Insomnia: How Lack of Sleep Can Damage Your Health
By
What is Insomnia?
The average person spends approximately 1/3 of his or her life sleeping. Although we do not yet fully understand either the purpose or the mechanics of sleep, we do know that an insufficient amount can have far-reaching consequences: our work performance, our personal relationships, and our physical and mental health all depend on getting an appropriate amount of rest.
The inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep throughout the night is a condition known as insomnia, and it is among the most common of all medical complaints; approximately 1/3 of all people experience a period of insomnia at least once during their lifetime. Individuals with insomnia typically experience at least one of the following symptoms:
– Difficulties falling asleep;
– Inability to stay asleep, or waking up too early;
– Sleepiness during the day;
– Fatigue or lack of energy;
– Irritability;
– Headache;
– Decreased ability to concentrate;
– Increased errors or accidents;
– Depression and/or anxiety;
– Continual worry about sleep.
Health Risks of Insomnia
If you are not getting the sleep that you need, your insomnia may eventually lead to serious consequences for your health. In the short term, your alertness and focus are impaired, which can have a negative effect on your school or work performance. Relationship problems may result from irritability due to lack of sleep, while fatigue may prevent you from participating in your normal activities.
In the long-term, the complications of insomnia can be even more severe. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and mood disorders are all associated with chronic insomnia; these conditions can be life-threatening, and they will certainly reduce the quality of your life.
What Causes Insomnia?
Insomnia is symptomatic of a large number of physiological disorders; if you are having difficulty sleeping, chances are that an underlying health problem is to blame. Illness, infection, mental health disorders, and medications can all keep you from getting the proper amount of rest. Hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances can affect your body’s ability to fall asleep, and dietary deficiencies can cause insomnia, as well. Exposure to toxic elements such as heavy metals, molds, and other environmental pollutants have also been shown to impair sleep.
Finding the Cause of Insomnia
By determining what is causing your insomnia, your health care provider will be better able to help you design a plan for managing your sleep problem. To find out what is keeping you up at night, your doctor may ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle, your sleeping environment, and even the sleep habits of your partner. A variety of lab tests can also be useful in pinpointing the cause of your insomnia in the event that a health problem is involved.
Managing Insomnia
The first step to getting back to sleep is to treat the underlying cause. Establishing good sleep habits may include nutritional support, exercise, detoxification, and incorporating a relaxation technique into your daily routine.
Good sleep hygiene is important for getting the rest you need. By following the guidelines listed here, you will find yourself drifting off easily, without the constant worry about getting enough sleep every night.
– Stick to a constant sleep schedule, with a consistent bed time and wake-up time;
– Avoid bright lights (including the television and computer) for at least two hours before bedtime;
– Do not exercise within three hours of bedtime;
– Make sure your bedroom is for sleeping – keep the TV, computer, and any other distractions in another room;
– Make sure your sleeping environment is cool, dark and quiet;
– Avoid caffeine, smoking, and alcohol, especially before bed;
– Don’t eat right before you go to bed;
– Try a relaxation exercise such as deep breathing before you turn in.
Over-the-counter and prescription sleep medications are best avoided; they may help you fall asleep, but they can be habit-forming, and they have a variety of negative side effects. By identifying the cause of your insomnia and making some adjustments to your lifestyle, you should be able to overcome your sleep difficulties naturally.
Question and Answer
What health care problem should I address in a statistics assignment?
I have to make a power point about a health care problem for a statistics class and include a frequency table, which means I need actual numbers, not percentages as most statistic information is portrayed. Does anyone know what would be a good health-related topic where I could find actual numbers easily? Or any good websites for health-related data?
To order online lab test kits to identify the cause of your insomnia visit HealthRemedies.com. Receive 10% off your next sleep supplement purchase by entering discount code SLEEP upon checkout. Valerie Balandra NP is a nurse practitioner that takes a naturopathic and functional medicine approach in her patient care. Valerie is available for telephone consultations by calling 941 371-7997.
18 Comments
November 8th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
November 8th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
http://www.everyonebenefits.com/12851363 this is a great ste for someone looking for low cost health programs.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Goshh…. gus is right!! this is amazing & you are so amazing!!
Beautiful…
November 8th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
crazyyyyyyyy stuff man i like it a lot. i expeccially love that blunt.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Wow! Seriously, that looks like real picture!
November 9th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Yes. If you have unlimited resources as an American you have the best health care in the world. If you are an ordinary citizen you simply don't. Even the average health care plan generally does not cover the basics like European systems do. All too often Americans find out just how under insured they are when sickness strikes.
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2008/Jun/How-Many-Are-Underinsured–Trends-Among-U-S–Adults–2003-and-2007.aspx
That's important because when those people are lucky enough to stay healthy they will never see a problem whatsoever just as their fellow countrymen were just fine with their coverage before tradgedy happened.
http://www.click2houston.com/investigates/12538706/detail.html
http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/your_story/my-insurance-company-denied-my-doctors-prescription
http://www.rhonawaxman.com/blog/insurance-company-medical-exam-denied-me-surgery.html
This is the same thing as with the standard of living. Americans have a higher income on average than Americans but more detailed data shows it's the top 1 percent income earners that's responsible for the whole difference. Middle clas an poor Americans are much worse of than their European counterparts
That's ultimately what it is about
November 9th, 2009 at 8:51 am
A. Public health looks at everyone from all over. We (I'm an epidemiologist) are concerned with things that may be coming down the pike and hit all of us (like bird flu, etc.). Community health mostly involves doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals that tailor interventions to a particular community's needs, and they generally don't plan out for "the bigger picture", although they do a heck a job in their locales, since they know it better.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Click here :
http://yfrog.com/5g21403615j
November 9th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Don't use computer with the charger plugged in unless it needs to be charged. Doing so will kill the battery in short order. Batteries are designed to be discharged and charged. Many say batteries have no memory which I dispute. Read several pages here and you'll find that most of the battery problems are from leaving the charger plugged in.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:08 am
APBT and Rottweiler Health Testing:
I do not breed but I do have some knowledge to assist me when buying outside of a rescue. It also helps me keep breeders reputable. The following health testing is not specific to just APBT's or Rottweilers as most diseases are not exclusive to just one specific breed.
True health-testing is in depth and seeks to identify carriers of crippling and increasingly common genetic diseases that are affecting our purebred dogs. Health-testing is a tool to help breed away diseases from the dogs that are carrying them.
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) offers tests for hips, elbows, patellas (kneecaps), cardiac, thyroid, eyes, hearing, shoulders, some skin diseases, and a hip disorder commonly affecting small dogs. They also offer DNA testing. PennHip is another organization that offers hip testing, utilizing different methods than the OFA.
Hips are probably the top concern then cardiac, elbows and patellas are also important to a working breed and the remaining as above noted above.
The working drive and pain threshold is so high in this breed that afflicted dogs may work their hearts out without ever giving any indicator that they are unsound.
The APBT ranks 27th out of 142 breeds for hip dysplasia. 22.2% of our breed is dysplastic, versus only 4.8% excellent. That number is up more than 7% since 1990. (The AmStaff's percentage of hip dysplasia dropped 9% during that same period.)
The APBT ranks 15th out of 82 breeds for elbow dysplasia. 14% of tested dogs are dysplastic.
Rottweiler Health Testing: (Same as above with the following)
A reputable breeder will have the hips and elbows of all breeding stock x-rayed and read by a recognized specialist. They will have paperwork to prove it.
They will also have certificates that their breeding animals do not have Entropian or Ectropian and that they have full and complete dentition with a scissor bite.
As with any species, hereditary conditions do occur in some lines. Potential purchasers should question breeders about any history of hereditary disease in their lines.
If over fed and /or under exercised Rottweiler’s are one of the breeds most prone to obesity. Some of the consequences of obesity can be very serious: arthritis, breathing difficulties, diabetes, heart failure, reproductive problems, skin disease, reduce resistance to disease and overheating caused by the thick jacket of fat under the skin
Ego, reputable breeders do health testing to “Better the Breed”!
November 9th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Man, you’re good at that.
I like your subject matter, too.
I can write music til the cows come home but I always tell people that I can’t “draw water”. haha.
Thanks for the invite. Rare treat.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
really cool.
November 10th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
November 11th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Well, if she's 40 and perfectly healthy, it's going to cost her about $500 a month to have a low/no deductible plan that covers checkups.
You BUY it on a month to month basis. If you want low monthly payments, you have to cut the coverage – like take a $10,000 deductible. Or higher. That would cut payments down to maybe $200 a month or less.
The older she is, the less healthy she is, the more it costs.
Your best bet, is to find a local, independent agent, who can help you balance cost with coverage.
November 10th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
prodigious!
November 11th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
hermosisimooooooooo !!!
November 12th, 2009 at 12:35 am
lemme just say… you are my new hero.
November 12th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Johnny Depp reminds me so much of John Barrymore.