Posts Tagged ‘Sleep’
Exercise, Lose Weight, and Sleep Better (Whey Protein and Weight Loss)
January 29th, 2010 
admin Sleeping disorders are a major problem in the United States. An estimated 70 million Americans are in some way affected by them. One of the major problems with sleeping disorders is one of their major side effects is increased weight gain for those affected. The reason that the side effect of increased weight is such a major problem is due to the fact that a side effect of obesity is to have problems sleeping. Like so many medical problems, often numerous disorders are linked to each other. When one gets worse it will negatively impact the other condition.
With so many Americans having sleeping disorder problems, and numerous more Americans having problems with obesity; it is important that Americans do everything that they can to reduce the negative side effects of both. Weight loss is a good first step to both improve your health and to improve your sleep.
Many studies have shown that exercise will aid people to get more restful sleep. A person should exercise at least 20-30 minutes each day. They should also try to schedule their exercise to be in the morning or in the early afternoon. If you wait until night to exercise it may interfere with your body and cause you to have more problems sleeping. Exercise should include both cardiovascular training, and also resistant based training. Studies have shown that an effective mixture of the two types of training will burn many more calories than using just one method.
The goal of a good resistant based workout should be to create and maintain lean muscles. When your body is creating lean muscle, it is required to use a large amount of calories, more even than when your body is actively exercising, thus helping you to lose more weight. A good way to help your body to produce more lean muscle is to supply it with protein. Protein is the building blocks that your body uses to create lean muscle. Protein isn’t a stimulate, so you don’t have to worry about loss of sleep when taking in more protein. Also, your body almost never converts protein into fat so it serves as a good dietary option to increase protein intake when trying to lose weight.
The best way to get more protein into your diet is to take a protein supplement. Whey protein is the best supplement available that you can take. Whey protein is easy to digest, and doesn’t have the side effects of indigestion that other soy based protein supplements produce. Whey protein isolate contain a higher percentage of pure protein compared to other types of protein, with most isolates having 90% pure protein. This helps to get the maximum amount of protein into your system, without any additives that might be detrimental to your weight loss goals.
The best time to take whey protein is right after a workout or right before you go to sleep. Those are the two major times that your body will produce lean muscle. That is one of the reasons that it is so important that you get a restful full night’s sleep. Taking whey protein before sleeping will help your body create a pattern, which will help it to get to sleep easier.
The pattern of sleep, exercise, and weight loss will create a positive cycle that will counteract the negative side effects of sleeping problems and obesity.
Posted in Health & Safety 
Tags: Better, Exercise, Lose, Loss, Protein, Sleep, Weight, Whey 
No Comments »Causes of Sleep Apnea and Snoring Problems
January 29th, 2010 admin Snoring is a loud noise that is created due to the vibration of the soft palate. It happens as the air passages gets obstructed during sleep and causes snoring. Snoring may be unpleasant for your partner but it is not a harmful condition. However, with the case of sleep apnea, there is complete blockage of the air passages which can cause major health conditions. There are many causes of sleep apnea and snoring problems.
There are two types of sleep apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). Oxygen and sleep deprivation are the major effects of sleep apnea. OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea in which the throat collapses and the air passages are blocked preventing supply of oxygen to the lungs. In addition, snoring also leads to a drop in blood oxygen levels.
There are many major causes of OSA. Being overweight is the most common cause as the fatty tissues in the throat exert pressure on the air passage and collapse the air passage.
The other potential causes are allergies and asthma. Asthma increases the chances of air ways to collapse and allergies causes inflammation of the air ways. In both ways, the risk of sleep apnea is increased.
The chances of sleep apnea may be increased due to certain lifestyle choices such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Smoking causes irritation in throats and lungs and have a greater chance of closing the air passages. The throat muscles are relaxed by drinking alcohol and during sleep this muscles cause blockage of the air ways.
The other causes of sleep apnea and snoring may include neurological problems, enlarged tonsils, bone structure of the neck and skull and nasal congestion and blockage. It is however, a good idea to consult your doctor if you have snoring symptoms.
Insomnia: How Lack of Sleep Can Damage Your Health
January 24th, 2010 admin What is Insomnia?
The average person spends approximately 1/3 of his or her life sleeping. Although we do not yet fully understand either the purpose or the mechanics of sleep, we do know that an insufficient amount can have far-reaching consequences: our work performance, our personal relationships, and our physical and mental health all depend on getting an appropriate amount of rest.
The inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep throughout the night is a condition known as insomnia, and it is among the most common of all medical complaints; approximately 1/3 of all people experience a period of insomnia at least once during their lifetime. Individuals with insomnia typically experience at least one of the following symptoms:
– Difficulties falling asleep;
– Inability to stay asleep, or waking up too early;
– Sleepiness during the day;
– Fatigue or lack of energy;
– Irritability;
– Headache;
– Decreased ability to concentrate;
– Increased errors or accidents;
– Depression and/or anxiety;
– Continual worry about sleep.
Health Risks of Insomnia
If you are not getting the sleep that you need, your insomnia may eventually lead to serious consequences for your health. In the short term, your alertness and focus are impaired, which can have a negative effect on your school or work performance. Relationship problems may result from irritability due to lack of sleep, while fatigue may prevent you from participating in your normal activities.
In the long-term, the complications of insomnia can be even more severe. Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and mood disorders are all associated with chronic insomnia; these conditions can be life-threatening, and they will certainly reduce the quality of your life.
What Causes Insomnia?
Insomnia is symptomatic of a large number of physiological disorders; if you are having difficulty sleeping, chances are that an underlying health problem is to blame. Illness, infection, mental health disorders, and medications can all keep you from getting the proper amount of rest. Hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances can affect your body’s ability to fall asleep, and dietary deficiencies can cause insomnia, as well. Exposure to toxic elements such as heavy metals, molds, and other environmental pollutants have also been shown to impair sleep.
Finding the Cause of Insomnia
By determining what is causing your insomnia, your health care provider will be better able to help you design a plan for managing your sleep problem. To find out what is keeping you up at night, your doctor may ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle, your sleeping environment, and even the sleep habits of your partner. A variety of lab tests can also be useful in pinpointing the cause of your insomnia in the event that a health problem is involved.
Managing Insomnia
The first step to getting back to sleep is to treat the underlying cause. Establishing good sleep habits may include nutritional support, exercise, detoxification, and incorporating a relaxation technique into your daily routine.
Good sleep hygiene is important for getting the rest you need. By following the guidelines listed here, you will find yourself drifting off easily, without the constant worry about getting enough sleep every night.
– Stick to a constant sleep schedule, with a consistent bed time and wake-up time;
– Avoid bright lights (including the television and computer) for at least two hours before bedtime;
– Do not exercise within three hours of bedtime;
– Make sure your bedroom is for sleeping – keep the TV, computer, and any other distractions in another room;
– Make sure your sleeping environment is cool, dark and quiet;
– Avoid caffeine, smoking, and alcohol, especially before bed;
– Don’t eat right before you go to bed;
– Try a relaxation exercise such as deep breathing before you turn in.
Over-the-counter and prescription sleep medications are best avoided; they may help you fall asleep, but they can be habit-forming, and they have a variety of negative side effects. By identifying the cause of your insomnia and making some adjustments to your lifestyle, you should be able to overcome your sleep difficulties naturally.
The Top 3 Sleep Related Health Issues for Babies – Learn Why Getting Baby to Sleep Through the Night is So Important for Your Baby's Health
January 24th, 2010 admin As parents we inherently have a desire to keep our children healthy, safe, and happy. One of the earliest hurdles we encounter to our childrenâ??s well-being is the issue of getting baby to sleep through the night. You may not realize this, but by delaying this skill you could be setting your baby up for more serious health related issues during their childhood and into their adult life. By establishing healthy sleep habits now, you increase your childrenâ??s chances of bypassing these challenges.
Obesity
Studies conducted at many well known research centers have shown that there is a connection between childhood sleep deprivation and obesity. At the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, researchers found that for each extra hour of sleep a child got, it reduced their risk of being overweight by 9 percent!
In a Harvard study, results showed that infants who slept less than 12 hours total in a day were twice as likely to be overweight by the age of 3 versus infants who slept 12 hours or more in a day.
Emotional Issues
For babies and children the emotional effects of sleep deprivation can be more extreme than that of an adult. Some of the emotional issues a child can experience are high levels of anxiety, depression, aggression, irritability, temper tantrums, excessive crying and fussiness and decreased patience.
These issues go hand in hand with the next set of problems lack of sleep can cause in children.
Behavioral Issues
If a child is not getting adequate sleep they can begin to display a variety of behavioral issues such as hyperactivity, poor concentration, poor school performance, poor impulse control, reasoning and memory, focus and a drop in their IQ.
If these symptoms sound similar to those of ADD and ADHD, they are. Hereâ??s a fascinating scientific findâ?¦
Research in sleep laboratories have shown that many children have been misdiagnosed as having ADD/ADHD, when really all that was going on was chronic partial sleep deprivation!
In addition to the above, sleep deprivation in children suppresses their immune systems, increases their chances of injurious falls, and creates a vicious cycle of poor sleep habits that are hard to break the longer they go on.