It is no secret that people who need to adjust their sleep habits may have health issues and with the expected implementation of the Daylight Savings Time, it is perhaps easy to say that you should watch out for your heart.

According to University of Alabama at Birmingham associate professor Martin Young, Ph.D., in the Division of Cardiovascular Disease, the chances of suffering a heart attack is higher rises the Monday and Tuesday following DST.

Apparently there is no definite reason associated with the said issue although it seems that it all boils down to the body or Circadian clock to which human cells are run.

“The internal clocks in each cell can prepare it for stress or a stimulus. When time moves forward, cell clocks are anticipating another hour to sleep that they won’t get, and the negative impact of the stress worsens; it has a much more detrimental effect on the body.”

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This cushion or pillow seems a bit familiar but if we happen to have missed out stating that the Chromatherapy cushion stands to provide people with better sleep then allow us to follow and add that up.

The Chromatherapy pillow seems like that old pillow that lights up to serve both as a nightlight and a comfy solution for us but more importantly stands to provide a new aid for people to get better sleep. Thanks to the stunning light display feature, people can look forward to sleeping better with better ambiance and relaxation, another neat solution for people seeking to relieve their stress after a hard day out.

The Chromatherapy pillow costs about $40 in case you want one.

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Here is another neat solution for the sleepyheads who have a hard time getting up from sleep. While alarm clocks have their way of waking you up emphatically, the Lumie Body Clock Starter carries something saner.

This is of course through its feature which slowly wakes you up over a half-hour period by simulating the sunrise or beep just in case you have pillows or earplugs used to enjoy a stress-free and non-disturbing slumber. A bonus comes in a nightlight, something that should come in handy in case you are the type who gets up at night to grab a bite or head on to the john.

You can get the Lumie Body Clock Starter over at Firebox for about $93.

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There seems to be a lot of stuff tied up with sleep, things that occur without one even recalling it. There are some who sleepwalk, some who talk in their sleep and of course some who may even wet their bed. But have you heard about having sex while asleep and waking up without having a clue on the whole ordeal?

Well it seems this thing has been happening. Called Sexsomnia, this is said to be a form of parasomnia discovered in the 90s. Sexsomnia is said to be something that would occur after a few hours when a person is already in a deep state of slumber.

Apparently, the reason behind the failure of people to recall it is because the cortex that judges and makes decisions is switched off. But the back of the brain where we feel basic urges like hunger or arousal still works – as per London professor Matthew Walker.

So how do you avoid it? Here is Prof. Walker’s advice:

No noise or light in the bedroom, no caffeine after 4pm, no alcohol before bed and try to get enough sleep. Try therapy or antidepressants if stress is a factor.

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“During REM sleep, memories are being reactivated, put in perspective and connected and integrated, but in a state where stress neurochemicals are beneficially suppressed.”

Apparently it all boils down to the dreams you get when you sleep, something that cannot evidently hurt you.

To study this, researches split 35 people into two groups. They showed each the same emotion-triggering photos, then allowed one group to sleep. They showed each group the photos again. The electrical brain activity of each group was recorded with electroencephalograms (or EEG), including during sleep.

Those who slept showed a decrease in activity in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that processes emotion.

Sounds neat ey? Well, the next time you break it off with your mate or are troubled for some reason, sleep on it. Maybe the dreams can ease the burden and pain out of it!

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Dreamtrap offers an alarm clock designed to make sure that people get the proper amount of sleep. By proper of course we mean getting the right amount of shuteye and not oversleeping it as most people do.

The EASYWAKEme Sleep Stage Alarm Clock is an innovative sleep monitor that will help detect the most optimal moments for you to wake up through the simple monitoring of customers’ sleep. This means with enough data collected, you will be awakened stress-free while feeling totally alert, energized and ready to meet the new day, never mind that you are already behind schedule in your work.

Other features of the EASYWAKEme Sleep Stage Alarm clock include 3D Adaptive Sleep Capture (3D ASC) technology, a wearable sensor, and that ability to review your personal sleep stats, track sleep duration and evaluate your sleep efficiency.

The device is set to be made available July for £99 in the UK.

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In something surprising, one would think that a new mom would be having the problems of being able to adjust to their new life with a newborn in tow. But perhaps this would depend on your lifestyle when you were off without kids, something similar to the case of celebrity Lisa Loeb.

Her shift on giving her newborn, Lyla Rose, seems to have been better compared to before. Prior to being a mom, Loeb slept at about 3AM until 9AM. Apparently her new focus has improved her sleep problems for the better and with less stress as she embraces parenting while taking on minor roles like voice over gigs.

Obviously proud of her daughter, this is perhaps a unique instance where a mother has made a choice that not only helps her mature but likewise address sleep issues that soon-to-be mothers will be facing. A rare case but perhaps something others can look up to.

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Here is a solution for the people who have aching bodies due to stress or after a great workout. Called the Prospere FV Shiatsu Massage Bed, this contraption comes with embedded four wheel rollers which move from your head to your ankles to help loosen up those tight muscles.

Aside from that, this massage bed is also flexible. It can be folded up for easy storage and portability. The Prospere FV Shiatsu Massage Bed is perfect for people looking for some at-home stress, muscle and joint pain-relief.

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Our brains need the proper recharging and this can only be experience with proper sleep. Apparently we all have our ups and downs and the stress from everyday thinking and decision making will take its toll on the human brain.

Hence, it is not surprising to note why in the initial stages of sleep that energy levels increase in the brain region found to be active during the waking hours. These results suggest that a surge of cellular energy may replenish brain processes needed to function normally while awake.

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Sleeping 6 hours may not necessarily raise some eyebrows but if you consider the fact that they used to sleep 7 hours a day before, then something must be wrong. And that just seems to be the case for British adults these days, sleeping one hour less compared to two years ago.

The reason? Money, work and stress are the culprits yet again. The effects are that people are not being able to sleep better nor perform up to par due to less sleep. This was discovered from a study conducted by Travelodge which showed more than half (54%) of UK adults admitted that they have trouble sleeping.

The research also showed the lengths to which people go to prolong their sleep taking an average of 13 minutes to get out of bed when their alarm clock rings and one in 10 respondents failing to brush their teeth.

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It seems only natural that being free from stress, especially for the working class, will lead to better sleep. It makes sense considering sleep also relies on how you are psychologically stable. Relax and let the issues at work be left in the office, never bring it at home.

A sense of organization for an individual as far as putting his daily duties and routines is perspective can go a long way. Sleep can be solicited from addressing all that needs to be done which can lead to a worry-free life as well. Besides, sleeping better means being more fresh when you report for work the next day.

Hence, put things in priority. Do not take your work for granted and place yourself in a predicament which you may eventually be sorry for. Do your work and perform according to your job description. It will speak well as far as your job performance is concerned and also leave you sleeping better regularly.

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Add another potential hazard if you have been losing sleep. Aside from your health, it looks like you have to deal with hair loss as well. This was bared by a hair loss clinic in Britain, the Belgravia Centre. Sleeplessness apparently affects the body’s immune function, hormone secretion, and physical and mental stamina.

With this, it is apparent that the list of effects that sleep loss can only grow. Hair loss may be hereditary but can also be attributed to other factors, that of which in this case is stress and sleep loss.

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There is a new app for the iPhone or iPod Touch that was made to help the sleep deprived folks and it goes by the name of the Sleeping Pill 1.0. This is a new app that is said to provide people a good night’s sleep where three stages to accelerate tiredness of users are used.

Stage 1 clears the mind so you can relax and free yourself to fall asleep, stage 2 helps users to relax and relieve stress. Finally stage 3 helps your eyes to tire by getting users to follow a “Z” across the device screen in a specific pattern. The app is now available at the iTunes app store for $0.99.

(Source) PR

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By now, most of you have heard of the blocked artery that former president Bill Clinton had to deal with. All of it was linked to stress and sleep problems are one of them. It looks like Mr. Clinton took sleep and exercise for granted and has thus contributed to his health dilemma.

Thankfully though, he has vowed to change his habits and get more sleep. He will now manage his stress better and this includes regulating his sleep and of course getting proper exercise. Clinton, who had quadruple bypass surgery more than five years ago, was hospitalized Thursday to have a clogged artery opened after he felt discomfort in his chest. Tests showed that one of the bypasses from the surgery was completely blocked.

(Source) AP

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When you sacrifice sleep, being stressed and fatigued can lead you to be giving up a healthy part of your body. With obvious abuse, noticeable weight loss is obvious and that is what Lindsay Lohan is pointing out with her dramatic weight loss today.

The actress has looked increasingly skinny lately, and shocked onlookers with her bony frame during a shopping trip last month.

“I eat just as much as I always have.”

Instead, the Mean Girls – who raised eyebrows when she shed too many pounds back in 2005 – star puts her skinny look down to “working a lot” and “stress…and lack of sleep when I travel.”

(Source) Entertainment Wise

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Coffee (or caffeine) is probably the most notable drink or recourse you can get to stay awake. People who have to extend their working hours or simply want to be awake most of the time consume coffee to keep their eyes open.

However, health risks have been associated with too much caffeine. It is logical in the sense that you may be abusing your body in a sense. Further, it seems that too much caffeine can lead to hallucinations as found by this study from Durham University.

Researchers found that “high caffeine users”, those who had more than the equivalent of seven cups of instant coffee a day, were three times more likely to have had hallucinations than those who had less than the equivalent of one cup.

Those who have three cups of brewed coffee a day could be at the same risk, they warn, because of the drink’s higher caffeine content.

On average the volunteers had the equivalent of three cups of instant coffee a day, which could still cause an increased risk, according to the study.

The researchers believe that caffeine could heighten the effect that stress has on the body, triggering the hallucinations.

(Source) Telegraph

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HongKong is a fast-paced economy where no one can easily slow down. Especially now that recession is plaguing the whole world, people would be wise to consider the options of slowing down or being more aggressive. As it is right now, people are trying to look for alternative ways to sleep, and Delay No Mall seems to be offering that solution through these sleep pods.

“Hong Kong is a really crazy place — you do not have time to rest at all,” said Benjamin Lau, founder of Delay No Mall, where the sleep-pods are based, and chief executive officer of trendy style firm G.O.D.

“Lots of people cannot sleep very well at night, there’s so much stress and pressure. We put these sleep pods in the mall because we wanted a place where people could relax.”

Sleeping in malls? Now we have seen everything!

(Source) AFP

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Seton Hall University researchers document the case of a 44-year-old woman who struggled with severe insomnia for years before she was prescribed the popular sleeping aid, zolpidem (also known by the brand name Ambien), in 2004.

Much of this has been said to be because of stress where people bring the office pressures to their sleep. It can happen and while we think we are in the real world, you may just find yourself wondering why you are getting tons of email replies when in fact you don’t recall sending out anything while you are awake. Add sleep-emailing to the list of new sleep disorders known today folks!

(Source) ABC News

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We have heard that to get good sleep, good pillows and the right scent or aroma can certainly lull is to sleep. Hence why not get them all in one pillow where all you have to do is lie down with them in hand?

The dream pillow is typically an all-cotton, crescent-moon shaped pillow filled with different herbs, such as chamomile, lavender, roses, rosemary, hops and Mugwort to help relax and soothe the nervous system by calming stress. Hops is usually the most common herb in a sleep pillow. Some homemade pillows are made using a four-by-four-inch square of stitched muslin or lace or an antique handkerchief containing a separate gathered sack of herbal combinations.

Maybe a dream pillow is all that we need to fend off the sleeping problems we all have to address. Rather than take them individually, why not get a one package design and sleep easy and healthily?

(Source) Post-Bulletin

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If you know what is good for you, you may want to think twice about grabbing that midnight snack, especially if you want to sleep soundly. Apparently, we all know that the food that we digest at times of needing to satisfy that hunger when we are awake in the late evenings or early mornings may not necessarily be good for us in terms of being able to burn and digest them.

There is something more towards midnight snacks and it has been tied up with stress and disrupted sleep.

Each time they wake, they head for the kitchen to eat food high in carbohydrates, such as chocolate, cake, bread and biscuits. Night eaters may consume half their daily calorie intake after their evening meal and this frequently leads to weight gain. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found typical nocturnal eaters consumed 500 calories more than those whose sleep was undisturbed.

It appears that night eating is a result of a brain chemical imbalance — eating boosts the feel-good chemical serotonin in night eaters’ bodies, thus stimulating sleep. Adrienne Baillie-Carrigan, 44, from Fleet, Hampshire, suffers from the disorder.

(Source) The Telegraph

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Today, inflation is an obvious presence and for most of us today, it is apparent that we will be forever thinking and staying up late to think of alternative to survive in this world that has gone beyond borders. Businesses are faltering one after the other and for the modern businessman, unless you act quickly, chances are you will lose a lot of things including sleep.

The key towards good sleep is to be able to lay on your comfy bed without much to think about. But today, this is a rarity for the breadwinners as we enter an age where financial incapacity pushes us to act further. Apparently we all know that financial survival is something that we all think about everyday so don’t be surprised if in the end, another expense for sleep-related disorders and treatment will soon join our daily expenditures.

”It’s no surprise that professions in the industries worst hit by the credit crunch come top of the charts,” notes director of sleep, Leigh McCarron.

“We all know that money worries and job security are key drivers of stress which in turn, leads to significant sleep loss.”

(Source) Devono

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We all know that coffee is the drink to have when you are sleepy. But the belief that it contributes to sleep deprivation is something up for questioning. Apparently this was the case for this study conducted regarding the tests conducted which proved that aroma of coffee does indeed help lessen the stress of sleep deprivation present for most people today.

In experiments with laboratory rats, they found that coffee aroma orchestrates the expression of more than a dozen genes and some changes in protein expressions, in ways that help reduce the stress of sleep deprivation.

Han-Seok Seo and colleagues point out that hundreds of studies have been done on the ingredients in coffee, including substances linked to beneficial health effects. “There are few studies that deal with the beneficial effects of coffee aroma,” they note. “This study is the first effort to elucidate the effects of coffee bean aroma on the sleep deprivation-induced stress in the rat brain.”

We all know that these are tests only and that rats are merely experimental beings used to prove theories but they are all pointed towards the right direction as far as explaining the facts of sleep deprivation and helping us understand them as a whole.

(Source) Science Daily

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Most employees and executives need to rest their minds to be able to focus on work, a large part of which makes up our day. Other than earning a living, a rested mind will help us make the right decisions and render the type of job that we were hired to be.

You can see the poor performance from employees who have to beg off from work, go on sudden leaves because they either don’t feel well or lack sleep to be able to come to office. While this may or may not be done on purpose, people who work just have to adhere to the importance of sleep. There is no such thing as adopting the role of a robot since we are humans that can really break down if we are not careful.

“Sleep interruptions such as stress and muscle cramp disturb this function and can be very detrimental to everyday life, making it impossible to be productive at work and maintain a positive attitude,” Chris Idzikowski, of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre who came up with the term, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail newspaper of Britain.

(Source) Howrah.org

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Sleep is needed for healthier lives but oversleeping can create problems such as weight. Not all people are pretty much inclined to allow their bodies show the bulge. Most people want a fit body and this requires the proper chemistry of sleep and exercise.

Most people are having problems balancing both sleep and productivity. Tip the weighing scales and you may find yourself going overboard as far as weight is concerned. Now that will become a sleepless endeavor. But if you are not careful, you may lose more than just weight if you don’t watch out for your health as a whole.

You’re eating all the right things and logging sweaty hours at the gym, so what’s with the weight gain? If you’ve put your diet and exercise habits under the microscope, but still aren’t getting results, it may be time to consider how other factors like sleep deprivation and high stress levels may be part of the problem.

(Source) Gaywired.com

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As we can see, there is more to meets the eye when you talk about losing sleep. But when you talk about health problems coming into the picture, you have to take it to another level and try to analyze and determine how your health can manage all the stress and lack of sleep from it all.

(Source) Washington Post

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1. Work
2. Stress
3. Personal Health Abuse
4. Jagged Thoughts

Of course, these are usually part of our daily routine but leaving them as they are is no excuse to sacrifice sleep in their favor. If there are fighters in all of us, then this is one aspect to which we should consider putting value in health and sleep.

Sleep deprivation is an illness we can all manage individually or through the help of sleep professionals. We just have to inject in our heads that sleep is more than just losing rest.

Read more: Rock Me Morpheus: Sleep and Stress

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A lot of workers use this workaholic attitude to speed up their promotion with their respective companies. Although in the real world this is true, it also speeds up their prone towards different health risks such as obesity and heart disease. It will reach a point where over-fatigue will lead towards needing medical aids and supplements to withstand the loss of proper care for the human body. Hence, the need to re-evaluate the rate of living among people is something that should be looked upon twice.

Here is a good article to read upon for superficial understanding of this issue on the Herald Sun: Heavy Price of Lost Sleep

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Insomnia is a hard habit to break. Many people have encountered various ways of trying to conquer it but unfortunately, it has ballooned to proportions where they have to resort to. This includes seeking medical attention and taking some medicines to help get rid of this dreaded sleeping disorder.

Insomnia is indeed a sleep disorder but can be curable by anyone if they have the will power to overcome it. It may be difficult at first but the thing is, with perseverance and will power, anyone can conquer this unwanted disorder by their own means.

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