‘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.

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

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!