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Insomnia Fighters - How To Go Back To Sleep When You Wake Up In The Middle Of The Night.

by: www.sleepsecrets.info

Excerpt from “How to sleep without pills”

When you wake up in the middle of the night, it may be for one of several reasons of which you are not aware:

Perhaps you unconsciously became hungry during the night.

You may have too much covering on and not realize it. Being too warm may make you just uncomfortable enough to wake you and keep you awake, yet not uncomfortable enough for you to know why you awoke.

Maybe you are not physically tired—maybe you -went to bed too early. Don’t think it’s necessary for you to have eight hours (or any other particular amount) of sleep every single night.

SOLUTION

If hunger is the cause of your awakening, get up and take a light snack, such as crackers and warm milk. Food will bring the blood from your head to your stomach. Get into bed, turn off the light and do the ABC Round Robin and the Sleep Exercise. You will find that you will quickly go back to sleep.

If you are hot, take off any excess covers and make sure you are comfortable. Do the ABC Round Robin and the Sleep Exercise and you will drift off to sleep.

If you cannot sleep and are not hungry or uncomfortable, turn on the light and read a book, provided it does not disturb the other occupant of the room. Make sure it is not an exciting book. Read until your eyes feel tired. Then turn out the light, relax in a comfortable position and start to do the ABC Round Robin and the Sleep Exercise. In most cases, you will find that long before you have completed the Exercise you will have drifted back to sleep.

You may be allowing for more sleep than you really need. If this is the case you can go to bed later and still get plenty of sleep.

From Lost Manuscripts Library
http://www.sleepsecrets.info

About The Author

ABC Round Robin and Sleep Exercise and more are included in “How To Sleep Without Pills”
http://www.sleepsecrets.info

To Download 2 Free Chapters from “Learn While You Sleep” just send blank email to sleepexit@film.par32.com

Mike Slawomir Cecotka - Publisher

14 Ways to Improve Sleep Now!

by: Barbara C. Phillips

Sleep disturbance or insomnia is not uncommon in women starting at midlife. While this may be due to a physical concern, usually it’s not. Let’s discuss some things you can do NOW to improve your sleep.

•Good sleep is a component of good health. Things that you do for good health are essential and will directly impact your quality of sleep. This means eating a healthy diet, regular exercise and good daily multivitamin/mineral supplements.

•A healthy diet that is high in phytoestrogens such as fruits and vegetables may help if the cause of your sleep disturbance happens to be related to being perimenopausal. Apples, carrots, cherries, green beans, oats, peas, potatoes, soybeans and sprouts - just to mention a few!

•Avoid stimulating agents such as nicotine and caffeine – that includes coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. Even one cup of coffee in the morning can affect sleep quality hours later. We, as women, tend to metabolize caffeine much slower than men. If you smoke or chew tobacco…quit. Short of that, avoid smoking/chewing within a few hours of going to bed.

•Sleep in a dark room. (How bright is your illuminated clock?)

•Develop a sleep routine: going to bed at the same time; rituals such as having a cup of relaxing tea and then washing up, and the like.

•Avoid taking naps.

•Is your sleeping space comfortable? Look at light, noise and temperature. How about your bed? Is it too firm or too soft?

•Avoid late night heavy meals. However, a light snack at bedtime may be helpful.

•Try relaxation – mediate, take a bath, listen to soft music, read a gentle book, get a massage.

•Avoid the news and other violent or emotional stimulation before bed! It’s hardly relaxing!

•Avoid alcohol late in the day. It can cause waking in the night and impairs sleep quality.

•Limit your bed activities to sleep and sex.

•If you cannot sleep – get up and do something until you can sleep.

•If worries are keeping you awake, try journaling – it may provide a way for you to “release” the worry onto paper and thus relax and sleep.

There are natural supplements that can be tried. If you are a milk drinker, consider having a glass of warm milk. Milk when it is warm releases tryptophan, the same substance that was in that Thanksgiving turkey that had you napping. On the other hand, I recently read that warm milk also has substances that can keep you awake. Let your own body tell you what it likes about milk.

Other suggestions include valerian root, melatonin, passion flower and of course the chamomile, catnip, anise or fennel teas. Some companies package teas in their own formulations for sleep, such as “Sleepy Time". Your local herbalist or health food store may also be able to give you suggestions. As with anything else, the key to try different things and see what you respond to.

If none of these suggestions work, I would recommend the following. First of all, see your see your health care provider to ensure there is nothing physical that needs to be attended to. Keep a sleep diary for 3 months with the goal to see if there is some sort of pattern. Keep track of the time you go to bed, awaken, how often you are awake and/or up at night. Are you tired when you awaken in the morning? What time are you getting up? Is there something that is on your mind? Does any of this correlate with your cycles (if you still have them).

Use of sleeping medication is something that can sometimes be used to get your body back on track, but it’s not for long term use, and should only be used when other remedies have been ineffective.

About The Author

©2004 Barbara C Phillips, MN, NP

For over 26 years, Barbara C. Phillips, MN, NP has been involved in health care. Now, as the founder of OlderWiserWomen, LLC, that experience and passion is focused on Women who want to experience the freedom, magic and wisdom of successful aging. She can be reached through http://www.OlderWiserWomen.com

info@OlderWiserWomen.com

How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep!

by: Michele Carelse

Do you remember when you were little and it seemed as though sleep overcame you as soon as your head hit your pillow? And you slumbered through the night until morning time? They call it the sleep of the innocent, but don’t you wish you could sleep like that again?

Adult responsibilities, stress, lifestyle and other worries often result in poor sleep habits and once the cycle of tossing and turning begins, it is difficult to return to a decent night’s sleep. Many adults rely on prescription drugs to fall asleep and quite a few are addicted to them! Others ’self medicate’ and use alcohol and other recreational drugs to try and fall asleep. If you are regularly struggling to sleep well, then you probably need to learn to fall asleep again!

So let’s go back to basics!

And who better to consult than babies! After all babies are the experts at sleeping so why not learn a little from them! Apart from their age and body clock, there are specific reasons that babies fall asleep so well. Let’s have a look at a few of them and see if we can’t borrow some of the tricks!

ROUTINE: Most parents try very hard to get their children into a routine. Regular bedtimes, bath times and mealtimes are something to strive towards. Of course, one cannot be too rigid, but a child on a regular routine will feel secure and will be able to ‘predict’ his environment more easily. It also helps his body clock to start the process of winding down before he actually gets to bed. He knows that after supper comes his bath, a story, a prayer and a good night kiss. When his head hits the pillow, he is ready to meet the sandman!

So try and follow this example. Start a night time routine. Make your evenings more or less predictable along the lines of supper, bath and bed. For at least three weeks try and follow this simple routine and go to bed at the same time each night – about 8 hours before it is time to get up. Wear soft comfortable and cozy nightwear, specifically for sleeping (remember flannel pyjamas?)

EXERCISE: This is something kids do lots of! They don’t stop running around for a minute! Now I am not suggesting that you start running around wherever you go, but regular exercise is one of the best sleep aids around! It’s also free and healthy and has lots of good side effects. Take up a sport, go to the gym or start regular walks. You won’t regret it!

HAVE PEACEFUL EVENINGS: How many times don’t you hear parents saying to their kids “Calm down now, it’s nearly bed time”. Or “You’d better stop running around – you won’t be able to fall asleep!” Perhaps you say this to your own children – with good reason! Do you follow your own advice? Or do you sit up watching thrillers (or even worse the news!) or finishing off the day’s work that you brought home from the office? Sound familiar? Try a different approach. Never watch TV while trying to fall asleep. Rather dim the lights while you get into a hot bath and put on some soothing music. Use aromatherapy in your home – in particular lavender for it’s soporific properties. Be quiet and peaceful for the hour before you go to bed and your body will start to get the message!

OTHER HINTS: Avoid all products with caffeine or sugar after 6pm. That means coffee, cola chocolate and all ’soda pops’ (fizzy drinks). Also stay away from heavy meals at night. Your tummy will be too busy digesting to allow you to sleep well! Don’t eat red meat, refined products or lots of cheese. Go for pastas, grains, pulses, potatoes and rice. Good evening or bedtime drinks are warm milk, lettuce extract and chamomile tea (sleepy tea) - all safe and proven sleep aids. If you are really struggling, some herbal remedies to aid sleep are Valerian, Passiflora and Kava Kava. Try to put these simple hints to the test for three weeks only. You will be surprised at the difference they make! Should you do this faithfully and still struggle to sleep, consult your doctor or request an online consultation at www.feelgoodcounseling.com/onlinecounsel.htm

Good night!

About The Author

Michele Carelse is a qualified Clinical Psychologist and Licensed Counselor. Her website at www.feelgoodcounseling.com offers Online Counseling, free Support Groups, Recommended Reading and lots of interesting articles.

How sleep affects our skin

by: Lori Stryker

Sleep is a “natural, temporary loss of consciousness” (Robinson, 1941) necessary for our bodies to build up energy reserves and regenerate body cells and tissues. During sleep, the heart beats more slowly, breathing becomes slower, growth hormones peak, muscles relax and body temperature lowers. Newborn infants sleep almost continuously, gradually decreasing their need for sleep. In early childhood, 12 to 13 hours of sleep are generally required and this amount decreases to approximately 8 hours in adulthood. After the age of 50, sleep is often characterized by frequent night time wakenings, shorter dream lengths and less overall sleep (Bricklen, 1990).

Many consider sleep to be of low priority among the many daily activities engaged in. It is estimated that the world’s population is depriving itself of one less hour of sleep per night than is needed (Awake!, 2004). Despite this view of night-time rest, sleep is a necessary, sophisticated process regulated by the brain. Operating as a 24- hour clock, chemical substances, such as melanin, are released in the body to trigger sleepiness. There are two main stages of sleep classified according to eye movement. The first is REM or rapid eye movement which is a shallow, dream-filled sleep. There are four sub-stages within REM sleep. The first sub-stage lasts 30 seconds to 7 minutes, and during this time the muscles relax while the brain produces irregular wave activity. The second sub-stage lasts 20 percent of the night and brain waves become larger as the body is asleep. The next sub-stage is called delta sleep, where growth hormones peak, and cell and tissue repair take place. Without delta sleep, which accounts for half of a night’s sleep, one will feel tired the next day. Every 90 minutes the brain enters the dream sub-stage, where brain wave activity is similar in pattern to being awake, but muscles are not able to move as when awake. This stage lengthens each repeated cycle during the night, and is crucial to preserving mental health and long term memory, since the brain sorts through short term memory and ‘deletes’ unimportant data. The second major stage of sleep is non-REM, or non rapid eye movement, where blood pressure drops and heart rate slows as the person enters a deep sleep.

Short term sleep deprivation causes little physical harm, since the body compensates for the lack of sleep by increasing its adrenaline levels during the day. The body also attempts to get more sleep at a later time. A temporary shift in attitude may occur, such as feelings of pessimism or negativity (Bricklin, 1990). Sleep deprivation, even short term, can be dangerous if driving a car, or operating machinery. Sleep deprivation is thought to be the cause of half of all traffic fatalities on U.S. highways, and being awake 17 to 19 hours can cause the same limited reaction and ability as having a 0.05 percent blood alcohol limit (Awake! 2004). It is also implicated in many workplace accidents.

Chronic sleep deprivation, which is caused by prolonged shortages of sleep, can lead to paranoia or hallucinations. This is also termed ’sleep debt’, and is characterized by irregular sleep patterns that do not allow the body to enter delta sleep. This can bring on a short attention span, memory and vocabulary loss as well as other symptoms. Among women aged 25-50 who tend to be “perfectionists", many tend to suffer from shallow sleep as the wake centre of the brain remains active when it should be relatively inactive. Other complications from sleep deprivation include obesity, premature aging, fatigue, chronic memory loss and increased risk for diabetes, infection, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal disease. It is important, therefore, to obtain an adequate amount of sleep each night, since sleep also helps the body metabolize free radicals, which are thought to accelerate aging and cancerous growths.

Obtaining a good night’s rest can be achieved. The following are suggestions to help towards the goal of night-time rest:

* Avoid stimulants like caffeinated drinks before bed.
* Avoid eating a heavy meal at night. A light snack might help if hunger causes you to wake up at night.
* Create a pleasant, warm (body temperature drops when sleepy), noise-free bedroom with a comfortable mattress and pillow.
* Avoid exercise before bed, however, regular exercise during the day aids sleep.
* Avoid activities that increase anxiety, such as considering financial matters or discussing serious problems before bed.
* If possible, a quick daytime nap lasting 20 to 30 minutes can impart positive physiological benefits. Prolonged naps impair sleep at night and may cause insomnia.
* If experiencing insomnia, try getting up and engaging in another activity for a brief time and then attempt sleep again.
* A warm glass of milk contains tryptophan, a natural substance thought to aid sleep.
* Keep the bedroom dark, since the area of the brain which controls the sleep cycle is close to the optic nerves and thus sensitive to light (feeling awake) and dark (feeling sleepy).
* Quit smoking, which increases blood pressure, heart rate and brain wave activity.

How can you know if you are a healthy sleeper?

* Sleep comes easily at night.
* You rarely wake up during the night and can fall back asleep with ease.
* You wake at the same time each morning without an alarm.
* You feel alert during the day and do not feel the need to nap.

Getting a good night’s rest refreshes the body, mind and attitude. It is as vital to our health as good food and exercise. The phrase “beauty rest” is more than a quaint idea, it is a fundamental task in the quest for external and internal beauty.

References:

* Bricklin, Mark, (1990). The Natural Healing and Nutritional Annual, Ed., Rodale Press, Pennsylvania.
* Robinson, Victor M.D., (1941). The Modern Home Physician, Ed., Musson Books, Toronto.
* Tleac, Deborah, (2000). Everyday Health Tips, Ed., Rodale Press, Pennsylvania.
* Awake! Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Canada, March 22 2003.
* Awake! Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Canada, February 8 2004.

By Lori Stryker, B.Sc., B.H.Ec., B.Ed. http://www.organicmakeup.ca

About The Author

Lori Stryker has been researching and developing all natural skin care and make-up for the purpose of offering men and women safe, natural cosmetics for everyday use. She brings to her research a specialist in human biology from the University of Toronto, coupled with a professional home economics degree and an education degree from the University of British Columbia, fusing chemical and biological knowledge with food, family and textile sciences.

You may use this article but any modification or publication of this article for fiancial gain must be approved of by the author. The author’s name, Lori Stryker and her company’s name, The Organic Make-up Company, needs to by noted when used.

info@organicmakeup.ca

Top Ten Ways to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

by: Linda Dessau

Sleep – are you getting enough? For some people, enough is four to six hours. Other people just don’t feel right with less than eight hours. People need more or less sleep at different phases in their life. Women may need more or less sleep at different phases of the month.

The simplest way to tell if you’re getting enough is by noticing every morning - do you feel rested? Do you wake up without an alarm clock and feel ready to get right out of bed and start your day?

Not getting enough sleep is one of the most direct ways that we self-sabotage our success and well-being. When we are better rested we not only feel better, but are calmer, smarter, more rational, nicer to be around and we look better. Why wouldn’t we choose to have that every day??

1. Set the Stage - turn off the computer and television at least one hour before you’d like to fall asleep, and turn on some music that you find relaxing. Test what your stereo system will do when the recording is finished – does it SNAP! or does it “wrrrr” – this will make a difference as you’re drifting off. My CD player makes a very soft “wrrrr” noise (though I honestly can’t remember the last time I was still awake when the CD was over).

2. Music without words - words can provoke and direct your thoughts more than instrumental music or pure vocal sounds.

3. Music with natural “breaths” - music where the soloist takes natural pauses to breathe can help you to slow down your own breath - try flute, other wind instruments or voice (either with no words or words in a language you don’t understand).

4. A good book - For bedtime reading, try to stay away from material that gets you thinking about things you deal with during the day. Magazines or stories that distract you from your own life may help you to drift into sleep.

5. Imagery - If you find that your mind is racing when you are trying to sleep, picture a viewpoint where you’re traveling down a road. See your thoughts as signposts that you’re passing. Concentrate on letting them pass right by.

6. Progressive muscle relxation - Imagine that a ball of light is traveling along your body, beginning at the top of your head, going down to the tips of your toes, and then coming up again. As it passes your muscles, they fill with light and relax.

7. Take a nap - If your sleep has been interrupted or there’ve been unavoidable late nights, an afternoon nap can help you catch up. Experts advise that naps should be taken earlier in the afternoon, rather than later, and that we should keep them to 30 minutes or less. This will avoid disrupting your sleep at night.

8. Lavender Bath - Take a hot bath and add a couple of drops of lavender oil. Lavender has naturally occurring relaxing properties.

9. Chamomile Tea - Calms the nervous system and helps to promote restful sleep.

10. Take 500 mg Calcium with 250 mg Magnesium at bedtime - The calcium has a calming effect, and the magnesium works along with it.

The advice and information in this article is not meant to replace medical advice. If you suspect you have a serious sleeping problem such as sleep apnea, or if you experience insomnia or extreme fatigue, please consult a healthcare professional.

Copyright Linda Dessau 2004. All rights reserved.

You’re welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the contact information at the end), and please send me a copy or link to your reprint at linda@genuinecoaching.com. Thanks!

About The Author

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach helps hundreds of people every month improve their self-care and make healthier choices. To receive her free monthly newsletter, “Genuine Self-Care”, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html
linda@genuinecoaching.com

Foam Pillows are Changing the way the World Sleeps

by: DR. Joseph J. Berke, M.D., Ph.D.

For countless people worldwide, getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is an elusive, if not almost impossible, goal. The causes for this malady are numerous, and could consist of overwork, stress, pain, a sleep disorder, and the list goes on. While some people may require a physician’s assistance in developing a normal sleep pattern, many Americans have found great benefit by merely changing one or more of their bedding products.

Of all the different pillows available, memory foam pillows are becoming increasingly popular. The reason for this is simple; these pillows have time and time again been proven to work miracles. Memory foam pillows are attributed for helping in the reduction of snoring, which increases sleep quality not only for the individual suffering from the condition, but for others who have to sleep in the vicinity. In addition, memory foam pillows have also been proven effective because they carefully align the body correctly in order for the sleeper to gain a quality sleep and dream pattern.

Perhaps one of the most effective memory foam pillows is the contour pillow. This pillow is designed specifically to comfortably mold to an individual’s head and neck shape, regardless of whether they prefer to sleep on their side, stomach, or back. The subtle alignment that this pillow provides allows for the opening of airway passages, therefore increasing the flow of oxygen throughout the body during sleep. This feature significantly reduces snoring and can assist those who suffer from sleep disorders in which oxygen has been found to be reduced through the relaxation of throat muscles during sleep. Another fabulous feature of this type of pillow is that it relieves pressure on the spine through the careful alignment of the head and neck. In fact, numerous people who have constant neck and back pain wake up finding that these pillows greatly reduce and even eliminate their pain.

There are a variety of manufacturers and names for memory foam pillows. Some of the more popular are Swedish foam pillows, Tempura pillows, Tempur pillows, Tempurpedic pillows, and Therapedic pillows. Some of these are made from a specific type of foam developed by Nasa. All incorporate the use of materials that are proven to comfortably and accurately align with your head and neck, as well as retaining the memory of your individual shape.

Swedish foam pillows are often categorized as being the first, and according to many people, the best of this innovative design. The majority of companies who make memory foam pillows have a variety of designs that have proven beneficial to remedying a variety of ailments; such as a cervical pillow, maternity pillow, reading pillow, and even a full-body pillow.

If you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or if you tend to use your arms to support your head to fall asleep, use more than one pillow, use rolled towels for head and neck support, or fold your pillow, you should consider trying one of these memory foam pillows. Countless Americans and people the world over have experienced a miraculous change in their sleep patterns after just one night of use. Changing a pillow is a small price to pay for quality sleep every night, versus struggling to fall asleep and tossing and turning the night away!

About The Author

Dr. Joseph J. Berke, M.D., Ph.D.
Discover how sleeping on The Better Sleep Pillow can change your life.
Visit: http://www.bettersleeppillow.com

Dr. Joseph J. Berke is an author and inventor dedicated to helping people get a better night rest.
articles@bettersleeppillow.com

Follow These Feng Shui Tips And Sleep Better
by: Jakob Jelling

If you are having problems at the time of falling asleep or you simply wish to improve your sleeping, you should follow the feng shui tips we will detail in the next lines and let this ancient Chinese wisdom help you. It is very important that we pay attention to our sleep due to the fact that it affects all the activities we do during the day as well as it has a direct impact on our health.

First of all, it is very important to avoid sleeping with the head towards the door. According to feng shui, the proper position in which to have the bed and to sleep is in such a place that allows us to see the door but without being right across from it. This way, you should always avoid sleeping with your feet right in front of the entrance.

It is also highly recommendable to avoid sleeping under a window. Sleeping right under a window would have a bad impact on your chi as well as it might cause you to loose some of your positive energy by dispersing it. Also, if your bed is right under the window, any bad chi which could enter into the room through it would go directly to you and therefore affect you. If you can’t avoid sleeping under a window, then you should hang a curtain which doesn’t allow bad chi to enter.

According to feng shui guidelines, it is also recommendable to avoid having pictures of water in the bedroom. Keeping pictures of water in the bedroom can cause insomnia as well as attract bad luck to those who sleep into the room. Therefore, if you do have a picture of water in your bedroom you should remove it or at least make sure it is as far from the bed as possible.

It is very important to make sure that there isn’t any poisoning arrow pointing towards the bed. In order to find out if there are poisoning arrows, you should check for any edgy element or corner which might point towards the place where you sleep. If you find any and you can’t get rid of it, you can neutralize its bad effect by covering it or by placing a plant in front of it.

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.fengshuicrazy.com. Please visit his website and learn all the feng shui tips you’ll ever need!

Wake Up To The Facts About A Good Night’s Sleep
by: News Canada

(NC)-Just about everyone has heard that sleep is important to health and well-being, but did you know just how important it really is? The fact is, the human body can survive without food and water longer than it can without adequate sleep. Assess your own sleep needs and test your Sleep IQ with the quiz below.

1. Do you know the cause of your stuffy nose, puffy eyes, and sneezing when you wake up in the morning?

1. nothing, it’s normal
2. the onset of a cold
3. my bedding

Answer: c

It’s often dust mites, mold, and mildew lurking in your bedding that cause these allergic reactions. Dust mites, mold, and mildew thrive in the damp and moist environment of your feather and down pillows and bedding. These fills trap moisture and create a clammy atmosphere that allergens love. Wool, however, is hypo-allergenic and absorbs moisture then releases it quickly into the environment keeping you and your bedding dry - all night long. Wool’s remarkable ability to absorb moisture is important as the average person loses up to a pint of moisture a night while they sleep.

2. Do you know why your joints are achy and stiff in the morning?

1. not enough sleep
2. excessive tossing and turning
3. all of the above

Answer: b

Excessive tossing and turning is often the cause of aches and joint pain. According to an Australian study, the average person tosses and turns 45 to 50 times per night. This disrupts sleep and causes joint pain. The study also showed that participants who slept on a wool mattress pad reduced their tossing and turning by more than 50 percent. Participants also had a lower, steadier heart rate. A wool mattress pad cushions the body’s pressure points like shoulders, hips, and ankles making it the ideal choice for a restful night’s sleep. Natura World, www.naturaworld.com, North America’s largest manufacturer of wool bedding, produces mattress pads filled with pure wool encased in 100% unbleached cotton, designed to give you a healthier night’s sleep.

3. Is it hot in here, or is it me? What is the solution?

1. sleeping in different beds
2. getting different covers for each of us
3. a wool duvet

Answer: c

The sleep scenario that couples often report is the “too hot too cold syndrome” with one partner curling up to keep warm and the other partner kicking off the covers to cool down. A Natura wool filled duvet is the perfect solution.

Wool regulates to each partner’s body temperature, keeping both comfortable all night long.

Natura World, www.naturaworld.com the largest North American manufacturer of wool bedding, has a complete collection designed to eliminate the breeding ground for common sleep allergens. Natura’s pillows, duvets, and mattress pads are filled with pure wool and encased in 100% unbleached cotton. Natura’s wool bedding collection is available at Home Outfitters, or for a retailer near you, call 1-888-NATURA3.

Natura World is concerned about your health, so if any sleep condition lasts for more than two weeks, consult your doctor.

About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial “fill” items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

3 Surefire Ways To Cure Insomnia While Sleeping Less!

by: Ebe Heng

Seems like you never get enough rest even after sleeping long hours? You would know part of the reasons for this fatigue, as you suffer from insomnia. But the other part on waking up tired even after a good long sleep eludes you.

A good example of how insomnia wreck havoc in a person live can be found my friend, Darren. Suffering from insomnia, he finds it very difficult to concentrate and stay awake during the day. This leads to a couple of failed relationship and lost opportunities for promotion, because his tiredness is seen as insincerity and no interest.

Highlighted above shows the mild effects of insomnia, the tragic ones with many lives lost would be traffic accidents where the drivers doze off.

Okay, now we succeeded in making you sit up and realized that sleep disorder can disrupt your life, here’s 3 surefire ways to sleep once your head touches the pillow: -

Following a routine:

Following a routine would assist us to sleep better because of our sleep cycle. 1 sleep-cycle contains 4 stages of sleep with the last stage being the REM rapid eye movement sleep, which is the easiest to wake up.

Getting up before or after REM sleep would make you very drowsy and not rested. The former happens because you have not completed 1 cycle, the latter because of the halting of a new cycle. Therefore, from this experiment with your waking time, you would know what time you are the most alert and that would be the end of your REM.

And by the way, to get good sleep, you would need at least 1 cycle, which range between 5-6 hours depending on individuals. So, to get quality sleep and to feel energetic for the entire day, you do not need more sleep but waking at the right time (6 hours versus the recommended 8 hours).

Sleeping Environment:

Now, not all of us would enjoy the ‘correct’ sleep cycle. If you suffer from insomnia, chances are, you might have a disrupted cycle. So, we need to ‘persuade’ your sleep-cycle on when is the right time to sleep and wake.

To do that we need to lowered our body temperature. Low temperature makes one drowsy while high temperature makes one alert.

Creating an environment would give the body the low temperature (drowsy), sleep experts say that the ideal room temperature is 65 to 70 degrees F. This would give your body the low temperature to fall asleep.

To make sleep even more effective, we should encourage the production of a chemical known as melatonin, which induces sleep.

A darkened room (darkness) would release melatonin. These two prong approach would slowly conditioned your body to feel drowsy for you to begin your sleep-cycle

Exercise:

To even better your sleep-cycle, you need to exercise, and preferably in the daytime under the sun. Exercising under the sun contributes to raising your body temperature.

As a rule of thumb, if you maintain a high body temperature through the day, as night approaches, your body temperature would drop and you would fall asleep easily (that’s assuming that you want to sleep at night).

Go ahead and learn more about sleep disorder and quality sleep. Without reading this article, would you have known that sleeping more does not mean better rest or feeling more energetic? So, to effectively cure your insomnia and get more quality sleep, try to see insomnia as your enemy, something you need to know more in order to defeat it.

“Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you can win every battles”
Sun Tzu
Art Of War

About The Author

Ebe Heng
How important is a good night sleep worth to you? Ebe Heng has co-create the ultimate, informative and useful sleep dirctories for anyone with any sleep related problems. Rid that insomnia bug and get the sleep that you deserved! Check out=> http://www.1-2-sleep.com

ebe@1-2-sleep.com

Twenty Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Sleeping Bag

by: Camp Spot

Before you head out to buy a new sleeping bag, make sure you know exactly what you are looking for. When you answer these questions, you’ll be better prepared to pick out the sleeping bag that is just right for you.

* How will you be using your sleeping bag? Will you be backpacking or hiking? Or do you just need a bag for a family camping trip?
* What time of year will you be camping? Will you be doing summer camping, spring through fall excursions, or rough winter camping?
* Consider your budget. How much do you want to spend? Can you save money by getting a higher quality sleeping bag on discount?
* Where will you be using it? Will you be sleeping in a tent? Out in the open? In a lodge or cabin? What areas will you be using the sleeping bag? Will it be in wet areas, dry deserts, mountains?
* What comfort level do you want? If weight isn’t a consideration, do you prefer a roomier, softer, more comfortable sleeping bag? Are you accustomed to the cold night air or do you chill easily?
* Is the weight and compatibility important? Will you be carrying it for a long distance? Do you have limited space?
* How long do you want it to last? Would you prefer to get a cheaper one and replace it later? Or do you want a higher quality sleeping bag that will last many years?
* Is flexibility important? Do you need one bag to meet all your needs, summer through winter?
* How often do you intend to use it? Is this a once a year camping trip? Or will you be using it very frequently?
* Who will be using the bag? Man, woman, or child? What is their body shape?
* How much extra room do you like? Do you sleep still at night or do you tend to toss and turn a lot?

Be sure you consider all these important aspects before you buy a sleeping bag. Then your new sleeping bag will be just perfect for you and your needs.

About The Author

Camp Spot - My Favorite Camping Store
http://www.my-favorite-camping-store.com
Helping you make your next camping trip the best ever.

Can’t Sleep, Can’t Wake Up?

by: Bill Lee-Emery

It’s 3.00am in the morning and you are even past the desperate stage. You’re resigned to no sleep. Your mind freewheels. If you’re officially going to be awake – you may as well think of something huh? If this sounds familiar – read on. The flip side can be just as bad!

Later that morning….

You become aware that you’re here again. Alive. Senses slowly awaking. You heard an alarm somewhere far in the distance – annoying but essential. You know you need to heed its call…but it’s so warm in here! It looks cold and dark out there and a seductive voice tells you can afford to take just a short little 10 minutes from your morning routine. After all, you surely deserve it after all the work you have been doing lately and 10 little minutes won’t realllly mat…ter wiilll iittttttttttt? Hmmm zz zzz zzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Arrgggg! You sit bolt upright. It’s 9.30 am! You’ve darn- well overslept by 2 hours. You’re dead meat! You’ve missed the weekly team meeting, the boss is going to fry you alive and you’ll have to do a lot of butt kissing to get another chance to see that important potential new client. All because of a lousy ‘10 little minutes!’

You can’t win either way! Can’t sleep when you want to and can’t wake up when you need to.

Time to fix this? I think so….

The solution is quite simple. It’s about how you run your brain. Let’s take the first scenario. You lie awake…thinking. You know you need to get to sleep and firmly tell yourself to ‘go to sleep!!’. Notice the tone of voice you just used. Was it warm, calming, soft? Did it encourage a ‘snuggle – up and snooze’ response or did it make you a little tense? Did that tenseness trigger a slowing down of your thought processes or did you speed up a little?

Now let’s take a look at the visual aspects. When you demanded that you ‘go to sleep!!’ were the images in your mind hard to really see clearly, a bit vague, floating and getting s l o w e r? Or where they a bit edgy, jerky, moving from issue to issue, speedingupandstartingtomergetogether?

Which do you figure is conducive to sleep?

OK – now you’ve worked out what works internally to get you to sleep – let’s explore what will wake you up – that’s if you haven’t jumped ahead of me!

You wake up. The end of a sleep cycle, someone moving, talking, cat demanding to be fed, or perhaps the alarm could have triggered it. Given that we constantly talk to ourselves, your tone of voice, tempo, and emotional flavour will all affect how we respond to another day. Is your internal voice soft, seductive and persuasive (we all know the lies about ‘just another little 10 minutes by now!)? Or does it have a ring of excitement, anticipation, and energy about it? A bit of edge, sharpness, ummppph? And the images? Are they appealing, fast, colourful, big, bold, dramatic, up-tempo?

If Stephen Spielberg could have access to the immense multi- dimensional graphics, sounds and past experiences we have daily access to, he would be in artistic heaven! We can colour our world whatever shade we choose. Pick from countless sound tracks and special effects and access any emotional state we want to play out in our day. We can distort, delete, add change and play until the cows come home. We can even encourage our tired bodies to gently, uhhh, s l o wl y r-el-a-x and taaaaaaaaaake a wel l l l l deserved nap. Hmmm-good ideaaaaaaa. Zz zzz zzzzzzzzz

About The Author

Bill Lee-Emery is an Executive and Life Coach. He has been a corporate trainer and facilitator for over 20 years. Bill is author of ‘Stop Procrastinating’ and ‘How to get out of your own way and play better golf!’

You can get his newsletter, ‘On Track’ by visiting his web site http://www.altitudealliance.com

You are welcome to reprint this article as long it remains unaltered and contains full attribution as follows:

© by Bill Lee-Emery 2004 email:execoach@bigpond.net.au

execoach@bigpond.net.au

10 Tips For Better Sleep

by: Wendy Ann Owen

We all need some help now and then in getting to sleep. Rather than just popping a pill which can be habit forming and lead to more sleep problems in the long term, try these sleeping tips. One or more of them will surely help.

Have a hot bath

Not hot enough to make you uncomfortable though. The heat of the water relaxes the muscles and also causes the core body temperature to drop afterwards which sends a sleep signal to the brain. This is great for children too. It only works for baths though, not showers!

Get more light during the day

This sounds strange, but its vital for good sleep at night. Our brains are hard wired to go to sleep when it’s dark and wake when its light. Not getting enough light during the day will deprogram our biological clock. Once our circadian rhythm has been upset, our brain won’t receive the sleep signal when we’re ready to go to sleep.

Even if you are working long hours try to get outside into the sunshine for a while at lunchtime. If you live in a part of the world which has short days in winter, install a bright light at home and sit under it for at least 30 minutes. This should be enough to keep that biological clock ticking!

This is a good reason not to watch TV in bed. Even if the program is dull, the bright flickering light of the TV screen will be working against your natural sleep patterns!

Don’t lie in bed and worry about not sleeping

This will only cause stress and make sleep even harder to achieve. If you find yourself becoming concerned about not sleeping, get up and make yourself a drink (not coffee!) Find something to read. Stay up until you feel sleepy again and only then go back to bed.

Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.

This reinforces the natural biological rhythm and helps your brain send a sleep signal. It also reinforces a habit. Habits are an important part of better sleep. Obviously you won’t be able to do this every single night, there will be nights where you might go out to a show or out on the town with friends! However if you manage most nights, this will still work well.

Don’t go to bed until you are tired.

Yes I know! This sound like a direct contradiction of the previous tip! The logic behind this is that is you are not sleepy you will lie in bed awake and will start worrying about not being able to go to sleep. The most important part of all this is to get up at the same time every morning no matter what time you went to bed the night before. Eventually you will feel very sleepy at your normal bedtime. Getting up in the morning when you are still tired is not easy to do but it will help in the longer term. Stick with it!

Keep a sleep diary

This, while rather tedious, will give you an excellent idea of your sleep patterns and will be a necessary record if you ever decide to visit a sleep clinic for help. Some people have done this and found their sleeping problems disappeared of their own accord! A sleep diary should note the following:

What you had for dinner

What drinks you consumed after dinner

Any naps taken during the day

What time you went to bed

How long it took you to fall asleep

If you woke during the night

What time you woke up in the morning

How you rated quality of sleep (1-10)

Any further observations

Do this every days for a few weeks and you should see a pattern emerging. This will give you invaluable information on your personal sleep habits and patterns.

Develop an evening ritual.

Do the same things at the same time each night. This programs the unconscious mind that you are preparing for sleep. Brush you teeth, put the cat out, check the locks on the doors. Do each step in the same order. It may sound simplistic but it can work really well.

Exercise more during the day.

Exercise relaxes the body and mind as well as being good for your health and helping with weight loss. Even walking just 30 minutes a day will help. If walking’s not your thing try Yoga or Qigong. Both are soothing and will relax you totally. If there are no classes near you, videos or CDs are easily available.

Practice muscle relaxation.

You can do this during the day or after going to bed. Practice tensing and relaxing each muscle group in turn, starting at the top of the head and gradually working down to the toes. This relaxes the body and also distracts you from any worrying thoughts while you are performing it. Visit the page on relaxation techniques for some easy to follow techniques.

Write down worries before going to bed.

There’s always something to worry about isn’t there? These are the things that can keep you awake when your mind won’t let go. Solution? Have a worry time before going to bed. Think of all the problems that are currently in your life and write them down. Make a decision to do something about them the following day.

If you are tempted to think about any of those things while you are trying to sleep simply tell yourself, “its ok, I’ve made a note of it and I’ll handle it tomorrow”

Sweet dreams!

About The Author

Want to know how to have better sleep? Find out how. Check out http://www.insomnia-connection.com your resource for detailed information on sleep and curing stress. The author, Wendy Owen, has had a lifetime interest in general and alternative health as well as being an ex insomniac!

Why Air Beds May Give You The Best Nights Sleep You’ve Ever Had

by: S.A. Smith

The secret to an air beds high comfort factor is its ability to spread the bodies weight and contact with the mattress in a more even fashion. Traditional mattress designs are more rigid and can force certain points of the body in contact with the mattress to absorb the entire weight of the body, creating concentrated pressure points that are uncomfortable and often out of natural alignment. Air beds have the ability to mold and shape to the contour of a sleeping body and were originally designed for hospitals and medical environments where higher levels of back support and reduced pressure points on the body were needed. Now this technology can be invited into your own bedroom to create a more comfortable sleeping environment.

An air bed is basically a mattress that contains air bladders instead of hard steel springs. Air beds can often also be adjusted to suit the particular support needs of partners that share a bed, as each side usually has individual air bladder controls that can be adjusted. The adjustable dual air support chambers can provide just the right amount of back support and firmness on one side of a bed without disturbing the other side. Sleeping on an air bed can also provide better spinal alignment through the night, giving you a very comfortable and restful sleep.

Several air beds are endorsed by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations as good for people with back backs and back support problems. In addition, air beds can help people with allergies by reducing the available nesting ground for dust mites. The traditional coil mattress is usually the largest breeding and nesting ground of dust mites in a household and can contain as many as 5 million dust mites feeding on skin particles that have filtered into the inner mattress core. With an air bed mattress system you do not have this problem, which can help improve your breathing while asleep.

If you’d like to learn more benefits of air beds and what to watch out for, visit: http://www.loft-beds-bunk-beds.com/air-beds.htm

About The Author

S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of the Loft Beds Bunk Beds resource site, and can be reached at http://www.loft-beds-bunk-beds.com/.

A Good Nights Sleep: Choosing the Right Mattress

by: Olivia Filipetto

A good mattress should provide you with optimal support and comfort to help ensure you are ready to start the new day. Following are some key tips on choosing the right mattress for you.

Shop at a store that you trust. If you’re unsure of where to start, ask family and friends for suggestions.

Talk to salespeople who know the products. If you don’t get the assistance that you want, go elsewhere.

Don’t be strange bedfellows. If the beds for two, make sure your partner goes with you.

Take the time to test the mattresses out. Wear comfortable clothes and be ready to lay down.

Assess each mattress on its comfort, support, durability, and space.

A firm mattress doesn’t have to feel hard to touch. Firmness is determined by the design of the mattress.

Plan on buying a complete set - the mattress and the foundation (boxspring). Placing a new mattress on an old foundation will impede the performance and reduce the useful life of the mattress.

Shop for the best value, not the lowest price. A quality mattress is going to serve you the best in the long term.

Compare services when purchasing. How much for delivery? Will they remove your old mattress? Do they offer financing?

Remember, we spend almost one third of our life in bed, take care of yourself and buy a good quality, comfortable mattress.

Also remember that once your have purchased the right mattress, you need to take care of your investment.

Be sure to not remove the attached tags, as they contain important care information.

Don’t allow the kids (or grown-ups) to jump on the bed.

Make sure that you keep a washable pad/mattress protector on the bed.

Don’t use the side handles to lift the mattress, these are to assist with positioning the mattress only.

Regularly rotate and turn your mattress and boxspring. This should be done every few weeks after purchase, and then every few months after that. Some manufacturers recommend not rotating a sleep set, be sure to check for this.

About The Author

Olivia Filipetto is publisher of www.bedroomfurniture.com, providing all you need to know about enchancing your bedroom and buying bedroom furniture.

bedroomfurniture@gmail.com

5 Keys to Better Sleep
by: Patricia Wagner

Do you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep?

What you are about to read may make a huge difference to your future health! Being well rested is essential to our wellbeing and is a major key in living an energetic lifestyle.

Here are some of the benefits of a good night’s sleep: - You will look and feel your best. - Relating to others will come easier with enough rest. - You’ll be a safer driver and be less likely to fall asleep at the wheel. - More alertness and creativity on the job will be a major benefit. - You’ll feel less stressed. - There’ll be an increased ability to fight off illness. - You’ll enjoy life more.

Here are some keys to getting a better night’s sleep:

1. Set your body clock.

Choose a bedtime schedule by deciding how many hours of shut-eye you need and try to stick with it. That’s because we are all creatures of habit.

Try not to oversleep too often because this tends to throw your body clock off. If you are tired, try taking a short nap. However, it should not be longer than about one half an hour because more time than that and you will wind up not being able to fall asleep that night.

2. Be wise about eating and drinking.

Drinking too much fluid in the late afternoon and evening can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night to trot off to the bathroom. Also consuming food and beverages that contain caffeine before bedtime can cause you to toss and turn for hours. So it would be wise to avoid coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate before going to bed. However, a hot non-caffeinated drink can relax you.

3. Prepare your sleeping environment.

You have control over a number of factors in your sleeping environment that will make or break a good night’s sleep.

One of them is the temperature of your bedroom. Adjust the temperature of your bedroom so it’s conducive to sleeping. It’s usually best to have your room a little on the cool side, but be sure you have enough blankets on your bed.

Another environmental issue is the darkness of our bedrooms. Many people prefer sleeping when it’s totally dark, so turn off the lights except for night lights.

A key bedroom environment factor is your bed. Purchase the best mattress you can afford since you’ll spend a large proportion of your life on it.

Quietness is very important to our rest. Try to keep the noise down. If that’s impossible, consider using ear plugs. Play calming music and avoid watching television just before bedtime. Violent scenes can lead to sleeplessness and violent dreams!

Design your bedroom to be a peaceful sanctuary in your home. Separate your work from the bedroom area so your body knows the bedroom is a place to rest - not work.

4. Prepare yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually for bedtime.

There are a number of steps you can take before going to bed to prepare yourself physically. Slowly stretching before hitting the sack can help you relax. Regular exercise during the day will enhance your ability to fall asleep. Taking a warm bath - not a shower - can be helpful too. If you are still tense, a back massage can help you relax. Wear comfortable nonbinding clothing.

Here’s the most important thing you can do once you’ve hit the sack - let go of the day’s worries. Bedtime is a bad time to dwell on problems since worry can keep you tossing and turning for hours! I’ve found that reading the Bible and praying before going to bed is a wonderful way to end the day. Then I can truly relax and lay down my problems. My sleep is much sweeter and so are my dreams!

5. Seek specialized help if needed.

A medical condition could be preventing you from getting your full rest at night. See your doctor if you have continuing difficulty with falling asleep. Usually it’s not wise to take sleeping pills since they can become addictive. They also interfere with the body’s own inner sleeping rhythm.

Here are three organizations that offer specialized help:

National Sleep Foundation http://www.sleepfoundation.org/about.cfm

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine http://www.aasmnet.org/

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm

The suggestions in this article have been listed to help you get a better night’s sleep. Now try putting them into practice and enjoy a more rested and energetic lifestyle.

Pleasant dreams!

Copyright ©2004 by Patricia Wagner

About The Author

Patricia Wagner offers informative tips on living a more energetic lifestyle at http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com and through her free “A to Z Health Tips” newsletter.
Email: wagner.art@verizon.net