November 12, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
We often consider sleep as simply a way to rest and recover from a hard day; however, it is vital to our overall health. Sleep plays a key role in maintaining mood, memory and mental performance. Everyone has failed to get a good nights sleep and awoken cranky, moody and feeling mentally drained, but sleep ...
November 3, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night, you may have insomnia. Ultimately, insomnia results in you feeling tired or not refreshed when you awake. How common is insomnia? Insomnia is very common. The National Sleep Foundation has estimated that about 30% of Americans experience some form of insomnia. About 10% ...
October 21, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
How can I treat insomnia without medications? The first step toward treating insomnia is improving your sleeping habits. Many cases of insomnia are actually caused by poor sleeping habits. Consider the following tips: Avoid caffeine, tobacco and alcohol. It can take up to 8 hours for the effects of caffeine to wear off. Although alcohol ...
October 2, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
Sleep apnea is primarily treated with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine that is worn during sleep. The machine helps oxygen flow into your lungs and helps prevent pauses in breathing. A CPAP machine can be prescribed by your doctor. Using a CPAP machine will not cure sleep apnea, but help to treat it. ...
September 13, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
Restless legs syndrome is often described as a creeping, crawling, itching or burning sensation in the legs while resting. These sensations result in an uncontrollable urge to move to relieve the unusual feelings. Restless legs syndrome, or RLS, is more common than you might think. In fact, it is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by healthcare ...
September 4, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
Non-drug therapies can prove very useful in treating restless legs syndrome (RLS). For individuals with mild RLS, non-drug therapies may be the only treatment you need. Examples of non-drug therapies from the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation include the following: Have your doctor check for iron and vitamin deficiencies. Have your doctor and pharmacist review all ...
August 16, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
Yes. It may surprise parents to know that about 25% of children suffer from some form of sleeping problem. These problems can range from mild, like frequent awakenings, to severe, like sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is more common in children than most people think. About 2% to 3% of kids suffer from sleep apnea, but ...
August 13, 2011 in Sleep Disorders
Even if you do not have a sleep disorder, you should work on improving your sleep habits. Practicing good sleep habits can leave you feeling better rested, energetic and more productive. Consider the following tips from the National Sleep Foundation to improve your sleep health: Keep your sleep schedule consistent. Go to bed and wake ...
August 8, 2011 in Featured, Sleep Disorders
Sleep apnea is a pause in breathing while you are asleep. Your breathing will typically become very shallow and it may completely stop for 10 seconds or more. These pauses in breathing can happen up to 400 times a night. As you might expect, your quality of sleep is very poor when sleep apnea is ...
