What is Sleep?


Insomnia affects about one-third of the adult population worldwide and it is caused by many factors from stress, anxiety (about not sleeping), temperature, noise, hormones, depression, pain, health issues, lifestyle, alcohol, caffeine, smoking or even excessive napping!

 

There are Different Types of Insomnia:

 

Although there are several different degrees of insomnia, three types of insomnia have been clearly identified: transient, acute, and chronic.

 

1.       Transient insomnia is when your insomnia lasts from just a few days to a few weeks and can go away for the same period and come back again.  It is often caused as a result of another factor such as depression, jet lag, stress, a change in your sleeping times or sleeping environments.

 

2.       Acute Insomnia is when you are unable to sleep consistently for a short period of time – perhaps a few weeks to a few months,.

 

3.       Chronic Insomnia is when your insomnia lasts for years and even for some, a lifetime.  It can be caused as a result of other problems or disorders.

 

 

Within the above three categories of insomnia, you may also suffer from one of the following types of insomnia:

 

  • Primary Insomnia – This is when you suffer from a sleeplessness problem that is not related to a medical or environmental cause.  If you are suffering from this type of insomnia then you may find yourself waking up regularly throughout the night or have disturbed sleeping patterns

 

  • Psycho-physiological insomnia – This is when you begin to find it hard to fall asleep because you are unable to “switch off” from stresses or anxieties that are keeping your mind active.  As a result you may find it very hard to drop off to sleep.  This can initially last for a few days which can cause you to start to worry about falling asleep altogether which can add to your stress and a cycle could begin to occur that means that you suffer from this type of insomnia for a sustained period of time and the problem can become relentless.  Thus, the insomnia can then continue for years after the initial stress that started the problem has elapsed.  So if you often struggle to fall to sleep and often find yourself lying awake throughout the night then you could be suffering from this type of insomnia.

 

  • Idiopathic insomnia – This is when you suffer from a sleeplessness due to neurological problems. 

 

Consequences of Insomnia:

 

  • Increased anxiety
  • Poor health
  • Decreased activity
  • Reduced human growth hormone (HGH) and serotonin production
  • Reduced immune system functionality
  • Amnesia
  • Reduced mental function
  • Increased Stress affecting mood.

  • Depression.  For Depression help - go to http://www.depression-helper.com

 

So Why Do We Need Sleep?

  • Sleep is vital for life
  • Sleep heals the body
  • Sleep ensure that your immune system continues to work properly
  • Sleep encourages the secretion of growth hormone HGH and Serotonin
  • Sleep improves cognitive functions such as memory, reasoning and decision making
  • Sleep improves energy levels
  • Sleep reduces stress

 

Depression and Emotional Turmoil

 

Sleeplessness is a common symptom amongst people suffering from depression, anxiety, trauma or bereavement. We strongly advise anyone in this position to consult their GP in order to receive the most appropriate care and support.

 

The Sleep Cycle

 

You have 4-6 sleep cycles every night depending on how long you sleep. Each cycle lasts about an hour and a half and they are made up of two separate states:

 

Sleep is made up of two separate states:

1.     'Non-rapid eye movement (NREM)

2.     Rapid eye movement (REM) or dreaming sleep.

 

 

NREM SLEEP

  • NREM makes up 75-80%, depending on your age and is divided into 3 stages. 

*       Stages 1: starts with slow eye movements when you are starting to fall asleep or if you are in a light sleep.  If you are woken during this stage it is likely that you will feel as if you were already awake!

 

*       Stage 2: is when you are in the unconscious state of sleep and therefore no eye movements occur.  However, you can still be easily awakened in this stage

 

*       Stages 3: is when you are in deep sleep and as a result your brain has slow and large brain waves (also known as delta waves).  This is the hardest stage to awaken someone out of.  It is also during this stage that your body secretes important hormones for growth called HGH and is also when your body focuses on repairing itself from stresses, strains and injury as well as restoring your immune system.  This stage is therefore the most important stage or NREM sleep

 

REM SLEEP

  • Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep make up about 20 – 25% of sleep and you could enter into REM sleep 4 or 5 times a night.  A newborn baby could spend as much as 80% of its  sleep time in REM sleep.  Most dreams occur in REM sleep.

 

Effects of Food and Drink on Sleep

 

  • Many people will drink alcohol in order to get to sleep but actually it can disrupt sleep so this should be avoided. 
  • Caffiene should be avoided as it is a stimulant that can awaken the brain preventing sleep.   Try to avoid caffeine after mid-day. 
  • Similar is true of high sugar foods and energy drinks. 

·         Heavy meals can also affect your body’s sleep patterns. 

·         Try to increase the amount of L-Tryptophan in your diet. L-Tryptophan is an amino acid that enters your bloodstream to gain access to your brain in order for it to tell your brain to make the hormones serotonin and melatonin (which both encourage sleep).  Because your brain is always dealing (competing) with different amino acids to process, we recommend combining L-Tryptophan rich foods with carbohydrates. The carbohydrates will force the body to release insulin, which will divert the other amino acids away from his brain and will leave the Serotonin and Melatonin to works its sleepy magic on you! Serotonin is also the same hormone that promotes relaxation and calm in the body so it will also help to reduce stress and anxiety levels that can be brought on by insomnia. 

·         Try to incorporate foods that contain L-Trytophan into your diet prior to sleep such as:

*                       Cheese (Cheddar, Gruyere and Swiss are especially rich in tryptophan)

*                       Dairy

*                       Beans

*                       Whole grains, including rice

*                       Lentils & Chickpeas

*                       Hazelnuts & Peanuts

*                       Sunflower seeds & Sesame seeds

*                       Potatoes

*                       Turkey, Chicken and Ice cream!

*                       Wheat

*                       Seafood

*                       Oatmeal

*                       Apricots & Bananas

Turn your bedroom into a sanctuary of rest and relaxation or a “Sleep Zone”!

 

Here are some suggestions to think about:

 

 

 

  • How is your blanket – too light or too heavy, too hot or too cold.  Try and find a blanket that keeps you warm but not so hot that it will not allow your core body temperature to drop, as it is this temperature change that can starts to tell the body it is ready for sleep. 

 

  • Check your clock, if you find yourself checking it regularly instead of relaxing then hide it away. Otherwise you could try one of our Sunrise Sounds Alarm Clocks that will play relaxing music for 30 minutes to send you to sleep before switching itself off.

 

  • Keep your room dark – you need to make your body believe that it is night time a we associate night time with sleeping time.

 

  • How is your partner? If your partner is keeping you awake, don’t be afraid to move them or yourself into another room.  If they snore, you could try one of our Relax Snore Stoppers! 

 

 

 

*      Lavender – This is traditionally used to help relax and relieve stress, relieve headaches & migraines, help reduce high blood pressure and to help heal burns and wounds. See our Essential Oils (sleep inducing) here.

 

*      Ylang Ylang – This has euphoric and sedative effect on the nervous system, it can help with anxiety, depression, frigidity, hypertension, palpitations, and stress. Its aphrodisiac qualities may be of use in impotence and frigidity. Relaxing and balancing. Known as the Flower of Flowers this sensual oil soothes and uplifts the spirit. See our Essential Oils (sleep inducing) here

 

*      Sandalwood – This is a relaxing and calming oil also known to have strong sensual properties See our Essential Oils (sleep inducing) here.

 

  • Massage - Massage has a number of therapeutic benefits - it helps your muscles to relax and can reduce toxins. It can also help you de-stress.

 

Insomnia Tips!

 

Coping with Insomnia
Every insomnia sufferer will have a different cause depending on their own individual and unique circumstances. The good news is that most people can find relief through natural remedies for insomnia, regardless of its source and that is where insomnia store can help!

 

Ever noticed that the harder you try to get to sleep the harder it can be to do? You may be one of millions who suffer from temporary sleep problems. But going to bed and worrying about being tired the following day can make matters worse. Try to relax and use some of our tips and sleep products to get you back into your natural rhythm. 

 

1 - Don't try too hard (We know this is easier said than done!)
Worrying about the need to rest and fall asleep is one of the biggest causes of sleeplessness. The key is to try and concentrate your mind onto something else. We recommend listening to a specialist sleep CD to help your mind to wander to sleep.   

 

2 - Avoid naps
Try not to throw your body’s natural sleep cycle by napping.   Try and keep active during the day so that by the bedtime your body is ready for sleep. For some people a strict bed-time routine is helpful, whereas for others only going to bed when you body is tired (even if that is late) works. The key is not to become scared of your bed or whether or not you will be able to sleep. When your body is tired enough, it will shut down and allow sleep to occur.  My husband found it difficult to stick to a strict bedtime pattern as if he went to bed not tired, he would subsequently often fail to sleep altogether.  Going to bed only when he is tired helped him considerably - even though this was sometimes 1am in the morning, he said that  he felt some sleep was always better than none at all!

 

3 - Watch what you eat
Try to avoid caffeine after mid-day. 

Heavy meals can also affect your body’s sleep patterns. 

Try to incorporate foods that contain L-Trytophan into your diet prior to sleep such as: Cheese (Cheddar, Gruyere and Swiss are especially rich in tryptophan), Dairy, Beans, Whole grains, including rice, Lentils & Chickpeas, Hazelnuts & Peanuts, Sunflower seeds & Sesame seeds, Potatoes, Turkey, Chicken and Ice cream, Wheat, Seafood, Oatmeal, Apricots & Bananas

 

4 - Think of a relaxing place
Go on a virtual trip in your mind by picturing a place from childhood. Trace the roads and paths of this region until you arrive at a certain place. Usually, you'll be asleep before you arrive at your destination.  Music will often help you with this journey and we recommend combining this process with a specialist sleep CD or Sunrise Sounds Alarm Clock.

 

5 - Use sleeping pills only as directed
Sleeping pills often cause more problems than they solve.  It can be easy to build up a tolerance to them meaning that you will need to take more and more before they become as effective as their first use.  Dependancy problems can also develop. These pills can lose their effectiveness and often can cause a number of side effects.

 

6 - Relax before bedtime
A great way to relax is to have a hot bath and use some sleep-inducing Essential oils (sleep inducing).  To encourage sleep the body reduces its core temperature immediately before sleep. Therefore, if you have a hot bath before going to bed, you will increase your core body temperature in order to allow to fall more rapidly to sleep once you go to bed. Ever wondered why you find yourself searching for “cold spots” in your bed? It is your body telling itself to cool down to induce sleep! Try to avoid getting too cold immediately prior to sleep too as this will only make it harder for your body to realise it is time for bed! Using sleep-inducing Essential oils (sleep inducing) such as our very own insomnia-store.co.uk Restful Sleep Oil or well known oils such as Lavender, Sandalwood, Marjoram or Ylang Ylangwill also encourage your body to relax and promote sleep.

 

7- Get great head support

Correct head support is vital to a good nights sleep. We would recommend using one of our specialist pillows for insomniacs such as our Mediflow Waterbase Pillow, Chillow Cooling Pillow or our Norstar Pillow Pads. A Johns Hopkins study measured a clear relationship between the Mediflow® water pillow and a much more relaxing and refreshing night's sleep.

 

8 - Establish relaxing before-bed routines

Do some light reading until your eyes become tired, take a hot drink with you to bed such as a relaxing cup of herbal tea that contains sleep-inducing products such as our Mimosa herbal Tea to promote relaxation. A hot drink can also raise your body temperature. You can also try deep breathing exercises. Try and reduce your breathing to 6-8 in and out breaths per minute. Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga are not insomnia cures, but do lead to a state conducive to sleep.

 

9 - Get plenty of exercise during the day.

Expending more energy in the daytime will mean that your body is more tired in the evening and will be yearning for rest and recuperation and therefore should make sleeping easier.  Be careful however, not to exercise too late as your body also releases endorphins during exercise which can actually wake you up!

 

10 -Use your bed only for sleeping (and sex)!

During sex you release hormones that promote sleep! It als reduces stress.  Try not to associate the room you sleep in with activities that you are awake for (i.e. watching TV or working) - try and keep it pyschologically as the room you associate with sleep only.

 

11 - Perfume your pillow

Spray some lavender pillow spray or drop some Essential oils (sleep inducing) on the corner of a pillow can help you relax enough to get back to sleep.

 

12 - Are you physically uncomfortable?

Make sure you are comfortable in your bed, that the room is the right temperature and that you have nice plump pillows.  Check out some of our suggestions for sleep-promoting mattress and specialist pillows for insomniacs!

 

13 - Don’t obsess about not sleeping.

If you worry about falling asleep then you will keep your mind active and subsequently you may have greater trouble falling asleep.  if you are struggling to fall asleep, think to yourself "its only for one night, no big deal" as this will ease your mind, reduce anxiety and tension and help you get to sleep.

 

Did you know?

  • 8.5 million Britons now sleep for as little as 4 hours a night.
  • Up to 20% of car accidents in Great Britain are associated with tiredness of a lack of sleep.
  • You will spend one third of your life sleeping.
  • Over 40% of adults in the UK snore
  • Some people only need 3 hours sleep a night, whereas others need up to 12 hours sleep a night!
  • The staying awake record currently stands at 11 days.
  • You burn more calories sleeping than awake watching the television.
  • The ideal temperature for your bedroom is between 13 and 24°C (55 and 75°F).
  • Cows sleep standing up.
  • 30 million have their sleep disrupted by snoring causing them to have sleep problems!