Control your Sleep – Do you have what it takes?

A major misconception people tend to have is considering themselves stuck to a certain sleeping pattern for their entire lives. How many times have you heard someone saying that they are a morning people, or evening people or the ‘night owls’? This misnomer is based on concepts people commonly have and which they come to think of as facts. Considering themselves to be capable of sleeping only at a certain time or thinking of being capable of complete wakefulness at another.

Excessively Sleepy? Caffeine won’t help!
If you think that caffeine can keep you awake, think again. Studies show that buckets full of tea and even coffee won’t help when you are suffering from excessive sleep disorder. Nor will coke or any amounts of chocolate, which are otherwise known to contain active caffeine ingredients, will help you stay awake. Alcohol, drugs and smoking are also known to rob patients of deep sleep while keeping them lethargic.

Dealing with Sleep Issues
Not having a proper sleep pattern is a flaw but having one, knowing the hazards of your disorder and then not doing anything about it, is no less than a crime. And it’s a crime you commit against yourself and your health. In the long run it is you who will suffer and consequently your loved ones.

You have a Choice - Take your Pick!
It’s simply wrong to blame your relatives or friends for keeping you awake or blaming them for destroying your schedule, its wrong to believe that you didn’t have a choice, because you do. It’s our own weakness that allows us to get by in most situations and find others to blame it on. In any walk of life, in any situation, we always have a choice. It’s the one we make that creates all the difference in the world. So make a choice today! Take your sleep very seriously but don’t let it or the lack of it take over your life. Any kind of sleep disorder must be taken seriously and professional help should be sought.

Hypersomnia - The Wake up Call [Part 3]

Unchangeable sleep pattern? — No such thing!
Sleep can easily be compared to eating. Our body will try and get more than it really needs, and as a result we spend more time sleeping than absolutely necessary. Our body demands sleep proportional to the amount of learning received during the preceding day. However, modern research suggests that even in case of total inaction, our body demands sleep for seven to eight hours. Few people realize that we are capable of changing our schedules of sleeping by shifting them every 30 to 40 minutes daily.

Hypersomnia in Men
Sometimes there are other causes that lead to hypersomnia and therefore need to be taken care of. In men, the most common factor that causes hypersomnia is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Around 10 per cent of men suffer from OSA, which leads to hypersomnia. This involves loss of the muscle tones in the tongue and throat area that collapses during sleep leading to a block of the air flow, making the patient wake up temporarily before falling asleep again and hence disturbing the natural NREM-REM cycle.

Hypersomnia in Women
Anything taken to extreme is not good. It is the same case with sleep. A study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that excessive sleep in women aged from 50 to 80 can lead to serious stroke risk.

Stop Catnapping & Start Exercising!
People suffering from hypersomnia remain restless, disoriented and anxious throughout the day. Mostly a drop in alertness happens after a heavy meal, as is common in our part of the region. A short nap is generally known to bring people back to their alert selves, but if you want to cure your excessive sleep disorder, it is best to replace catnapping with press-ups. Twenty minutes of physical exercise is enough for anyone who wants to sleep well and keep fit. But remember to exercise no later than three to four hours before nighttime; otherwise this will interfere with your sleep pattern.

Although particular causes of hypersomnia may vary with each individual, in most cases the treatment involves changing your lifestyle. Ninety per cent of the time, all the patient requires is a proper daytime schedule and the willpower to stick to it. Making a schedule is not a problem; the main issue is sticking to it and following it strictly. We easily find reasons to sidetrack from the path and then blame it on circumstances and other people.

Not having a proper sleep pattern is a flaw but knowing the hazards of your disorder and not doing anything about it is simply foolish!

Published: Dawn | Images | Health Wake up call

Hypersomnia - The Wake Up Call [Part 2]

What is Hypersomnia?
Excessive daytime sleepiness is a disorder clinically defined as getting more than 10 hours of sleep every night and still feeling lethargic for most of the day. Symptoms include feeling sleepy despite the long sleep hours, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. Energy levels remain low and even napping does not seem to help. People feel weakness and muscular pain. It is best to consult your physician immediately if you suspect hypersomnia.

There are two known kinds of hypersomnia. The primary hypersomnia distinguished by prolonged excessive sleep disorder. This happens over a long period of time and the symptoms remain consistent. The other is called recurring hypersomnia. However, this lasts for a day or only a couple of days, but can recur many times during a year.

Dealing with it
Since delay in bedtime is the most common cause of this problem, very often hypersomnia is cured by changing your sleep pattern. One can try and change the sleep pattern for a week or so before seeking professional help.

Making sure of your health problem and finding the reasons for your symptoms is the first step to a cure. That is why it is important to consult a physician for a proper diagnosis. Hypersomnia is an uncommon disorder and excessive sleep does not necessarily mean that one has this problem. In fact, there can be several other causes for the excessive sleepiness. About five to 10 per cent of adults aging between 15 to 30 years are known to suffer from this disease.

Make a Schedule
Quite often we initiate sleep too early which results in a longer period of sleep and lethargy through the day. Try to adjust the sleep phase from three to six hours after you start feeling sleepy. Take optimum sleep rhythm into consideration and try to avoid sleep during the day. Maximum sleep generally comes during the middle of the night and tends to increase slightly in the afternoon.

Recognizing maximum sleepiness is important to set a healthy pattern for ourselves. We can take note of when we feel sleepy the most for a couple of days to keep track. Once we understand the sleep pattern, we should try and adjust it to our schedule. The best time to sleep is at night since our mind and body’s natural pattern demands that. Therefore we should try and set our sleep pattern accordingly. Avoid falling asleep anytime during the day, even if it’s just for 30 minutes or less since chances are that we might still wake up ‘un-refreshed’. Continued...

Published: Dawn | Images | Health Wake up call