How to sleep better?

Fall back asleep after nightmares!

2009-12-09T13:29:00.000-08:00

And some more advices “how to fall asleep after having the nightmares” from people who suffer from nightmares:

What is really important? First, when you wake up after having the nightmares remind yourself that it was just a dream. Make a decision not to have it again. The dream originates in your mind. So, you do have control over it. Much more than you realize. Then, before you go to sleep each night. Think about something pleasant. Like a very nice place you have been. Something that you have pleasant but not emotional charged feelings about. And, think I would like to dream about something very nice tonight. Now, I almost never have nightmares unless I'm under a lot of stress or in fear for some reason during the day. I mostly have very pleasant dreams or none.
While you're awake, try to visualize and recreate the nightmare in your head so that you are the one that comes out victorious. If you are a religious person, keep an opened bible in your room or on your bed. Just remind yourself that it's a silly nightmare, it's not real cause when you allow it to prevent you from sleeping it becomes real and that's not healthy so be brave and when u feel a nightmare coming on, control it cause it's your dream, and you have the power to determine whether or not it becomes a nightmare.
Drink water, and overturn the nightmare. Create a happy ending (exact opposite) of the nightmare and while you're at it, you'll fall asleep. Also, avoid wearing tight clothes when going to sleep. Difficulty in the circulation of blood when sleeping usually causes nightmares.
Try to imaging you just won the lottery and thinks about how she is going to spend it. She said she will be asleep in no time
You have to talk to someone because nightmares are things that you are worried about or thinking about again and again. you need to let it out by talking to someone who can listen to you

Don't forget about simple steps "how to fall asleep after a nightmare"

Useful tips for lucid dreaming

2009-11-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

What percentage of life does the average man sleep? It’s something about 30%! A lucid dream can give you a chance to get more than just rest during this part of our life. During the lucid dream a person is aware that he or she is dreaming now. When the sleeper is lucid, she or he can model dream or participate in existing dream. Such kind of dream can seem extremely real, but it depends on a person's level of self-awareness during the time of lucid dream. There are several tips for lucid dreaming:

Have a definite routine (but not too boring, just within the limits of reason =). Create a good habit of going to bed and waking up at the appointed time each day. It helps your body and mind get into a synchronistic rhythm and increases the chances of having a lucid dream.
Have a short nap during the day. It gives you one more chance to practice and makes you less tired.
Check your reality. During the day take more notice of your surroundings. Pay more attention to colors, sounds, people and smell. Matter is everything around you! This enables you to notice more things when you are in your dream world (which is the start of a lucid dream!).
Meditate before going to bed. Meditating before bed helps you become aware of the hypnotic stage, which is a precursor to LD. There are many specific ways of meditating. The eases one is focusing attention on your breathing. Meditate at least 10 minutes before sleeping.
Don’t wake up! What do you usually do after waking up? You go to the bathroom and after a few moments realize that you are not dreaming and for a moment you are still half into your dream. So, right before you wake up try to concentrate on not waking up and staying in your dream. This part of you dreaming can become lucid.

How to fall asleep after a nightmare

2009-10-25T14:28:00.001-07:00

Simple steps help you to fall asleep after a nihgtmare:

First of all, after waking up after a nightmare, turn on the light. Seat on your bed and realize that right now you are in safety.
Then tell yourself aloud that this nightmare was just a dream.
Concentrate your attention on breathing, take a deep breath. Try to breath without pausing between inhalation and exhalation, do it during five minutes.
Go into another room, try to reed a book or watch TV, drink some warm milk or green tea.
If you are ready continue your night sleep, go back to bed and keep a small «night light».
When you are in bed, try to stop your mind. Think «about nothing», just feel your body, laying in bed (feel coolness of pillow, softness of bed linen), notice the body sensation… and… fall asleep… good night…

See "Fall back asleep after nightmares!"

Causes of insomnia

2009-10-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Causes of insomnia are various, your lifestyle, physical health, emotional stress or even your sleep environment, could all affect the quality of your sleep. The most common causes of insomnia you can find in the list below:

Insomnia can be caused by restless leg syndrome. It’s characterized by discomforting sensations felt and need to move the legs or other body parts to relieve these sensations. Restless leg syndrome features worsening of symptoms during the early evening or later at night.

In case of sleep apnea person's breathing is interrupted during the time of sleep. Each interruption lasts long enough to miss one or more breathing cycles. During this pauses, some part of the sleeper's respiratory tract loses muscle tone and collapses in. People with obstructive sleep apnea usually complain of sleepiness during the day, but they don’t remember their apnea.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease can be cause of repeated awakenings during the sleep because of unpleasant sensations owing to stomach acid that flowing ascending into the throat during sleep.

Parasomnia includes disorders of arousal or disruptive sleep events such as sleepwalking, nightmares, REM behavior disorder and violent behavior while sleeping. In this case a person moves his/her body in response to events within his/her dreams. Medical intervention can successfully cure parasomnia.

Mania or Hypomania in bipolar disorder can make process of falling asleep rather difficult. A person going through a manic or hypomanic episode often feels a decreased need for sleep. Sleep deprivation can worsen a manic episode, or cause hypomania to develop into mania.

There are a lot of other causes of insomnia like medications such as decongestants, stimulants (e.g., methylphenidate) and some antidepressants, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, stress caused by work, death or illness of a family member or friend family life, financial difficulties, anxiety or depression, pain from arthritis of other medical conditions, time zone changes, shift work,
lack of activity during the day. In fact, insomnia is usually considered a symptom of some other condition, rather than a condition itself. It means that everyone should be attentive to symptoms of insomnia.

Besides, a rare genetic condition can cause a prion-based, permanent and eventually fatal form of insomnia called Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI).

Types of insomnia

2009-10-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

There are mainly three different types of insomnia:

Transient (Lasting from one night to a few weeks). Everyone, who suffers from jet lag or short-term anxiety, knows this type of insomnia. If your insomnia is transient, there is no reason for concern.

Acute (Short-term, continues to occur from time to time). In this case person suffers from inability to consistently sleep well for a period of three weeks to six months.

Chronic insomnia persists almost nightly for at least a month. But even if your insomnia is chronic, you should know that it is possible to cure.

Insomnia also may be classified as primary and secondary. Primary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems that are not dependent on health condition or problem. Secondary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems because of health condition (like depression, asthma, arthritis, heartburn or cancer); pain; medication they are taking; or a substance they are using (like alcohol).

10 facts about insomnia

2009-10-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

1. A majority of American adults (63%) do not get the recommended eight hours of sleep needed for good health, safety, and optimum performance. The number of hours of sleep that an insomniac normally gets is about 6 hours or less every day.

2. According to well-researched facts, approximately 55 percent and more adults face a problem with insomnia, and the number is growing every day. More than 93 percent agree that this disorder can affect results of their work the next day.

3. About 85 percent of individuals suffering from this problem say that other health problems also arise because of this.

4. Among the group of adults facing this sleep disorder, more than 90 percent say that they are more disposed to accidents than others. And the same percentage claim that they are unable to have correct relationships.

5. The age group that usually suffers from insomnia is between 15 to 55 year old.

6. Women are also more prone to this sleep disorder than men.

7. Direct costs of insomnia effect, which include dollars expended on insomnia treatment, hospital and nursing home care, healthcare services, are estimated almost $14 billion every year.

8. Indirect costs such as work loss, property damage from accidents and transportation to and from healthcare providers, are estimated to be $28 billion.

9. Approximately 12 million Americans have restless legs syndrome, a sleep and movement disorder characterized by unpleasant (tingling, crawling, creeping and/or pulling) feelings in the legs, which cause an urge to move in order to relieve the symptoms.

10. In the whole world, America has the largest number of insomniacs followed by Germany and United Kingdom.

What is insomnia?

2009-10-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

Insomnia is a type of sleep disorder, characterized by an incapacity to sleep and(or) to remain asleep for a some period of time, which is necessary to feeling cheerfull and energetic. Insomniacs generally complain of inability to close their eyes or "rest their mind" even for a few minutes at a time. Insomnia is a symptom, though a common misconception is that it is itself a sleep disorder. The most common causes of insomnia include stress, fear, medications, anxiety, caffeine and herbs, it usually can be caused by sleep disorders. An overactive mind (chronic mental fatigue) or physical pain may also be a cause. Finding the underlying cause of insomnia is the first and necessary step to cure it.
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