Articles from Dr. Eaton

Natural Remedies Can Improve Sleep      

Sleep Deprivation Is Closely Linked To Obesity

Sleep Debt Can Be Disastrous 

Understanding Insomnia    

Melatonin: The ‘Natural Nightcap’   


STOP OVEREATING – LOSE WEIGHT


Natural Remedies Can Improve Sleep                 
by Judith Hood

Let’s face it. There’s nothing more refreshing than a good night’s sleep. And there is nothing more exhausting than trying to function during the day when you haven’t had your rest. If you are one of the millions of Americans who yearn for a good night’s sleep, explore ways to improve your sleep naturally before you resort to over the counter or prescription sleep medications. These types of medications tend to have unpleasant side effects such as next day drowsiness and impaired memory function.

Many people with sleep problems turn to the soothing benefits of massage therapy. Stress, anxiety and muscle pain are three of the major culprits that cause sleep to elude us. Massage has been proven to reduce anxiety, relieve muscle tension and promote a sense of well being that is conducive to a relaxing night of sleep. Tense muscles in the back, neck and shoulders create painful “knots” that make good sleep virtually impossible. Massages help those muscles relax and stress literally drains from the body.

There is also a scientific explanation for the role massage can play in improving sleep. Insomnia is associated with a lack of serotonin and massage has been medically proven to increase serotonin levels.  A night of restorative sleep helps us function to our fullest ability each day.  During sleep, the heart rate decreases, blood pressure drops, muscle activity is reduced and the body relaxes.

Some people use herbal supplements to help treat insomnia. Valerian root has helped alleviate insomnia for many people and no harmful side effects have been reported. Others find that a cup of chamomile tea is very relaxing and can set the stage for restful sleep.

Jamaican dogwood was once a popular sleep aid but it has been found to be highly toxic and should not be used. In fact you can no longer find it in many areas. Products containing kava kava may cause severe liver damage. Both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have noted the risks of products containing kava.

Some vitamins have been reported to help relieve insomnia. Niacin is used by some to improve sleep. Side effects of Niacin may include flushing, an upset stomach, and itching. It has the capacity to interfere with other medications such as statins (cholesterol lowering drugs).

Iron (ferrous sulfate) may be helpful if restless leg syndrome is at the root of your sleep problem. You should talk with doctor before adding iron as part of your sleep regimen. Iron can cause nausea and constipation and it cannot be taken at the same time as certain other medications.

Magnesium may help encourage sleep because it has a role in the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is released by the brain at night that tells our bodies that it is time to sleep. Melatonin has gained popularity in recent years and is available in most health food stores.

In one study, a diet called the “Argonne” diet helped improve the quality of sleep for a small group of military personnel with jet lag. This diet alternates “feasting” days with “fasting” days for four days before travel. For a feasting day, you eat high protein foods early in the day and high carbs at night. You eat no more than 800 calories on a fasting day.

You should consult with your physician before using herbs, vitamins, minerals or diet regimens to treat your sleep disorder. Many herbs and vitamins interact adversely with other medications or may be toxic if used incorrectly or in large amounts.        

Because sleep disorders can cause fatigue and confusion that can lead to accidents, poor performance, irritability and physical health problems, you should never ignore the fact that you are having trouble sleeping. Your doctor can help you explore the reasons why sleep eludes you and help you make the lifestyle changes that will improve your sleep. Fortunately many sleep disorders can be successfully treated with natural remedies. Talk to your doctor to develop a “healthy sleep” plan that can significantly improve the quality of your life.

 

“Judith Hood is a health care writer with 26 years of experience in healthcare marketing and communication.”

Sleep Deprivation Is Closely Linked To Obesity          
by Judith Hood

A good night’s sleep may play a key role in preventing obesity. This comes as welcome and surprising news to the millions of people in the United States who are part of the national epidemic of obesity.

The keys to the sleep deprivation-obesity relationship may be the hormone leptin that suppresses appetite; and ghrelin, a hormone that increases food intake and is thought to play a role in long-term regulation of body weight. Sleep deprivation lowers the levels of leptin and raises the levels of ghrelin.

A study conducted at Columbia university found that people who sleep five hours or less per night are 75% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine nightly hours of sleep. People getting six hours of sleep are 27% more likely to gain weight than people who get the recommended amounts.

“This is a significant public health issue,” said National Sleep Foundation CEO Richard L. Gelula. “Obesity has become an epidemic in this country and so has sleep deprivation. We now believe that these two are linked more closely than we previously realized.”
 
 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. A poll conducted by The National Sleep Foundation found a significant number of adults (39%) get less than the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night and nearly one quarter of the respondents said they were more inclined to overeat when they didn’t get enough sleep.       

This may explain why people with sleep apnea tend to gain weight at an above average level. Obesity is a major factor in sleep apnea and is often listed as one of the main causes when in fact the obesity may just be one of the symptoms of sleep deprivation.

As researchers are working to determine the exact relationships and neuro-hormonal pathways, physicians believe that getting sufficient sleep is extremely beneficial for people who are trying to lose weight. If you are not getting enough sleep, losing weight may be very difficult or even impossible.     

Sleep deprivation is also closely linked to heart disease, diabetes, immune system deficiencies, anxiety, depression and mood disorders. Sleep deprived people are far more likely to be involved in vehicle accidents and workplace accidents.

In order for your body to operate at peak performance, the National Sleep Foundation recommends the following:

• Get a good night’s sleep. Seven to nine hours is recommended for most adults for good health, safety and optimal performance. Gauge your daytime sleepiness to determine whether the amount of sleep you are getting is sufficient.
• Be conscious of how much you eat. When you attend parties and receptions, limit your caloric intake and try not to eat more than you would at a normal meal.
• Make healthy meal choices. Avoid fast foods. Eat fish, fruits and vegetables. Avoid foods that are high in carbohydrates or fats.
• Get consistent exercise. Try to work exercise into your routine even when you have a very busy schedule. Exercise will help burn calories and it will improve the quality of your sleep. (Avoid exercising less than three hours before bedtime so that you won’t be so stimulated that you have trouble sleeping.) 

If you are having trouble sleeping you should talk with your doctor.  Lifestyle changes coupled with natural remedial supplements have long been used to restore balance to the body. The nervous system gets relief and normal sleep patterns are restored as the brain neurotransmitters return to normal function.

There are infinite reasons why sufficient sleep is important. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could sleep our way to a healthier, slimmer America?

“Judith Hood is a health care writer with 26 years of experience in healthcare marketing and communication.”

Sleep Debt Can Be Disastrous                         
 by Judith Hood

The potentially tragic effects of sleep deprivation were heartbreakingly demonstrated on the morning of the crash of Comair Flight 5192. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the sole air traffic controller on duty was functioning on only two hours of sleep.

Sleep deprivation is a common condition that affects 47 million Americans, or almost a quarter of the adult population. Symptoms can interfere with memory, energy levels and mental abilities. Exhaustion and fatigue affect our moods, causing pessimism, sadness, stress and anger. The National Sleep Foundation has suggested that social problems like road rage may be caused, in part, by a national epidemic of sleepiness.  The brain’s frontal cortex relies on sleep to function effectively. Insufficient rest adversely affects the brain’s ability to control speech, access memory, control emotions and solve problems.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 100,000 automobile accidents a year are caused by driver fatigue. The fewer hours of rest you get, the greater your chances of being the cause of a car accident. Research has shown that driving while sleepy is as detrimental as driving drunk. In one study people who went seventeen to nineteen hours without sleep operated their vehicles worse than people with blood alcohol levels of .05 percent. The legal driving limit in the United States is .01 percent. According to the Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who sleep six to seven hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a crash as those who sleep eight hours or more. Drivers who sleep less than five hours are at least five times more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash.

Sleepiness can cause the following problems that are common causes of vehicle crashes:

• Impaired reaction time, poor judgment and compromised vision
• Problems with information processing and short-term memory
• Decreased performance, vigilance and motivation
• Increased moodiness and aggressive behaviors.

Sleep related crashes are most common among young people, adults with children and shift workers. Several states either have or are considering legislation that would allow police to charge drowsy drivers with criminal negligence if they injure or kill someone while driving if they have not had adequate sleep. For more information about these policies, visit drowsydriving.com

The consequences of sleep deprivation present a particularly high risk for the more than 20 million Americans who have rotating shift work schedules such as air traffic controllers. Sleep deprivation significantly increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents as well as work related injuries and accidents. One reason these accidents occur more frequently is that sleep deprived people often underestimate their levels of sleepiness and functional impairment. Studies conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine show that chronically sleep deprived people believe that they have adapted to their lack of sleep while actually their performance levels are gradually deteriorating.

Sleep deprivation studies at the University of Chicago determined that sleeping shortages quickly alter the body’s ability to regulate glucose and produce insulin, mimicking the symptoms of diabetes. After a week of sleep deprivation, otherwise healthy test subjects took forty percent longer than normal to regulate blood sugar levels. Although adequate rest restored the test subject’s blood sugar to normal levels, the test suggests that impaired glucose tolerance as a result of sleep loss could eventually lead to diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
 
Although the amount of sleep needed varies from person to person, most adults require an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel alert and well rested. Studies show that at least one in five adults reports getting an insufficient amount of sleep.

People who work long hours, those who have a hectic schedules or a new baby, teens who stay up late and have to get up early for school, are probably getting less sleep than their body needs to be at its best. Over time the lack of sleep can have serious effects on health and relationships. It can even be deadly. Because the lack of appropriate amounts of sleep can have profound effects on your life and can even endanger the lives of others.

Fortunately most sleep disorders can be treated successfully.   There are a number of relaxation techniques and natural supplements that may be useful in treating your sleep problem.   Talk to your doctor about your sleep issues and he or she can help you decide upon the treatment plan that is best for you. Sometimes sleep disorders are associated with depression and once the underlying depression is treated sleep patterns often return to normal.

“Judith Hood is a health care writer with 26 years of experience in healthcare marketing and communication.”

Understanding Insomnia                                       
by Judith Hood

Insomnia is fast becoming an epidemic in our country and the problems
associated with the widespread sleeplessness of Americans are mounting.
More than 35 million Americans suffer from long-lasting insomnia, with 20 to 30 million more experiencing short term sleeplessness.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which a person experiences difficulty falling asleep or problems staying asleep. Although conventional wisdom is that we spend one third of our lives sleeping many of us don’t get the quantity or the quality of the sleep we need.

There are three types of insomnia:

• Transient or mild insomnia: Sleep difficulties that last for a few days. There is little or no evidence of impaired function during the day.
• Short-term or moderate insomnia: Sleep difficulties that last for less than a month and mildly affect functioning during the day because of irritability and fatigue.
• Chronic or severe insomnia: Sleep difficulties that last for more than a month, that severely impact functioning during the day and cause strong feelings of restlessness, irritability anxiety and fatigue.

Insomnia symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up several times during the night, waking up too early or feeling tired on wakening. Experts believe that only five percent of people with insomnia seek medical help and 69 percent of people with insomnia never mention their sleeping problems to their doctor. 
 
The inability to get a good night’s sleep is not something to be taken lightly. Insomnia has been linked to major disasters like plane crashes, traffic fatalities and serious work related injuries. People with insomnia have impaired mental functioning and may experience difficulty concentrating and short term memory loss.  Insomnia is also linked to stress and depression because this sleep disorder increases the activity of hormones and pathways in the brain that cause stress and depression. Changes in sleeping patterns have significant effects on mood.

So how much sleep do you need? The answer varies from person to person. On average, most people need between seven and nine hours of good quality sleep each night in order to feel alert the next day.

Some people make the mistake of using alcohol to help them sleep. Alcohol often causes drowsiness and lets us go to sleep quiet easily. Later in the night, however, when the alcohol level in the blood decreases, the body’s arousal mechanism is stimulated and the normal sleep pattern becomes seriously impaired.

If you are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, the following tips may be helpful:

• Try to go to sleep the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can keep your from falling asleep. Alcohol can cause periodic waking in the night that adversely affects the quality of sleep.
• Get regular exercise. Try not to exercise close to bedtime as it may stimulate you and make it hard to fall asleep. Experts say you shouldn’t exercise for two to four hours before you plan to go to sleep.

• Don’t eat a heavy mill late in the day. A light and healthy bedtime snack, however, may help you sleep.
• Make your sleeping place comfortable: Be sure it is quiet, dark and not too warm or cold. If light is a problem try a sleeping mask.
• Follow a routine to help you relax before you go to sleep. Read a book, listen to soothing music or take a warm bath.
• Don’t watch television in bed.
• Don’t take another person’s prescription sleeping pills.
• If you find yourself awake at night worrying about things, make a “to do” list before your go to bed. This may help you to release those worries from your mind overnight.
• Don’t lie in bed fretting because you can’t sleep. Get up and do a quiet activity. Return to bed only when you are sleepy. Do this as many times a night as necessary.

If your insomnia lasts longer than a few weeks and is affecting your mood, relationships and ability to function, then you should see your doctor. Your doctor may need to perform a complete physical exam to rule out any underlying physical problems that may be affecting your sleep. If there are no other existing medical problems then you and your doctor can work out a plan to help you develop healthy and restful sleep patterns.

There are many natural remedies like massages and herb therapy that can help you overcome insomnia without using prescription medications. Once you have your insomnia under control, you will be amazed at the energy and vitality that you will experience.

“Judith Hood is a health care writer with 26 years of experience in healthcare marketing and communication.”

Melatonin: The ‘Natural Nightcap’                            
by Judith Hood
More than 20 million Americans use melatonin to help them sleep. Sometimes referred to as an “all natural nightcap” melatonin is a natural body hormone produced by the pineal gland (a pea-sized structure at the center of the brain) as our eyes register the fall of darkness. Melatonin is believed to regulate the “circadian” rhythms in the body.  

During the day, the pineal gland is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is “turned on” and begins to produce melatonin, which is released into the blood. Typically this occurs around 9 p.m. As a result, melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and the body becomes less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours (all through the night) before the light of the new day when they fall back to low daytime levels by 9 a.m. Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.

Many studies have supported the use of melatonin supplements in shortening the time it takes to fall asleep and reducing the number of times a person wakes up during the night. Melatonin has been shown to be particularly helpful for shift workers on irregular shifts who need to adjust to their changing schedules.
 

At night melatonin is produced by our bodies to help regulate the sleep-wake cycles. The amount of melatonin produced by our body seems to lessen as we get older. Scientists believe that this may be why young people have less trouble sleeping than older people.

Many researchers are convinced that melatonin supplements can hasten sleep and ease jet lag without the hazards or side effects of prescription sleeping pills. Melatonin may have other uses as well and has been reported to make people feel better, strengthen the immune system and reduce free radicals in the body. (Free radicals in the body have been closely linked to cancer and other immunosuppressive diseases.

Melatonin is available at most health food stores and at many pharmacies. It should only be taken at nighttime, usually about one hour prior to going to bed. If you are traveling on a long trip you may want to take a reduced dosage prior to boarding your flight and a higher dosage pill prior to going to bed. If you commonly sleep during the night you should not take melatonin during the day and vice versa because melatonin plays a key role in setting the body’s daily clock. 

Most people who take melatonin wake up refreshed and full of energy. If you wake up feeling a bit tired you should reduce your dosage until you wake up feeling well refreshed. When used correctly, melatonin does not have the hangover effect often experienced with over the counter or prescription sleeping pills.

Researchers at 0regon Health Sciences University tested the supplement on a small group of blind people. The blind often suffer from sleep disorders because they cannot perceive the daily cycles of light and darkness that regulate the body’s biological clock. The researchers found that nearly all of the blind subjects developed normal sleep patterns after taking melatonin. When given a placebo, their sleep remained erratic. This study was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

People with Seasonal Affective Disorder  (SAD) instinctively shift their melatonin levels with the season, according to researchers. Patients with SAD become very irritable, tired and lethargic when the seasons change and the days become longer. Many have benefited from a combination of light therapy and melatonin supplements. In patients with SAD, the duration of melatonin secretion becomes longer in the winter and shorter in the summer. Anything you can do to manipulate melatonin signals might be useful as a treatment for seasonal depression.

Although studies have shown melatonin to be safe when used at the recommended dosages in healthy adults, you should still talk to your doctor before you decide to use melatonin on a regular basis. Melatonin should never be taken along with prescription sleep medications except under the very careful supervision of your doctor. Studies have shown that the timing and amount of the dose are important. This may vary from one person to another.

Melatonin products are not totally regulated by the FDA.  Melatonin falls under the FDA category of Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS).  Melatonin products are not entirely regulated by the FDA but they follow the guidelines for claims and labels.

Depending on the type of sleep disorder from which they suffer, melatonin may not work for everyone and if taken incorrectly can cause the same hangover effects as some barbiturate medications that are sometimes prescribed for sleep.  It may also interfere with the reproductive cycle, so women trying to become pregnant should not take melatonin.

 

“Judith Hood is a health care writer with 26 years of experience in healthcare marketing and communication.”

 

STOP OVEREATING – LOSE WEIGHT
FREE INFORMATION

Are you stuck in the same old cycle–overeating–dieting–overeating?

Can your overweight be a symptom of the real problem –Emotional Eating?

Do you use food to relieve tension, anxiety, anger, boredom, depression, loneliness?

        ELIMINATE EMOTIONAL EATING PROBLEMS NOW!!!

There are many “diet” plans but they all begin with motivation – your desire to lose weight.

A successful weight management plan must first overcome the emotional aspects of your eating habits.  A successful weight management plan must merge conscious instructions with subconscious control.  When a conscious plan works in unison with subconscious control, this team work brings about success.

It is essential to communicate goals to the subconscious mind in an acceptable manner.  Once proper instructions are established, the
subconscious mind works to carry through with the goals.

Negative thoughts, negative self-talk, negative actions or stressors produce an energy imbalance.  Any negativity results in an upset of body energy which in turn causes symptoms of illnesses or conditions affecting your life.

Balanced body energy and proper instructions to the subconscious mind are essential to weight management.

Learn how you can bring positive changes into your life.  Emotional Freedom Technique is a simple technique to improve your emotional health and physical well being – and you don’t have to dedicate a lot of time for it to work.

Find out now about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).  Log in here to get more information.  http://www.emofree.com/a/?2852/1

IT’S FREE