Archive for May, 2008
5 Top Insomnia Symptoms
Friday, May 30th, 2008Insomnia symptoms are not distinctive, though the chances of occurrence are high if you experience all or most of them at the same time. Feeling tired and sleepy during the day is an important and possible sign of insomnia. This can also happen after an especially stressful day, or if you have had an especially calorific lunch.
However, you should suspect that something is wrong, if you notice a pattern of tiredness right from the moment of awakening, on a regular basis. You should know that high blood sugar or a hormonal deficiency can also produce similar symptoms, so do not jump to a conclusion about insomnia without checking things with your doctor.
Your partner or spouse can provide hints of your possible insomnia, by telling your doctor and you about your sleep behavior. Loud snoring, repeated awakening, and restlessness, could be signs of insomnia, of which you are not fully aware once you get out of bed. However, you will know if you lie awake for any length of time, or if you have to empty your bladder frequently. The latter however, may have nothing to do with insomnia.
Insomnia Types
What You Should Know About Zoloft and Insomnia
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that Zoloft and insomnia are related. Insomnia represents one of the more common side-effects of taking Zoloft. Viewed in this light, Zoloft and insomnia do indeed have a certain interconnection.
Zoloft and Insomnia – Taking One Can Result In the Other
Insomnia is a fairly common Zoloft side-effect. Some clinical trials of Zoloft (or sertraline hydrochloride) revealed that insomnia was observed in nearly 29 percent of people taking medication. The relationship between Zoloft and insomnia was noted to be more pronounced for individuals taking Zoloft for their obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD).
Almost 30 percent of people struggling with OCD reported encountering insomnia with continued Zoloft intake. Meanwhile, links between taking Zoloft and insomnia occurrence were least common among patients using the drug for treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorders (PMDD). A mere 10 percent of PMDD patients reported coming across insomnia symptoms while taking Zoloft.
Someone has insomnia if they exhibit one or more of these symptoms: extremely early wakeup times, trouble getting to sleep, un-refreshed sleep, intermittent waking during the night and difficulty falling back to sleep. Taking Zoloft and insomnia occurrence afterward is a likely scenario as insomnia is a known side-effect of the drug.
Who Is Interested In Dealing With Preschool Sleep Problems?
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008Preschool sleep problems are common among kids. Some of the more common sleep problems include difficulty getting to sleep, irregular sleep patterns and frequent middle-of-the-night wakings. There’s no clear-cut right or wrong way of putting kids to bed. If you and your children are happy with the current sleep routine, stick with it. BUT, if it creates preschool sleep problems, you might want to rethink your current bedtime routine.
Handling Preschool Sleep Problems
To help prevent preschool sleep problems at bedtime, parents should develop some kind of bedtime routine that will be strictly followed each night. The routine could include brushing teeth, talking, taking baths, reading books and saying prayers. A great way to end a bedtime routine is to read a story or book to your kids once they’re tucked into bed. Conclude the routine by hitting the lights and saying goodnight.
Most preschool sleep problems occur because parents aren’t consistent with their routines. Once kids are put in bed, parents should be strict about such rules as not leaving the bedroom. If kids do get up and come out, return them to their rooms and remind them that they have to sleep in their own beds. Keep parental interactions like bedtime hugs and kisses with kids with preschool sleep problems to a minimum. If children with preschool sleep problems continue to leave their rooms, warn them that you’ll have to close the bedroom door the next time it happens.
What Is Insomnia?
Monday, May 26th, 2008When you ask people what is insomnia all about, they’ll invariably tell you it’s got something to do with trouble getting to sleep. Their idea would be right, partially anyway. A more complete definition of what is insomnia is that it’s a sleep disorder that is mainly characterized by trouble falling asleep AND/OR staying asleep for a normal period of time.
Insomnia 101
Part of understanding the question what is insomnia about is knowing its related symptoms. These include frequent night waking and trouble sleeping again, waking up way too early in the mornings, difficulty dozing off and feeling exhausted upon waking up.
In asking what is insomnia, people will typically encounter two main types. There’s the primary and there’s the secondary. Primary insomnia refers to sleep problems that are not directly linked to other health conditions. Secondary insomnia has to do with sleep problems that are brought on by something else like a medical condition, medications, substances used or pain.
People asking what is insomnia about will likely also come across the classifications based on duration and frequency of insomnia occurrence. Researching what is insomnia will lead them to two insomnia kinds – the acute or short-term and the chronic or long-term.
Newborn Sleep Problems – What People Can Do About Them
Sunday, May 25th, 2008First-time parents often run across newborn sleep problems the day they take their bundles of joy home. Couples say a temporary goodbye to a good night’s sleep during this period of adjustment. But don’t lose hope. Sleepless nights aren’t totally unheard of for majority of new parents. It IS possible to address newborn sleep problems.
Newborns often sleep 16-hour days. But this sleep time is usually done in one- or two-hour stretches at a time. As the nervous system of babies matures, more consistent sleep patterns emerge and they can go much longer in between feedings.
Making Sense Of Newborn Sleep Problems
When it comes to eliminating newborn sleep problems and establishing sleeping routines, flexibility is key. For at least the first six months, babies require parental attention during the night for feedings and getting settled.
Newborn sleep routines can be as diverse as they are for parents and babies. What approaches parents take will largely depend on the particular sleep choices they make – like where the baby will sleep (in the parents’ bed, a bed in their room or in the baby’s own bed).
The Downside of OTC and Herbal Medications for Insomnia
Sunday, May 25th, 2008Have you ever felt that your mind is running nonstop even if you are all ready to go to sleep? No matter how hard you try, you still can not get to relax and shut your thoughts out even if your body is aching to just rest and sleep?
Though this may be a common sign of insomnia or other sleep disorder, there have been numerous studies on treatments and medications for insomnia to help those people who are suffering every night. These insomnia medications have been proven to work, both as prescription drugs, herbal remedies and over-the-counter pills.
Over-The-Counter Pills
Over-the-counter medications for insomnia are proven to help you deal with your sleeping but should only be used for short term basis. Examples of these non-prescriptive medications that could be brought from drugstores, retail stores, or even grocery shops are Sleep-Eze, Nytol, and Sominex.
It is however recommended that these medications for insomnia should only be used as a short term aid to help you deal with your sleeping disorder because they could worsen the case. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has testified that antihistamine is the most common ingredients of these over-the-counter medications for insomnia and they are only relying on the sedating effects of antihistamine to help the person overcome the sleep disorder.










