reactivoradio.com

Posts Tagged ‘Anxiety’

Prolonged sleep deprivation can take a punishing toll on almost every part of our body -  Our heart, Stomach, Muscle Strength, Digestive System, Skin, Bones, Vision, Speech and Mind.  We do not understand the huge benefits of sleep and we risk obesity, heart disease, strokes, depression, decreased sex drive, along with non creativity and mood swings by turning a blind eye to sleep.

Sleep’s purpose goes far beyond ridding ourselves of feeling of tiredness: hormonal balance, enhanced learning ability, better heart functioning and cell repair, help with living longer and staying more active, and looking younger can all be the result of good sleep, and that is just scratching the surface

Even dreaming has a role in our daily lives, enabling us to play out different scenarios in our heads and in turn enhancing our emotional balance and lowering our stress levels.

For some of us every night is tossing and turning as we wait to drift off.  We begin to dread bedtimes because bedtimes meant hours of anxiety because we just can’t fall asleep.  We are so tired by morning we lack the strength to carry out our usual chores effectively. 

Whilst some of us can happily make do with six hours sleep others find it difficult to carry on their day to day activities without the full controversial eight hours sleep.

According to controversial wisdom we are meant to spend a third of our lives asleep but for those of us who struggle to get a decent nights rest, it does not feel like it.    Half of adults have symptoms of insomnia at any given time and causes are various – from hormonal to event related stress and anxiety. 

Here are some effects of poor sleep on our bodies

 Heart – Without a refreshing sleep the body goes into panic mode, boosting the production of stress hormones which in turn increases our blood pressure – one of the big risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.  And if you are constantly tired because of poor sleep, you wont feel much like cooking and eating healthily or exercising – your overall immune system will be weakened and you will be more vulnerable to infections.

Stomach – Have you ever noticed your stomach rumbling more when you are sleeping badly?  This is because your body is awake longer and needs more fuel, and sleeplessness produces more gherlin – an appetite stimulator, and less leptin – an appetite depressant.  This is why insomnia or poor sleep linked to obesity.
Vision – Your vision may be blurred because your eyes have not rested enough.  They will turn red because the blood vessels near the eye become dilated creating the bloodshot look.  Dark circles appear because the lack of sleep causes the blood vessels to become more visible through the skin.
Mind – Mild sleep depravation can lead to disorientation, confusion, moodiness and slight anxiety – just 90 minutes of sleep loss can result in 32% drop in daytime alertness. 
Speech – During some phases of sleep the neurons in the cerebral cortex regenerate.  If sleep is interrupted, this regeneration cannot occur and your speech becomes slurred.
Skin – Sleep helps get rid of the body’s toxins, so a build up of late nights and poor sleep will lead to spots.  You will also become dehydrated after a few nights of bad sleep resulting in scaly skin.
Bones – Growth hormone is released during sleep, so if children, teenagers or young adults who are still growing are sleep deprived they might be slightly stunted says Doctor McGrath.  Studies in war zones have found that children are smaller because they are kept awake at night.
Muscle Strength – Lack of sleep can result in general muscle ache and joint pain.  On study on Sport and strength from the University of Chicago Medical School found that after only one week of sleep restriction young healthy males suffered a rapid deterioration of bodily functions

Now let’s look at what we can do to re-balance our sleep patterns and have a deep sleep to promote good health.

 Change your beliefs about sleep – “I can’t get to sleep” becomes a fulfilling prophecy.
Change your sleep habits
Train your brain to fall asleep with the Sleep and to calm your anxiety with the Sleep Optimisation Tracks (the most fast working and effective sleep tool I have come across so far in my search) http://www.sleeptracks.com/go.php?offer=persevere1&pid=arb.
Have an evening routine that makes a transition from daytime to night time.   You need to let your brain activity subside during night time by making it a habit to unwind with things like meditation, relaxation etc.
Take it easy and avoid strenuous activity less than 3 hours prior to bedtime.
Avoid confrontation or task that taxes your brain, fill it with chitter chatter or causes you anxiety.
Bore yourself to sleep by doing mundane tasks like paper work or reading a text book
Take a warm dissolving and relaxing bath.   Your body temperature will rise at first but it will ease drastically helping to send you to sleep.
Take your bedroom cosy and harmonic (the cosier the better) and make it a room just for sleeping and making love.
Avoid things that tell your brain to engage in activities
Make sure you have silence external noises can disrupt your sleep
Make your room as dark as possible in the evening (use dimmer switches if possible).   Sleep mask is also an excellent idea for blocking out light.
Cool sleeping room – your room temperature should be 65-70% F
Use “Fall Asleep Track”  http://www.sleeptracks.com/go.php?offer=persevere1&pid=1
Wake up at about the same time every day (your sleep clock needs a fine tune cue)

Please drop me an email if you need further help solving your sleep, stress and anxiety problems.

Wishing you a wonderful new experience trying out your new found knowledge on sleep.

A Boadu   sleepandstressnurse@googlemail.com

A total 41% of American workers interviewed reported an increase in work stress on their jobs compared to a year earlier.   Another poll taken among Americans showed that more than one half of the respondents (58%) reported having experienced insomnia at least a few nights a week.   This is a trend in American health, where we are seeing many common psychological problems such as stress and insomnia moving to an epidemic stage (epidemic means 1 in 4 have the ailment).

Why have these psychological problems reached epidemic numbers?   There are many reasons for stress, insomnia, restlessness and anxiety, such as significant personal events, like losing a job, marital problems, money worries and generally worrying.   Other causes can include physical illness that causes pain, depression, shift work, caffeine or alcohol consumption, and medication side-effects.   Each one is a drain on your nutritional support system, this is a scientific fact.

The drain on your nutritional support system is the common thread here which runs through all of these problems.   What do I mean when I say drain on your nutritional support system?   I mean that each one of those problems burns up large amounts of your B vitamins and minerals.   Those B vitamins and minerals are your nutritional support and if they get low the problems you are experiencing will seem to grow in number and severity.  

That nutritional support system is the foundation from which you handle everyday problems.   When that foundation is supporting you; you feel more confident and you handle your everyday troubles and crises with ease and consideration.   If you are not supported, you may handle the problem, but you feel the physical and emotional drain on your body and mind.   Then where is the next problem/crises coming from; this is the modern world with plenty of them to spare, you need support.     

Are you experiencing some of the symptoms of a drained nutritional support system, stress, anxiety, insomnia or restlessness?   Well do not expect your body to run trouble free without replacing the nutrition in that system.   Not replenishing that system is like expecting your car to run without oil.   Look below at the different B vitamins and see the symptoms you can acquire due to their deficiencies, all scientifically proven.

Why can’t we just get our vitamins from our diet?   You just have to look around you to see the evidence that the majority of Americans have no idea what a good diet is (see article “America Is Number One, The Fattest Industrialized Country In The World”).   At every turn in our society we are, in fact, encouraged to eat foods that have almost no nutritional value by the media.   Most markets do not offer us much of a choice.  The food is refined, irradiated or poorly grown at the farm; all three destroying the nutritional value of the food.   The very people who are supposed to protect our health instead defend the manufacturer and spin the information so much they are confusing.   They even make laws to stop anyone from saying that to eat certain whole foods might prevent or cure you of many diseases, even though it is true.

I have been involved with naturopathic medicine and nutrition for over 20 years and I find it difficult to find whole foods that are truly nutritional in any market or restaurant.   The odds are stacked against you having any better luck than I do.   So I supplement to make sure that I keep a balance of B vitamins and minerals beyond what I eat and I suggest you do the same thing.   Why allow yourself and your family to be caught up in the same health crisis you see everywhere today.

Important Note: Basic law of nature and another scientific fact (see article, “The Truth About Vitamins”), if your B Stress formula is not from food you cannot absorb it!   It is a big basic law of nature; we depend on plants for our nutrition.   If your vitamin supplement does not say the words somewhere on the label “Whole Food Vitamins”, “Made From Whole Foods” or “Food Vitamins”.   Do not waste your money on it because it is synthetic and you cannot absorb it.

Below Are What Your Stress B Vitamin Supplement Should Contain In A Whole Food Form.   Plus, The Problems A Deficiency Of Each Vitamin And Mineral Can Cause.

Vitamin A
Essential, either directly or indirectly, for the proper functioning of most organs of the body” and may prevent stress-induced immunological disorders.

Vitamin C
If, you are not getting enough vitamin C you may be tired, you may bruise easily, and you may just feel generally ill.

Thiamin B-1
Thiamin supplements have been shown to improve mood and mental function and to relieve stress and muscle tension.

Riboflavin B-2
People today have an increased need for Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) in stressful situations and it is the most common of vitamin deficiencies.   Highly beneficial, for anxiety, stress, and fatigue.

Niacinamide B-3 (called the happy vitamin)
A, deficiency of this vitamin can cause depression.   Left untreated, it can lead to psychosis and dementia.   Symptoms of a deficiency include agitation, anxiety, and mental lethargy.

Vitamin B-6
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) levels are typically quite low in depressed patients, especially women taking birth-control pills or other forms of estrogens.

Folate
Depression is the most common symptom of a folic acid deficiency.   Other symptoms of folic acid deficiency are: fatigue, apathy, and dementia.

B-12
Recent studies have shown that there is a definite benefit to be gained by giving vitamin B12 to patients suffering from depression, fatigue and mental illnesses of other kinds. Even a slight deficiency of B12 is found to produce marked symptoms.

Pantothenate
Low levels can lead to sleep disturbances headaches, gastrointestinal distress and fatigue.

Biotin
Necessary for cell growth, the production of fatty acids and the metabolism of fats and amino acids.   It plays a role in the Citric acid cycle, which is the process by which biochemical energy is generated.

Magnesium
Dr. Bernard Jensen wrote, “Magnesia, an inorganic substance,…is actually a combination of oxygen and magnesium….Man must have the biochemic (organic) form—food magnesium—rather than the inorganic form…The patient who is highly nervous, excitable, overly emotional and erratic in actions needs magnesium as a sedative”.

Zinc
A deficiency of zinc will depress the immune system and leave you at higher risk of infection.

Potassium
Deficiencies of potassium can lead to behavioral disturbances

Choline
The supplement is touted as beneficial for mood, mental acuity and heart health.

Inositol
Studies have found that it also may help patients who suffer from depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PABA
Deficiency symptoms include fatigue, irritability, depression, nervousness, headache, constipation, and other digestive disorders.

Example Of A Nutritional Herbal Formula For Stress, Insomnia, Restlessness, And Anxiety.   Also Helps Maintain Your Nutritional Support System, Can Be Taken With B Stress Supplements.

In wild crafted or organic form this herbal formula is nourishing, tranquilizing and anti-spasmodic in action.   It is designed to encourage composure while reducing anxiety, tension and stress.   It is intended to help calm down, rest, relax, sedate and relieve nervous tension and muscle spasm.   Listed below are each of the herbs and their benefits and safety.

Important Note: If your herbal supplement does not say that it is organic or wild crafted then it could be grown anywhere under less then healthy conditions.   This is one area where the government rigorously enforces the law and so does the herbal industry.

The information given here is based on thousands of years of traditional safe use.

Black Cohosh root
Used as a tonic for the central nervous system and is regarded as a nervine.   It is an excellent, safe sedative for nervous disorders, and is put in many nerve combinations.

Valerian root
Used for over a 1000 years to calm all kinds of nervous disorders.   In centuries past it was taken as often as coffee in Europe.   Called “Nature’s Tranquilizer”; because it calms the nerves without the side effects of comparable orthodox drugs. 

Blue Cohosh root
Blue Cohosh may be used in cases where an anti-spasmodic is called for and it can also calm frazzled nerves and relieve anxiety.  

Wild Yam root
Wild yam acts as a sedative on the nerves governing muscles which relax the stomach walls and abdominal area.   Wild yam is very relaxing and soothing to the nerves of people who suffer from anxiety.

Hops flower
Am excellent nerve tonic that is fast acting where insomnia and nightmares are a problem.   Hops are an excellent food source of B 3 known as the happy vitamin.

Passion Flower herb
Used to soothe the nervous system without the side effects of depression or disorientation.   Encourages deep restful sleep without morning hangover effects. 

Skullcap herb
Relaxes nervous tension, induces calm and counteracts sleeplessness.   Has shown itself to be excellent for breaking addictions and easing problems associated with drug withdrawal.

Lobelia herb & seed
Known, to be a power ful physical relaxant, affecting the nervous system.   It is considered one of the strongest and safest relaxants in the herbal kingdom.

Chamomile flower
Is best known as a soothing digestive tonic which is sedative in nature and used for calming the nerves and inducing sleep.

Wood Betony herb
Is calming to the nerves, sooths tension, tones stomach and a remedy for chronic headaches.

Suggested Guidelines: Not recommended if pregnant, nursing, or if currently taking prescription or over the counter medications.   Consult with a qualified healthcare professional if condition persists or increases.

More Insomnia Stress Articles