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Menopause and Sleep

A subject on the basic issues of menopause and sleep, the symptoms, effects, and most effective treatments.

Menopause and Sleep

Midlife for most women comes with several psychological and mental issues, including sleeping. And many with sleep disorder will likely express it till they reach menopause. A handful of women have revealed how menopause affected them and their sleep, as well as how they coped with it.

Symptoms of menopause and Sleep Disruption

Not all women experienced sleep disruption. While some were adversely affected by a sleepless night, others were able to sleep really well. But, most women don’t sleep well when they got to menopause.

The major causes of this condition include:

  • Hot Flushes and Sweat

The major cause of sleeplessness is hot flushes and sweat. These waking up periods were characterized by an alternating feeling of cold and heat.

Women who experience hot sweat hardly enjoy their rest. They’ll have to do all in their capacity to get a good night sleep and lower their body temperature.

Other symptoms that influence sleeping during menopause includes

  • Restless leg syndrome
  • Palpitation of the heart
  • Anxiety
  • Emotional turmoil etc.

While some women slept poorly just before this period, others don’t sleep at most times during theirs.

We cannot always attribute the cause of sleep disruption to menopause.

Worries, concerns, pains, medications, environments etc., are the factors that can disrupt sleep – you’ll be getting more details on abc.com/afraid-to-sleep. Also, for some women, poor sleep patterns that arose early in life could resurface during menopause.

Effects of Poor Sleep patterns During Menopause

Effects of Poor Sleep patterns During Menopause

Reports from women who suffered from lack of sleep showed the sleep issues they faced during menopause affected the whole areas of the life, directly or indirectly. Their work, family and other relationship suffered as they found it difficult to cope.

Most women even feel more tired as they tried to get along with the demands of the everyday job. Thus, after each day, they become stressed and find it difficult to deal with some of these necessary activities.

Most Effective Ways to get more Sleep

  • Reinforce Your Sleep Schedule

One of the simplest ways to overcome sleeplessness is sticking to a sleep cycle. This will help your body fight any other message or urge which resist the normal sleeping pattern. It is however important that you maintain a steady sleep pattern and avoid oversleeping during days off work.

Forming a sleep pattern isn’t difficult, especially if you’ve not made one already. You will reap the benefits for life.

  • Think of short-term HRT

Research has shown that Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women can make them sleep better, although they still don’t know the reasons, some assume it is because it reduces hot flush.

To reduce the side effect of HRT, these experts recommend you don’t go on this therapy for long-term or daily use.

Some experts opined that HRT is not for all women at menopause, but about 20% of these women will have a positive feedback.

  • Work with a therapist

Booking an average of 9 weeks with a certified cognitive behavioral therapist will help you with sleep strategies. The strategies made will fit your body requirement and address all issues.

However, women who wake up in the middle of the night might find talking to a psychiatrist helpful.

  • Try Sleep break

This is suitable after the nights when the hormones in charge of your sleep and wake cycle are acting up. I’ll advise you sleep as early as 4 pm to get all the sleep you have lost. While you might not get all the sleep you lost, it will surprise you at how refreshed you’ll be.

Even at work, taking a 10 minutes nap will not hurt. Resting your head on the desk for a moment will count.

  • Opt for alternative treatment

If you are reluctant to use Estrogen, discuss with your doctor. It reduces hot flushes that affect sleep. Doctors prescribe it for breast cancer patients undergoing active therapy. It will reduce hot flush and make you drowsy.

  • Wick away the problem

Long jeans are not advisable if your sleep is disrupted by hot flushes. Gym shots and athletes’ T-shirt can help wick away moisture – you could use them as pajamas. While they will not stop hot flushes, they will help stop it from being a nuisance that disrupts your sleep.

  • Try health products

Chillow – a pillow with water that helps keep your body temperature down. While it will not stop hot flushes, it will keep the intensity down, hence you have a good night sleep. You could also use other products like weighted blanket and pillow.

  • Reduce your Room temperature

By keeping the temperature of your room down, you alert your body on time for bed. Thus, it’s important to make conscious effort to keep the bedroom temperature down. While hot flushes will not disappear, it will be less disruptive to your sleep.

Having a hot bath can also help keep your body temperature down. While your body temperature goes up in the bath, your body responds to the heat by bringing down your body temperature.

Asides, experts recommend that if you don’t have premenopausal dryness that causes painful intercourse, it’s good to have a quickie. While a lot of women in this category mentioned they don’t have time for sex, sex is a good sleep inducer. It’s, however, important to protect yourself against pregnancy as it will mess up your sleep pattern.

  • Tone it down

In premenopausal women, a balanced sleep and wake cycle can be encouraged by toning down a jumpy sympathetic nervous system. This is where tai chi, yoga, prayer, meditation, biofeedback etc. will help. In summary, any activity that will help keep you in peace and cultivate a sense of balance is highly recommended.

  • Consult a Sleep Doctor

Should your sleep disorder come with breathing difficulty, restless leg, it might be time to talk to a sleep doc. Your primary care doctor will be helpful in referring you to a sleep center where you will be tested, diagnosed and treated.

Conclusion

Of a truth, menopause comes with sleeping several disorders, but these issues are not always associated with ‘menopause’. In case you find yourself in such shoes, confirm from a medical practitioner to know the next step to take.

If you keenly follow the above sleeping procedures, then you can be sure of a good night sleep.

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Nightmares vs. Sleep Terrors — the Tiny Margin of Distinction

Nightmares vs. Sleep Terrors

At least for once in your life, you must have slept to see a scary movie playing in your mind — like witnessing a murder or falling off a cliff — and it’ll cause to jump up from bed panting before a terrible scene plays; jumping up, you’ll be like ‘wow! It’s just a dream, a really bad dream.

There are mainly two sleep condition that could cause this bad dream; nightmares vs. night terror; and we’ll be treating the two, considering their difference and other important factors.

Let’s talk about Nightmares. . .

The Major Difference between Nightmares and Sleep Terrors

There are a few distinctions between nightmares and sleep terrors. . .

Basically, Nightmares are unpleasant dreams that still recur to you even while you’re awake and even engaged in your normal daily routine; you’ll definitely remember the scenes, even though not the whole details, but a picture of it.

On the other hand, sleep terror deals with the feeling of intense fear, thrashing around and screaming while you’re still in bed; you could wake up and have no idea of what really happened; anyone awake at the moment will definitely know that everything isn’t alright. But if you do sleep alone, you won’t know a bit.

Think of a nightmare as a horror movie; it increases to the climax gradually— so you don’t just start screaming — and there tends to be a build-up. On the other hand, for the sleep terror, you’ll be sleeping calmly until all of a sudden BANG!!! You’re already screaming.

Nightmares and Sleep Terror Timing

Before you jump to a conclusion, it’ll interest you to know that these two conditions are partially dependent on the stage of sleep these conditions happen.

For the sleep terror, it occurs typically during the stage three of non-REM sleep (usually during the first half of the night); it’s also known as the deep sleep stage.

According to the American Sleep Association (ASA), at the non-REM stage, the brain is much more inactive; the brain waves are enormously slow and interposed with a faster wave.

You’ll be expecting Nightmares during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage (usually during the second half of the night). According to the American Sleep Association (ASA), the main dreaming occurs of all the stages of sleep the brain is more active at this stage than it is at every other stage.

Since sleep terror and nightmare happen at different stages of sleep, it’s obvious they won’t occur at the same time of the night. Any patient who’s a victim of these conditions should always check for timing before reaching a conclusion. For the first half of the night, you should consider sleep terrors, but if the second half, it’s probably nightmares.

Furthermore, a patient who wakes up from a sleep terror will be more tensed than it is for a case of a nightmare. You can easily cope with a patient suffering

from nightmares because he’ll definitely know it’s just a dream. It’s totally different for the sleep terror; the patient is partially awake, with a greater part of their brain still asleep; you’ll definitely not know if someone is with you in a room, so can’t be controlled.

Causes of Nightmares vs. Sleep Terror

Someone should be asking “So why does the brain play such petrifying tricks on your sleep?”

In one of the releases by the Mayo Clinic, they suggested that a few things could trigger sleep terror. Some of these factors include stress, fever, excessive alcohol intake, Sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, sleep deprivation and altering of sleep routine and mental health (e.g. jetlag).

Sleep terror is prevalent amongst people with sleeping conditions such as anxiety, sleep disorder, sleepwalking or and PTSD. These sleeping defects have a similar underlying mechanism in the brain.

Recent studies by the U.S Department of Veteran Affair shows that recurring nightmare and is also most prevalent among survivors of several traumas, and patients of PTSD.

In one a recent release by the national sleep foundation, they mentioned there are a few things which increase the likelihood of having a nightmare.

Some of the factors include stress, restless leg syndrome, sleep disorders, drug side effect (this includes certain antidepressants), eating late at night (your metabolism will occur and excite your brain’s activity)

Nightmare is a very rampant disorder — with 35-45 percent of the population having one nightmare per month, and 2-6 percent once a week. It is predominant among women; especially during their pregnancy; it’s not so with men,

Unassuming Remedies and Control for Nightmares vs. Sleep Terrors You Should Know

Nightmares vs. Sleep Terrors

Amongst the several controls, you can try these ones to prevent nightmares and night terrors.

Simple Treatments for Sleep Terrors

These home remedies have been proven as an effective approach for sleep terrors.

  • Focus you treatment on underlying conditions. Try checking out for underlying conditions such as restless leg syndrome and focus your treatment of them.
  • Address Stress. Most of the times, the issue might be stress or anxiety. I’d suggest you meet your doctor to know their opinion on addressing stress. Relaxation therapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy, and sleep therapy could be helpful. You could check out abc.com/afraid-to-sleep for more information on how to tackle the issue of stress naturally.
  • Preventive awakening. Look for patterns and the recurring times for this condition and your partners and mates can wake you some minutes before the recurring period so you’ll stay awake for some minutes before going back to sleep; it’s just a preventive method.
  • Medication. Of all options, I’ll put this at least consideration. You can use antidepressants and benzodiazepines – but it’s not a prevalent treatment.
  • Sleep well. Most patients have found themselves in this condition because of fatigue and inadequate sleep. Schedule an effective sleeping timetable and observe it strictly. Also, make sure the environment is safe and comfortable for a sleep.
  • Establish a relaxing routine. There are several activities that’ll ease you of the day’s hurdles and tedious activities — such as taking a warm bath, reading — before bed. They’re really effective and prevailing for such situations.

Simple Treatments for Nightmares

These home remedies have been proven as an effective approach for sleep terrors.

  • Medical Treatment. Some of these conditions are associated with several underlying conditions, so you’ll have to check on the doctor to be sure.
  • Address stress and anxiety. Several cases nightmares have been traced to mental health issues like stress and anxiety. You’ll have to seek medical attention or see abc.com/sleep-and-anxiety or more information.
  • Medication. Of all options, I’ll put this at least consideration. You could use recommended medications or severe cases of nightmares associated with PTSD – but it’s not a prevalent treatment.
  • Offer reassurances. Patience is one of the important factors that are necessary to tackle nightmares. Once your partner wakes up at night, respond quickly and soothe them to prevent future nightmares.
  • Discuss the dream. Always talk about the dreams with your clients, and ask a question like What happened in the dream? Who did you see? What made it scary? This really helps in calming the situation.
  • Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. For mild cases of nightmares, I suggest you use the image rehearsal therapy. The goal of this therapy is to reduce the sensitivity of the nightmares and makes it less scary. How do you achieve this? You’ll have to write your nightmare – just as the last one you had – and try to make the story have a soothing end. Try visualizing this story twice a day or even more so it’ll register in your memory. When you start having this nightmare, it should appear as you visualized it, and with time it’ll stub out.

Conclusion

In brief, there’s a tiny margin that distinguishes nightmares from sleep terror. Since there’s a margin between these songs, you shouldn’t expect them both to have the same treatment approach. If you’re having any of these issues as a result of sleep disorders, you could check our past articles for more details on how to go about these disorders, and indirectly treat your nightmares or sleep, terror. Nevertheless, always remember to consult a medical practitioner and expert for more inquiries.

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Suffering from Sleep Apnea – Here a few Sleep Apnea Exercises for you

Sleep Apnea? What does it really mean? How can one treat sleep apnea? Read more to find out along with sleep apnea exercises to help you treat it.

Sleep Apnea Exercises

Well, sleep apnea refers to a sleeping disorder in which the person suffering from it has trouble breathing during deep sleep, causing the person to snore loudly. The breathing patterns are irregular, which means that the breathing starts and stop continuously. Another major problem faced by the person suffering from sleep apnea is that he/she feels restless even if they have slept the whole night, pulled muscles are very normal in this condition. Here we will discuss a few sleep apnea exercises so that you can enjoy a sound sleep.

Sleep apnea has mainly three types; the first one is Obstructive sleep apnea; this is a very common type which takes place while our muscles relax. The second one is Central sleep apnea which is experienced when our brain fails to send the correct signals to our muscles which results in them being unable to control the breathing patterns. The third and the final one is Complex sleep apnea syndrome; this is a form in which a person suffers from a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Airway_obstruction sleep apnea

Exercises For Sleep apnea

The muscles which play a key role in all the exercises related to sleep apnea are tongue, jaw, throat, soft palate and face. Out of the above-stated muscles, the tongue is generally given the most importance in the exercises for sleep apnea. Like all other muscles, the tongue also relaxes while we sleep provided that the person has a normal sized tongue. If not, then there is a very high possibility that during your sleep, a largely sized tongue can fall backward into your throat posing a threat to your life. In order to avoid sleep apnea, the following exercises need to be taken seriously, and they will definitely have a great impact on your health:

1. Tongue exercises

  • Say the word “door” multiple times placing your tongue on the upper bridge of your mouth and leaving it there for almost 5 seconds and then repeating the process.
  • Place your tongue in the same position as stated above while making sounds of tsk tsk.
  • Chewing gum before going to sleep is another effective exercise for the treatment of sleep apnea.
  • Grab a pen or something of that sort and place it between your teeth. Maintain this position for about a good 10 minutes; practice this exercise daily before going to sleep, and it will help in strengthening your jaws.
  • Open your mouth as hard as you can and then stick your tongue out with its tip facing downwards and hold that position for as long as you can. Sticking your tongue out at a good distance would be helpful.

2. Throat exercises

When it comes to exercises related to the throat for the treatment of sleep apnea, then silent yelling plays a key role in this. Silent yelling does not refer to actual yelling, in fact, it is an act which requires a person to open their mouth as wide as possible as if a person is about to yell.

This exercise targets at making your throat muscles more strong, so make sure to maintain that position for a good 6 minutes.

3. Soft palate exercises

When a person is sleeping, there is a very high possibility that a soft palate can move into your throat causing sleep apnea. In order to avoid this possibility, you need to practice some exercises. This exercise shall target your palate. What you need to do is close your mouth and slowly breathe through your nose, then bring your lips closer to each other and press them; this will create resistance, then breathe outwards from your mouth. The exhaling action shall last at least five seconds. It is generally advised to carry out this exercise at least four times in a day.

4. Jaw exercises

Exercises involving your jaw for treating sleep apnea require a person to move their jaw upwards and then downwards; this relaxes your muscles. Close your mouth in such a way that your teeth are very much in contact with each other. Place your tongue against your upper teeth, and then curve your tongue against the roof of your tongue, slide the tip along as far as it is possible for you. Hold your tongue in that position and then open your mouth slowly and gradually until you get to the point where your tongue does not touch the roof anymore. Daily practice of this exercise will help achieve better results.

5. Yoga exercises

Yoga is something which has a profound effect on your health and life. Its effect is long lasting. Yoga is not restricted to any certain age and can be practiced by anyone be it a child, an adult or an old person. Yoga helps in the treatment of sleep apnea as well. There are several breathing and relaxation techniques involved in yoga which solves the snoring problem as well as sleep apnea itself. The most popular exercise in yoga related to the promotion of sleep is known as Yoga Nidra which means sleep. Then there is a breathing exercise which is called Pranayama which focuses on increasing the lung capacity in a human body resulting in an increased oxygen level. Increase in the oxygen level causes the metabolic rates to increase as well as digestion and elimination. Therefore the rest of the body muscles and tissues feel relaxed. This helps treat sleep apnea.

6. Playing didgeridoo

Playing didgeridoo

This exercise is another effective one. A person who plays didgeridoo regularly, experiences that he/she are better able to control sleep apnea. This exercise largely targets people suffering from the obstructive form of sleep apnea. It helps to avoid daytime sleeping, loud snoring and improves the sleep quality of partners. Playing didgeridoo helps reduce severe sleep apnea.

Conclusion

Sleep apnea is a very serious medical problem, which is given due importance. Sleep apnea can affect anyone whether it is a child or an adult or an old person. If in a case, sleep apnea goes unnoticed or if a person intentionally ignores it due to the lack of awareness or laziness, then this condition gets even worse and has direct effects on your health and life, it can even result in the death of the person suffering from it. Excess weight, old age, narrowed airway, liver problems; metabolic syndrome and diabetes are some of the major problems which are faced among people suffering from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is treatable; it’s just that people need to take it more seriously in order to avoid any other complications. The treatment of any medical condition requires strong determination, steady and continuous practice to see improved results. The sleep apnea exercises mentioned above will surely help you get through with sleep apnea in an effective manner.

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Do you experience seizures during sleep?

Seizures during sleep can also be dangerous and are not something that one should ignore. Here are its symptoms along with how to treat them:

What does it really mean to have seizures during sleep?There a lot of explanations out there for this particular condition. Mainly it takes place due to some electrical activity in the brain which causes the human body to react in certain ways; these movements result in twitching whereas sometimes you lose control over your body. Seizures at times can be dangerous depending on various factors which include the position of the patient while sleeping; the presence of harmful objects nearby or even if in a certain case a seizure goes ignored. Let’s dig in a little bit more:

sleeping_tired_bed_feet

Symptoms

There are almost 40 different kinds of seizures out there, but the symptoms one experiences are more or less the same. We’ll get into some of the most popular ones. People who experience seizers almost every night get used to a certain scene in front of their eyes when they wake up, which can be an injury, headache, and pulled muscles, etc., but this varies in different patients. It is a known fact that seizures mostly take place during sleep, but the timing obviously differs. They can occur the moment you fall asleep, an hour or two before you wake up in the morning or when the patient is in a deep sleep. A person suffering from seizures undergoes sleeping disorders, unconsciousness, drooling, quick eye movements, often falling over your bed and suffocation, etc.

Diagnosis

Unlike other medical conditions, it is rather difficult to diagnose seizures mainly because of the reason that they take place when a person is sleeping. The symptoms which a patient suffers from during seizures appear to be something which takes place in the normal course of sleep. The regular occurrence of these events tends to alarm the patient, and it is then when a doctor is consulted. It is even harder to know how long a person has been going through such a condition since as stated before, it takes place during sleep. The most common test used for the diagnosis of seizures is EEG which stands for Electroencephalogram. In this test, electrodes are attached to your head with the help of a sticky substance. This test helps to identify whether a person is suffering from seizures or not.

Diagnosis

How to keep yourself safe if you experience seizures during sleep? – Treatment

There is absolutely nothing to worry about if you are a person who is suffering from this condition. Seizures are quite normal and can very well be treated; you just have to follow whatever your doctor has prescribed. Meanwhile we’ll dig into some important things which need to be taken into account while dealing with seizures and how they can be treated:

  • First and for most it is very important to take the right medication for seizures. As stated earlier, seizures tend to vary from person to person, so there is a possibility that what suits another person might not suit your body, so this needs to be taken into account.
  • Try as hard as you can to take some control over you seizures. Before going to sleep you need to make sure that there is nothing dangerous around you, for example a knife or a scissor.
  • You need to make sure that your doctor is aware of the changes which occur during the course of treatment, every small detail counts.
  • If you notice that the medicines you have been prescribed are not working then you need to tell that to your doctor right away. Don’t let anything go unnoticed.
  • Never be short of pills. When you are under the process of treatment you need keep a check on the medicines and if they are not enough, refill.
  • It is very important to have a good night’s sleep during seizures, the less you sleep the more ill you feel, you suffer from headache and swollen eyes etc. So if you are unable to sleep, tell that to your doctor so he/she can find a solution to that.
  • Another treatment for seizures is anti-epileptic drugs. They work in order to control the electrical activity which takes place in your brain which further results in seizures. So these drugs help control that. However it needs to be made sure that you are taking these pills regularly because a missed dose of this medicine can result in worse seizures.
  • Avoid sleeping upside down, since in seizures there is a very high possibility that a person can die of suffocation while sleeping on their stomach.
  • Although it not so commonly used, but placing a monitor in your room can also prove to be quite helpful. By doing this a person can hear if a seizure occurs, and can even wake up from deep sleep.

These were some ways which can help you deal with seizers.

Conclusion

Seizures are something which most of the times go unnoticed, either due to lack of awareness or the laziness of a person to get proper treatment. It is really sad that seizures nowadays are not given much importance, whereas it is a condition which, if not treated in some cases, can result in the death of a person. If you know any person in your family or surroundings who is suffering from a similar condition, then you need to make that person aware and encourage getting proper treatment.

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Here is why Women Need More Sleep than Men

Do you know that women need more sleep than men? Here is why there is difference between sleep requirements of both men and women:

Women Need More Sleep

There is no denying that sleep is one of the most important processes for human beings’ health and survival. During sleep, our brain repairs itself from the exhaustion and usage during the day. A brain structure known as the cortex, which is responsible for thought, memory, language and many other processes, recovers itself and gets disengaged from the senses, says a sleep expert. It is a known fact that women and men have different needs and their brains work differently. Similarly, sleep patterns are also different for men and women, and women need more sleep than men. However, what causes the difference between male and female is something we should know about. There are a few reasons listed out about the differences in sleep requirement between men and women:

Brain

Brain

Research at Loughborough University found out that the reason women require more sleep than men and the reason they are more tired is because of our brain. Brains of men and women work differently, women have more complex brains according to research. Not only this, but women also use their brain for analytical and intuitive thinking. Women use their brain more than men because of the added responsibilities and tasks assigned. They spent more part of the day working than their male counterparts, and that’s why their brain is used more than males. Sleep makes your brain calmed down, and that’s why the more your brain is exhausted, the more sleep you need.

Multitasking

Multitasking

Women do a pile of work in a day while men only have to go to work and come back home to find their lunch on the table. In an ever growing world and its growing demands, women are required to work twice as hard as men. Nowadays women are not only homemakers, but they are also working to support their families financially. A working woman comes back home, make dinner, take care of her children and also help her children with homework. Other household chores are also considered women’s responsibility. These are the expectations of the world from women to make the home as well as work like her male partner. Most of the women are doing a phenomenal job and handling both home and office like a pro. However, such high amount of multitasking comes at a cost, and that’s why women require more sleep time than men. If women do not sleep according to need they become prone to anger, stress and health problems.

Hormones

After mood swings and weight gains, sleep deprivation can be blamed on hormones too. It is a fact though that hormone can cause lack of sleep in women. Hormones are fluctuated throughout the women’s monthly cycle causing fluctuations in sleep too. Progesterone, the sex hormone, is secreted in higher amounts in the last two weeks of the cycle. That is the reason sleep deprivation can cause very negative effects on woman’s hormonal as well as neurological health. Some of the health issues associated are a disturbance in adrenal function, reduced serotonin production and worse PMS symptoms. Irritable mood, grumpiness, and feelings of worthlessness are all due to the lack of sleep in females.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation in Women

Sleep deprivation is associated with side effects and even terminal diseases. Chronic sleep deprivation can take you closer to death and decline your health. A woman who gets more exhausted while performing her daily duties also require more time to rest. If she does not get enough and uninterrupted sleep, she could get ill physically as well as psychologically. A list of adverse side effects of sleep deprivation is given below:

Obesity

Obesity is a problem on the rise nowadays and one of the possible causes of obesity can be sleep deprivation. If you sleep less than seven hours a day you are going to gain weight because lack of sleep is associated with obesity.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Lack of sleep put you at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases which can also prove fatal for you. Many longitudinal and cross-sectional studies have confirmed the authenticity of this that lack of sleep increases the risk of fatal and nonfatal heart attacks. Impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, and stress can be the causing factors of developing CVDs.

Effects on Endocrine System

Secretion of hormones requires a sound sleep, and endocrine system is badly affected if you are not getting enough sleep. This can lead to problems of a reproductive system like menstrual problems in females and loss of libidos in both males and females.

Weak Immune System

Your defense against diseases will be weakened if you do not get enough sleep. Sleep helps the production of cytokines which fight the foreign substances like bacteria and viruses so you can walk germ and disease free. However, lack of sleep does not allow these substances to create making you prone and vulnerable to viruses of common cold and flu.

Effects on Central Nervous System

The most badly affected system by sleep deprivation is a central nervous system (CNS) which is the main system to perform every task in the body. Deprivation of sleep does not only affect CNS, but it also affects the emotional and psychological domains of human life. You will feel irritable, agitated, hostile and outraged all the time if you are sleep deprived. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause more serious problems like depression, stress and in some cases even hallucinations. Poor concentration and impaired memory are also included in the effects of sleep deprivation on CNS.

Solution

Some of the people have trouble falling asleep or keep waking up during sleep. There are a few solutions that can be applied in order to get a better quality of sleep:

  • Antidepressants also have muscles relaxant in it, and that’s why you can sleep for longer time periods.
  • According to a research, only twenty minutes increased amount of sleep can have great benefits. Manage your household chores in a manner that you go to sleep twenty minutes earlier than your usual bedtime.
  • Switch off all of your devices at least one hour before going to bed and dim the lights.
  • Take your time to relax before actually going to sleep.
  • Women are sensitive to noises, that is the reason you should try to lower all the interruptions and noisy items across your house.
  • Take a warm shower before going to bed or listen to light or calm music.
  • Have a good lumbar support matters and try to make your bedroom environment as relaxing as possible.

Conclusion

Sleep deprivation is not good for anyone especially females. Women need more sleep than men and unable to sleep properly can lead to many health-related problems like obesity, reproductive and cardiovascular diseases, etc.. Follow the tips mentioned above to improve your quality of sleep and enjoy a healthy life.

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What are the effects of Slow Reaction Time and how to improve it?

Have you ever analyzed your reaction time? If you think you have slow reaction time then read further to find out how it affects you and how to improve it?

Excited

Reaction time is the amount of time which one takes to react to certain stimuli. You will have to perceive information from the surrounding and then react to it. It requires three steps including receiving information through sensation, processing the information and then reacting to it. It seems like a long process, but all these three processes occur within a matter of milliseconds. However, there are still individual differences exist among people when it comes to the reaction time. If it occurs quickly the reaction time is quick for the person, and if the person takes more time to react to the stimuli then it has the slow reaction time.

Effects of Slow Reaction Time

Reaction time affects our lives in more ways than we can imagine. From a sports event to a job interview, everywhere you require reacting fast, or you will lose. Moreover, the slow reaction time is associated with unhealthy life and eventually an early death. A few of the important ways in which it can affect human’s life is given below:

Biological Reactions

Our whole life is one big biological reaction. Biological reactions define your life scenarios and how you react to it. Our sensations and perceptions are all because certain neurons acted in a certain way. Biological reactions occur at an optimal speed, and too fast or too slow biological reactions can be dangerous to life processes. Specifically, slow biological reactions can cause serious side effects as well as health issues. For example, the reaction time of a medicine:

Reflexes

DTI-sagittal-fibers

All of the reflexes in the human body are the result of reaction from the spinal cord, and if the spinal cord reacts a little slower, we might get our self into a lot of trouble. We pull our hand back after touching a hot pot because or spinal cord asks us to. Just imagine, if our spinal cord fails to act at the time, we might get our hand burnt. It is necessary for our spinal cord to have a quicker reaction time because a slow reaction time of reflex arc can get us in serious trouble. This is not the only example of the benefit of quick reaction time. If you fall, you quickly reach out for something to grab to help you not to fall or in many cases you would also try to put your hand to the ground so you can save yourself from the fall. In a matter of milliseconds, our brain notices the problem and tries to save us from the problem as soon as possible. This is another example through which a quick reaction time can save the day.

Sports

It is a known fact that any kind of sports or games requires you to act as fast as possible. If you are a slow sportsman, then you are not a good sportsman. It is not only necessary for you to play good but it is also necessary for you to save yourself from injuries during the game. For example, if you are playing soccer, you need to be quick to save yourself from the football coming towards you. Remember Quidditch in Harry Potter, well that is not much difference between a real-life football except that you don’t have to fly on your broomsticks to play soccer. The resemblance between these two games was the fact that you could literally die if you are not fast enough to save yourself from the football. Hence, the quicker reaction time is also important even if you are playing just for the sake of entertainment or enjoyment.

How to Improve Reaction Time for reflexes?

Reaction time improvement helps you in many domains; you can perform a lot better in tests, sports and even driving if you improve your reaction time. You just have to have the willpower of improving your slow reaction time, and then you can do anything you want to do. You can also take help of professionals, but there are a few things which can help you even if you are trying to improve your reaction time at home:

1. Caffeine

We have already established that reaction time is slower or quicker due to the neural pathways in our brain. Caffeine is also known to alert the brain, and that’s why coffee can help you stay alert and react quicker.

2. Spinach

According to a study, spinach has a great amount of tyrosine in it which helps you reflexes to tune up, and you can get a reduced reaction time if you consume spinach in the daily diet.

3. Video Games

Video games are a proven source of improvement in your reaction time because it gives you a simulated environment to make decisions as well as mistakes. Now you play Call of Duty as long as you want because it is eventually helpful for reduced reaction time.

How to Improve Physical Reaction Time?

Physical reaction time can be improved by playing sports, but there are still a few people who have difficulty in improving reaction time. Those people can use these drills to reduce reaction time.

1. Chute Run

Arrange five cones in a distance of three to five yards apart in a chute pattern. Try to cross the cones using a crossover and sprinting the first cone. Accelerate with perfect posture and decelerate while dropping your hips back and down.

2. Mirror Drill

Arrange two cones with 10 to 15 yards of distance, ask one partner to walk randomly in the cones and mimic his movements.

3. Cone Agility Drill

Use four cones with 3 to yards apart forming a square. Now ask your partner to randomly point at a cone, and you try to move as fast as possible to that cone.

Conclusion

Slow reaction time is associated with many diseases and disorders like ADHD and it can be the result of other diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even Multiple Sclerosis. However, if you are a healthy individual and still feel like you have a slow reaction time then that is something to worry about.

Improved reaction time is better for both health and survival and you can rehabilitate your reaction time with a little effort and help. These drills are going to improve your reaction time. However, you still need to keep practicing if you want to have an actually reduced reaction time.

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8 Foods that Keep You Awake at Night

There are nights when one cannot fall asleep. This might be due to the food we ate before sleeping. Here is a list of 8 food items that keep you awake at night:

Awake at Night

Sleeping is something which doesn’t only important for your physical health but also necessary for emotional and psychological health. A good night sleep helps you stay happy and healthy. You must have experienced the laziness and grumpiness the next day if you haven’t gotten a good night sleep. Sleep is important, but if you are not getting enough sleep, you should look at your schedule as well as your dietary habits. There a few types of foods which keep you awake at night and if you want to get a sound sleep you should avoid these foods listed below:

1. Foods with Extra Sugar

Foods with Extra Sugar

It is certainly bad news for people with a sweet tooth, but it is a proven fact that sugary drinks, as well as foods containing extra sugar cause sleep deprivation. These include chocolates, cakes, and other even soft drinks. It means that the after dinner treats of chocolate and desserts are a no-no. These foods are also not healthier even if you have a good night sleep. It is highly recommended to avoid these foods, especially when you are off to bed. However, you can get the very small amount of these foods if you really crave for these foods in the earlier part of the day.

2. Foods and Drinks with Caffeine

Foods and Drinks with Caffeine

It is a known fact that caffeine causes sleep deprivation. You should avoid every item containing caffeine like hot chocolate (yes! chocolate contains caffeine), coffee or tea. Some of the people might think why caffeine is bad for sleep; the reason is that caffeine keeps the nerves of central nervous system stimulated even after hours of consuming it. That is the reason, we keep consuming cups and cups of coffee when we try to awake in our exam nights or an urgent office assignment. On the other hand, if you want to get a good night sleep, you should avoid taking caffeinated drinks hours before going to bed.

3. High-Fat Containing Meal

You must have heard about the saying ‘no heavy meals after 5 pm’. This is right for countless health benefits because heavy meals before going to bed can cause many problems and one of them is sleep deprivation. A heavy meal does not only include high fat in it, but a meal with high protein ratio is also as dangerous as a high fat meal. It causes acid reflux and makes you awake at night. It is better to take light meals before going to bed, and if you must take heavy meals, you should take it in lunch. If you want to take a sound sleep, stop eating heavy meals before hitting the sack.

4. Spicy Foods

Your dinner should contain less spicy food as recommended by experts. Pepper and spicy food can increase your metabolism which is good for health. However, consuming spicy foods in the evening can cause many problems like burning and raising body temperature. Our body temperature lowers down when we are about to sleep, and if we eat spicy food, the temperature of the body raises and makes it difficult to sleep. Moreover, burning in your chest makes you wake up and struggle with your sleep. Hence, it is highly recommended to avoid eating spicy food before going to bed.

5. Dairy Products

Dairy Products

This might come as a surprise to most of you because warm milk is known to be sleep-inducing. It is true to an extent because of the presence of tryptophan in milk which helps you sleep better. However, according to experts consumption of dairy products makes the mucus viscous and thicker mucus can cause stuffed nasal activity and consequently difficulty in breathing. Difficulty in breathing cause disturbed sleep patterns, and you will stay awake at night. It means

that you should not consume any food which contains dairy products in it so you can have a sound sleep at night.

6. Fried Food

chips-dinner-fast-food

Everyone loves French fries, and we are sorry to break it to you, but any fried food on your table can cause sleep deprivation and disturbed sleep. Moreover, fried foods can cause heartburn and indigestion which keep you waking up at night. Acid reflux is also caused by fried food and other junk food like hamburger. It is highly recommended for people who have sleep deprivation and insomnia to avoid fried food before going to bed.

7. Alcohol

Alcohol is not exactly a morsel of food but it is a drink, and it can cause sleep problems if you use it in the evening. Consuming alcohol might be a favorite way to call it a day for most of the people, but it is just not appropriate to drink if you plan on getting a sound sleep. Alcohol can cause heartburn and keep you waking up at night. It is necessary to avoid consuming alcohol before going to bed if you want to get a good night sleep.

8. Vegetables

Eating your greens certainly makes you healthy but eating vegetables which are hard to digest just before bedtime cause disturbance in sleep. Vegetables like Broccoli and Cauliflower makes you sleep better because of the presence of tryptophan in it, but these should not be eaten right before going to bed. These are hard to digest, and in the result, cause disturbed sleep patterns.

According to researches sleep is more important to humans than food and drinks. You can stay alive even if you don’t get enough food, but you can die in fewer days if you are not getting enough sleep. Sleep deprivation has also been seen to be associated with hallucination. If you eat the wrong food items before going to bed then you will have difficulty falling asleep as they will keep you awake at night. Every food has its merits and demerits, but you should consider the timing of these foods. It is necessary to eat the right amount of food at the right time. Avoid eating these foods right before going to bed.