To read the full story, click here: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/5-health-risks-of-too-little-sleep.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/health/research/09beha.html?nl=health&emc=healthupdateema3

The exact amount of sleep your body needs is very individual, but on average, I recommend both men and women get about seven hours of sleep each night. Growing kids need more than this.

For more information on insomnia remedies and developing sleep rituals, refer to the insomnia articles on my website.

If you are awaking in the middle of the night with a racing heart, ask yourself if you had too much caffeine before bed. It is unthinkable to many of you to consider giving up your daily coffee, and for most, a cup in the morning is just fine. For those of you that are more sensitive to caffeine, you may consider caffeine-free herbal tea. Many times it is the psychological component of caffeine that people are really afraid to let go of, not the actual caffeine itself. Camomile tea can actually help promote relaxation and lead to better sleep, so this is a nice evening alternative to add to your sleep hygiene ritual.

Tip #1 – Cut back on alcohol

A study in Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine reports that alcohol is probably the substance used most often for sleep. I was kind of surprised when I first read this. But given the fact that alcohol is a main ingredient in many over-the-counter cold medications, I should have guessed this. The trouble is that when you fall asleep under the influence, both the quantity and quality of your sleep are adversely affected. Even small to moderate intakes of alcohol can suppress melatonin (a hormone that helps regulate sleep), interfere with sleep cycles, and prevent dreaming.

If you like to have that glass of wine with dinner (it is good for your health in moderation!), it is hard to think about totally cutting alcohol out of your life. But you should really think twice if you are just using alcohol to get to sleep. You may “pass out” when your head hits the pillow, but you are surely going to awake in the middle of the night as the alcohol is metabolized and your body basically goes through withdrawal effects from the alcohol clearing. So, as you always hear, drink in moderation… for you health and your sleep. Drink earlier in the evening and then switch to water later in the night when it is closer to bedtime. And the extra water will help maintain hydration, which is important for your health as well!

 The areas critical to sleep hygiene are:

• Circadian rhythm
• Psychological stress
• Aging
• Drugs such as nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol
• Sleep environment
• Sleep routine

 Circadian rhythms:

Circadian rhythm refers to our day/night cycle of about 24 hours. These rhythms significantly influence the quality and quantity of our sleep. Consistency and stability of our circadian rhythms are critical. Factors that may disturb this cycle are time you go to bed, exercise, noise, daytime naps, and most important, exposure to light.

 Psychological stress:

 Such stress factors as the loss of a loved one, marital/relationship problems, job crises, moving, exams and deadlines can markedly disrupt our sleep. Every time we go to bed, we must clear our mind of the clamor and bustle of the day, and this may take some time. If we go to bed worrying about today’s or tomorrow’s events, sleep will not come easily.

 It may be helpful to establish a “pre-sleep” ritual to break the bond between the day and the night. Make a list of your stress factors, fold up the paper, and put it somewhere other than the bedroom to end the day. Reading pre-sleep, or meditating, or taking a relaxing warm bath –even counting sheep! – can all help push away the psychological stressors.

 Aging:

 As we age, our sleep patterns change. We may wake more often during the night, or wake earlier than we did when younger. All this can interfere with the quality and quantity of our sleep. Night time awakenings can also interact with other conditions that cause our sleep to be broken, like depression, eating too large of a meal, or drinking alcohol before bedtime. These nocturnal awakenings greatly affect how we will feel the next day.

 Drugs:

 Nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol significantly impact sleep. Caffeine can stay in the body for as long as 14 hours, decreasing the amount of sleep we get, and increasing the number of nocturnal awakenings, thus affecting our daytime mood and performance. Nicotine has similar effects as caffeine, except that nicotine in low doses can act like a sedative. Initially, alcohol can be sedating, allowing you to fall asleep quickly, but during sleep, as it clears from your system, it can cause awakenings that may last two or three hours. Headache, sweating and intense dreaming may also result. The effects can be felt most keenly in the morning, when the drinker awakes groggy and/or hung over.

 Environment:

 Being in a familiar environment that is comfortable helps us sleep better. We all know how good our own bed feels. Other factors such as regulating the room temperature, and a quiet, soothing atmosphere also helps ensure a good night’s sleep.

 Routine:

 Developing a pre-sleep routine is also a good idea. Most parents do this for their kids, but they forget to do it for themselves. Take the time to allow your body to ease into sleep after a busy day by setting up a routine.

 Poor quality sleep can have important short and long-term consequences. Studies have shown that performance and alertness are adversely affected by sleep deprivation. Sleep quality and quantity reduced by only one and one-half hours a night reduces alertness during the day by about one-third. The risk of occupational injury or death rises when daytime alertness is compromised, due to impaired ability to think clearly and process information. Sleep disorders (like apnea) that cause sleep deprivation have been associated with hypertension, stroke, and heart attack.

 If you want to increase the quality and quantity of your sleep, here are some things you can do on your own:

 Use ear plugs, an electric blanket or air conditioner to minimize noise, light, and heat or cold during sleep: the faintest noise or light can affect your sleep quality. Control the temperature of the room so that it is comfortable for you.

 Avoid long naps. If you do nap, make it short, and stay awake as long as you can before napping. Do not nap if falling asleep is a problem.

 Avoid drinking fluids after 8pm to prevent waking at night to urinate.

 If you have to get up during the night, avoid bright lights. Use a night light.

 Avoid stimulants near bedtime or when awake at night. This includes nicotine, caffeine, tea, soda, and over-the-counter medications that contain stimulants. Caffeine in large amounts can cause headaches during the night that may awaken you. Alcohol increases awakenings and is associated with sweats and nightmares.

 A heavy meal too close to bedtime interferes with sleep. Avoid protein right before bed. Consume carbohydrates or dairy products instead, particularly milk. Milk has been shown to help people go to sleep due to the amino acid L-tryptophan, as well as the calcium, it contains.

 Once in bed, don’t watch TV, eat, or have intense conversations. These bring daytime issues right back into your sleep preparation and can interfere with sleep.

 Avoid exercising vigorously before bed. If you are stimulated by exercise, perform it in the morning or afternoon.

 Pets moving about in the bed can interfere with your sleep. Relegate dogs or cats to the floor, or another room.

 Practicing good sleep hygiene will help you wake up refreshed and alert, and keep you from drowsiness during the day. If otherwise, consider that an undiagnosed sleep disorder may be at fault. Sleep disorders can go undiagnosed for years, resulting in unnecessary suffering, accidents, additional expense, and poor quality of life. In this case, visit your doctor or a sleep specialist.

Primary Insomnia: Sleep problems not associated with other health conditions or problems. Characterized by poor sleep habits: consuming stimulants too close to bedtime, poor diet and exercise, failure to set up a sleep schedule.

 Secondary Insomnia: Sleep problems associated with pain, use of substances (alcohol, drugs, etc.), health conditions (depression, cancer, arthritis, heartburn, asthma, obesity, etc).

 Acute Insomnia:  Lasts one or two days at a time. Very common in the population.  May be caused by lifestyle habits, illness, medication, stress, or poor sleep hygiene. Those who drink caffeine in the evening may experience acute insomnia. Practicing better sleep habits or improving your stress management skills may help with acute insomnia.

 Chronic insomnia: longer-term insomnia that occurs three nights a week for more than 30 days. It is often caused by anxiety, grief, depression or chronic stress. Chronic insomnia is usually classed as a secondary insomnia. Chronic insomnia cannot be treated without addressing the underlying condition.

 Jet lag (desynchronosis), is often experienced by air travelers who in a short period of time cross several time zones, or, to be more accurate, several of Earth’s meridians. Meridians mark travelers’ geographic position in relation to the Earth’s poles, and thus define time zones. In jet lag, travelers’ internal clocks get out of sync with the environment. It may affect their ability to maintain routine sleep-wake patterns in their new surroundings, because different patterns are dictated by external stimuli: sunshine at unaccustomed hours, or local timetables. Newly arriving passengers may feel apathetic one moment, and stimulated the next. As they try to adjust their internal clock to their new surroundings, they may experience various symptoms.

 Jet lag differs from “regular” insomnia in that it is neither Primary nor Secondary Insomnia, but a different type altogether. Acclimating to a different time zone’s dictates involves circadian rhythms.

 Sufferers of jet lag may feel “tired-wired,” or that they are soaring but may crash at any moment. They may experience daytime fatigue, headaches, irritability or stomachaches. Some people experience such a low degree of disruption that they will not show any symptoms and will not be bothered by jet lag. The symptoms may last for a week or more, but after a day or two, the body adjusts, and the new sleep patterns feel more normal again.

 Some symptoms people associate with jet lag actually arise from the plane’s environment: dry air that irritates noses and sinuses, noise, vibrations, pressurization and the restriction of mobility.

Delayed Sleep-Phase Syndrome (DSPS) may be misdiagnosed as insomnia, but in reality, they are quite different. DSPS is a circadian rhythms sleep disorder, a chronic disorder of the timing of sleep, core body temperature, hormonal, peak period of alertness and other daily rhythms. This disorder is characterized by late onset of sleep (delayed sometimes hours after midnight), and an inability to wake up in the morning. People with DSPS usually sleep well, once they get to sleep, and their need for sleep is entirely normal. But because they need to finish out their sleep through the morning hours, they find it difficult to wake up in time for work or school. Such people may find that the afternoon shift, from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM, if available, suits them best.

TYPES OF INSOMNIA

 There are three types of insomnia: transient, acute and chronic. Transient insomnia can last days, or weeks. It may be caused by the timing of sleep, severe depression, changes in the environment, or stress. Its effects on the body are like those of sleep deprivation.

 Transient insomnia lasts for days to weeks. Its effects are similar to sleep deprivation.

 Acute insomnia is insomnia that continues consistently for a period of three weeks to six months.

 Chronic insomnia can go on for years at a time.

 PATTERNS OF INSOMNIA

 There are four patterns of insomnia: onset (difficulty falling asleep), middle-of-the-night (difficulty falling back to sleep after awakening in the night), middle (difficulty maintaining sleep), and terminal, or late insomnia (waking too early).

 DIAGNOSES

 Insomnia may be difficult to diagnose. It is sometimes confused with delayed sleep phase syndrome.

 CAUSES

 Causes of insomnia include: drugs, medications, caffeine, ephedrine, stimulants, psychoactive drugs, hormones and hormone shifts, problems of life (stress, fear, etc.), mental afflictions, shift work, among other causes. Excessive alcohol intake can cause middle-of-the-night insomnia and other side effects such as hangovers, headaches and morning grogginess.

COMPLICATIONS

 Physical complications include possible obesity, risk of heart disease and/or diabetes, high blood pressure, and circadian rhythm disorder.

 Some of the psychological complications of insomnia are: lower performance, risk of depression, slowed reaction time, and risk of anxiety disorder.

 LENGTH OF SLEEP

 How much you sleep can even affect your mortality. It appears that the optimum amount of sleep is about seven hours. Those who slept about seven hours per night had the lowest mortality rates. More sleep – eight hours or more each night increased the mortality rate by 15%. That rate of loss was also found in those who slept three and a half hours or less per night. A loss in mortality was also found in those who took sleeping pills.

 SLEEP QUALITY

 Poor sleep quality can also be a complication of insomnia. Sleep apnea (interrupted breathing during sleep) may be the cause, or clinical depression can contribute to poor sleep quality as well.  Persons experiencing poor sleep quality do not reach delta, or stage 4 sleep, also known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the most restorative of the sleep stages. Sleepers do not always remember waking up frequently in the night, but they may experience increased sleepiness during the day. Poor sleep quality can also be a result of excessive cortisol in the body. Having to get up in the night to urinate will certainly disturb sleep.

 It is important to rule out psychological and medical problems before treating insomnia, and to determine whether poor sleep hygiene may be a factor.