Posts Tagged ‘deep sleep’
Discovery Health “26 Home Remedies for Insomnia”
You know the story: It’s 5:00 A.M. , and the first traces of dawn have begun to appear in the nighttime sky. You’ve been awake since 2:00 A.M. and are beginning to feel hopeless. How will you function at work tomorrow (make that today)? How will you cope with your presentation at the board meeting? How will you make it through another day after yet another night without sleep?
2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Insomnia is the most common sleep
disorder in North America and Europe.
Adults need an average of seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but insomnia can keep them from getting the sleep they need. Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder in North America and Europe. A whopping one-third of the U.S. population cannot sleep well enough to function well during the day. Half of those people have only one or two bad nights a week. The other half spend countless sleepless nights tossing and turning, feeling miserable. They also spend countless days exhausted.
One example is when people wake up out of what seems like a deep sleep and feel wide awake. They think that because they feel so alert that they will never be able to get back to sleep. However, this is not the case. The key is to understand that your awakening is natural and that you just have to wait it out. Another instance of mistaken perception is that when people wake, they often have the feeling that they were never asleep at all. But most people sleep much longer than they think.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sleep, Dreams and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Biology 202
1999 First Web Reports
On Serendip
Sleep, Dreams and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Mahalia Cohen The discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep suggested that sleep was not, as it was thought to be, a dormant state but rather a mentally dynamic one. Your brain is, in fact, very active in this state, almost to the level at which it is when a person is awake. Yet during this active stage in which most dreams occur, the movements of the rest of the body are completely stilled. To imagine this paralysis during dreams not occurring is a frightful image, since in many cases dreams are violent and active. When the neurotransmitters that control the movement of the body do not work properly the person develops REM sleep behavioral disorder (RBD).
While we are sleeping the sensory world is essentially revolving around us without our knowledge. Our senses of hearing, touch, taste, sight, and smell no longer function as they do when we are awake. Except for the threshold for each of these senses that each of us has while we sleep, our inner systems are working essentially free of input from the outside world. And yet people are able to have vivid dreams. The cortex can only pass into sleep mode with the help of the are of the brain called the thalamus. The thalamus is one of the two structures that make up the diencephalon, the lower part of the fore brain. Its main function in mammals is as the relay station of sensory information its way to the cortical center. Specific regions of the thalamus, as well as different nuclei process different sensory information on its way to the cortex.
In normal sleeping patterns a person usually passes through five phases of sleep, the fifth being REM. The sleeping human passes cyclically through these five phases throughout a night’s rest. These phases can be defined in electrical activity of the brain; much like the activity of the heart is often defined. The technique of measuring the electrical activity of the brain is call Electro-encephalogram, or EEG. When the electrical events of a person’s brain are graphed on a electrical magnitude versus time axis the graph of a person who is in different stages of being asleep or awake appear to have different levels of electrical activity occurring in the brain. (See (14))
Ask an Expert: My baby does not sleep well
Obviously you have read a lot about infants and infant care and you have many good strategies in place to facilitate your baby’s sleep. So I am going to talk about a few things you mention and try not to tell you what you already know.
There have been many studies on why some babies are fussy around eating and not others. Traditionally, doctors have suspected reflux in babies who back arch and cry after feeding, thinking that acid reflux is giving the baby heartburn or sensations of burning in their esophagus or food tube to the stomach. Research has shown, however, that only half of babies at best with these symptoms actually show acid reflux on even the best tests for this problem. Babies who do not spit up and do not back arch with feeding, have been shown to have acid reflux on testing. Researchers and practitioners remain mystified by baby feeding fussiness when acid control measures do not work and testing is negative for reflux.
Healthy Sleep Tips | National Sleep Foundation
The following ten tips can help you achieve sleep and the benefits it provides. These tips are intended for “typical” adults, but not necessarily for children or persons experiencing medical problems.
Finally, if you have trouble falling asleep, maintaining sleep, awaken earlier than you wish, feel unrefreshed after sleep or suffer from excessive sleepiness during the day or when you wish to be alert, you should also consult your physician. Be sure to tell him/her if you have already tried these tips and for how long. To check for possible sleep problems, go to our checklist, “How’s Your Sleep?”
1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule including weekends.
Read the rest of this entry »
Maintaining Proper Sleep Hygiene
by Richard O’Boyle, PublisherMore about Richard…
Getting a good night’s sleep is not only satisfying and invigorating, but also the foundation for a healthy and productive day. Yet up to a third of older individuals report difficulty maintaining sleep on a recurring basis and more than half report occasional problems with their sleep. Identifying and correcting poor sleeping habits can help older adults to improve their well-being and quality of life.
It is generally believed that older people require the same amount of sleep as younger adults – seven to nine hours each night. But they then to become lighter sleepers and may wake three or four times throughout the course of the night. They may have to go the bathroom frequently or find their sleep disturbed by the discomfort of a chronic illness. Some of these disturbances may be correctable with lifestyle and nutrition changes, but others may be symptoms of more serious medical conditions.
How to Get a Baby to Go to Sleep and Stay Asleep
How to Get a Baby to Go to Sleep and Stay Asleep
When a baby develops within the mother, she is exposed to all the sounds of the mother’s life, muffled only by the fluid and abdomen layers around her. Upon birth, the baby is already used to handling a substantial amount of noise, and actually expects it. The ingrained dependence babies have for noise is the key to getting them to sleep deeply, and can be taken advantage of during any stage in development.
Bumpology: Why can’t my baby sleep when I do? – health
Video: Yawning fetus
Bumpology is our weekly column on the science behind pregnancy, written by our reporter whose own bump is growing larger by the day
Days to go: 69
Sleeping on the Couch, Motherhood Dreams: Sleep Secrets
Photo from Scout’s HonorSleep — we all do it, but talk about something personal! From side sleepers to wrapped in the covers on their tummy sleepers, we all do it differently.
We’re delving into dreamland with moms’ sleep secrets here on the The Stir, and today we’re talking to Scout’s Honor, mom of three who talks the personal and the political at the United States of Motherhood.
What are your best getting to sleep tips?
Berkeley Parents Network: Co
Berkeley Parents Network Home Members Post a Msg Reviews Advice Subscribe Help/FAQ What’s New
Co-Sleeping with a Baby Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Sleep > Co-sleeping > Co-Sleeping with a Baby
- Planning to Co-sleep – what do I need?
- Co-sleeping 3-month-old thrashing & kicking at 4am
- We want 4-mo-old in bed but not between us
- 6-month-old only sleeps lying on top of mom
- Co-sleeping 9-month-old sleeps very lightly
- Baby naps only while being held
- We Love Co-sleeping but Baby isn’t sleeping well
- Co-sleeping with a baby and an older child
- Moving baby out of our bed
- Breastfeeding and Co-sleeping
- Safety Concerns of Co-sleeping
- More advice about co-sleeping
- Co-sleepers & Snuggle Nests (reviews)
Co-sleeping 3-month-old thrashing & kicking at 4am June 2005
Our 3 1/2-month old sleeps in bed with me and my husband. He does well until around 4:00 am (easily goes back to sleep after nursing, etc.). But starting around 4:00 am he becomes very restless — thrashing and kicking his arms and legs. (At first we thought it was because he had gas, but we have discovered he thrashes regardless.) He seems to sleep through it all, but my husband and I have a hard time doing the same. This has been going on for at least a month. Does anyone know if this is common baby behavior? Has anyone been able to calm their baby’s restless arms and legs? Or is it time for us to start transitioning him to his own bed?
My baby moved around quite alot as well at that age. We put her in a bassinet right next to the bed (or you could use a co- sleeper) which would minimize the disruption to your sleep. Good luck Your post reminded me of a friend’s infant – now 7 years old – who started to be a big thrasher around 5, 6 months. In that child’s case, the child was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was I guess thrashing around for increased air. The baby’s adenoids turned out to be big and partially blocked breathing. My friend described her baby as snoring, mouth breathing, and doing a kind of sucking, choking sound as well as thrashing. Just a thought. I think that an ENT doctor evaluates that sort of thing. P.S. The baby had her adenoids out and become a champion quiet, still sleeper. Good luck to you! Fredericka It’s normal for babies to move around when they sleep, particularly when they go through milestones. At this age your baby is becoming much more aware of the world around him, is getting control over his body and soon will start rolling around and sitting down, plus he may be starting to teeth. All these things disturb his sleep. Chances are that he’ll go back to a quiet type of sleep for a while, only to be disturbed again when he reaches another milestone. In a few months, you’ll have him crawling in his sleep! If his movements bother you and your husband, you should think of transitioning him now, when it’s still easy. You could put a crib near your bed so you still have him close but he doesn’t hit you. anon One of our babies did the same thing–he’s now 7 months and I’d say it hasn’t been a problem since 4 months or so? I’m finding that with most baby-related ”problems,” the simple answer is that you just need to wait and it will resolve itself! Genevieve Three months is when we moved our daughter into her own sleeping space. We really liked the idea of having her in bed with us but nobody was getting any rest because she is so restless. It was hard – I missed having her right next to me! – but it was really good we did because we all slept better and she really likes being in her own crib now. good luck sleeping well The same thing happened to us with our now 12 month old son when he was around that 3-4 months, so we began to swaddle him at naptime/bedtime and it helped a lot. We swaddled him until he was about 6 months and swaddling helped keep him asleep longer, and it also helped on the transition from our bed to his crib. Hopefully that will help you guys, good luck! Teresa My baby began to thrash around at four months and I started to transition him to his crib at this time. For me, it has worked out just great, and my son loves his crib. If you aren’t ready to start moving him out, you could try swaddling him when he sleeps with you and this might keep his movements down… lisette Try swaddling your baby. It sounded kind of old-fashioned to me but it works and it is fine for the baby. One explanation (and instructions) can be found in Harvey Karp’s ‘Happiest Baby on the Block’ book. Apparently there is a DVD version, too. Anon. i have a 2 year old who has done this on and off forever. he’s now transitioning to a toddler bed….i entirely missed the crib boat. my advice is you will all sleeep better if he goes in a crib. i wish i had taken my own advice. good luck We want 4-mo-old in bed but not between us May 2002
Our 41/2 month old son has been sleeping in bed since he was born, (first baby) now he is strong and big 16lbs. and rolling so we need to figure out something else, but we don’t know what. We need to have some personal snuggle time but the baby is always between us. We tried to get one of those bed rails so he could be on one side but our mattress is too big 15”… any suggestions- we were also told that co-sleepers are onle good for 17lbs or less? The bedis already next to wall – not good enough. The thought of a crib has come up but we still want him in bed with us and we don’t think he will sleep alone. He has to fall asleep on one of us and sleeps on me most of the night after nursing. Help with ideas are really appreciated. Liza
We kept our son in bed with or near us for the first year, which we all loved, except for the part about the kicking, thrashing, sideways-sleeping little body taking up most of the bed. My solution was to take my sister’s porta-crib [one of those miniature cribs where the sides fold in] and remove its 4th side, so that it became kind of a co-sleeper for big kids. I secured it around with a belt clamp, keeping the sides all snug. You can also use some c-clamps to secure it more snugly to your bed; ours was jammed between the bed and the wall pretty tight, so we felt it was safe. You can place a piece of board or cardboard beneath the crib mattress if you think the gap presents a problem. The crib’s mattress was somewhat lower than our mattress top, but our son climbed up to us when he needed us and we were able to slide him over into the crib pretty easily too. It’s so nice to just be able to reach over and comfort him – it worked really well for us. It did make it a lot harder to make the bed. Jean Have you tried all different types of bed rails? We have a tall mattress too and finally found a brand (Safety First I think?) that works perfectly. It doesn’t need to be really high off the bed-just enough to prevent a roll. I would not recommend the bed against the wall as baby can get wedged between the bed and the wall. I put my baby on the outside with the bed rail up and find she is more far more likely to roll towards me than she is to roll to the outside near the guard. Nicole we had a lot of luck putting our son’s crib, minus one side rail, right up against our bed. It functions just like a co- sleeper, but give us a lot more room in the parent’s bed. he can roll over when he needs some milk or a snuggle and we can roll him back when he falls asleep again. Jolie You could try putting your mattress right on the floor and adding a second mattress and extra bedding materials right next to it, to make a super-sized bed for all three of you!
Read the rest of this entry »
The doctors book of home remedies for children sleep problems
Sleep Problems S LEEP P ROBLEMS
Getting In a Good Night’s Rest
B abies, so the s aying goes, are nature’s way of showing you what the world looks like at 3:00 A.M. They just don’t respect the difference between night and day. Whenever they have a crying need for something–which usually means food–they announce it by crying.