Can’t sleep? Try a sound machine

March 15th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Can’t sleep? A sound machine may help. The sound machine provides soothing noise to ensure that you fall asleep, and stay asleep.

Novelties - A Sound Machine That Stays Alert While You’re Asleep - NYTimes.com:

“‘We trick the ear into thinking it is listening to something pleasant,’ said Mr. Nicolino, an electrical engineer, amateur musician and audio bug, who created the device when a freeway was built near his home and he realized that he could mask its roar with the sounds of ocean waves.”


Sleep And Insomnia — what’s insomnia?

October 31st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

When assessing the sleep that you receive each night it is important to clearly differentiate between sleep and insomnia. Although it is true that insomnia is the inability to fall asleep at night, it is also true that insomnia maybe a combination of sleeping patterns.

Those patterns can include falling asleep and waking up during the night with the inability to fall back to sleep again. In addition, insomnia may include an individual waking up too early.

In any case, the condition of insomnia leaves the individual feeling tired and lethargic. This is because insomnia is not defined by the hours slept or not slept, but how restful the sleep is. Therefore, if there is a consistent routine in which the individual wakes up and does not feel rested, then that person may suffer from insomnia.

Causes Of Insomnia

There are many underlying causes that can disturb an individual and become the difference between sleep and insomnia. Some causes of insomnia can include environmental factors. Environment factors can include a change in a person’s schedule or weather changes.

Stress can also be a major catalyst as to whether a person experiences sleep or insomnia. Another major factor between sleep and insomnia is a person’s diet. For example, if a person drinks significant amounts of alcohol or coffee they may be subject to insomnia. This is due to the fact that these two substances are diuretics. These diuretics increase the function of the kidneys which in turn causes frequent urination.

Preventing Insomnia

If given a choice between sleep and insomnia, it is safe to assert that many will choose sleep. To enhance this normal process there are a number of steps that an individual can implement to insure a good night’s rest.

A few of those steps include the following of a fairly strict routine of going to bed at a certain hour and waking up a specific time. Also, to ensure a good night’s rest avoid taking naps during the day.

Also, in regards to a person’s diet, avoid or minimize the use of coffee and alcohol. In addition, eating a light meal in the evening may aid in the sleeping process.

Finally, try to avoid worry and stress. This may be accomplished by reading in the evening, listening to relaxing music or soak in a warm bath.

You can beat insomnia — discover how.


Menopause Insomnia — a common challenge

October 31st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

One of the most unpleasant effects of menopause is insomnia. You lie awake for hours — you’re tired, but you seem to have lost the ability to sleep.

This results in feeling washed out and exhausted the next morning. Is there a solution?

Let’s look at when menopause insomnia occurs.

Menopause is a natural phase in every woman’s life that usually occurs in the fifties but some women may experience it sooner or later. Menopause indicates the slowing down of the reproductive system, the end of the menstrual cycle and the inability of bearing children.

During menopause a woman will experience hormonal imbalances, which inevitably will have a series of side effects such as insomnia. Here is how you can recognize, treat and sometimes even prevent menopause insomnia.

Because menopause affects our hormonal levels directly, a woman will usually experience one or more of the following symptoms: irregular bleeding in early stages, hot flashes and night sweats, mood swings, change in appetite that can affect your weight, dry vagina, urinary tract infections in some cases, anxiety, headaches, depression and insomnia.

Recognizing Menopause Insomnia

Menopause can occur any time between 45 to 65 years of age but in some cases earlier and a good way to expect and prepare for your menopause stage is asking your mother when she got her menopause. However, lifestyles can make a huge difference, for example, if you did not have any children, you are likely to have menopause set in faster then your mother.

Menopause insomnia can manifest in many different ways such as: having difficulty falling asleep, having difficulties staying asleep and/or waking up in the early hours of the morning and not being able to go back to sleep. The only way to recognize a changing pattern in your sleep and link it to menopause is to also notice changes in your body, such as the menstrual cycle, your age and lifestyle. Consult your doctor, who will be able to determine precisely if you are experiencing early symptoms of menopause.

Dealing With Menopause Insomnia

If you caught the menopause in its early stages the best way to deal with it is through exercise and a healthy diet prescribed by your doctor, which, when combined, will work together to provide you the nightly rest. There are a large variety of medications that can also contribute to provide you relief from menopause insomnia however, they must only be administered with a doctor’s prescription and supervision, as sleeping aids can be habit forming and also have a series of side effects.

Helpful Tip

Most of us deal with a great deal of stress on a daily basis, some of which we are not even aware of and that, along with the natural changes in your body, such as menopause, can vastly affect your sleeping pattern. Try and find natural remedies as much as possible, like eating healthy and exercising along with herbal teas and relaxing baths that will induce sleep and an over all feeling of well-being.

Here’s a solution to menopause insomnia.


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