Insomnia is a term used to describe several types of sleeplessness. With insomnia, you experience a significant lack of sleep on a regular or frequent basis. Insomnia usually takes one or more of the following forms:

• Difficulty falling asleep - more common among young people.
• Difficulty maintaining sleep (sleeping lightly and restlessly, waking often, lying awake in the middle of the night) - more common in people over 40. In younger people it may be associated with depression.
• Waking early and being unable to get back to sleep - this is more common in older people and anyone worrying about something in particular.

Types of Insomnia

There are two broad categories:

• Chronic insomnia - lasting for several weeks, months or even years.
• Transient insomnia - lasting for a few nights or weeks only, usually connected to a stressful event.

Acute / Transient Insomnia.
The most common type of insomnia is transient (acute) insomnia. Transient insomnia lasts from one night to a few weeks and is often caused by an emotional or physical discomfort. Typical factors include stress, attempting to sleep in a new place, changes in time zones, changing bedtimes due to shift work, environmental disturbances such as noise, light and temperature. Transient insomnia related to situational factors affects nearly 85% of the US population at some time.

Chronic insomnia.
Chronic insomnia is long-term and may last a month, several months, or years. Chronic insomnia may be caused by either a medical problem, a psychiatric problem, a sleep disorder (sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, etc.), or poor sleep hygiene. Self help may solve the poor sleep habits, but professional help may be necessary for sleep disorders or for underlying medical or psychiatric problems.

Insomnia is also classified into primary and secondary insomnia.

Primary insomnia is insomnia that is not caused by other health problems. This is the most common type of insomnia and is usually caused by learned maladaptive sleep patterns.
Secondary insomnia is a symptom of another underlying condition that causes the insomnia. When you receive effective treatment for the underlying condition, the insomnia usually goes away.

What is sleep?

Sleep is one of the body’s most mysterious processes. The most significant characteristic of sleep which differentiates it from the waking state is the interruption of perception. A sleeping person does not see or hear. Additionally, sleep is marked by: decreased movement of the skeletal muscles, slowed-down metabolism, and complex and active brain wave patterns. Sleep is an essential component of a healthy body and mind.

There are two major types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep:
Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. It comes and goes throughout the night, and makes up about one fifth of our sleep time. During REM sleep, our brain is very active, our muscles are very relaxed, our eyes move quickly from side to side and we dream.

Non-REM sleep. The brain is quiet, but the body may move around. Hormones are released into the bloodstream and our body repairs itself after the wear and tear of the day. There are 4 stages of non-REM sleep:

• Pre-sleep - the muscles relax, the heart beats slower and body temperature falls.
• Light sleep - we can still be woken easily without feeling confused.
• Slow wave sleep - our blood pressure falls, we may talk in our sleep or sleep walk.
• Deep "slow wave" sleep - we become very hard to wake. If we are woken, we feel confused.

We move between REM and non-REM sleep about five times throughout the night, dreaming more as we get toward the morning. During a normal night, we will also have short periods of waking. These last 1 or 2 minutes and happen every 2 hours or so. We aren't usually aware of them. We are more likely to remember them if we feel anxious or there is something else going on - noises outside, our partner snoring.

Importance of Sleep

Sleep is an important factor in all our lives. Sleep helps the body restore and rejuvenate in many different ways. Sleep enables the brain to encode new information and store it properly. REM sleep activates the parts of the brain that control learning. The parts of the brain that control emotions, decision-making and social interactions slow down dramatically during sleep, allowing optimal performance when awake.

Some sleep experts suggest that neurons used during the day repair themselves during sleep. When we experience sleep deprivation, neurons become unable to perform effectively and the nervous system is impaired. Sleep also enables the immune system to function effectively. Without proper sleep, the immune system becomes weak and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease. During sleep muscle tissue is rebuilt and restored.

Children need much more sleep than adults. Growth hormones are released during sleep, so sleep is vital to proper physical and mental development. Tired children are often cranky, fussy and become easily frustrated and difficult.

It is interesting that in dream sleep the brain is actually very active. We’re not really sure exactly what dreams accomplish. Some experts believe that dreaming is actually some king of clearing out process. More sleep researchers think that dreams serve the function of helping to reorganize and store psychological information taken in during the day.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors, including age. Some people find that they only need 5-6 hours of sleep, while others need 10-11 hours for optimal performance. The average adult functions best with 7-8 hours of sleep a night. However, it is important to consider how much sleep you need on an individual basis. The signs of inadequate sleep are low energy levels, drowsiness, irritability, and poor concentration.

• Infants and Children. Infants require about 16 hours a day. From 6 months to about 3 years, children’s sleep requirement decreases to about 14 hours. Young children generally get their sleep from a combination of nighttime sleep and naps.
• Teenagers. Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is crucial for teenagers because it is while they are sleeping that their bodies release a hormone that is essential during their growth spurt.
• Adults. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although the amount ranges from 5 hours to 10 hours of sleep each day depending on the individual.
• Pregnant Women. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy, and sometimes throughout pregnancy, need significantly more sleep than usual.

People tend to sleep more lightly and for shorter time spans as they get older, although they generally need about the same amount of sleep as they needed in early adulthood. About half of all people over 65 have frequent sleeping problems, such as insomnia, and deep sleep stages in many elderly people often become very short or stop completely.

Is Insomnia A Serious Problem?

Insomnia is not really a serious health problem, but it can make you feel tired, depressed and irritable. It can also make it hard to concentrate during the day.

Causes of Insomnia?

The most common causes of insomnia are medications, psychological conditions (stress, depression, anxiety), environmental changes (travel, jet lag, or altitude changes), and stressful events. Insomnia can also be caused by faulty sleeping habits such as excessive daytime naps or caffeine consumption.

• Anxiety. Everyday anxieties as well as severe anxiety disorders may keep your mind too alert to fall asleep.
• Stress. Concerns about work, school, health or family can keep your mind too active, making you unable to relax.
• Depression. Depression is one of the most common causes of chronic insomnia.
• Learned insomnia (expecting to have difficulty sleeping and worrying about it). If you sleep poorly, you may worry about not being able to function well during the day. You may try harder to sleep at night, but unfortunately this determined effort can make you more alert, set off a new round of worried thoughts, and cause more sleep loss.
  
• Hormonal changes in women. Menstruation, menopause and pregnancy can trigger insomnia.
• Decreased melatonin. To feel sleepy your brain needs to produce a chemical called melatonin, a natural sedative.
• Physical health problems. These include sleep apnea (abnormal breathing while asleep), asthma, hyperthyroidism, tinnitus, arthritis, congestive heart failure, pain, prostate problems that mean frequent trips to the toilet at night, and indigestion.
• Pain. Some types of pain (muscle, bone, organ pain) can be key insomnia causes.
• Sleep related disorders. These include sleep apnea and periodic leg and arm movements during sleep (in which one's muscles excessively twitch or jerk). Sleep apnea, may affect people who breathe normally while they are awake. Breathing related sleep problems are most common in men, snorers, overweight people, and older adults.
• Jet lag. Air travel across time zones often causes insomnia.
• Working the night shift or long shifts. About 60-70% of all shift workers develop sleep disturbances.
• Medications. Drugs that may contribute to insomnia: corticosteroids, decongestants (pseudoephedrine), beta blockers, diuretics (Lasix/furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide) given at bedtime, oral contraceptives, antidepressants (Bupropion, Prozac), appetite suppressants (Meridia, Fastin), thyroid hormone, and amphetamines. Insomnia also may be the result of withdrawal from benzodiazepines (Valium, Librium, Ativan), antihistamines, amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana.
• Caffeine intake. Caffeine blocks the chemical that promotes sleep.
• Nicotine use. Nicotine is a central nervous system stimulant that can cause insomnia. Nicotine raises blood pressure and speeds up both heart rate and brain waves.
• Alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, so a "nightcap" may help some people to fall asleep initially, but it also contributes to frequent awakenings, nightmares and poor quality of sleep. A bedtime drink can also stimulate some people by raising epinephrine levels, thus making it harder to settle down to sleep. Alcohol can also worsen snoring and other breathing disorders.
• Noise. Excessive noise outside your bedroom, on the street or because of noisy neighbors.
• Light. Light affects your brain’s production of the hormones that regulate sleep rhythms. Too much light in the bedroom can keep your body from deep sleep.
• Extreme temperatures.
• Napping. Daytime napping will affect nighttime relaxation.
• Eating too much too late in the evening. Eating heavy, spicy, or high-sugar foods at night may cause indigestion.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• A lot of people find that they cannot sleep when their spouse isn't at home or is away for an extended period of time.
• Change in a person's surrounding environment. Sleeping in a new location, when you are away from home, on holidays, etc.

How to Improve Sleep? Relief From Sleeplessness Without Sleeping Pills

Insomnia is usually treatable whether it is a symptom of a disease or a condition itself. Strategies to improve sleep:

• Establish a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends, even if you didn't get enough sleep. This will help train your body to sleep at night.
• Develop sleep rituals. Follow the same bedtime routine, such as having a warm drink or a light snack, reading something soothing or listening to relaxing music. Let your body know you're getting ready to sleep.
• Don't spend too much time in bed. Once you wake, get out of bed. An excess of time in bed rather than sleep time may cause poor sleep in the future.
• Don't eat a heavy meal late in the day. If you eat a heavy meal before bedtime, it can interfere with sleep.
• Bedtime snacks. Have a light snack before bed. If your stomach is too empty, that can interfere with sleep. Dairy products and turkey contain tryptophan, which acts as a natural sleep inducer. Tryptophan is probably why a warm glass of milk is sometimes recommended.
• Avoid or limit caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep you from falling asleep. Although alcohol can make you relax and fall asleep, the relaxed feeling wears off, making you wake up in the early hours of the morning, feeling alert. Alcohol can also cause snoring which can disturb your sleep and that of others.
• Don't drink fluids just before bedtime.
• Time to worry and think. Write all things that are racing through your mind, things to do tomorrow or current problems. Write a "to do list", problems, write possible solutions, pros/cons. After you do this, promise yourself to work on these worries in the morning.
• Gradual decrease mental and physical activity before going to bed.
• Sleep environment. Proper sleep environment can contribute to a good night's sleep. Keep the bedroom cool, well ventilated, quiet, and dark. An ideal environment for sleep is free of computers, fax machines and work projects.
• Associate your bed and bedroom with sleep. Don't watch TV or read in bed. Although these things help some people sleep, they can also give your brain the idea that bed isn't just for sleeping - and this can keep you awake.
• Don't go to bed until you are sleepy. If you can't sleep, get up, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy. If you can't fall asleep for more than 15-20 minutes get up and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel sleepy.
• Light. Keep lights low before bedtime. To feel sleepy your brain needs to produce a chemical called melatonin, a natural sedative. Being in a brightly lit room or in front of the computer makes it harder for your brain to produce melatonin, and this delays the drowsy feeling that helps you sleep.
• Naps. Try not to nap, especially in the evening, because naps may make you less sleepy at night.
• Do not look at the alarm clock or watch during the night.
• Get regular exercise. Exercising during the day encourages drowsiness at bedtime. The best time to exercise is in the daytime - particularly late afternoon or early evening. Exercising later than this may disturb your sleep.
  
• Relax before going to bed. Follow a routine to help relax and wind down before sleep, such as reading a book, listening to music, or taking a bath.

Should You Take Sleeping Pills?

Sleeping pills can help in some cases, but they are not a cure for insomnia. They're only a temporary form of relief. Medications are rarely helpful for long-term sleep issues because they do not treat the root cause of the problem. Regular use can lead to rebound insomnia, which occurs when a person quits taking sleeping pills and his or her insomnia comes back. Some sleeping pills are addictive and have negative side effects.

It is very important that you and your practitioner try to identify the cause and type of your insomnia before considering medication. Short term insomnia that is linked to a specific stress or situation in your life is probably best treated by addressing the situation and attempting to reduce the stress through behavioral modifications. Most chronic insomnia will benefit from an improvement in sleep hygiene and gradual attempts to change your mindset towards sleep.

Natural Cure For Insomnia

Many alternative treatments are effective in treating both the symptom of insomnia and its underlying causes. Many people with insomnia choose herbal remedies for treating their insomnia.

Serenite Drops and Capsules is a proven natural iInsomnia herbal remedy, that help you to avoid the physical effects of sleep deprivation.