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Should I Sleep With A Pillow Or Not?

Simon Marmier — 2008-09-19T11:41:54+02:00

A question that comes back very often is: “Should I sleep with a pillow?” Yes, yes and again yes. Use a pillow to sleep. Your head and neck need proper support. If you do not use a pillow you are putting a lot of unnecessary stress on your neck, which can lead to agitated sleep, tossing and turning, neck pain, head aches and un-restful sleep.

When you sleep on your back without a pillow, your head is in hyperextension, stretching the anterior (front) neck structures while the posterior (back) are compressed. Just imagine walking all day looking at the ceiling; not very comfortable, right?

If you sleep on your side without a pillow, your head and neck will be bent laterally (to the side), compressing the neck structures on one side and stretching them on the other. As you sit reading this book, tilt your head to the right as if you wanted to touch your right shoulder with your right ear. Now imagine staying like that for a few hours. Uncomfortable? I bet it would be. That’s why you need to start using a pillow in bed. Another simple reason to use one is that it is softer than a mattress therefore more comfortable for your head.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Technorati Tags:insomnia,sleep disorder,sleep deprivation,sleep aids,sleep problem,sleep tip

-Photo by imedagoze-

Doctor Reveals: Top 5 Sleep Killers, And Why You Can't Sleep At Night

Simon Marmier — 2008-09-03T11:36:27+02:00

There are a few things people take on a regular basis that can absolutely destroy their sleep cycles without them knowing it. And some of those substances might come as surprise to you because you may think they usually help you relax and fall asleep. But the opposite is true. Not only are those substances bad for your health in general, but they also are bad for your sleep.

Listen, if you want to improve your sleep dramatically and you are currently doing one or more of the things listed below, I urge you to stop doing them. And if you can’t stop, find some help. But it is absolutely critical that you get rid of those bad habits. So here is a list of what not to do, and why you shouldn’t do it.

1. Alcohol: Yes I know exactly what you are thinking and I can already here you. “But I have a glass of wine or two at night and it actually helps me sleep”. False, false and more false. Alcohol, after stimulating you, will make you sleepy, drowsy and might help you pass out faster, but you will remain in the first phases of sleep (light sleep), and never enter deep restorative sleep. Because of its sedating effect, people with sleep problems tend to drink at night. But even though you may think the results are positive because you were able to fall asleep faster, they are in fact rather negative, because alcohol will actually disturb your sleep cycles and phases. Plus alcohol should not be something you rely upon to fall asleep.

Here is another interesting fact: if you thought drinking earlier in the day would not affect your sleep well think again. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa41.htm) “Alcoholic beverages are often consumed in the late afternoon (e.g., at "happy hour" or with dinner) without further consumption before bedtime. Studies (Roehrs, T., and Roth, T. Alcohol-induced sleepiness and memory function. Alcohol Health Res World 19(2):130-135, 1995) show that a moderate dose of alcohol consumed as much as 6 hours before bedtime can increase wakefulness during the second half of sleep. By the time this effect occurs, the dose of alcohol consumed earlier has already been eliminated from the body, suggesting a relatively long-lasting change in the body's mechanisms of sleep regulation” ( Landolt, H.-P., et al. Late-afternoon ethanol intake affects nocturnal sleep and the sleep EEG in middle-aged men. J Clin Psychopharmacol 16(6):428-436, 1996; Vitiello, M.V. Sleep, alcohol and alcohol abuse. Addict Biol (2):151-158, 1997.)

Another interesting fact about alcohol, is that it actually inhibits the secretion of a hormone called ADH (Anti Diuretic Hormone), which when in normal levels makes you retain the appropriate amount of water. But when you drink alcohol, this hormone stops being produced, and therefore your body looses more water than it should. This is called dehydration. So what does it mean for you? Well the more alcohol you drink, the more your body will dehydrate and this has 2 consequences:

1. When you are dehydrated, you can’t sleep well and wake up thirsty in the middle of the night.

2. You wake up in the middle of the night with the urge to urinate.

So here are 2 more ways alcohol disrupts your sleep. Knowing all this, we can come to the conclusion you will be better off without drinking alcohol at all. Does that sound too hard for you? Well you make the choice: the pleasure of booze or restful healthy deep restorative sleep.

2. Nicotine: Do you smoke? Do you find you need that last cigarette at night otherwise you just can’t relax from the busy day you had and won’t be able to fall asleep. Maybe as you are reading these words it’s late, you can’t sleep and you have a cigarette between your fingers. Well let me tell you something interesting: just as I said it with alcohol, you’d be better off without it. So put it out right now! Yes you heard me; that last cigarette of the day that is supposed to relax you, will in fact have just the opposite effect.

If you are under the impression the cigarettes you smoke actually help you relax, you have been fooled. Nicotine is a stimulant!

Nicotine stimulates your nervous system, and instead of helping you sleep, it is going to keep you awake and tossing and turning in bed. It has the same effect as drinking a cup of coffee.

Smokers will usually stay in a light sleep and spend less time in deep restorative sleep, and may not even enter deep sleep. Nicotine also reduces the amount of REM sleep. You should now be well aware of the health dangers this leads to. Nicotine withdrawal (the decrease of nicotine level in the body and the need to replenish it) usually tends to wake up the smoker 3 to 4 hours after falling asleep. Long-term chronic smokers may also develop respiratory problems and cough, which greatly interferes with sleep. I remember a man I had met some years ago, a chronic smoker; he had been smoking 1 pack and a half a day for many years. He would cough so much at night he wouldn’t sleep; he couldn’t lay down more than 10 minutes without coughing and also had trouble breathing. The scary part is he was only 45 years old. So if you are a smoker and would like to improve your sleep, you know what to do! I am not telling you to quit cold turkey; you could at least stop smoking 1 or 2 hours before going to sleep. I know to some of you this seems impossible; well would you rather remain with your sleep problem?

A last word on cigarette smoking: even with all this information available to you, if you decide to keep smoking, and can’t give up that last cigarette of the day, please make sure you do not smoke it in bed, or fall asleep with your cigarette lit in your hand. Every year many, many people are injured, and others die in fires caused by someone who fell asleep with a lit cigarette. Be responsible, and you may save lives.

3. Caffeine: If you didn’t know it yet, caffeine is, according to wikipedia.com “the world’s most popular psychoactive drug”. It is widely used for its stimulating effect, to stay alert, and fight sleepiness. It is therefore absolutely logical caffeine should be avoided in all its forms as we get closer to the end of the day. But logic is not always followed. Have you ever found yourself drinking a caffeinated drink less than 6 hours before going to bed? Well if you have this bad habit, change it right away because it can take up to 6 hours for caffeine effects to wear off.

Here are some of the known effects of caffeine:

-Stimulates the central nervous system
-Increases alertness
-Increases heart rate
-Diuretic (makes you urinate more)
-Raises body temperature

Another little known fact is that caffeine is not just found in coffee. As a matter of fact it is contained in many other common foods and it also has different names such as:

-Guaranine
-Mateine
-Theine

And here is a list of the foods we can find caffeine in:

-Coffee
-Soft Drinks
-Chocolate
-Energy drinks
-Tea
-Some Diet Pills

Of course not all theses foods contain the same amount of caffeine. Chocolate for example has a low caffeine content. But did you know that a serving of soft drink contains 10 mg to 50 mg of caffeine, when an average serving of coffee contains 40 mg. You see soft drinks are as much of a stimulant as coffee is. Also know that “decaf” does contain caffeine, but in smaller amount. Odds are, you know you shouldn’t drink coffee at night and therefore you avoid it.

But are you avoiding soft drinks as well? If you are drinking a couple of cans of soda within 6 hours of going to bed, you are increasing the caffeine in your body, which in turn stimulates your nervous system, and will make it harder for you to either fall asleep, or stay asleep. You may toss and turn in bed with your eyes open for hours and wonder why you just can’t relax and go to sleep; the answer may lie in those cans of soda you had a few hours ago, or even the cup of coffee you had after dinner.

For a free caffein calculator, go to www.wesleepbetter.com/tools

As a rule of thumb, if you have trouble sleeping at night, you should avoid all caffeine containing food within 6 hours of going to bed. You will dramatically increase your chances of going to sleep and staying asleep, you will find it is much easier to relax, turn your mind off and finally get the rest you need.

A side note on caffeine: Some people consider caffeine as a substitute for sleep. They will just disregard their lack of sleep and “compensate” with one cup of coffee after another to stay awake and alert. Knowing what you now know about the importance of sleep, I am sure you understand this is not something you should do. Your body will accumulate fatigue, will not be able to repair itself and will eventually breakdown (disease).

There is absolutely NO substitute for sleep. If you are not sleeping enough, drinking coffee, soda or taking caffeine pills to keep you awake and “functioning” is not a solution. It can become a vicious cycle, leading to addiction: someone does not sleep well at night, wakes up tired without energy and decides to drink coffee all day long to “stay awake”. Caffeine accumulates in the system and when the time to sleep comes, this person can’t relax and stays wired due to all the coffee drunk during the day. The next day, he wakes up tired again and starts the process over. If this is happening to you, your health could be in serious danger and I would recommend you find a way out of the addiction, and stop relying on coffee. You will be tired at first, maybe even completely exhausted, but your body isn’t a machine!

4. Sugar: Sugar is not technically a stimulant but its effects are similar. The intake of sugar will cause a raise in your body insulin level to metabolize it, leading to a surge of energy. Amongst other things sugar stimulates the release of dopamine, which can lead to hyperactivity. Knowing this, you will probably want to stay away from all high sugar content foods, especially refined white sugar. This means no sodas (again), ice cream, candy bars, cookies and many other things!

The average soda, for example, contains about 40 mg of refined sugar, which is equivalent to about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Not only does sugar interfere with sleep but it also leads to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. From now on, make a conscious effort to avoid refined white sugar, and yes you will have to change your habits, but there can’t be any results without change. You body will thank you for it.

5. Exercising at night: You must know that exercising at night or shortly before bedtime can have the opposite effect and keep you up. To prevent this sort of problem, you should always avoid exercising close to bedtime. As a rule, do not exercise 3 hours before going to bed. It is much better to exercise in the morning, and if you don’t have time, you could start waking up 30 minutes earlier.

As you become familiar with your sleep, understand your natural rhythms, and start getting good quality, deep restorative sleep, you will notice that waking up earlier is actually easy and gives you more energy. Take advantage of this extra time to exercise instead of ending the day with it.

So there you have it 5 sleep killers revealed to you. You know what to do!

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Technorati Tags:insomnia,sleep disorder,sleep deprivation,sleep aids,sleep problem,sleep tip

The First Thing You Must Do In The Morning To Solve Sleep Problems:

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-21T21:33:23+02:00

Expose yourself to bright light within 1 minute of getting up.

“What do you mean? Are you saying I have to shine a light in my face as soon as I get out of bed?”

This is exactly what I mean

“Are you crazy? I can’t do that!”

Believe me, this is what absolutely changed my life. When I started doing this, I noticed a tremendous change in my energy during the day, and my sleep cycles started to regulate like clockwork. Now you might think this is barbaric, painful and you’ll refuse to do it…that’s fine. But I am telling you, if you start doing it, you’ll notice the difference almost immediately.

If when you get up, you stay in the darkness, or use faint light because you just can’t stand bright ones, your body doesn’t know to completely stop the secretion of Melatonin, and you’re groggy, sleepy, and it takes you 20 or 30 minutes to become operational.

It takes me 2 minutes after I wake up to be fully awake and operational. When I get out of bed, I turn the light on and stare at it for a few seconds. This simply tells my body "hey it's daylight now and it's time to get going". That way it knows it's time to start the day and it makes the appropriate hormonal changes.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Technorati Tags:insomnia,sleep disorder,sleep deprivation,sleep aids,sleep problemsleep tip

Insomnia Natural Remedy: Passionflower Tea

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-20T11:33:36+02:00

The Native Americans and Mexican Aztecs first used passionflower for its sedating action. It is now widely used in Europe and North America to relieve stress and treat sleeping problems.

“Some investigations of passionflower have been conducted in humans; in addition, animal and other studies suggest that the herb has sedative, anxiolytic, and antispasmodic properties. The German Commission E, considered an authoritative source of information on alternative remedies, reported that passionflower appears to reduce restlessness in animals. In a 1988 study involving rats that was published in a German journal of pharmacology, passionflower was shown to prolong sleep, reduce motor activity, and protect the rodents from convulsions”.(Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, 2nd Edition 2005- Volume 3, p.1556)

Boil a cup water and pour it onto a teaspoon of passionflower. Let it infuse for 10 minutes, covered. Strain it and drink it 30 minutes before going to bed.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Technorati Tags:insomnia,sleep disorder,sleep deprivation,natural sleep aid,sleep tea

-Photo by outlier's eye's-

How To Find The Perfect Napping Spot

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-16T14:49:30+02:00

You could nap in many different locations; true, but you need to keep in mind there are a few criteria to respect that can make the difference between a great relaxing nap and a frustrating one where you can’t fall asleep and get angry and stressed about it. What ever location you choose, use the list below to make sure it is the best one, and optimal for proper rest.

You need to be able to lock the door so no one enters the room and disturbs you
The room needs to be dark or you need to be able to make it dark easily
The room needs to be quiet and as far as possible from all noise sources
The room needs to be warm enough

Once you have found the place that meets all these criteria, you are almost ready to take your nap. But there are a few more things to check: you need to turn off all phones, and all electric appliances that generate noise (such as a computer fan) and you need to close the curtains and darken the room, without making it completely dark. Now you can relax and enjoy your nap.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Technorati Tags:insomnia,sleep disorder,sleep deprivation,napping,napping tips,sleep aids

High Blood Pressure Related To Lack Of Sleep

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-08T21:54:05+02:00

More studies on sleep (don't researchers have better things to do?): A study conducted at Pen State University Medical School revealed that people who don't get the adequate sleep are more prone to suffer from high blood pressure.

Lack of sleep, insomnia, sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are all a source of stress which is known to cause cardiovascular problems.

The sad part is that there are hundreds of people taking blood pressure medications on a daily basis, when solving their problem could be as simple as getting more and/or better sleep.

Resorting to medications to treat physical problems (insomnia, high blood pressure or any other one) is usually the first step people take. But is it the best one?

In my opinion no! Pills are only hiding symptoms without addressing the root of it. Find what is causing the problem, change it and then you have a permanent and efficient solution. Yes it is easier said then done, but isn't your health and ultimately your life worth a little effort?

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Technorati Tags:insomnia,sleep disorder,heart disease,sleep deprivation

-Photo by Bob.Fornal-

Sleep Quick Tip #2: Get On A Schedule

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-07T21:27:05+02:00

Whether we want it or not, we are creatures of habits. Our bodies crave routines and schedules, even though we do everything we can to screw it all up. Our everyday life is regulated by complex bodily rhythms orchestrating hormonal secretions and other functions.

A simple thing you can do to fight insomnia and sleep deprivation naturally is to get on a regular schedule, or routine if you will. This is one simple yet powerful tip, but to my amazement, painful and annoying to most human beings.

Why? Ok, here is the deal: when I mean get on a schedule, I mean go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Most people think of this as a painful restriction and want to stay up until 3 once in a while, and stay in bed on weekends... Fine. Go ahead, but if you are suffering from insomnia or some other sort of sleep disorder, simply kick yourself in the behind, decide on a firm schedule and stick to it. And this means 7 days a week 365 days a year.

There is nothing easier than to train the human body, and there is nothing harder than to un-train it. So yes it will be hard, but once your brain gets used to the pattern you will begin to see miracles happen!

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by ASurroca-

Sleep Deprivation Solutions

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-06T12:22:02+02:00

There are two solutions to solving sleep deprivation, however, you don't necessarily have to do both depending on the problem. Are you ready?

1. Get more sleep
2. Get better sleep

That's right sleep deprivation needs to be solved by doing either of the above or both. Now the question is "How?" Well there is not short answer to that, just like there is no magic pill that will solve your problem once and for all.

First you need to determine what your problem is to get solutions for your sleep deprivation. Is it really that your are not sleeping enough hours? Or is it that you are not getting good quality and restorative sleep? You see many people mistaken poor quality sleep for lack of sleep when really there are two different problems all together.

You could be sleeping 10 hours, but if you don't get the right kind of sleep then you might as well stay up all night. Sleep quality, as with many other things in life is at least 10 times more important than quantity.

So how do you go about getting more sleep and most importantly more quality sleep? First you can browse through the rest of this site where you will find countless tips that can help you sleep better right away.

But to take it to the next step and truly transform your life, I have written a whole manual that takes you by the hand and explains everything for you, step by step, just as if you were talking to me on a consultation, only better since you can have access to it 24/7.

To start sleeping better tonight purchase "How To Get A Better And Healthier Sleep Starting Tonight".

-Photo by limonada-

Sleep Deprivation Symptoms

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-05T21:33:44+02:00

Most symptoms of sleep deprivation are easy to recognize:

• Difficulty getting out of bed
• Constant yawning
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dozing off
• Grogginess during the day
• Irritability and mood swings
• Feeling tired all the time

You can also have a look at the effects of sleep deprivation to get an idea of how this can show up in a person.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Causes Of Sleep Deprivation

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-04T21:07:16+02:00

I know this is going to hurt and it's probably not what you want to hear, but it's the truth, whether you like it or not: if you are suffering from a sleep disorder, you are causing it! That's right; the number one cause of sleep deprivation is your lifestyle; the choices you are making everyday are going to dictate whether or not you will sleep at night. If you are having some sort of sleep problem, most likely you are doing or not doing something that's is causing it.

People always argue and fight about the causes of sleep deprivation; they spend years and millions of dollars developing drugs that will supposedly solve insomnia... But you know just as well as I do that this doesn't work. And not only do sleeping pills not work, they are potentially dangerous and in the vast majority of cases, cause even more sleep or health problems. As a matter of fact sleep medication consumption is one of the lifestyle choices that can directly cause sleep deprivation.

I know you probably think this sounds crazy and are wondering "What? How can sleep medications be the cause of sleep deprivation and sleep disorders?" They may not be the direct cause; other poor lifestyle choices may trigger the sleep deprivation, but sleep medications will only increase the problem and add more negative components to it. But enough about sleeping pills, this is not the topic here, if you want to learn more about this read Chapter 23 (p.129) of How To Get A Better And Healthier Sleep Starting Tonight

Here is a non exhaustive list of the causes of sleep deprivation:

• Caffeine consumption (calculate your caffeine intake)
• Alcohol consumption
• Smoking
• Stress (calculate you stress level)
• Working shifts
• Lack of routine
• Poor scheduling
• Inadequate exposure to light (improper amount and wrong time)
• Bad bed
• Inadequate room temperature
• Poor diet
• Being overweight/obese
• Inadequate "before bed activities" (such as watching TV, working, being on the computer...)
• Lack of or no exercise
• Medication consumption
• etc...

The one exception that wouldn't be a lifestyle choice causing sleep deprivation, would be an illness or a physical pain. But you would have to ask yourself "Why do I have this pain or illness? Is it because of poor lifestyle choices?"

So the point and conclusion of this section is that you are totally responsible for your own sleep problem, you created it, you nurtured it and now you have to find a way to fix it. But let me tell you this: fixing it will not come from the outside in (such as taking a pill), but from the inside out (making the proper changes in one or probably many areas of your life).

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by seraphimc-

Sleep Quick Tip #1

Simon Marmier — 2008-08-03T21:46:42+02:00

Get rid of the alarm clock in your bedroom and you will get rid of a major source of frustration . When someone wakes up at night, generally the first thing they do is glance at the alarm clock. If what you see on the clock does not please you and you realize you woke up in the middle of the night yet again, you will trigger a stress reaction in your body and make it even harder for you to go back to sleep. Hormonal secretions will change, stress response will begin and the likelihood of you going right back to sleep is really slim.

Instead keep the alarm clock in another room. Make sure you can still hear it when it rings in the morning. That way when you wake up in the middle of the night there is no way for you to tell what time it is. You therefore decrease the stress reaction and make it easier for your body to stay relaxed making it easier for you to go back to sleep.

Think about it: it really doesn't matter what time it is when you wake up; it won't make a difference whether it is 11 pm, 3 am or 6:30 am. What matters is that you go back to sleep asap and the best way to do that is to remain relaxed.

So remember, get that stinkin' clock out of there and chill out when you wake up.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by dhdesign-

Master The Light And You Will Sleep

Simon Marmier — 2008-07-04T11:15:54+02:00

So you want to sleep better at night, fight insomnia and basically sleep the way you slept 10 years ago? You need to learn to Master The Light! The human body is regulated by what is called the circadian rhythm which controls many things during the day, including the secretion of sleep hormones.

With the modernization of our society what we have done is that we have disturbed our natural body rhythms, especially our circadian rhythm.

Working inside buildings with low light during the day, decreasing the amount of daylight we receive and being exposed the artificial light at night have completely messed up the way our brains function and created many sleep problems.

The steps to solve that are simple. Here how to Master The Light :

1- Make sure you get more light during the day. Natural light is always better

2- At night, do the opposite: avoid the exposure to bright lights. Dim them down in your home, especially the last few hours before bed.

3- Stay away from computer screens at night. The brightness of the screen will trigger your brain into thinking it is still daylight and you will not properly secrete sleep hormones.

4- The same goes for the TV

5- Light proof your room. Even the faintest light in your bedroom can compromise your sleep. Turn your alarm clock against the wall, put a rolled up towel under the door.

Light is a major sleep regulating factor, yet most people dismiss it. Learn to Master The Light instead of popping pills...here is an idea!

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Sleep Deprivation Effects

Simon Marmier — 2008-05-28T10:13:39+02:00

Sleep as you may already know is a vital function, and therefore, lack of it (sleep deprivation) has dramatic consequences on an individual. Sleep deprivation affects the living body both physically and mentally to the point that it can self-destruct if the deprivation is pushed to the extreme: Let’s look at a sleep deprivation experiment performed on rats to illustrate this point (note that the average rat normally lives for about 2 to 3 years). In this experiment rats were divided into 2 different groups and the results were pretty conclusive as to the negative effects of sleep deprivation:

The rats in group number one, deprived of REM sleep, lived an average of 5 months.
The rats in group number two, deprived of all sleep, survived only about 3 weeks.

This experiment shows us that even though rats can survive an incredible 3 weeks without any sleep, it dramatically shortened their life-span.

But enough about rats, lets looks at the physical effects of sleep deprivation on the human body:

• Memory problems
• Chronic pain
• Attention problems
• Poor motor responses to stimuli
• Difficulty controlling emotions, mood swings
• Increased risk of motor vehicle accident: A 1998 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that approximately 100.000 motor vehicle accidents each year are the results of the driver being drowsy or fatigued at the wheel
• Increased risks of certain diseases
• Depression
• Irritability
• Increased risk of work related accidents
• Decreased work performance
• Social problems, marital problems
• Lowered immune system

Those are the dangers of sleep deprivation. As you can see the effects can be really dramatic, the simple fact that sleep deprivation lowers your immune system is scary enough, since this can lead to many other health problems. Not to mention the direct link between sleep deprivation and car accidents.

Do you ever find yourself irritated, depressed, or not able to pay attention to things the way you were able to? All of these are direct physical effects of sleep deprivation.

The link between sleep deprivation and stress is even more important than you can ever imagine. So if you find yourself stressed or experiencing any of the above, maybe it's time to get some adequate rest.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by sunface13-

Napping Myth # 5 - Naps Make You Groggy

Simon Marmier — 2008-05-07T22:13:47+02:00

Not if you keep it short. Do you remember when we talked about the sleep cycles and the different stages? Well they come in handy to understand why you may wake up groggy from your nap.

Let me explain: as long as you stay in the first stages of sleep, you will be able to wake up and be energized. But if you enter the deep stages of sleep during your nap, then that’s when trouble starts; it will be much harder for you to get up, and you will feel as if you were waking up from a 6 month hibernation period. You will be groggy!

The length of a sleep cycle, if you remember, is approximately 90 minutes; you certainly don’t want to nap for that long, nor do you want to enter deep sleep. So again, time is critical, I highly recommend a 20 minute nap, 30 minutes tops.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Napping Myth # 4 - Napping Will Prevent You From Sleeping At Night

Simon Marmier — 2008-05-06T22:11:53+02:00

Yes it will, only if you don’t respect a certain set of rules. But if practiced the proper way, there will be no such problem. If the time of the day you nap is appropriate (early in the afternoon, rather than late) and your nap is kept to a short time (no more than 30 minutes), it will not affect your night sleep in a negative manner.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Napping Myth # 3 - You Have To Have A Bed To Nap

Simon Marmier — 2008-05-05T22:10:32+02:00

This is probably the biggest mistake some people make when napping, and it is the very reason why some of you have problems sleeping at night. By definition a nap is short, as opposed to a full night of sleep. O.K., now do you remember when we talked about bed associations? Let me refresh your memory; we said that your brain needs to associate the bed to sleep; there needs to be a special physiological response occurring in your body as soon as you think about going to bed and as soon as you lie in it.

The mistake people make when napping in bed is that they train their brain to associate the bed with a short sleeping session (nap), and when comes the time to sleep at night, their body automatically thinks, they are going to take a nap and they end up waking up. Of course this doesn’t happen in a day; it takes a while for the brain to create the association, but if repeated enough, you will unknowingly create your own sleep problem and as you take your daily nap in bed, you are re-enforcing the erroneous message.

Or even worse; if the bed is already associated with night time sleep, you may find yourself taking too long of a nap, which is totally the opposite of what napping should be. I am not going to tell you all the places where you can take your nap, because besides behind the wheel or a few other inappropriate locations you could virtually nap anywhere, except for your bed of course. As a general rule, if it’s comfortable and quiet enough, then it’s somewhere you can nap.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Napping Myth # 2 - Napping Is Time Consuming

Simon Marmier — 2008-05-04T22:09:17+02:00

Well it can be if you don’t know how to nap. Napping is one of the most efficient way to recuperate and refresh yourself. As you will see the best naps are the shortest ones. 15 to 20 minutes is all you need, and honestly who doesn’t have 20 minutes during the day to spend on their health (yes napping is a healthy habit).

We all waste time on things that are detrimental to us or not so productive; so instead of wasting this precious time, invest it in a nap. Not only is it not time consuming, but I’d say it’s time saving. Let me explain; by taking a nap you allow your body to rest, to take a break from your usual activity and recharge itself. When you wake up after 15 to 20 minutes, you will be refreshed and ready to go, and therefore more efficient in your work, which will allow you to accomplish more work in a shorter amount of time as well as a better quality work.

Some countries and individual companies are now realizing how much more efficient their employees are when they take a nap through the day so they decided to encourage napping at work, and some even enforced it! I recently saw a show on a small company that had reserved a special room, where all employees would go once a day take a short nap, and go back to work. After implementing this, their productivity shot through the roof and so did employee satisfaction. Not only is a nap not time consuming, but it improves your performance and productivity. That’s something you should tell your boss....

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Napping Myth # 1 - Napping Is Only For Kids

Simon Marmier — 2008-05-03T22:05:51+02:00

There couldn’t be anything further from the truth. Granted the urge to nap is stronger in the younger ones, but this isn’t an age exclusive activity. We all need to rest at some point during the day.

Yes the human body is a superb machine that can go and go some more. But imagine driving your car all day from 8 to 5 everyday. Is it going to “age” faster? You bet it is!

The need for napping or at least taking some time to rest never really disappears from the basic human needs. So if you thought napping was only for kids, think again.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

How Many Hours Do You Sleep At Night?

Simon Marmier — 2008-04-25T11:19:52+02:00

Opinion Polls & Market Research

That's exactly what I want to know. A poll has been started on this website to get an idea of how many hours people spend sleeping at night.

The results will be published once the poll reaches 2000 answers and I will also write an article explaining how to determine your optimal sleep time and why more is not always better.

So just cast your vote and know where you fit in.

Using 5 HTP to Solve Sleep Deprivation (Part I)

Simon Marmier — 2008-04-23T12:15:07+02:00

If there was one natural supplement I would strongly urge anybody who is suffering from sleep problems to try it would be 5 HTP. This one product really work wonders at re-establishing proper sleep patterns, and I have recommended it to many of my patients, all of whom have been really happy and have seen dramatic results and improvements.

But why does 5 HTP work so well at helping people regain sleep?

Serotonin, a hormones produced by the human body, is a major sleep regulator. Lack or decreased serotonin will not only cause sleep disturbances or insomnia, but also depression, digestive problems, a lower threshold for pain and even fibromyalgia.

One of the major factor causing a decrease in the body levels of serotonin is stress. Not occasional stress but repetitive, chronic stress as millions of people are experiencing it nowadays due to the increase workloads, financial crisis, etc...

So just think that if you are living a stressful life, you are probably asking too much of your body and depleting from the extremely important serotonin that is the precursor for melatonin.

Therefore the combination of stress reducing activities such as exercise, meditation or breathing exercises combined with a proper supplementation of 5 HTP, is key to restoring proper sleep hormone levels.

Sleeping pills such as benziodiazepines will never address this issue and while you think you may sleep better or more while taking them, the hormonal levels will remain low. This is another reason why resorting to sleep medication makes no sense.

Stay tuned for the second part on this topic as I will explain how to take 5 HTP, what types of reactions can occur in your body and what to do about it. I will also review a few of my favorite brands. In the mean time, if you are anxious to start on 5 HTP and improve your sleep, you can buy it here.

Stress At Work Is Messing Up Your Sleep

Simon Marmier — 2008-04-18T11:26:48+02:00

A recent study published by Sarah Burgard, sociologist at the unirversity of Michigan is showing how stress at work can have dramatic consequences on one's sleep.

Burgard explains that back in the days, work was a lot more physically draining and tended to leave people so exhausted at night that they wouldn't have any trouble sleeping. But she says that work today is actually more emotionally and psychologically stressful which affects the way people are able to rest and sleep at night.

What she found to be the most stressful to people was personal conflicts with other co-workers, and what she calls "work-family conflicts", in other words how your work is affecting your family life.

She says that sleeping pills won't solve the problem, and I must say I have to agree with her. The solution resides into dealing with those conflicts, and eliminating them or at least reducing them to a minimum and being able to live a balanced life.

One must also find ways to deal with work stress, by doing things such as regular exercise, meditation or breathing and relaxation exercises.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by gotplaid?-

Keeping A Regular Sleep Schedule

Simon Marmier — 2008-04-16T14:09:05+02:00

A major yet often forgotten factor in getting the sleep you want is to have a regular schedule. If you are like most people, you probably don’t go to sleep at the same time everyday, or don’t wake up at the same time everyday. And if you actually do have a regular schedule during the week, you probably change the rules on the weekends. When you have more time, you go out, you have fun, you watch a late movie, you go to bed at 2 or 3 a.m., and wake up at 10 or 11 a.m.

For some of you, what I am about to say may seem like I want to make your life boring, but believe it or not you cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. So here is what you need to do, if you really want to improve the way you sleep:

You need to have a regular schedule, EVERY DAY! This means Monday through Sunday, and even on vacation. You need to go to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time every single day.

So you may ask “But why can’t I wake up late, if I go to bed late? I am still sleeping the same amount of time”. Well, true; maybe you are sleeping the same amount of hours. However, your body has something called the circadian rhythm which regulates many body functions, including sleep patterns; it is like a fixed clock. And every time you change your sleeping hours, you tell your internal clock to change and reset to new hours. Problem is, it doesn’t reset right away; it takes days (just think about how long it takes to completely get over jet lag).

So if you constantly change your sleep hours, you are constantly asking your internal clock to change and reset to new hours, which it can never do and never stabilize, which results in you having sleep problems.

Your circadian rhythm doesn’t really care how many hours you sleep; what it really cares about is what time you go to sleep so it can prepare to start releasing Melatonin and what time you wake up, so it knows when to start decreasing the Melatonin level. Does this make sense to you?

So figure out how many hours of sleep are optimal for you, get on a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. This in turn will set your internal clock, regulate proper hormone secretion and optimize your sleep pattern.

If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by laffy4k-

How Long Should A Nap Be?

Simon Marmier — 2008-04-13T15:42:48+02:00

If there is one question that is one everyone's mind when it comes to napping, it's the following: How long should I nap for?

Sleep mechanics are rather complex, and taking naps, can if done improperly actually make things worse. We have all woken up from naps where we felt completely out of it and it took us more than 10 minutes to regain some sort of consciousness and another 10 to get back to our task at hand. However, we have also all woken up from great naps, full of energy, completely recharged and ready to conquer the world. But exactly why is that?

How can one nap leave you groggy and another one fill you with more energy than you've had in a long time.

Well it all has to do with how long you spend napping. Sleep is divided into different phases, or stages and the further you go into the stages the deeper your get into sleep as your brain waves change. When napping, you have to avoid getting into deep or delta sleep. That is when it will be more difficult to wake up and when you will experience the most grogginess.

The truth is, a nap doesn't need to be long to be beneficial. So, anything between 1 and 30 minutes is what you want to aim for, with 20 minutes being the sweet spot: you get a good rest, great benefits and are sure to avoid getting into Delta sleep.
If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

-Photo by insertinanename-

Orexin-A: The Solution To Correcting Intelectual Problems Linked To Sleep Deprivation

Simon Marmier — 2008-02-27T10:55:31+01:00

It seems men are ready to do just about anything to screw up their bodies and one example of that is how researchers are investigating how a naturally occurring neurotransmitter called Orexin-A could "solve" the intellectual problems caused by sleep deprivation.

Apparently, according to a recent news article, injecting Orexin-A in monkeys has improved their ability to perform intellectual tasks that involve short term memory, after they had been kept awake for 30 to 36 hours. However the administration of the neurotransmitter had no positive effect on the monkeys' performances when they got adequate rest, but rather made them perform worse on the tasks. The article also mentions that best results were achieved when Orexin-A was administered through the nose: the monkeys improved their performance on harder test and "cognitive performance was restored to normal alert levels".

Obviously more tests need to be performed before this can be applied to humans, but I can already imagine the dollars flowing into the bank accounts of pharmaceutical companies while people sniff Orexin-A in their car on a sleepless cross country journey.

This is absolute non-sense! The consequences of lack of sleep are far more reaching than decreased cognitive function. Sleep is vital, and no nose spray is going to "Solve" anything.

Get some rest, get some sleep, nap if you need to. That is the best solution to restoring normal brain function if you haven't slept enough.
If you want more information on how to solve your sleep problems simply click on this link.

Too Fat? Get some Sleep

Simon Marmier — 2007-12-19T22:32:44+01:00

As if we didn’t already know that sleep was important for proper body function and a balanced health, researchers are throwing even more evidence at us that we really should pay attention to our sleep patterns! I came across some really interesting information lately, which revealed a link between lack of sleep and weight gain.

That’s right, basically this information tells us that not getting enough sleep will make you fat!

Want To Age Slower And Look Younger? Get Some Delta Sleep!

Simon Marmier — 2007-12-19T14:11:02+01:00

I am so amazed by what people would put their body through to look younger: the knives, the needles, the injections, the blood, the drugs...And that’s not even talking about the money they spend: surgery, creams, ointments, spas, massage, diet consultant, personal trainer. Is it me or people are just obsessed will stopping the aging process.

10 Simple Practical Tips To Improving You Sleep Tonight

Simon Marmier — 2007-12-18T22:20:46+01:00

Imagine sleeping through the entire night...

It’s 2 am; you turn around in your bed for the 100th time tonight, wondering why on earth you can’t sleep, and how you are ever going to be able to get out of bed in 5 hours to go to work. You are angry. This has been going on for the past 5 years and even though you have tried 4 different sleeping pills, none of them have solved your problem. You’re frustrated, and that makes it even harder for you to go to sleep.

Let’s face it, sleep problems are very common!