Sleep & Women

Women

Taken from :  SleepBetter.Org


No matter how far women have come in this world, it seems there’s one inequality that keeps rearing its ugly head: women’s sleep problems. The topics, reports, and articles written on sleep problems and women including everything from menopause to pregnancy sleep tips. Daily life is busier than ever before for women. While the brain replays the day’s trials and tribulations, a host of other problems can be occurring at the same time. Take into consideration hormonal fluctuations and health problems, and it’s easy to see why women commonly experience sleep problems.



New mothers tend to get a lot of infant sleeping tips when the real discussion should be focused on women’s sleep problems. There’s a lot going on after a baby is born, both in the home and in the body, and the result can be relentless insomnia. No matter how exhausted your body feels, your mind just won’t shut off for the night. It wasn’t bad enough that pregnancy and sleep didn’t quite make a match, but now that the baby has arrived, sleep is still a distant memory. There are many things that help you sleep including good quality pillows, meditation, yoga, eliminating caffeine in the diet, and sometimes (when warranted and approved by a physician), medication. If you’re a new mom, you’re probably feeling the pressure of being on call 24/7. In order to be your best, it’s important to get as much quality sleep as you can, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask your partner to take the baby out of the house, or hire someone to come in so that you can take a nap during the day. Try to nap when the baby is napping. If you still can’t fall asleep, it may be time to see your doctor.



As a woman, you’ll go through many milestones in your life, and some of those milestones may find you facing sleepless nights. Buying a new mattress or pillows that help you sleep might not seem like much of a treat, but it really is! Imagine sinking into that plush new mattress, your head, neck, and shoulders gently cradled and supported by your new pillow. A good night’s sleep may or may not be as simple as buying a new mattress, but taking care of yourself should always be your first step when looking for ways to solve sleep problems in women.


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Sleep & Massage Therapy

Massage therapy can help you get better sleep




Modern times give people ‘instant’ everything. It gives them ‘instant’ convenience, ‘instant’ solutions and ‘instant’ results among so many others. But, amidst all the advantages it gives to people, it also brings a lot of stress that hinders them to get better sleep.



Studies show that the most common cause of today’s health problems lack of sleep that can be caused by too much stress. Aside from improper diet, and unhealthy life style, prolonged periods of stress subconsciously affect many systems of the human body, lack of sleep may lead to possible health problems such as gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease, memory loss, and decreased immune function.



One of the most popular stress-reduction techniques being practice nowadays is massage therapy apart from using stress-relieving tablets and capsules. By definition, massage therapy is a hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues that include muscle, skin, tendons, and associated fascia, ligaments. Massage therapy also concentrates in treating joint capsules in the body. Apart from decreasing muscular tension and increasing the removal of metabolic waste, massage therapy also promotes nutrient delivery to healing tissue caused by extended periods of stress and will eventually help a person to get better sleep.



The wonders of massage therapy



Indeed, massage therapy has become a significant part of general health care for many people living in today’s stressful world. Numerous professionals and even traditional healthcare systems throughout the world recognizes that massage therapy can play an important role in treating chronic ailments can and contribute to a higher sense of general well-being since it greatly helps people get better sleep.



Considered as the modern antidote for stress, massage therapy helps combat stress by trying to reduce the tension build up in the muscles. Aside from boosting the body’s immune system, massage therapy prevents the decrease in circulation and nutrient delivery to tissues. Known as one of the ultimate “stress reducers,” more professionals are advising their patients to include massage therapy in their health care treatment plans.



People, especially those who live by the rule of stress and don’t have enough sleep, find massage therapy very helpful in so many ways. Among the extensive benefits of massage therapy, most people consider the therapeutic affect of the treatment on their bodies. Since massage therapy causes diverse physiological effects due to the therapist’s hands moving over the body, its therapeutic affect is proven to improve health by acting directly on the muscular, nervous, circulatory and immune systems.



Aside from aiming to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment physical function, massage therapy also relieves or prevents physical dysfunction and pain. Massage therapy also relaxes tight and tense muscles while improve circulation, recovery time, and immune system function, which reduce overall stress. And with the continuing research on the beneficial effects of massage therapy, its effectivity was also discovered in controlling chronic or acute pain.



Concentrated in creating different movements that can physically stretch muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia, massage therapy also encourages the circulation through the tissue, inhibit muscular spasms, and be either sedating or stimulating to the nervous system.



But, far from the common conception, elementary knowledge of massage therapy is not enough for ordinary individuals to practice it. Being a regulated health profession, massage therapy requires professionals who have completed hours of education at accredited schools and have extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology, assessment, bodywork techniques, and pathology to know when massage therapy is or is not suitable.



With the array benefits massage therapy offers to people—specially in stress reduction and in helping them get better sleep—it is no wonder that a wide patronage of it will increase energy and will improve people’s outlook on life.

Aromatherapy

How can aromatherapy help you get better sleep


With the trend of going back to the natural and to the basics, aromatherapy is becoming a popular alternative in the world of total wellness and health. In fact, more and more people are using it to get better sleep which they think is the best way to regain one's strength so he or she can do all the things that needs to be done.

Aromatherapy is believed to have therapeutic properties that can heal a person's illness or relax him or her. Today, aromatherapy is not only used for healing processes but is also used to help a person get better sleep since it is practiced in a very soothing way.

To achieve the health benefits of aromatherapy not only on how to get better sleep—specifically essential oils—one should get all the knowledge and experience that you can get. It is best to read references of aromatherapy from various books, magazines, and even online sites that offer free aromatherapy information.

To gain experience, one can also enroll in an aromatherapy crash course class that is near your place. Here, they can teach you the basics of conducting an aromatherapy procedure as well as almost all the information that one needs to know about aromatherapy. For people with hectic schedules and don’t have time to attend a class physically, they can enroll in various online sites that offer aromatherapy classes.

Using aromatherapy

Before anything else, make sure that you have supplies for aromatherapy such as items that will be used for measuring items such as cups and spoons, means of transferring liquids such as funnels with different sizes, containers for mixing elements and for proper storage such as bottles or vials, labeling items like stickers, lots of paper towels and alcohol to clean the area afterwards. After preparing the necessary supplies, you may start with your homemade aromatherapy. The following are just some of the aromatherapy products that you can do inside the confines of your abode.

1. Aromatherapy massage or body oil. All you need is to combine 50 drops or 1/2 teaspoon of the essential oil of your choice together with 4 ounces of vegetable oil.

2. Aromatherapy compress. This is considered as one of the easiest aromatherapy products out there. All you need is to add at least 5 drops of essential oil to a cold or hot cup of water and dip a soft cloth on the mixture.

3. Aromatherapy foot or hand bath. What you need is to add 10 drops of chosen essential oil to a part of cold or hot water in a medium-sized basin. Using your hand or a stirring rod, stir the essential oil evenly to blend well with the water.

Getting better sleep using aromatherapy

To get better sleep, one must also know which are the essential oils that can bring about positive changes in a person's body. Some plant derivations of essential oils and their potential benefits such as geranium for relieving stress-related conditions like tensions, nervous breakdown, and skin illnesses like eczema or hard-to-heal wounds; jasmine for arousing sensuality, relaxation, and in treating several skin conditions; eucalyptus for relieving muscle pains and aches as well as in to alleviate respiratory system conditions especially poor breathing; frankincense to aid lung conditions, urinary problems, irregular menstruation, and relieving pains in skin disorders like acne and excessive burns; lavender for helping improve the function of the respiratory system and alleviate stress-related conditions such as insomnia, depression, and mental fatigue; and peppermint to aid respiratory problems specifically asthma as well as mental fatigues that lead to fainting and extreme headaches.

Better Sleep for your Teenager!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Helping teenagers to get better sleep


With so many gadgets to play with and use and with so many parties to attend who would want to sleep? With so many distractions today, people—especially the younger ones or the teenagers—are having a hard time to get better sleep. This should not be a problem but it goes to show how poor the quality of young people is today. Many of them do not perform well in school because they rarely get sleep due to all these distractions.

If you are one of those parents who are having problems that their teeners are not getting the right amount of sleep that they should have, here are some tips that you can share to them.

1. Ask them to cut out on too many caffeine intakes. If you are doing the grocery, then you should be the one who have taken out of the list the foods and drinks that contain caffeine such as coffee, chocolates, sodas and teas. But since you cannot monitor their routines outside your home, it is a must to remind them to cut out on these foods and drinks. You can do this by telling them the bad effects of caffeine not only in sleeping but in their overall health as well.

2. Tell them not to resort to alcohol as a "sleeping aid". Many adults resort to alcohol to sleep fast. Since their bodies are much older, they can tolerate the effects of alcohol but this should not be the case among the younger ones. If you are a parent, try to tell your child that although alcohol may help him or her to fall asleep, it may cause disturbances that may lead to lesser quality of sleep. Aside from not really helping them to get better sleep, it may also affect their overall health and physical appearance since alcohol may cause early aging.

3. Teach them how to relax before their bedtime. Although this is much easier to do when they are toddler, parents should still try to teach their youngsters how to relax a bit when they are about to go to sleep. You can do this by spending time with the teener and talk about how he or she should handle the everyday stress either in school or in growing up. If the child is able to talk about these things before bedtime, he or she will have a peaceful sleep without thinking of so many things. You can also ask her or him to do relaxing activities such as reading a book or practicing yoga if you are not around to talk to.

4. Ask them to have regular exercise. If regular exercise helps older people to get better sleep at night, what more to the younger ones? Explain to your child the importance of having just the right amount of exercise in getting better sleep and achieving optimum health. To make it more effective, join your teener in doing regular exercises such as light jogging or brisk walking. If he or she sees that you are "walking your talk" there is greater chances for him or her to obey you.

5. Give enough hours for television or for Internet. For a teener to get better sleep, there should be less hours for him or her to spend watching TV programs or browsing the Internet. Since these two are major distractions, it is a must that parents restrict them with too much time on these activities so can sleep better at night.

How Sick People Can Get "Better Sleep"

How sick people get better sleep


When one is sick, everything is hard. From eating to sleeping, the illness really affects the overall function of the person. But since these two, especially sleeping is a must, one should think of ways to get better sleep even if he or she is sick.

The major consideration in this case is the severity of the condition. If you are sick due to fever, there are certain medications that should be taken in before bedtime. But if you are undergoing a terminal illness, it is best to seek the help of doctors on how you can sleep better.

Tips for a good sleep despite sickness

The best set up for people who are sick but who wants to get better sleep is to have somebody to help him or her with her needs. This is very ideal since the sick person doesn’t have to worry over things anymore. Having somebody to do the things that are you supposed to do is ideal since worrying aggravates the condition of a person who is sick. Other tips for sick people to get better sleep include:

1. If you can, try staying awake during daytime. Although people that are sick would crave sleeping almost all the time, this may not be the best because it means lesser sleep at night. Remember that sleeping at night is very crucial since it has longer hours compared to daytime. If you can try to stay awake at daytime, it would be the best so you would not disrupt your sleeping cycle.

2. Try to insert exercise during daytime. It may sound absurd to ask a sick person to exercise but in reality, the right amount of physical activity may help them to get better. Studies show that people who are sick have greater chances of getting better sleep at night if they do some simple exercises during the day because their bodies will be somehow "tired" and will "crave" for sleep at nighttime.

3. Ensure that the temperature is at comfortable levels. If you are a person who is not used to hot rooms, then it would be ideal to keep your bedroom on the cool side of it. Studies show that people who are sick have better chances of sleeping well if their room has mid-to-high 60's fahrenheit.

4. Eliminate unnecessary noises. It is best to keep the room of a sick person as quiet as possible so his or her sleep is not disrupted. Experts say that people who are sick have greater chances of getting better if they are able to rest well. So, to ensure that the person who is sick will have a peaceful sleep, noises should be eliminated. If it is not possible to totally eliminate these, try other methods of minimizing them such as putting soft earplugs to the ears of the person or using a white noise machine.

5. Just the right amount of light. To get better sleep, people who are sick must try to sleep in a room that it either dark or with minimal amount of lights. Why? Because this setting will not only help them get better sleep but can also help them to relax and get well easily. You can keep the room dark by drawing the shades or pulling the curtains down. If you are not the type of person who is not used to totally dark room, try turning on the lamp shade so there will be enough light to get you by.

A Great Tool That You Can Use To Relieve Stress

Video Games: A Great Tool That You Can Use To Relieve Stress

Everybody knows that playing with video games is a lot of fun. However, have you ever considered it as a way to relieve stress? If not, then you may want to start buying that latest video game console along with your favorite video games and start playing as research have found that playing with video games can indeed provide people with a great way to relax.

Aside from being a great tool for relieving stress, playing with video games really does have its positive effects both mentally and physically.

So, just what are the positive effects of video games?

Researches have found that video games can really help improve your hand to eye coordination. This means that you will have faster reflexes. If you love playing with strategy games, then it will improve your strategic thinking, which can help you solve problems a lot easier. Online games tend to improve your cooperative participation as it will let you play with other people.

Playing with video games has a lot of positive effects and this is also a great, easy, and cheap way to relax and relieve stress.

With today’s economic situation, everybody needs to have some cheap form of relaxation. Going to the spa to get a massage can be expensive. Because of this simple fact, it is not really a wonder why the video game industry is not really feeling the recession. There may have been a decrease in the sales of video games and video game consoles or systems but the difference isn’t really all that much.

People find ways to relax and playing with video games is a great way to relax. In fact, many experts agree that playing video games for at least 30 minutes can help you relieve stress.

So, if you remember your parents telling you that playing with video games will do you more harm than good, you may want to tell them about stress and how video games can help. You should also tell them about the many other positive effects of video games for improving motor and mental skills.

By playing with video games for at least 15 to 30 minutes a day, you will see that it will be able to help in concentrating your mind on something else that is less important. With this, you will be able to get your mind off the things that are considered to be stressful. In fact, in this short amount of time, you can even forget about the stressful day you went through.

Playing games are so effective in team building that many companies today are now incorporating team building video games in their organization to improve coordination among the different departments in their companies. Also, because playing video games relieve stress, it can also serve as a way to increase efficiency in the work place.

As you can see, because more and more companies are realizing the effectiveness and the positive effects of video games, most of them are now incorporating casual video games in the office. It helps with the overall efficiency of their employees and it also helps relieve stress. So, if you are feeling a little bit stressed, you may want to start playing with video games. Through this, you will be able to get rid of that stress you are feeling in no time at all.

Some BAD Sleep Foods........ONE that WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 food that can help you sleep—and 5 that might not
                                                         by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine

Since I’ve become a mom, it’s a challenge for me to get enough sleep. It’s become harder for me to fall asleep because I’m thinking about work, the baby, all the stuff that needs to be done around the house, what to make for dinner the next night...and the list goes on. (At least I’ve got a handle on the dinner thing—I either make one of these cheap, 30-minute dinner recipes or make a super-easy meal in my slow cooker.)

I’m not OK with getting less than the recommended 8 to 9 hours per night, since sleep is so important to my health and my figure (research links weight gain with sleep loss). (Find 5 foods that do the weight-loss work for you here.)

So in the interest of giving myself the best chance for a good night’s sleep (especially with the spring time change), I took a look at advice from EatingWell Nutrition Advisory Board member Dr. Rachel Johnson on which foods and drinks can help promote better sleep. Here’s what the research says:

Carbohydrate-Rich Dinners (This one works!): A light bedtime snack can stave off hunger, a known sleep robber. But eating quickly-digested carbs (a.k.a, “high-glycemic-index” or “GI” carbohydrates such as jasmine rice) hours earlier at dinner—might also help. A study found that when healthy sleepers ate carbohydrate-rich suppers of veggies and tomato sauce over rice, they fell asleep significantly faster at bedtime if the meal included high-GI jasmine rice rather than lower-GI long-grain rice. The study authors speculated that the high-GI meals triggered greater amounts of insulin, which increased the ratio of tryptophan relative to other amino acids in the blood, allowing proportionately more to get into the brain and make people drowsy.

Warm Milk: Decades ago, scientists looked into this folk remedy and posited that tryptophan, an amino acid in milk (and turkey), might be responsible for its supposed sleep-inducing effects. Earlier research had shown that when tryptophan is released into the brain, it produces serotonin—a serenity-boosting neurotransmitter. But when milk (and other tryptophan-rich foods) were tested, they failed to affect sleep patterns, perhaps because other amino acids in those foods competed with tryptophan to get into the brain. Warm milk at bedtime may be comforting, but it won’t boost sleep-promoting serotonin.

Herbal Tea: Chamomile, lemon balm, hops and passionflower are all touted for their sleep-promoting properties. You’ll often find them in “sleep-formula” tea blends, but unfortunately their effectiveness hasn’t been proven in clinical studies, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Some experts say that these teas may work for some, and a warm liquid before bed may make you sleepy by generating body heat. That said, a cup of “sleep-time” tea might be worth a try.

Caffeine: Caffeine affects everyone differently, so if you’re sensitive it might be worth trying to cut down—or limit caffeine to the morning only. This can mean more than just cutting out a cup of coffee. The major sources of caffeine in Americans’ diets are coffee (71 percent), soft drinks (16 percent) and teas (12 percent) but chocolate is also a source. Our ability to excrete caffeine decreases with age so while you might have tolerated four cups of coffee a day when you were 20, you’ll probably need to cut down as you get older. Cut down on caffeine or limit it to the morning; if insomnia persists, consider going cold turkey. Try this drink to cure a headache & 4 more home remedies for common ailments.

Alcohol: Though a glass of wine may help you fall asleep, excessive alcohol use can make you wake up in the night. One theory is that alcohol suppresses the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep state that’s critical to a good night’s sleep. Drink moderately, if at all; avoid drinking within a few hours of bedtime.

Sleep Supplements: Shelves in supplement stores are stacked with sleep formulas. According to one NIH survey conducted in 2002, 1.6 million people tried complementary or alternative therapies like these, and over half of them reported their insomnia improved “a great deal.” However, those glowing anecdotes haven’t been backed up by rigorous scientific study; evaluations of most nutritional supplements haven’t shown any effects whatsoever. The one exception is valerian root, which seemed to help improve sleep (with rare, and mild, side effects, such as stomach upset). But finding an effective formulation of valerian root is tricky, since the FDA doesn’t regulate herbal supplements. Don’t waste your money on sleep supplements; hold off on using valerian until standardized formulations become available.

By Michelle Edelbaum

Michelle is the associate editor of interactive for EatingWell Media Group.

Being able to keep control thru Personal Mastery is another way to get better sleep..........Personal Mastery helps you to allow yourself rest....... Your mind taking control of your actions........

Try looking and using this site to help you to your own Personal Mastery......

"Gaining Personal Mastery"

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