medicalx - Insomnia

Insomnia

Did you know that one-third of your life spend the night? Have you imagined taking over the quality of your sleep? Are you among those who long hours silently watching the ceiling, counting sheep, your head is full of troubled thoughts and concerns?
Sleep is becoming shorter and shorter over the years and rahlejši, which is a natural process that reflects changes in the central nervous system and other organ systems. At the fast pace life we often forget the healthy life and a healthy sleep. For better sleep can do a lot just by changing poor lifestyle habits. You will wake up happy, rested and full of life energy.

    * Healthy Sleep
    * Adequate and relaxing sleep is needed
    * Insomnia in the elderly
    * Treatment of insomnia and sleep hygiene
    * Three types of insomnia
    * Treatment of insomnia and sleep hygiene

More info here Healthy Sleep

Sleep is not resting brain, but an active process.
It consists of two periods, the exchange and reflect different levels of brain nerve cells. These are non-REM sleep (non-rapid eye movement-sleep with slow eye movements of the eyeballs), also known as a quiet or deep sleep and REM sleep (rapid eye movement-sleep with rapid eye movements of the eyeballs).

REM sleep is also called active sleep. At an average 7 - to 8-hour night sleep, the periods five exchange. Intervals of non-REM sleep, towards morning, all shorter intervals REM sleep is getting larger. Deep sleep occurs about half an hour after the body calms down and zaspimo. This period lasts about 40 minutes. Followed by REM sleep, during which we dream and our eyes are moving at a speed of 1 to 5 Hz. Activity of the brain is in REM sleep, the same activity in waking, but body muscles at this stage of losing power to the intense dreams would not hurt. In addition to vital organs like lungs and heart are the only muscles not paralyzed during sleep, the eye muscles. REM sleep is crucial for learning and well-being.
Sufficient and relaxing sleep is needed

For good mental and physical condition is satisfactory and soothing sleep needed.
Sleep is a physiological process, which has a substitution role. If I sleep, wake up happy and rested. People sleep in different periods of time. For someone to be sufficient for three hours, while others barely naspijo in ten hours. The length of sleep varies with age. Young people need more hours of sleep, the elderly go to bed early in the evening and the morning very soon. However, no significant duration of nighttime sleep, but its continuity.
Diurnal cycle, which includes sleeping and active part of the day or. Vigilance is called a circadian rhythm or biological clock. This cycle are subject to temperature, secretion of certain hormones, physical ability, changing arousal and sleep.
Insomnia in the elderly

In an age when slowly occurring cognitive (cognitive) disorders, to reduce the consumption of oxygen in the brain and affects nocturnal awakening.
With 15 to 25 percent of adults complain that poor sleep. Complaints are more common in the elderly, who are generally unhappy about the lack of sleep and frequent nocturnal awakening.
Up to 40 percent of older women and to 25 percent of older men have problems with insomnia. In humans, after 60 year-olds sleep changes. On average,
60-year-old wakes up 22-fold at night, the younger generation, to raise 10 times a night. Older people are also much more susceptible to interfering factors such as light, noise, change time zone ...
People who suffer from insomnia, unable to sleep despite fatigue. They have light, irregular sleep. Usually the very early days. During the day they are tired and have impaired concentration and memory.
Self-medication in your concentration and memory disorders, we recommend
Three forms of insomnia

   1. Transient insomnia lasts only a few days. Its causes are various stressful situations, for example. acute illness, injury, surgery, sleep habits partner, noise, light and other interfering factors ...
   2. Short-term insomnia lasts up to three weeks. Occur, for example. after the death of a family member after the divorce with a spouse or family members leaving ...
      After removal of the cause or to adapt to new situations is disturbed sleep returns to normal.
   3. Chronic or long-term insomnia lasts more than three weeks. The affected person can not sleep, often wake up, sleep is exhausting and not enough invigorating. This happens at least three times a week for one month or longer.

More info here The causes of chronic or. long-term insomnia:

    * Emotional disorders: depression, fear, anxiety, grief, studies have shown that as many as 90 percent of patients who suffer from depression, sleep disturbances. For self-medication for emotional disorders we recommend
    * Central nervous system disorders: Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, which may lead to such people wandering confused in the middle of the night.
    * Psychophysiological insomnia: for such a patient bed is no longer a place for rest and relaxation, but the eternal struggle with the desire for sleep.
    * Inflammation of the joints, gastro-intestinal problems, urinary tract diseases, cardio-vascular diseases and limbs.
    * Older people tend to take several medicines that can cause sleep disturbances.
    * Abuse of various hypnotics, drugs for sleep or hypnotics. Acting hypnotics like alcohol and sleep architecture collapse. Deep sleep stages disappear and affects a number of night awakenings.
    * Alcohol.
    * Hormonal changes that occur with age.
    * Genetic causes.

Treatment of insomnia

Research has shown that the various psychological techniques to change habits and lifestyle stand the principle of sleep hygiene in order to successfully treat primary insomnia.

Sleep Hygiene:

    * Go to bed always at the same time, and get up at the same hours. This schedule shall also hold at weekends or on holidays.
    * The bed should be given to sleep, not work, watching television, reading ... All the time they actively spend in bed, is to change the way we sleep.
    * Avoid the afternoon and evening dremežu.
    * Before dinner or afternoon exercise, treat yourself. Recreation is one of the best tools for a healthy and relaxing sleep. Avoid physical activity is just before bedtime.
    * Two hours before bedtime treat yourself to a warm bath. This change temperature and allow for quicker and easier sleep. Bath just before bedtime has the opposite effect.
    * Half an hour before bedtime Do something relaxing, for example. read, meditate, go to a quiet walk ...
    * The bedroom should be well ventilated and not too warm. It should be complete darkness at bedtime.
    * Do not stare at the clock.
    * Before bedtime, avoid heavy meals and drinks with caffeine. The last installment shall be 4 to 5 hours of sleep.
    * During the day the Move in the sun and fresh air.
    * Limit or stop smoking, because nicotine has adverse effects on sleep.
    * If after 20 minutes you can not sleep, you better get up, go to another room and do something relaxing. It is pointless to keep in bed wishing for sleep endlessly bounce.
    * If you disturb your partner's sleeping habits, they prefer to move to another room.

Appropriate sleeping habits in the treatment of insomnia is clearly an advantage from medication. Drugs for treatment of insomnia called hypnotics. When treating insomnia with drugs, the caution and consult a doctor. If insomnia accompanied by a certain state, for example. dementia, depression, anxiety, it should be treated this situation. Insomnia symptoms often disappear along with symptoms of depression.
OTC products are also suitable with Gingko biloba ginkgo.
Active ingredient extract dilate blood vessels and prevent the stickiness of blood platelets and thus improve blood flow brain and other organs. Poor blood supply to the central nervous system can prove to be the cause of insomnia.