Auricular acupuncture, or ear acupuncture, may be effective for treating insomnia, according to a study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. In the study, researchers collected data from six randomized, controlled trials. All six were conducted in mainland China or Hong Kong. Five were in Chinese and one was in English. Out of 673 participants, 402 were treated with auricular acupuncture. Four of the trials used western medication for the control groups, one used routine unit care, and another used sham auricular acupuncture.
According to the study, those who received auricular acupuncture recorded better improvement than those in the control groups. Additionally, auricular acupuncture produced better recovery from insomnia than diazepam. Auricular acupuncture was preferred over the control interventions for increasing duration of sleep up to six hours per night, for remaining asleep during the night, and for feeling refreshed upon waking.
Diazepam is a drug commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal. It was first marketed under the trademark Valium.
Due to the lack of follow-up information, no conclusions were made regarding the effectiveness of long-term treatment of insomnia with auricular acupuncture. Also, due to a lack of information on adverse effects, no conclusions were made with regard to the safety of using auricular acupuncture for treating insomnia.
Insomnia is a common disorder characterized by a difficulty in falling asleep, or staying asleep, and is often associated with functional impairment while awake. Daytime functional impairment from insomnia includes drowsiness, irritability, depression, and occupational impairment.
According to a World Health Organization study, 16% of respondents had difficulty falling asleep and 25% of respondents either had difficulty remaining asleep or woke up too early. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia, affecting about 40% of women and 30% of men.
Article source: http://www.naturalnews.com/022711.html
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Say Sweet Dreams to your Insomnia!
“Treating Insomnia: Is having sweet dreams just a dream?”
A person who is suffering from sleepless nights, someone who frequently wakes up at night and rises up early in the morning even though that person does not have enough sleep is having a sleeping disorder known as insomnia.
Insomnia is a condition in which a person is not getting enough sleep. This person when awakened at night has a hard time sleeping again. Insomnia can happen every night, from time to time or in a period of time.
Here are the some suggestions wherein insomnia can be treated:
1.Follow a positive routine.
If an insomniac has an erratic eating routine, this should be changed to a fixed routine dedicated to directly fight insomnia. The person should eat early dinner so as to condition the body to sleep early.
2.Do not drink coffee.
As much as possible, a person with insomnia should avoid drinking coffee, sodas, chocolate, cocoa, green tea, black tea or anything that has caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that triggers sleeplessness. It can make someone awake for as long as 20 hours. For some, even drinking a cup of coffee in the morning causes them sleeplessness at night.
3.Exercise at night.
Insomnia is often caused by too much stress. Doing exercise at night makes blood to circulate in our brain and body. This in turn makes us calm and stress free.
4.The bedroom should be conducive to sleep.
Loud noise coming from cars in the street, upbeat music set at very high volume, bright lights and uncomfortable bed should be avoided.
5.Read not watch.
Read books, magazines or anything that interests an insomniac instead of watching television. Television enhances attention, which makes a person awake. Reading on the other hand while in bed causes the eye to get tired and creates a sleepy feeling.
6.Relax
Try ways that causes our body to relax. Meditation technique like yoga can initiate a calm state of mind and body. Listening to soft and classical music can also help. There are fragrant oils, incense, and candles that are made specifically to aid in relaxation. Consult a shop that sells these on type of scents that can induce sleep.
7.The root solution for insomnia.
There are root extracts that can engender a sleepy state. 300 to 600 mg of concentrated extract should be taken 30 minutes prior to going to bed. This root extract can be mixed with calming herbs like chamomile, passionflower and balm made from lemon.
8.Take melatonin with caution
Melatonin can help in adjusting one’s sleeping pattern. 0.5 to 3.0 mg an hour or two before going to bed may help. Melatonin though should only be taken with the approval of a physician. The human body has different reactions to melatonin.
As people grow older, the melatonin level of the body decreases. This explains why older people usually have a hard time sleeping and sleep less compared to children and younger people.
9.Magnesium
Conditions such as, restless legs syndrome (RLS) and period limb movements (PLM), while sleeping can cause insomnia. Taking 300 mg of magnesium at night from four to six weeks can solve insomnia. Again this should be done with doctor’s consent.
10.Acupuncture
Acupuncture, which is a Chinese healing method, could help to heal insomnia. These needles put into the skin strike nerve transmitters that produce sleep-inducing hormones like serotonin.
Altering a person’s diet is effective in preventing and healing insomnia. Doctors suggest eating food that is high in carbohydrate prior to sleep. Examples of these are bread and crackers. Studies showed that carbohydrates enhance the quantity of serotonin produced by the body.
Serotonin is a chemical messenger or neurotransmitter that affects the brain. This chemical lessens anxiety, which in turn creates sleep.
Consulting a psychologist or psychiatrist may give light in solving insomnia. This sleeping disorder is usually caused by stress. A psychologist or psychiatrist can give expert advice on how to treat insomnia.
Republished from: http://www.article-buzz.com/Article/Top-10-Drug-Free-Ways-To-Say-Good-Night-To-Insomnia/17835
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Meet Three Sorts of Insomniacs
Insomnia is a symptom. Perhaps you have heard somebody say, "I am tortured by insomnia," or perhaps you have said it yourself. Okey, we all know that insomnia means that you can't sleep at night. But maybe you don't know that insomnia can be of different kinds, and all insomniacs can be basically devided into three sorts. Among them are:
- Chronic Insomniacs. This sort of people suffer from insomnia more that a month. Insomnia can occur every night or most nights or just several nights each and every month. Generally some medical problem leads to this type of insomnia. The medical problem needs to be discovered and tproperly reated, and the insomnia can be gradually eased and eliminated completely.
- Transient Insomniacs. Those who suffer from insomnia a night or two can be called transient insomniacs. Usually transient insomnia is resulted from temporary stress, excitement or some emotional strain. Sickness, some physical or mental disorder, jet lag or a change in the regular sleep schedule can lead to occurence of this kind of insomnia.
- Short-Term Insomniacs. Short-term insomniacs usually suffer from insomnia up to three weeks. Therefore, your health care provider will ask you how long you have had poor sleep or no sleep at all. Short-term insomnia often occurs because of the death of a loved one, a divorce, anticipation of something significant to happen, financial problems, a job change, etc. Short-term insomnia needs to be treated in time or it can develop into chronic insomnia. In some cases the short-term use of sleeping pills or of herbs that provide relaxation can be of help.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
What You Must Know About Insomnia And Your First Steps To Fight It
To many people, insomniacs can be the butt of many a cruel joke – somebody who is always yawning, always bumping into things, a ‘clumsy oaf!’, not being very aware of their surroundings, and generally ‘not with it’.
But such behavior, rather than being perceived as funny, can in reality cause death and destruction on a very wide scale. It is bad enough that over 200,000 car accidents a year in the United States alone are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel – but what if you are a passenger on a crowded train with an insomniac as the driver?
Insomnia is a common sleep sickness that has bothered many people around the world. But the consequences brought about by this disorder may not be as ordinary as it may seem. It can be downright punishing. However, like many previously dismissed conditions it has its roots in definable medical conditions, and if treated correctly, can be cured.
Lack of sleep actually poses dangers to your brain, and as your brain controls all of the functions of you body, sleep depravation may also damage them. For instance, studies have shown that sleep deprived person get sick more often, and may in many instances suffer financial hardships, as they are not capable of making clear, concise decisions.
You know the frustration of looking repeatedly at your clock while endlessly moving around in your bed. It's mental and emotional agony to say the least. The tension builds up to its peak when you see the sunrise, and you have to go to the office lacking so much energy after spending a sleepless night.
The problem is, most people reach for the pills when they can not sleep, thinking that this is the cure-all. However, lifestyle, stress, what and when you eat and drink, and even the amount of sunshine you get can all be contributory factors.
You don't have to suffer anymore. Here are some tips to help you snooze faster than you could ever expect.
1) Wake up and go to bed at the same time everyday, even during the weekends. Some insomniacs tend to sleep at any time of the day to catch up on some sleep they lose during the night. Now this is the biggest mistake you can make. It ruins your body clock and will only worsen your insomnia. If you can't sleep one night, get up the usual time the next morning. You'll be sleeping soundly like a baby the next night.
2) Don't eat within 4 hours before you go to bed. If in case you went hungry, try some crackers or light snack. But don't indulge in an "eat-all-you-can" feast right before bedtime. Your food won't be digested well, resulting in poor and uncomfortable sleep.
3) Don't drink caffeine or alcohol. Caffeine can obstruct your ability to sleep. Alcohol can make you drowsy, but it can wake you up in the middle of the night and bring you side effects that will hinder a continuous sleep process.
4) Relax and stay fit. Avoid having a stressful lifestyle. Exercise daily to release tension. Engage in breathing exercises to relax your body. Most important of all, don't carry your problems or emotional baggage to sleep with you. Forget about it for the mean time. You can go back and solve your dilemma better the next day after a restful sleep.
5) Never force yourself to sleep. Trying your best to sleep requires some work. You don't want to work when you want to doze off. Sleep comes best if you are in a relaxed and comfortable state. Just lie down, relax, and let the sleeping fairy cast its spell upon you.
Republished from: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_2951.shtml
But such behavior, rather than being perceived as funny, can in reality cause death and destruction on a very wide scale. It is bad enough that over 200,000 car accidents a year in the United States alone are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel – but what if you are a passenger on a crowded train with an insomniac as the driver?
Insomnia is a common sleep sickness that has bothered many people around the world. But the consequences brought about by this disorder may not be as ordinary as it may seem. It can be downright punishing. However, like many previously dismissed conditions it has its roots in definable medical conditions, and if treated correctly, can be cured.
Lack of sleep actually poses dangers to your brain, and as your brain controls all of the functions of you body, sleep depravation may also damage them. For instance, studies have shown that sleep deprived person get sick more often, and may in many instances suffer financial hardships, as they are not capable of making clear, concise decisions.
You know the frustration of looking repeatedly at your clock while endlessly moving around in your bed. It's mental and emotional agony to say the least. The tension builds up to its peak when you see the sunrise, and you have to go to the office lacking so much energy after spending a sleepless night.
The problem is, most people reach for the pills when they can not sleep, thinking that this is the cure-all. However, lifestyle, stress, what and when you eat and drink, and even the amount of sunshine you get can all be contributory factors.
You don't have to suffer anymore. Here are some tips to help you snooze faster than you could ever expect.
1) Wake up and go to bed at the same time everyday, even during the weekends. Some insomniacs tend to sleep at any time of the day to catch up on some sleep they lose during the night. Now this is the biggest mistake you can make. It ruins your body clock and will only worsen your insomnia. If you can't sleep one night, get up the usual time the next morning. You'll be sleeping soundly like a baby the next night.
2) Don't eat within 4 hours before you go to bed. If in case you went hungry, try some crackers or light snack. But don't indulge in an "eat-all-you-can" feast right before bedtime. Your food won't be digested well, resulting in poor and uncomfortable sleep.
3) Don't drink caffeine or alcohol. Caffeine can obstruct your ability to sleep. Alcohol can make you drowsy, but it can wake you up in the middle of the night and bring you side effects that will hinder a continuous sleep process.
4) Relax and stay fit. Avoid having a stressful lifestyle. Exercise daily to release tension. Engage in breathing exercises to relax your body. Most important of all, don't carry your problems or emotional baggage to sleep with you. Forget about it for the mean time. You can go back and solve your dilemma better the next day after a restful sleep.
5) Never force yourself to sleep. Trying your best to sleep requires some work. You don't want to work when you want to doze off. Sleep comes best if you are in a relaxed and comfortable state. Just lie down, relax, and let the sleeping fairy cast its spell upon you.
Republished from: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/self_improvement_and_motivation/article_2951.shtml
Greetings Insomniacs!
Greetings! My name is Sam Mitchel. Being a victim of insomnia I started this blog to collect and share with you the most interesting and reliable materials about fighting this torturous sleeping disorder. Though I can still call myself a 'desperate insomniac', I do believe that I've made some progress in making my sleep a bit more restful and sound. So I hope my articles will help you as well.
All the best,
Sam
All the best,
Sam
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