Do you sleep well?

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   darklandposted 12 years ago

   Do you sleep well?
   
   With all the mattress technology and clinical studies many people still don't sleep well.  For thousands of years people have slept on flea and bed bug infested sacks, hay, or simply where they lay down.  Why is it so difficult now for so many people to get a good nights sleep?

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   No, I've had insomnia since my mid twenties. I'm 43. I'm for sure it is stress. I just can't shut my mind off?

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I was a terrible insomniac for many years, so I'm empathetic.  I found that if you just stay in bed and let your body rest you can stay functional.  Do you have any techniques for keeping yourself going, are you on medication?

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      JThomp42posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I've been on meds for about 5 years now.

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   AnniesHealthTalkposted 12 years ago

   For most people, it's definitely stress and anxiety. Society used to be a lot simpler, but now we're over-stimulated with high-paced and busy lives. This makes it hard to go to bed and stop thinking about things that need to be done or stresses from the day.
   Another big reason is that people use so many electronics like televisions and computers right before going to bed. The light from these things prevents our brains from producing melatonin, the hormone produced at night that helps you sleep.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think you've hit it exactly, We never let ourselves rest and it becomes harder to do so,  we are under extraordinary pressure now, thanks for your imput

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   ithabiseposted 12 years ago

   I do now. I have sleep apnea and wasn't convinced of it until I couldn't think at work! The machines are worth every cent. Recently, I wasn't sleeping well for other unknown reasons...light sleeping and awaking on-and-off. So I took someone's advice to take melatonin. It has reset my body clock and helped me to sleep deeper. Hope this helps someone else.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      thanks, that's good to know. Do you know if sleep apnea ever get better or go away after awhile?

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      ithabiseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think it does if, say, it was brought on by overweight or other things that can be controlled...structural obstructions that can be surgically corrected. But sometimes this answer is no...too great an answer here. I encourage you to research it.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Apnea is very curious, I'll look into it. Thanks I know we're kind of limited here but I appreciate your thoughts

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      ithabiseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Darkland, not to toot my own horn, but I wrote an entire piece on sleep apnea if you wish to read. Cheers.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      interesting, thanks ithabise, I like to read it.

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   connorjposted 12 years ago

   
   
   I apologize (in advance) by no means am I an expert on this subject, well for that matter any... However, I do indeed sleep well (now); however, before my coma I was what one would call a very light sleeper. After my coma it all changed. "Case in point," back in 2004 a year after my coma, a small part (3'X3') of our flat roof on the back-side of our house caved in (in the middle of the night), it awakened all of my family, our 2 dogs, yet not me. I certainly do not understand why; however, indeed I have become a deep delta wave-length sleeper after my comatose experience dispite all of the myriad of so-called technological advances/distractions...

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Wow that's very interesting...I didn't know that being comatose would make that kind of change.  I guess that was a silver lining.

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      connorjposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have no idea if it is a common outcome of being comatose; however, in my case the change was significant...

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      As I understand it there are a lot of anomalies that can come from comatose, the brain is such unknown territory

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      artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      wow

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      connorjposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes indeed; it was life-changing and all good. I now understand when we die, we are just passing on and death is far from our ultimate ending...

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   artist101posted 12 years ago

   It is the stress of everyday worries, compounded by our over processed diets, and over stimulated minds, and bodies. We go a hundred miles an hour most days. It can also be hormones, lack of actual exercise, not going outside, among many other things. The possibilities are endless.
   To get a good nights sleep, stop drinking cafeine after 7pm, exercise early during the day, keep the room quite, and dark, (as light shuts off melatonin production), do not participate in exciting activities, keep your routine the same, as this will signal the brain to bedtime. Two very helpful supplements for insomnia include melatonin, and trytophan. Melatonin is the hormone that signals sleep, is produced by the body when night falls, and is derived from trytophan. Trytophan containing foods are turkey, whole grain products, dairy, and milk. Due to over processing, our diets do not contain enough. As we age we do not produce as much, as well as women during menopause, and teenagers during puberty.
   So for each of us, we have to modify our lifestyle, diet, or supplement.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is really very good, thank you, I don't think most people realize how our diet and lifestyle is conspiring against our health and well being. Much of what we eat is so processed that I wonder if our bodies can even recognize it as food.

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      artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you. It is no wonder that we have so many health issues.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, very true.  We are in a grand experiment, no former generation has ever had such a strange combination of stresses.  It's interesting and terrifying at the same time, don't you think?

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      artist101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It fascinates me, how the body works. Then how well, or how bad it works.

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      darklandposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The body is a machine with millions of years of R&D in it. As you suggest, if we co-operate with our history and eat what makes sense, rest and lower stress we can avoid most of what we suffer from now.

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