‘Awakenings’ That Occur With Popular Sleep-Aid Ambien May Be Explained

Do you experience problems with Ambien? There are many side effects of ambien, and other over-the-counter (OTC) sleep drugs. As sleep is still considered a phenomenon not fully understood, drug companies churn out drugs for the masses which have undesirable effects hitherto unknown to medical science.

To quote Dr Molly M. Hunstman, an assistant professor in the department of pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center and corresponding author for the study:

“Some people who take the fast-acting sleep-aid zolpidem (Ambien) have been observed walking, eating, talking on the phone and even driving while not fully awake. Many often don’t remember doing any of these activities the next morning. Similarly, this drug has been shown to awaken the minimally conscious into a conscious state…”This was really unexpected. It appears the receptors on some inhibitory neurons were changed and were able to be inhibited by zolpidem, preventing them from performing their normal functions.”

Sleep is a natural process the body undergoes, and altering it with unnatural products might cause undesirable effects. Taking a sleeping pill does not solve the problem and often exacerbates it. Also, there are many changes these drugs cause to the body which man has not been fully able to understand. This is one of the many reasons why I tend to approach sleep with a more natural and holistic approach - by improving sleep habits and changing sleep patterns to suit you. This ensures that you have the safest and most natural way to sleep better.

For the full story: ‘Awakenings’ That Occur With Popular Sleep-Aid Ambien May Be Explained

Women With Stable Marriages And New Partners Enjoy Better Sleep

It is known well known that to improve quality of life, you have to improve sleep - both of these aspects are invariably intertwined; the better your sleep, the higher the quality of life you will enjoy. On top of experiencing better productivity at work and improved relationships with everyone around you, new research has shown that women who are in stable marriages obtain the highest quality of sleep. Is the quality of your sleep (and your partner’s) an indicator of the quality of your marriage?

“The researchers found that women who were in a stable marriage had the highest quality sleep measured objectively and subjectively, and these results persisted even after controlling for other known risk factors for sleep, including age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms.” - Wendy Troxel, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Pitt’s School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh

If you are struggling in any aspect of your life, a good starting point is to work on your sleep. Try our
free questionnaire to find out if you have any sleep disorder, or get some free tips on how you can improve the your sleep.

Sleep Apnea During REM Sleep sig. Associated With Type 2 Diabetes

Does your family have a history of diabetes? Researchers have found a positive correlation between sleep apnea and diabetes, especially when it occurs during episodes of REM (dream) sleep. If you genetically predisposed to diabetes, are you aware if you suffer from sleep apnea? Even if you do not have diabetes now, learn how to sleep better with our free sleep tips to reduce your life time risk of diabetes.

“A multi-ethnic study in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reports that there is a statistically significant relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) episodes occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and type 2 diabetes.
…odds ratio for type 2 diabetes was 2.0 times higher in patients with REM-related OSA, defined as havng an REM apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 10 or more breathing pauses per hour of REM sleep…Most people with OSA snore loudly and frequently, and they often experience excessive daytime sleepiness.”

For the full story: Sleep Apnea Occurring During REM Sleep Is Significantly Associated With Type 2 Diabetes

For Heavy Snorers, Artery Concerns

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, Canada and Europe - killing one person every 34 seconds. The general notion is that it is caused primarily by a diet rich in fats and a sedentary lifestyle. However, recent studies have shown additional risk factors that contribute to narrowing of the arteries - risk factors that can be easily eliminated with little or no effort at all.

“Smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension and obesity are among the known risk factors for carotid artery stenosis, the narrowing of the arteries that supply the brain with blood, and whose blockage can lead to stroke. Now researchers may have found a new risk: heavy snoring.After controlling for sex, body mass index, smoking, hypertension and other factors, they calculated that the risk for carotid artery narrowing among the heaviest snorers was 10 times the risk among those who snored the least.

…the authors write that the vibrations of snoring may cause damage to the epithelium, the cells that line the inside of the artery, leading to inflammation and plaque buildup.”

Eventually, the plaque buildup prevents sufficient oxygen from reaching the brain, thus causing a stroke. Complications can arise along the way and lead to numerous other life-threatening situations like cardiac arrest. Simply by learning how to stop snoring, you can lead a healthier life, free from heart disease - the number one killer in the world.

For the full story: For Heavy Snorers, Artery Concerns

Sleep Apnea Linked to Memory Loss

When you don’t get enough sleep the night before, the first thing you notice the next day is lethargy, and decreased mental performance. However, many do not realised that their poor memory could also be due to sleep apnea, as a recent  UCLA study has found.

“Sleep apnea can lead to brain tissue loss in the area of the brain that stores memory. The brain damage may be caused by the drops in oxygen level caused by the disruption in breathing during the night. Persistent memory loss even after treatment for sleep apnea suggests long term brain damage. Physicians are experimenting with B1 supplements as a possible treatment for this memory loss. B1 is currently the method used to help alcoholic patients with memory loss.”

Parents Do Not Recognize Consequences of Neglecting Childhood Sleep Problems

Survey results show that eight out of 10 parents are unaware that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity can be consequences of neglecting common childhood sleep disorders such as snoring and pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. More than 80 percent of parents also did not know that a tonsillectomy is the most effective treatment for sleep disordered breathing issues. Studies reveal that newer options can make the procedure less painful – and the recovery quicker – than ever before.

The survey uncovered the top five misconceptions about this leading treatment for children’s obstructive sleep disorders:

• Doctors don’t remove tonsils anymore. Approximately 600,000 tonsillectomies are performed each year for children and adults. According to the AAO-HNS, it is the second most common childhood surgery.

• Tonsils are mainly removed for sore throats and tonsillitis. Seventy-five percent of tonsillectomies are performed to treat obstructive sleep disorders.

• A child will be in pain for up to two weeks after a tonsillectomy. Several studies show that advanced low-temperature technology, called Coblation, reduces pain after surgery compared to older, high-temperature technology such as electrocautery.

• Children can only eat ice cream after a tonsillectomy. Low-temperature technology is allowing children to return to a normal diet three times faster on average when compared to hot technology such as electrocautery.

• Tonsillectomies have been performed the same way for decades. Scalpels and high temperature technology are still used, but according to a study published recently in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the advent of low-temperature technology in the last several years has been shown to improve patient recovery when compared to electrocautery.

The survey also confirmed that more than 90 percent of parents would prefer a quicker, less painful recovery for their child if they must undergo a tonsillectomy…

If you have a child experiencing sleep problems, I strongly advise you to do something about it. Your child’s mental and physical development is crucial at a young age and ignoring the problem only makes it worse in the future. Before you send your child for surgery, check out our Free Sleep - Do’s and Don’ts List

For the full report: Parents Do Not Recognize Consequences of Neglecting Childhood Sleep Problems

An Ugly Pair, Asleep and Awake

If you suffer from frequent headaches, the first thing that comes to mind are factors such as stress and a poor work environment. However, a recent study has shown that your nighttime snoring could very well be the cause of it.

Habitual snoring and chronic headaches appear to go together, according to a study released yesterday…In the headache group, 24 percent said they always snored, compared with 14 percent of the other group. When the figures were adjusted for factors like body weight and alcohol use, people with chronic headaches were more than twice as likely to be habitual snorers, the study said.

VITAL SIGNS: PATTERNS; An Ugly Pair, Asleep and Awake

Many Men Have a Problem They Should Wake Up To

Lets face it, men are usually reluctant to admit to problems that are especially embarrassing - take snoring and sleep apnea for example. If it does not have any obvious effects, men will choose to ignore it. Often, it is the partner who notices the problem and sounds the alarm. By choosing to sleep through their sleep apnea and snoring, these men do not realize that this prevents them from getting good quality sleep. Like experts always say, acceptance is the first step toward overcoming the problem. It is not difficult; all it takes is some determination and the know-how. Click on the relevant sections above to find quick and simple tips to stop snoring tonight!

“…Bingo: obstructive sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that has been diagnosed in millions of American men, but is thought to be overlooked in perhaps millions more. The disease has been associated with a variety of serious health problems, including high-blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. Though it can appear at any age, the condition primarily affects middle-aged men…(men experiencing sleep apnea) double the rate for middle-aged women.

”People today are so accustomed to being sleepy because they don’t get enough sleep,” Dr. Hunt said, ”that when they develop a real sleep disorder, they don’t recognize it as a medical problem.”

For the full report: Many Men Have a Problem They Should Wake Up To

A Lineman in My Bed: Notes on Teeth Grinding

In addition to snoring and sleep apnea, grinding of one’s teeth (known as bruxism) can also be the cause of recurrent headaches and low quality sleep. While snoring, insomnia and sleep apnea have more obvious effects in the morning, bruxism could also be the cause of your daytime tiredness. Here is an interesting article on a man’s experience with bruxism.

Read the full story here: A Lineman in My Bed: Notes on Teeth Grinding

Hazards: Sleeping Through Noise, but Still Feeling Its Effects

This article puts forth research that shows how noise can cause an increase in blood pressure, which then leads to further health complications such as heart disease in the future.

For the full report: Hazards: Sleeping Through Noise, but Still Feeling Its Effects

One of the major factors which determine how well you sleep at night is the quality of your sleep environment. Is the room at a comfortable temperature? Is it dark and quiet? Check out our Sleep Do’s and Don’ts for more quick tips to sleep better tonight!

Should noise at night be a problem for you, either due to a noisy neighbor or roommate, you should go about addressing it as it can significantly raise your blood pressure whilst you’re asleep. If the source of noise is somewhere closer, like a snoring partner, the noise can also cause similar problems.

The noise affects us on a subconscious level, very much similar to how expectant mothers play classical music to their unborn baby (though this claim is still disputed). You should strive to have as quiet a sleep environment as possible in order to fall asleep more easily. Many of us sleep in bedrooms that are too noisy, too warm or too cluttered. Solve these problems and you’re on your way to better sleep!

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