TV before bed causes chronic health problems...
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Watching TV before you go to bed gives you a bad night's sleep and can lead to
chronic health problems...

Psychiatrists were surprised to find watching television appeared to be the most
dominant pre-sleep activity and sleep patterns were based around schedules
rather than sunset or biological factors.

One in three Brits have sleep problems making it one of the most common
complaints doctors hear. As a result sleep deprivation is becoming a national
problem, warn health experts.

Sleep is so important because it allows the brain to recover from the rigours of
the day. Not getting enough has been found to increase the risk of obesity,
heart disease and depression.

Dr Mathias Basner, of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, University of
Pennsylvania, said: "According to our results, watching less television in the
evening and postponing work start time in the morning appear to be the candidate
behavioural changes for achieving additional sleep and reducing chronic sleep
debt."

The researchers said sleeping less than seven to eight hours daily impairs
alertness but despite this up to four in ten Americans do not achieve the
recommended amount.

Read this article on insomnia:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/5483296/TV-before-bed-causes-chron\
ic-health-problems-study-claims.html


Exercise can keep you awake - not put you to sleep
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It used to be believed that a good workout helps to send you off by making you
more tired - but it now appears the reverse is true.

A study of fourteen participants who wore armbands monitoring their movements
for 23 days found the more active they were the less they napped. Surprisingly,
total sleep time increased by an average of 42 minutes a night after days with
low physical activity.

Heart specialist Dr Arn Eliasson, who led the research, said the results were
the opposite of expectations. Quality of sleep did not improve after days of
increased exertion. He said: "It has long been recommended, even championed,
that getting exercise is part of the recipe for improved sleep. Our data do not
support that notion. "The longest sleep, and best sleep efficiency, occurred
after days with low non-exercise exertion.

Similarly, we expected that better-rested subjects would be more inclined to get
exercise or have busier days. "However, better rested subjects got less exercise
and had less calorie expenditure. After relatively more sleep, more than six
hours, all measures of exertion decreased."

The data collected included total sleep time, exercise energy expenditure and
BMI of the participants, seven of whom were a normal size with the others
overweight. Paradoxically, increased activity was seen in the group with a
higher BMI who also walked more.

Dr Eliasson, of the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC, speculates
the findings may be explained by personality types. Individuals who are
ambitious and active during the day may also be more "hyper-vigilant" at night
and therefore sleep less. Meanwhile, low key people who are less active may have
no difficulties falling or staying asleep.

Another explanation may be that job and life stresses lead to busier days, more
exertion and more calories burned but may interfere with sleep.

Read the full article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5468789/Exercise-can-keep-you-awake\
---not-put-you-to-sleep-study-finds.html


Improve Your Quality of Sleep via better Stress Management
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Cambridgeshire 1-day workshop: "Surfing Stress & Weaving Well-being"
June 28th 2009.

Repeated on: November 14th.

Details at: http://www.sunflower-health.com/workshops.htm


Remedies for Common Symptoms Causing Sleep Disturbances
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Nocturnal symptoms [in the form of] spasms, cramps, bizarre sensations and the
like – that can disturb the deepest slumber to induce a state of chronic
exhaustion. The commonest must be nocturnal cramps that propel the sufferer out
of bed to patrol the bedroom floor. The standard preventive therapy is quinine,
taken either as a tablet or in the form of tonic water, but the ever-lengthening
list of remedies suggests a host of other possible causes.

These include, surprisingly, the popular heartburn remedy Tumms whose active
ingredient calcium carbonate stabilises the muscles. By contrast, compressing
between finger and thumb the philtrum of the upper lip (just beneath the nose)
can bring instantaneous relief through a reflex stimulation of the nerves in the
spinal cord.

Unpleasant sensations of the vile feeling of ants (or worms) crawling up and
down the limbs – typical of restless legs syndrome – is the most familiar. There
are several variants, like a burning sensation or painful itch on the soles of
feet and excruciating waves of pain likened to a “swarm of bees all stinging at
one time”.

While it appears these sensations are caused by some disturbance of nerve
function in the lower limbs, they in fact arise from the sensory cortex of the
brain. Thankfully, the Parkinson’s drug Ropinirole in small doses is an
effective antidote.

Two further readily treatable sleep-disturbing syndromes are, first, the
exhausting ritual of having to rise several times at night to pass large
quantities of urine – otherwise known as benign nocturnal polyuria. This can be
mitigated by a dose of aspirin or Nurofen on retiring. [can also be caused by
prostate or bladder problems]

Waking in the early hours with a pounding heart and racing pulse is due, it now
appears, to acid reflux which (by some obscure mechanism) stimulates the vagus
nerve to the heart. Hence, and logically, many obtain considerable relief from
taking the acid suppressant Omeprazole at night. There is, of course, much more
but the principle holds that these intrusive nocturnal symptoms should not be
permitted to get in the way of a restorative night’s sleep.

Read the full article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/jameslefanu/5476179/Dr-James-Le-F\
anu-sleep-disturbing-syndromes.html