HELP I cant Sleep

HELP I can’t sleep! What’s it called when you can’t sleep easy or wake up during the night? INSOMNIA! Many people can’t sleep at night and overtime prolonged sleep loss will affect how you function physically and mentally. Are you depressed, irritable, suffer from tremors or slur your speech? These are all symptoms of insomnia. Insomnia is also the cause for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Insomnia can be classified as transient, acute, or chronic, according to Wikipedia.org:

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1. Transient insomnia lasts for less than a week. It can be caused by another disorder, by changes in the sleep environment, by the timing of sleep, severe depression, or by stress. Its consequences – sleepiness and impaired psychomotor performance – are similar to those of sleep deprivation.

2. Acute insomnia is the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of less than a month. Insomnia is present when there is difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep or when the sleep that is obtained is non-refreshing or of poor quality. These problems occur despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep and they must result in problems with daytime function.

3. Chronic insomnia lasts for longer than a month. It can be caused by another disorder, or it can be a primary disorder. People with high levels of stress hormones or shifts in the levels of cytokines are more likely to have chronic insomnia. Its effects can vary according to its causes. They might include muscular fatigue, hallucinations, and/or mental fatigue. Some people that live with this disorder see things as if they are happening in slow motion, wherein moving objects seem to blend together. Chronic insomnia can cause double vision.

If you are tired but can’t sleep scientists have found that counting sheep does work, why? They discovered that counting sheep forces both sides of the brain to work at the same time preventing the form of brain activity that causes insomnia. There are also some natural supplements that can help you to fall asleep easy like L-Tryptophan an essential amino acid that helps you to relax, 5-HTP a supplement that converts into serotonin that is required to produce melatonin a hormone that regulates your sleep/wake cycle.

There are products like Natural Factors Stress-Relax Natural Sleep that contains 5-HTP, Suntheanine (L-Theanine) and Melatonin. L-Theanine (patented Suntheanine®), from green tea, is a stress reducer that can enhance the tranquility of sleep. Due to lack of scientific findings, if you are pregnant and can’t sleep this product is not recommended.

Some simple lifestyle changes can help you to sleep better at night. Establishing a healthy night time ritual like taking a bath with lavender oils or magnesium flakes that are known as natural relaxants will help prepare your body and mind to fall asleep easy.

Here are some other ideas that you can incorporate into your relaxing night time routine; getting up and going to bed at the same time every day (even on weekends), a massage from your partner, soothing music or sleep sounds (ocean waves, thunderstorm), meditation with a self-hypnotic mp3 or CD, glass of warm milk, decaffeinated herbal tea; like SleepyTime Tea, yoga stretches, take a walk and a small snack that is high in carbohydrates and low in protein such as a slice of turkey, a hard-boiled egg, a handful of nuts or a bowl of cereal. These foods contain the amino acid L-Tryptophan which is necessary for sleep.


What can you avoid at night so you can fall asleep faster and allow you to stay asleep all night? Alcohol may help you to fall asleep, but when the affects wear off your likely to wake up. It also prohibits deep sleep so when you wake up you still feel tired. Tobacco acts as a stimulant as well as caffeine and should be avoided close to your bedtime.

If your bedroom is too hot it will wake you up during the night. I often wake up many times during the night if the room is too warm throwing the covers on and off or trying to find a cold spot in the bed. The best temperature is around 65 degrees. My favorite time of year is when the lilac is in bloom. I would open my window on a cool spring night and let the wonderful aroma fill the room. So peaceful and relaxing. If you have a partner that wants a warmer room or you are away from home and have no control over the temperature there are cool memory foam pillows on the market today; like the Sleep Innovations Cool Contour Memory Foam Pillow.

Sleeping on your back is not only the most effective sleep position for letting your body relax it also prevents sleep lines that develop on your face. If you sleep on your side or your stomach with your face pressed into your pillow you can develop lines that will become etched on the surface of your skin and overtime will not disappear during the day. Lack of sleep also creates dark circles, sagging and bags under your eyes. Your internal organs will also thank you if you sleep on your back as sleeping on your stomach and side puts pressure against your heart causing heart palpitations as well as back and neck problems. If you are a side sleeper, sleep on your right side instead of your left to ease pressure off your heart.

A SleepRight Side sleeping pillow has important design features, which distinguish it from all other memory foam pillows. The full facial cradle helps reduce pressure points on the jaw and ear. This means increased blood flow to the facial dermal cells while sleeping, reducing the tendency for facial tissues to crease or sag and the 12-degree shoulder cradle accommodates the acute angle between your head, neck and shoulder while sleeping on your side. You may experience significant improvement in your spinal alignment between the neck and back.

Your bedroom is a haven for sleep and intimacy so keep your work (any electronics) and animals away, you don’t need any distraction when your prime objective is falling asleep. Speaking of distractions I written many times how light, even light from your alarm clock and noise are sleep stealers. If you can’t control the light in your room try blackout curtains/shades or an eye mask. Noise can be reduced by listening to white noise, music, a fan or using ear plugs.

When you know you are tired but can’t sleep should you lay there until you do fall asleep or should you get up and do something until you feel sleepy? If you do get up don’t do anything where you would get involved like reading a good book, watching a movie or checking out what your friends are doing on Facebook. Believe me you will stay up later than planned and you will fight fatigue the next day and need a quick 20 minute “power nap” to feel refreshed. Many advise not to take a nap because you will require less sleep at night. Not being able to sleep over a period of time should be looked into by your physician as you may have another underlying physical or mental problem that is causing your sleeplessness. Your doctor may suggest a sleep study at a sleep clinic where they monitor your sleep pattern, heart rate etc. Many times the major cause is stress and anxiety. If your doctor confirms there is no other medical cause he may suggest other alternative treatments.

The information in this site is for informational purposes only and not meant as a substitute for advice from your healthcare professional. This information should not be used to diagnosis or treat any health problem. Information and statements provided by asleepeasy.com about supplements that have not been evaluated by the FDA are not intended to diagnosis, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Reliance on any information in this article or on this site is solely at your own risk.

 

Causes of Insomnia Part 10 Sleep Doesn’t Come Easy with ObamaCare RFIDChip

Ok, I know that the ObamaCare RFID chip doesn't cause insomnia, but worrying about being micro-chipped and what is going to happen with my health insurance in 2014 can cause many sleepless nights.  Is human micro-chipping Fact or Science Fiction? According to my research the new Obama 2012 healthcare plan has a hidden law that allows an RFID chip or what is known as the VeriChip to be imbedded in those on overnment programs (including Medicare individuals) to scan identification data and medical records. Besides the religious implications those individuals that are micro-chipped will be controlled by the government without their consent. The VeriChip consists of three connectors which activate the device with radio controlled frequency waves which can read, control and transfer information within one’s body and mind by satellite and computer network files. If the government can monitor every aspect of your life they can eventually control you!

VeriChip a RFID implant that is FDA approved was created for people with Alzheimer’s or for tracking children in case they wonder off. For the good of the people, right? But what about the rest of us that just want government insurance? Do we have to lose our right to privacy, civil liberties and freedom? Will this chip eventually replace cash and credit cards to the point we can’t buy anything without having it imbedded into our hand or forehead?

Why do we have a privacy act if it basically not supported by the government. What about scam artists who develop their own chip reader? Will our financial and health information be easily assessable to them as well? With all these questions about government control or not, how can anyone sleep easy at night? How soon is this going to happen?

Did you know that human micro-chipping is in progress and is mandatory by some employers TODAY! Military personnel around the world have been micro-chipped for security reasons. SECURITY REASONS not MEDICAL REASONS are the basis to micro-chip thousands of civilians against their will and many more will be micro-chipped if the government has it way, like prisoners and all new born babies.

What about side effects? Lab rats that have been RFID chipped have developed painful lesions, sores and even cancerous tumors. Research evidence with proof of these results must be released to the public for their own knowledge and safety.

Today there are RFID chips in credit cards to monitor your spending and buying habits. How can you disable or remove the RFID chip from your cards? Microwave the card as this will destroy the chips transmitter and components. Puncture the RFID chip with a knife or simply cut it out and throw it away. RFID chips are also in Passports which can also be microwaved or dug out and destroyed. Besides credit cards and passports this device is in the adopted animals you get from the humane society, some grocery products, airport scanners, electronic devices, new cars and cell phones (GPS devices). AND The Obama Healthcare plan will have an RFID chip in the healthcare cards!

Where is it in the healthcare bill? Healthcare Bill HR 3200 H.R. 3200 section 2521, Pg. 1001, paragraph 1. The Secretary shall establish a national medical device registry (in this subsection referred to as the ‘registry’) to facilitate analysis of postmarket safety and outcomes data on each device that— ‘‘is or has been used in or on a patient; ‘‘and is— ‘‘a class III device; or ‘‘a class II device that is implantable, life-supporting, or life-sustaining.”

A class II implantable device is an “implantable radio frequency transponder system for patient identification and health information.” The purpose of a class II device is to collect data in medical patients such as “claims data, patient survey data, standardized analytic files that allow for the pooling and analysis of data from disparate data environments, electronic health records, and any other data deemed appropriate by the Secretary.”

As stated on Polidics.com “This new law requires an RFID chip implanted in all of us. This chip will not only contain your personal information with tracking capability but it will also be linked to your bank account. And get this, Page 1004 of the new law (dictating the timing of this chip), reads, and I quote: “Not later than 36 months after the date of the enactment”. It is now the law of the land that by March 23rd 2013 we will all be required to have an RFID chip underneath our skin and this chip will be link to our bank accounts as well as have our personal records and tracking capability built into it.

This new law, when fully implemented, provides the framework for making the United States the first nation in the world to require each and every one of its citizens to have implanted in them a radio-frequency identification microchip. In theory, the intent to streamline healthcare and to eliminate fraud via “health chips” seems right. But, to have the world’s lone superpower mandate a device to be IMPLANTED is not just scary. It is prophetic!”



Why does polidics.com say all of us and not only the people on the government’s insurance programs? I went to my annual Midwest insurance meeting and the speaker explained that most individuals rely on our employer to provide health insurance as part of their benefit package. Small companies find that since their employees are in a small group (less than 50) their rates are higher than larger companies with more employees (roughly 18% more) and their employee usually pays part of the premium and/or required to pay for other family members in full. If these companies decided to stop insuring their employees the employee would be required to buy their health insurance from a private insurance carrier or from ObamaCare. Not being able to afford a private insurance individual health insurance policy because the cost is a lot higher than a group plan, many will be forced to go on the public option. Some will not even be able to pay for Obamas health insurance coverage, so they will be fined to cover the cost of their insurance. Most of those that cannot afford either and are fined are usually those that get a return on their federal income tax so the fine will reduce the amount of their return. The fine to cover them on ObamaCare is much smaller than the employer’s group health insurance rate. So what do you think the employer can do for their employees to keep their health insurance cost down? PAY THE FINE. Many companies will find it cheaper to pay the $2,000 per-employee fine and rid themselves of the burden of providing insurance. If all employers decide to take this option eventually ALL of us will be on ObamaCare.

Is this something we should lose sleep over? There are many websites that talk about this and some say it is true while others say it is definitely false, as the healthplan was rewritten not to include micro-chipping humans (but more likely your ObamaCare health insurance card). So is the VeriChip fact or is it Science Fiction?

The information in this site is for informational purposes only and not meant as a substitute for advice from your healthcare professional. This information should not be used to diagnosis or treat any health problem. Information and statements provided by asleepeasy.com about supplements that have not been evaluated by the FDA are not intended to diagnosis, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Reliance on any information in this article or on this site is solely at your own risk.

Why do I wake up tired

Did you get enough sleep last night? Did you remember to set your clocks ahead an hour for daylight savings time? How well do you adjust to the time change? For most people missing an hour on Sunday means a tired Monday and a quick nap to catch up. But for some, especially for night owls, that extra hour can take an entire week to get back their lost hours of sleep, which can cause irritability, lack of focus, workplace injuries and even is blamed for increased car accidents. While trying to adjust to daylight savings time sleep and naps may not be enough to make you feel refreshed in the morning, you need rest which isn’t the same as actually sleeping according to psychiatrist Matthew Edlund, MD former medical professor and author of The Power of Rest.

Edlund states that along with passive rest (sleep and naps) you need active rest which is a conscious resting of your mind, body and spirit. Without enough rest you wake up tired and overtime can develop insomnia. There are 70 million Americans that suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, according to the National Institute of Medicine. So do you say to yourself, “Why do I wake up tired?” even if you feel you are getting enough sleep at night?

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What is the required amount of sleep for you? Some people need nine hours while some feel four hours is enough. Most need between seven and eight hours every night to perform at their best the next day. Some people, like me, are biphasic sleepers which mean we sleep less than seven hours during the night but take a 15 minute to two hour nap in the afternoon. “Power naps” in the afternoon that last between 10 and 20 minutes can improve memory and help reduce afternoon sleepiness.

What is the difference between passive rest and active rest? We are conscious and in control of our bodies during active rest. There are four types of active rest; physical rest where we pay attention to our body to calm and relax, mental rest when we focus on obtaining a sense of relaxed control with self-hypnosis, social rest by connecting with people in different ways and spiritual rest like meditation.

Physical rest means that you focus all your attention on a single muscle group, which when done properly, causes the rest of your body to relax. During mental rest you can pay attention to something in your room like a self-hypnotic CD, white noise or the sounds of a thunderstorm to relax and relieve stress. Social rest is when we interact with friends, family and colleagues to work out issues that are causing stress in your life. When people get together it changes adrenaline levels and stimulates oxytocin the hormone that causes us to feel good. Socializing and relieving stress can reduce heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression and insomnia.

Heart Disease, according to the journal Sleep, is caused by getting less than seven hours of sleep per night. They also did a study that found with women who get five hours or fewer at night are twice as likely to develop heart disease. Researchers found that when people with type 2 diabetes slept poorly they had a 43% higher insulin resistance level and those with insomnia fared even worse. Women who sleep fewer than six hours a night have a 62% risk for breast cancer while those that slept nine hours had a 28% lower risk. Those that sleep less than six hours a night have a 47% chance of developing colorectal polyps than those that sleep at least seven hours. The American Urological Association did a study with 4,145 middle-aged men and women and found women that getting fewer than five hours a night can increase the need to get up during the night to urinate by 80 to 90 percent.

So, why is sleep important? As you see, lack of sleep can cause many health problems and also can increase the risk of mortality. Men under the age of 45 who sleep badly are twice as likely to die early than those that sleep well. They are also 5 times more likely to commit suicide due to depression.

How can you get enough sleep and rest at work if you are fighting afternoon sleepiness? Dr. Edmund Jacobson, Ph.D. developed a technique called paradoxical relaxation or the UN-Nap, where you pay attention to different muscle tensions that will cause the rest of the body to relax. You are still alert, so you can rest while continuing to do your work. All you have to do is notice things. Find the tensest part of your body, for me all my stress is in my shoulders, and touch it. Touching it focuses your attention on that area. Close your eyes and focus on that area for a few seconds. Open your eyes and notice how the rest of your body relaxed while you focused on the tense area. Move to another area and repeat. The paradox is that the body part you are paying attention to may not relax, but the rest of the body does.

At home you can do deep breathing exercises and self-hypnosis to relax along with taking a hot bath or just resting on the couch while wearing a cool eye mask. Remember the whole idea is to de-stress to rest. Learning to de-stress is about conditioning and lifestyle habits that will calm your mind and body so you can fall asleep easy and stay asleep all night.  See: Causes-of-insomnia-part-5-de-stress-to-rest or more information.

If you are having problems falling asleep due to daylight savings time here are some tips to help you along while your body clock adjusts on its own. Get plenty of direct sunlight in the morning and avoid sunlight later in the day can help your internal body clock adjust faster. Remember your body has to produce melatonin for you to become sleepy and melatonin is activated by the chemical signal for darkness. You can take a low dose (less than .3mg) of melatonin late afternoon to sync your sleep/wake cycle with daylight savings time’s new light/dark cycle. But be careful, if you are taking other drugs you may have an interaction and it may cause drowsiness so avoid taking if you are driving or operating heavy machinery. It is best to talk to your doctor before taking any supplement.

The information in Why do I wake up tired is for informational purposes only and not meant as a substitute for advice from your healthcare professional. This information should not be used to diagnosis or treat any health problem. Information and statements provided by asleepeasy.com about supplements that have not been evaluated by the FDA are not intended to diagnosis, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Reliance on any information in this article or on this site is solely at your own risk.

Sleep Easy with Dr. Oz Lettuce Opium

Dr Oz as I have touted about natural alternatives to prescription and over –the-counter (OTC) sleep aids. Why? We see in the news about celebrity deaths due to prescription drug abuse and recent news articles like the one from The Washington Post that described a study that suggest people who take sleeping pills as Ambien, Lunesta, Retoril and Sonata were more likely to die 2 ½ years earlier than those that do not use these drugs, with the risk rising along with the amount of medicine taken. People prescribed 18 or fewer sleeping pills a year have are 3.6 times as likely to die as those didn’t take these drugs. Also people taking high doses were 35% more likely to develop a major cancer, not including melanoma during that period. Studies show that 6 to 10 percent of Americans take sleep aids!

Dr. Oz went on television recently recommended to his viewers an extract from the stem of the wild lettuce plant known as Wild Lettuce Opium, Blue Lotus, Wild Dagga and Kanna saying this supplement has a calming sedative effect and can be used as a sleep aid.

The botanical name is lactuca virosa and the active plant parts are the leaves and the dried milk juice (lactucarium) Lactuca comes from the Latin name for the milky juice, virose (poisonous). This biennial herb grows to a height of 6 feet. The entire plant if wounded seeps a bitter tasting milky juice that has a narcotic odor. When the juice dries, it hardens and turns brown then it is called lactucarium. This plant is cultivated in Austria, France, Germany and Scotland, the U.S. imports this product from Germany via England and is said to be used as an adulterant for opium for those suffering from insomnia, as well as treatment for sunburn and skin roughness due to its cooling and refreshing properties.

Along with its sedative and narcotic properties, lettuce opium (a weak opium) doesn’t upset the digestive system and when mixed with wine it is said to be a good painkiller. According to a Dr. Collins, twenty-three out of twenty four cases of dropsy were cured by taking doses of 18 grains to 3 drachms of extract in twenty-four hours. It also used as a mild diaphoretic, diuretic and helps alleviate UTI’s, whooping cough, cramps from menstruation, joint pain, easing colic and nymphomania. The U.S. has not regulated lettuce opium as a controlled substance so it qualifies as a legal narcotic substance easily found at your local health food store or online.

Dosages -

10 to 20 grains or more of powder ,
30 to 60 drops of tincture,
1 to 5 grains of alcoholic extract,
5 to 20 grains of Lactucarium,
2 drachms of syrup USP, 30 drops of tincture, USP.
*15 grains = about 1 gram.

However, there are some risks and side effects related to lettuce opium. Large doses many impair breathing and cause death in otherwise healthy persons. If you have an allergic reaction to morphine or other morphine like products you may have the same effect when taking this supplement. Also, you may have an allergic reaction if you are affected by ragweed and related plants. If you use a topical application it may cause irritation, profuse sweating, rapid heart rate, pupil dilation, vision problems, ringing in the ears, dizziness and sedation. Individuals with an enlarged prostate gland and have difficulty urinating may be affected by a chemical in the lettuce opium. This supplement may worsen glaucoma in individuals with narrow-angle glaucoma. Do not use this product at least two weeks prior to surgery because it may interfere with an individual’s response to anesthesia or other nerve-blocking medications. Do not take along with other sedatives like; Klonopin, Ativan, Donnatal and Ambien. Not recommended for those that are pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not use if operating heavy machinery.

Dr. Oz fears that too many people are abusing sleep aids and that the recommended use of some prescription sleep medications and OTC’s that are categorized as hypnotics may increase risk of death and cancer. With this news those with insomnia may want to forgo their sleep aids and find a natural alternative methods such as lettuce opium. Dr. Oz says to be safe you shouldn’t take more than 30 milligrams to get its sedative effects. Please talk to your doctor before taking any supplement especially if you have a health issue or taking a prescription medication.

The information from Sleep Easy with Dr. Oz Lettuce Opium is for informational purposes only and not meant as a substitute for advice from your doctor or health-care professional. Information provided by this site about dietary supplements has not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat insomnia or any other condition. ALWAYS seek advice, treatment and diagnose from a qualified health-care professional regarding any medical condition. Asleepeasy.com does not recommend or endorse any tests, doctor, third party product, procedure, opinions or other information mentioned on this site. Reliance on this information provided by Asleepeasy.com is solely at your own risk.