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Sleep and Marriage Sleep and Marriage Go Together Like a

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According to a study by the Sleep 2011, 25th anniversary meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Minneapolis, if your wife can’t fall asleep easy you are more likely to have marital problems. The research measured 35 healthy, married couple’s ability to fall asleep and the total each slept over a 10 day period. Couples kept a diary and recorded positive and negative reactions with their spouse. It was concluded that wives who have sleep difficulties affected the way they communicated to their spouse the next day. There are several studies that show sleep deprivation causes irritability and when you are irritated you are most likely to take it out on your spouse/partner. Sleep is found to be very important in the detriment of marriage quality. Read more »

Sleep with an Open Marriage

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Do you know where your spouse is? If your partner purposes we either have an open marriage or we separate, does this mean they are already having an affair or just hoping that you agree that both of you may see other people intimately? If you agree to an open marriage (besides worrying about STD's), is your biggest fear that they would fall in love with the other person and you would end up separated/divorced nonetheless? Is the only reason they want to have an open marriage to stay close to the kids and not to go through a messy divorce; splitting assets, child custody etc? If so, do you feel the marriage is pretty much over anyway and the only reason you would agree is to have time to get your life in order to prepare for being a single mom: getting a job that can pay for child care with health benefits, saving some money etc. Do you end your 20+ year marriage on a maybe? Not only are you stressed about what they're doing when their not home, you are also stressed about what you are going to do with the rest of your life. What are your options if you agree to this? Who can sleep easy with all this added stress? You wonder how he can sleep so easy (snoring beside you) knowing what he is doing to your family. Can you live with yourself in a semi-happy marriage, life without intimacy from your partner, but freedom to do what you want without financial burdens? In order to sleep with an open marriage it may be time to rewrite your marriage rules according to Pamela Haag, the author of Marriage Confidential: The Post-Romantic Age of Workhorse Wives, Royal Children, Undersexed Spouses, and Rebel Couples Who Are Rewriting the Rules Read more »

Sleep with a Chronic Cough from Bronchitis Asthma COPD

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The most common reason for a chronic cough at night is asthma although other conditions such as bronchitis, COPD, emphysema, cystic fibrosis and other respiratory conditions are known to cause excessive coughing. Many suggest that to sleep with a chronic cough from bronchitis, asthma or COPD is to go to bed only when you’re tired, breath only through your nose and avoid sleeping on your back. There is a technique called the Buteyko Emergency Procedure that stops persistent coughing and allows you to fall asleep easy. Here is how the procedure works: Read more »

This Father’s Day Give the Gift of Sleep

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Many men feel that sleep is at the bottom of their priority list dividing most their time between work and family life. Since getting little sleep impacts their ability to perform during their waking hours and over time may have an effect on their over-all health, getting enough sleep each night is very important. Like women, men don’t realize they need more sleep because they get used to being tired and they think this is way I am suppose to feel. If they get tired, they simply fight through it and as a result it minimizes their ability to focus and reduces their energy levels. Pay attention to the signs that they aren’t getting enough sleep; do they feel tired during the day, are they unmotivated, lose their temper easily or falls asleep easy while doing family activities? If so, this Father’s Day give the gift of sleep. Read more »

Book Review: Go the F**K to Sleep is All About the “ME” Time

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I read an article from CNN about a new book that is being pre-ordered on Amazon at a soaring rate because the title has yet to be released. Go the F**k to Sleep is written like a children’s book but the verses have an adult twist to them. Written by Adam Mansbach, he describes his annoyance with a toddler that is unwilling to go to sleep into a funny book hoping that other parents can relate and get a much deserve laugh over a very frustrating situation. Are the children just coming up with reasons not to fall asleep or can’t they fall to sleep easy because they suffer from parental separation anxiety? While children may ask for that 3rd glass of water or another bedtime story to keep their parents with them, parents are desperately trying to separate themselves from their children to get a little “me” time before they have to go to bed. Read more »

No Sleep Too Excited to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

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It’s not too often we get too excited about going to the movies, but this year there are a couple I am anxious to see, one being Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opening this Friday at 12:01am. Definitely a movie a lot of people will see and possibly stand in line for at such an early hour. Last night after watching one of its prequels; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, I found myself tossing about and couldn’t fall asleep easy because my mind is racing about the upcoming sequel. No matter what causes you to have high levels of anxiousness, whether it’s just a silly movie or a life changing situation like; having a baby or getting a new job, the inability to fall asleep or getting little to no sleep can lead to insomnia. Read more »

How Do You Beat Afternoon Sleepiness

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This question is for anyone that has a job whom has to be on top of their game in the afternoon. If you like your job and wake up every day excited to start your day but in the afternoon, usually after lunch, no matter what you may be doing you want a nap. So how do you beat afternoon sleepiness? If fighting sleep and spending the afternoon in a stupor has become the norm, here are some tips to keep alert. Read more »

New Research about Sleep Deprivation

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On Friday, April 29, 2011, USA Today’s article Tired Brains May Enter Sleep Mode While Awake stated that researchers know that sleep deprivation impairs the ability of people and animals to function. Now new research about sleep deprivation has found that the brains of rats kept awake past their bedtime began turning certain cells off while they were still awake. Certain brain cells known as neurons that get used during the day are the ones that appear to go off-line. It is likely that sleep-deprived human brains react in the same way. “Long before we show signs of tiredness, such as yawns and trouble focusing, it is probably happening,” stated a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chiara Cirelli. Read more »

The Greatest Mothers Day Gift of All SLEEP

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According to reports 64% of moms don’t get enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation released a survey indicating many moms suffer from insomnia meaning they can’t fall asleep easy nor stay asleep throughout the night. Not getting enough sleep can cause problems at work and in their marriage. Many moms don’t know they have insomnia because they just think their sleeplessness is a part of their life. The greatest mother’s day gift of all….sleep and here are a few ways you can let mom catch up on some much needed rest. Read more »

Taxes to a Royal Wedding the US National Sleep Debt

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In 2007 the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine stated that people overestimate the amount of sleep they get as the US on average only acquires six hours each night. People are genuinely unaware they are getting too little sleep. Our society sleeps less which is insufficient for mental and physical health. Over time we accumulate a sleep debt that affects daily functions and eventually increases the risk for heart disease, obesity, type II diabetes, metabolic conditions and depression. Lifestyle changes to maximize the quality and quantity of sleep require refraining from heavy/spicy meals, avoiding activity that will increase body temperature, limiting the amount of caffeine and shutting down electronics too close to retiring. Mentally stress and or excitement can cause people to not fall asleep easy as they lay in bed tossing and turning about the upcoming events. Read more »

18 Tips and Techniques How to Wake Up a Sleepy Head

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One of the main reasons someone over sleeps is that they didn’t sleep very well during the night. The cause could be they are experiencing sleep apnea and don’t know it, but snore or they do have this sleep disorder and are using a CPAP machine or sleep aid that doesn’t allow them to sleep easy. If someone has a soft palate in the back of their throat it will block the airway passage and cause the person to stop breathing for periods throughout the night. Using a CPCP machine or mouth guard can allow this individual to get more air and sleep without disruption. Sometimes it just a matter of getting used to the sleep aid, sometimes it’s another reason altogether. Here are 18 tips and techniques how to wake up a sleepy head. Read more »

Tart Cherry Juice is Heart Smart and Sleep Savvy

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The experts are saying that tart cherry juice is heart smart and sleep savvy…ok, maybe not in those exact words, but they have found that tart cherries have a unique combination of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits that help reduce the risk of heart disease let alone a natural alternative to a sleeping pill. According to research presented at the Experimental Biology meeting in Washington DC, freeze-dried tart cherries have an ORAC or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity over 10,000 and contain a diverse range of phytochemicals. Correlation between the high antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables, and the positive impact of diets high in fruits and vegetables, is believed to play a role in the free-radical theory of aging. Eight ounces of tart cherry juice for 4 weeks can lower inflammation in overweight adults and show a lowering of triglyceride levels as well. Animals that consume tart cherry powder reduced levels of C-reactive protein and cholesterol with a 65% reduction in early death. Read more »

Good Friday is a Good Nights Sleep

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Do you lose sleep at night because you dread going to work the next day? A study of 3,500 adults surveyed admitted calling in sick on Monday because Sunday night is the worst night to sleep easy. As many as 80% found that they slept the best on Friday night because they weren’t stressed about their bitchy boss or trying to finish that dreadful project. Sleep deprivation during the week can be blamed for lack of focus, increase frustration and falling asleep on the job. Not only are 60% of the people surveyed not sleeping well on Sunday night, they are trying to make up for lost sleep on Friday and Saturday night. This not only disrupts your sleep/wake cycle, but a sleep marathon will not make up for your sleep debt. What a body needs is a consistent sleep pattern of 7-9 hours every night, even on the weekends. Let’s look at an example to see if Good Friday is a good night’s sleep. Read more »

Cannot Sleep with Menopause

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Last October an issue in Sleep reported that the increase in the hormone FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) is associated with the poor sleep quality. FSH regulates the development, growth, pubertal maturation, and reproductive processes of the body. FSH is produced by the pituitary gland. These findings from a study of 365 participants indicated that postmenopausal women slept deeper and longer than premenopausal women. The faster a woman transitioned from premenopausal to postmenopausal they slept longer earlier, but during the “change” reported the inability to sleep easy. If you cannot sleep with menopause it may not be due to the level of FSH, but how quickly your menopause transition occurs. Read more »

How to Sleep Better with Dream Dust

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What is Dream Dust? Natural Sleep Aid 60 ml Drug Free natural sleep aid made by Vitila Brands, a New York based developer. Targeted to 70 million Americans that can't fall asleeep easy and frequent users of over-the-counter sleep aids and prescription medications, this beverage is sold in a two ounce liquid dose and is formulated with natural ingredients which eliminate the next morning “groggy” side effect and additive properties. Competitively priced, Dream Dust has been designed to help those that are suffering from an occasional sleep problems to chronic insomnia that delivers effective results. Read more »

Overnight Sleep Study at a Sleep Clinic Center

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Sleep clinic centers offer treatments for those with sleep disorders. They specialize in clinical diagnosis, treatment and follow up services for those suffering from insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, night terrors, narcolepsy and sleepwalking, to name a few. An overnight sleep study at a sleep clinic center can include the following tests; EEG (electroencephalogram) which monitors brain activity to document sleep stages, EOG (electrooculogram) that measures REM eye movement, EMG (electromyogram) that determines muscle activity, muscle tone and body movement especially in the limbs and face (teeth grinding), EKG (electrocardiogram) which gauges heart activity, respiratory airflow to determine if there is an obstruction with airway passages caused by OSA or chronic snoring, respiratory effort that can indicate respiratory disturbances in the chest wall and abdominal cavity and body position that will assess the effect of certain sleep positions on a person ability to sleep well and retain normal breathing. Read more »

Sleep is a writer’s dream because sleep deprivation is big business

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Everywhere you look these days; CNN, USA Today, MSNBC and even on the Dr. Oz Show, they are writing or talking about sleep or I should say the lack of it. Sleep deprivation can lead to many health problems like; obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and depression. BUT, sleep deprivation is a two edge sword because illnesses such as; epilepsy, lupus, fibromyalgia and even sleep related conditions; obstructive sleep apnea, night terrors, and sleepwalking are reasons many of us are getting less sleep than we need. Since we can’t fall asleep easy and stay asleep throughout the night (symptoms of insomnia) this can cause us to lose mental focus, become irritable and we may cause physical harm to ourselves as well as others by falling asleep during the day. Read more »