Sleep .... how well do you sleep?
Having been up for the entire night last night fighting with what my husband calls my "jimmy legs", a condition actually called Restless Legs Syndrome, I decided to share a little information on the importance of good sleep for good health.
Good sleep is the cornerstone upon which we build a healthy mind and body.
The average adult requires eight hours of sleep per night in order to maintain optimal mental and physical health. Untreated sleep disorders can even be hazardous to your health. A British study released in September 2007 found that people who do not get enough sleep are twice as likely to die of heart disease.
Here are some of the causes for sleep disruption:
Insomnia. This can be short term or chronic, caused by stress, a change in time zones or sleep schedule, poor bedtime habits or an underlying medical or psychiatric condition.
Sleep Apnea. This is a common disorder that can be very serious, even life threatening. With sleep apnea, your breathing stops while you are sleeping. Each pause can typically last 10-20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times an hour.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). This is a sensory disorder causing an irresistible urge to move the legs. This is due to uncomfortable, tingly or creeping sensations that occur when at rest. Movement eases the feeling, but only for a while. 15% of RLS sufferers also experience this in their arms.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) is a condition involving involuntary, rhythmic limb movements, either while asleep or when awake. Most people who have RLS also have PLMD, but only some people with PLMD have RLS. Because of the discomfort the symptoms cause; RLS can make it difficult to fall and stay asleep.
Sleep is necessary to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it can continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep, neurons begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behaviour. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quiet environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness".
Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections.
Researchers at UCLA state that even modest sleep loss triggers cellular and genetic processes involved in the immune system's inflammatory response to disease and injury.
This study shows that even a modest loss of sleep for a single night increases inflammation, which is a key factor in the onset of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, says Dr. Michael Irwin, professor and director of the Cousins Centre for Psychoneuroimmunology at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour at UCLA. These findings increase understanding of sleep's role in altering immune cell physiology and suggest sleep interventions as a possible way to address inflammation associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes and other autoimmune disorders.
If you are not getting your regular zzzzzz's, look for a solution. There are numerous safe and natural ways to help you get the sleep you need. Melatonin, 5HTP, St. John's Wort.
Investigate homeopathy. It has no contraindications and can be taken with any chemical prescription you might otherwise be taking. Homeopathy introduces very small doses or of substances called remedies which simply encourages your body's natural abilities to correct the problem treated. Remedies nudge the immune system, not only the white blood cell population but the emotional and medical states that keep those populations healthy into great responsiveness and readiness so that disease is kept away or prevented from reoccurring.
See you tomorrow morning .... zzzzzzzzzzzz
Having been up for the entire night last night fighting with what my husband calls my "jimmy legs", a condition actually called Restless Legs Syndrome, I decided to share a little information on the importance of good sleep for good health.
Good sleep is the cornerstone upon which we build a healthy mind and body.
The average adult requires eight hours of sleep per night in order to maintain optimal mental and physical health. Untreated sleep disorders can even be hazardous to your health. A British study released in September 2007 found that people who do not get enough sleep are twice as likely to die of heart disease.
Here are some of the causes for sleep disruption:
Insomnia. This can be short term or chronic, caused by stress, a change in time zones or sleep schedule, poor bedtime habits or an underlying medical or psychiatric condition.
Sleep Apnea. This is a common disorder that can be very serious, even life threatening. With sleep apnea, your breathing stops while you are sleeping. Each pause can typically last 10-20 seconds or more. These pauses can occur 20 to 30 times an hour.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). This is a sensory disorder causing an irresistible urge to move the legs. This is due to uncomfortable, tingly or creeping sensations that occur when at rest. Movement eases the feeling, but only for a while. 15% of RLS sufferers also experience this in their arms.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) is a condition involving involuntary, rhythmic limb movements, either while asleep or when awake. Most people who have RLS also have PLMD, but only some people with PLMD have RLS. Because of the discomfort the symptoms cause; RLS can make it difficult to fall and stay asleep.
Sleep is necessary to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it can continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep, neurons begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behaviour. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quiet environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness".
Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections.
Researchers at UCLA state that even modest sleep loss triggers cellular and genetic processes involved in the immune system's inflammatory response to disease and injury.
This study shows that even a modest loss of sleep for a single night increases inflammation, which is a key factor in the onset of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, says Dr. Michael Irwin, professor and director of the Cousins Centre for Psychoneuroimmunology at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour at UCLA. These findings increase understanding of sleep's role in altering immune cell physiology and suggest sleep interventions as a possible way to address inflammation associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes and other autoimmune disorders.
If you are not getting your regular zzzzzz's, look for a solution. There are numerous safe and natural ways to help you get the sleep you need. Melatonin, 5HTP, St. John's Wort.
Investigate homeopathy. It has no contraindications and can be taken with any chemical prescription you might otherwise be taking. Homeopathy introduces very small doses or of substances called remedies which simply encourages your body's natural abilities to correct the problem treated. Remedies nudge the immune system, not only the white blood cell population but the emotional and medical states that keep those populations healthy into great responsiveness and readiness so that disease is kept away or prevented from reoccurring.
See you tomorrow morning .... zzzzzzzzzzzz
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this very interesting information Barb. My husband suffers from Restless Leg Syndrome and from Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Let me add that I am a very light sleeper. My mom says that I sleep with one ear open at all times. Every single little noise will wake me (unless I am very, very tired and that is not often). I have gotten used to Dave's ''moving legs'' and his big toenail jabbing me in the leg a few times a night :-)
Vickie, I too suffer from RLS in both my legs and arms. I have finally succumbed to taking a chemical to ease the discomfort .. it has made a huge difference.
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