Fit For Health Guide

You haven’t really explored the various ideas that are out there regarding sleep patterns and the reasons for insomnia and other sleep diseases. However, you know that there is something desperately affecting your ability to get a good night’s sleep in a negative fashion. Many sleep studies have shown that it has a lot to do with the support you get from your bed and mattress. In fact, a number of people have recently switched to platform beds because the simplicity of their construction provides the right amount of support and makes it easier to catch real zzz’s.

Modern bedroom furniture is often not made to last dozens of years as furniture was in the past. Just a few decades ago, furniture wasn’t commercialized, and the pieces were handcrafted to last a lifetime. Modern furniture is different, set up for people whose lifestyle and taste changes frequently and not made to last. What this boils down to is that, as parts of the bed like mattresses wear out or frames bend and break, it causes discomfort to the sleeper. Many people deal with this for a long time prior to replacing their furniture because it can be expensive to do so.

Of course, this is not the only problem to affect a good night’s sleep. It can also be the type of bed in which you are sleeping. For example, some people cannot distance themselves enough from the outside world, and they feel exposed or easily distracted by noises. Using a four poster canopy bed as a shield against this can provide a disconnect for some that allows them to sleep better and without interruption. For others, however, the opposite is true. Being cut off by the bed can literally cause excess anxiety that leads to lack of sleep. Changing to something simple like platform beds may be the solution.

Some people just need their space. This can be true of a person who sleeps alone or one who has always slept alone and now finds him- or herself with a partner, sharing a sleeping space. The person may feel trapped or cramped in a bed that is not spacious enough for their sleep habits. Purchasing king master bedroom furniture can be a quick solution to this sleep problem, especially if you are used to having your own space and are sharing the bed for the first time. While counselors recommend maximum closeness for couples, sharing a full sized bed when you are used to a queen of your own may be an instant disaster!

Some people are simply restless in their sleep and wake up often due to hitting their heads on the headboard or other silly problems that are easily solved. Upholstered headboards are much less painful and intrusive if you tend to move around a lot at night and will keep you from causing real damage to yourself in the future while also providing a sounder night’s sleep. Sleep studies are about more than the diseases themselves that affect sleep – they look closely at other outside factors that can really deprive people of their rest and offer simple solutions for simple problems.

About The Author:

Ben Weissman writes about decorating with Iron Beds, Platform Beds, Headboards, Daybeds, Bar Stools and Contemporary Bedroom Furniture. Find more decorating ideas at http://www.home-and-bedroom.com Make your bedroom a personal oasis.

What is Insomnia? The Insomnia sleep disorder, also known as Wakefulness or Dysomnia, is an inability to sleep, or disturbed sleep preventing you from getting a proper night’s rest.

The main effect of insomnia is that you may feel constantly tired and irritable, with poor concentration and coordination.

There are two main types of Insomnia:

Primary Insomnia has no underlying medical cause for the difficulty in sleeping.

Secondary Insomnia has an underlying medical cause triggering disturbed sleep: any condition causing pain, discomfort, or directly causing mental disturbance or anxiety, or specific conditions such as Sleep Apnea or Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you suspect an underlying medical or mental condition seek medical advice.

In either case encouraging sleep should help with the symptoms of insomnia and the behavioral causes can be addressed by yourself.

A period of insomnia can vary from transient (a few nights) to short term (up to 3 weeks) to chronic, long term insomnia (over 3 weeks)

Transient or Short Term Insomnia can be caused by traumatic events such as acute illness, injury or surgery, bereavement, job loss or less serious events such as trouble at work, an exam, extreme weather change, traveling (including jet lag)

Statistics about Insomnia causes: 50% Psychological, 40% Behavioral: sleep environment (30%) stimulants or medication (10%), 10% Physical (pain, illness etc.)

30-40% of people report insomnia each year; 10-15% of people reporting insomnia say they have chronic insomnia.

The amount of sleep needed by people varies: Babies need about 17 hours sleep a day, a child nine to ten hours per night, and an adult seven to eight hours each night, though that typically decreases as you get older.

Chronic Child Insomnia can have even more serious effects than with adults. Getting enough sleep is much more important for young children than for fully grown adults, as a childhood growth demands a healthy sleep cycle.

Don’t send a child to bed as a punishment as this may lead to insomnia due to a fear of being sent to bed. Consider using a bedroom only for sleep, not play.

Don’t give a child sleeping medicines unless advised to do so by a doctor. Sleeping pills may seem to provide instant, even amazing insomnia relief compared to behavioral therapies, but their results are short term and they often have other side effects.

Adults do not all need eight hours every night! Some people manage on as little as four hours sleep a night. If you don’t need much sleep then get up early - spending too long in bed can help trigger insomnia.

People can also mistake the amount of sleep they are actually getting, because they tend to remember waking up as a longer period than it actually was.

After failing to sleep for a few nights, you may become anxious that you won’t sleep causing Fear or Anxiety Insomnia. A major step towards anxiety insomnia treatment can be to accept that you can cope with its effects, thus reducing the fear of not sleeping. You would then build upon this with behavioral therapy.

Three main areas where you can encourage sleep are:

Sleep Environment - a comfortable bed, a bedroom that is quiet, dark and the right temperature

Sleep Discipline - use your bed for sleeping (and sex) only, watch TV etc. elsewhere

Sleep Conditioning - creating a routine, going to bed and getting up at the same time

The results of behavioral therapy may take effect slowly but are long term - the creation of good habits which make you less prone to insomnia.

Normal foods and behaviors can act as obstacles to sleep: e.g. don’t consume coffee after 1pm - try decaffeinated coffee instead. Avoid consuming alcohol within two hours of going to bed, although it may make you drowsy initially it can inhibit sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night.

A warm drink, dairy, soy products, eggs, rice and grains aid relaxation; foods high in carbohydrate such as bread or crackers can reduce anxiety, all aiding sleep. Do not eat sugary or spicy food or drink near bedtime.

Stress or a mind too active or anxious will hinder the relaxation necessary before sleep comes.

Regular physical exercise helps control stress physically and psychologically by breaking up the day after work to distance you from work problems. The best time for exercise to aid sleep is the early evening.

A warm bath can help relaxation - but don’t stay there too long or have the water too hot.

Try relaxation or meditation techniques. Once a good sleep rhythm is established, then you may no longer need them, though with continuous practice they become more effective. If you are skeptical then just treat them as fun - something to do while you are lying awake!

About the Author:

Andrew Jones is an insomnia sufferer. He has assembled information on the disorder and behavioral treatments - visit his blog at: http://www.andrew-p-jones.com/insomnia-a-simple-guide/