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Posts Tagged ‘Lifestyle’
Fri, September 19, 2008 1:36 pm By James Coolridge  Printer friendly version
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 Snoring is caused by vibrations of the relaxed throat tissues and is often the precursor or companion of sleep apnea. Although effective medical treatment for sleep apnea exists, the public does not recognize the dangers. New research suggests there is a strong link between loud snoring and both heart disease and strokes. They concluded that heavy snorers were significantly more likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared to the rest of the population. Compared to the rest of the population, loud snorers had a 34% increased risk of having a heart attack, and a 67% greater chance of suffering a stroke.
Causes of snoring:
If your airway becomes small enough, your soft palate and uvula begin to vibrate when you inhale and exhale. These vibrations are the cause of the sound most people call snoring. This is very much like a reed musical instrument. Obesity, increased fat on the back of the neck, drinking alcohol, family history, obstruction in nose and lazy palate all lead to snoring.
Social effects:
Researchers have also found that snoring strains interpersonal relationships as household and bed partners lose sleep. Snoring is known to cause sleep deprivation in both snorers and people around them. Snorers also complain about the social embarrassment that occurs when they are on business trips or on holidays. It also causes daytime drowsiness, irritability, poor concentration and decreased sex drive. Snoring may seem a minor problem, but various scientists have found that marital relationships improved significantly, after snoring was surgically treated.
Snoring prevention:
Snoring also usually gets worse with advancing age. Snoring is very prevalent, and although people joke about it, it can cause serious problems. Here are suggested some lifestyle changes and natural snoring remedies.
• Change your sleeping position.
At first, snoring occurs when you are lying on your back and the tongue falls back, increasing airway obstruction. If you are a snorer like this, sleeping on your side will usually help you stop snoring. You can also try raising the head of your bed four inches, by placing blocks or a wedge under the head of the mattress. Snoring can occur when you are sleeping on your side or with your head raised. Eventually, snoring can go on all night and in all positions. This means it is time to observe your lifestyle.
• Lose your body weight.
Overweight people often have bulky neck tissue. If you are overweight, losing a modest amount of weight - even 10% of your body weight, can help you stop snoring.
• Avoid alcohol and sedatives.
Anything that causes sedation, such as sleeping pills or alcohol, can also cause snoring because they suppress your urge to breathe. If you snore because you have a couple of drinks or a sedative at night, either cut back or stop it altogether.
• Inhale steam before bed.
Nasal congestion can often cause snoring. You can try to reduce night-time congestion by deeply breathing steam through your nose before bedtime. Steam vaporizers are very effective at doing this.
There are several viable treatment options. A variety of oral appliances are available to control snoring and act as “volume control.” Medication, behavioral therapy, surgery and anti-aging medication are a few of your options. If you snore, See a sleep apnea doctor as soon as possible and avoid the potential health risks associated with snoring.
So, snoring is not a minor problem especially if you snore a lot. The effects from snoring can be devastating in terms of health and relationship. Snoring doesn’t mean that you will suffer from a heart disease, but it does mean that you are at a higher risk than non-snorers. Stay snore free and Stay healthy.
Tags: Health, Lifestyle, Snoring, Heart
Wed, August 13, 2008 8:38 am By James Coolridge
 The present world is a home to a variety of disorders arising from stress and anxiety. Filled with chaos and tension and worries, the new generation is getting affected with different mental issues which may lead to dangerous consequences in the long run. Anxiety disorder is one such hazard among them. If we take a deep view, there are many causes of anxiety disorder. You cannot pick out a single reason for it. There could also be combination of more than one factors. Some of the factors regarded as the causes of these anxiety disorders are as follows:
Biological Factor:
The Major Cause of Anxiety Disorder
The biological factor is likely be a prominent cause of anxiety disorder. If any attack happens on our well being, be it physical or mental, our adrenaline gland secretes a hormone in our body which prepares us for the fight, fright and flight reactions. It not only generates physical changes in our body but also psychological changes in the brain that enable us to react to a particular action. This makes our heart rate get faster. This makes the brain to get involved in this juncture, resulting into a lot of mental pressure.
Different Thinking Patterns
Every individual follows his own way of thinking about and reacting to a particular situation. Positive thinking helps in living a better and sound life, whereas the negative thoughts generate mental strain in the body, thus causing an anxiety disorder.
Suggested measures to overcome it would include an individual having complete authority to change his thoughts, which further affects the physical and mental well-being of a person.
Excessive Stress and Lifestyle factor
Excessive stress invariably leads to anxiety disorders. The way one leads life is also one of the prominent factors responsible for an anxiety disorder. The burden of overwork, an violent fight and fright reactions get activated in the body which compels the person to react in a particular way. In addition to it, the way one leads his/her life can also be one of the factors responsible for anxiety disorder. An unhealthy lifestyle habit comprises of excessive work, improper/inadequate sleep ,lack of regular exercises poor diet schedule and behavioral issues.
You can overcome this trouble by taking simple precautions such as having a calm and peaceful attitude towards life. By practicing self-care which includes sound intake of food and a sound sleep for maximum 6-8 hrs daily.
Up-bringing Atmosphere:
The atmosphere one has been brought up in, does have a deep effect on your thinking capabilities. The surrounding environment is a major cause of anxiety disorder. It is the matter of time and experience that reflects a change in the thinking patterns.
Genetic factor:
Genetic factor is another prominent cause of anxiety disorder that contributes to social anxiety.
We can easily conquer all the above mentioned factors causing anxiety disorder. What you need is a calm mind and willingness to take up risks in life with an open attitude. All you need to think is the world is at your feet so say goodbye to stress and enjoy a blissful life.
Tags: Sleep, Health, Lifestyle, Stress, brain, Anxiety Disorder, mental pressure, thinking
Mon, June 9, 2008 10:32 am By James Coolridge
 Are you sleeping with stress? Do you have the habit of waking up in the middle of night? If yes, then no doubt, you are suffering from Parasomnia.
What is Parasomnia?
“Parasomnia is any sleep disorder such as sleep walking, teeth grinding, night terrors, rhythmic movement disorder, restless leg syndrome which are characterized by partial arousals during sleep or during transitions between wakefulness and sleep. Parasomnias are often associated with stress and depression. Biological factors may also be involved.”
A 2005 National Sleep Foundation poll found that 75 percent of adults frequently have symptoms of a sleep problem, including waking during the night.
“People think that because they’re able to fall asleep they’ll stay asleep, even if they’ve had too much caffeine,” says Rubin Naiman, Ph.D., a sleep and dream specialist at Andrew Weil’s Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.
If you find yourself awake in pre-dawn hours, Dr. Naiman advises first assessing your physical state. Check whether you have an ache, a cramp or you need to go to bathroom.
“The root of most sleep problems is stress,” says Jeffrey Thompson, director of the Center for Neuroacoustic Research and creator of an audio sleeping aid called the Delta Sleep System.
Everything is over here- you get overloaded with work, over-stimulated and overwhelm your body’s ability to relax. However, you can keep this under control. Few positive alterations in your lifestyle can help render healthy sleeping patterns.
Tags: Lifestyle, research., Parasomnia, scientists, sleeping patterns
Mon, April 28, 2008 1:27 pm By Brett Roberts
 Allergies come up with different types of food and from different seasons. It is very important to detect the sources of the allergy to get the nutrition you need in food.
There are several natural things that you can do to change the body’s reaction to the substances that are in your system. This can be done by eating a variety of different supplements. By doing this, it will cause the chemicals in your body to stop reacting as much. Drinking water, eating more fruits and vegetables, white fish, turkey and almonds, walnuts and sunflower seeds make the chemicals in your body to slow down and minimize the allergic reaction. Green Tea, licorice root are other options.
Look for some vitamin supplements in the chemist that will reduce allergies. These include Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E, copper, magnesium and Zinc. These help balance your body and prevent it from allergies.
If you know what is causing the allergy and then use the proper reaction to it will combat your allergies. Then you can start with a nutritious lifestyle.
Tags: Lifestyle, Food allergy, water, vitamin supplements
Mon, April 21, 2008 11:07 am By Thomas Maloney
 According to the American Heart Association, almost 33 million American men have cardiovascular disease, and over 430,000 die from it every year. So, don’t wait until the first stroke, a total lifestyle change will be good for your healthy heart beats.
First of all, focus on what you eat. Those pizzas, sandwiches, high-calorie cokes may be your favorites but don’t favor your health. Your diet should consist of very little fat. Vegetarianism surely keeps your heart healthy. For instance, garlic has a blood pressure lowering effect.
The second thing is exercise. You don’t have to enroll into a gym just for six-pack abs. however, doing exercises help your heart stay fit.
Vitamins and supplements are recommended by physicians. One of the most important heart supplements is CoQ10.
Magnesium is also important for heart health. It helps to relax the arteries that feed the heart.
A healthy diet, improvements in lifestyle and doctor’s recommendations will definitely keep you away from strokes.
Tags: Lifestyle, Diet, Heart
Wed, March 12, 2008 7:37 am By James Coolridge
 Are you sleeping well? We are not talking about how you take a nap in your workplace or while traveling in a bus. The focus here is on how you sleep properly after a hectic day. Let us come to know what sleeping ailment is.
Insomnia:
Insomnia is a sleeping ailment. It is the inability to get sufficient sleep. If you are not able to fall asleep within half an hour of going to sleep, you might be suffering from this ailment. People often have the tendency to take sleeping pills or consume a peg of liquor before going to bed. This is another symptom of being insomniac. Those who wake frequently during night and wake up at unusual early hours are also victims of this ailment.
Why am I an insomniac?
The environment, your lifestyle and health are the root causes of insomnia. Pain commonly disturbs sleep. You will definitely not sleep well if you are unwell. Talking about lifestyle, it solely depends upon you. You need to be concerned if you have shift work, because it often causes distortion in your sleeping habits. Frequent changes in working hours can lead to insomnia. It also depends upon your eating habits. Poor eating habits, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption are also causes for being insomniac.
Help yourself:
Help yourself to drive away the insomniac in you. Create an atmosphere in your bedroom where you could get your regular dose of sleep. Do not use your bedroom for reading, writing and doing work. Keep the place warm and not hot. Cut down all stimulants like caffeine, cigarette and alcohol before going to bed. Regular exercise also makes you feel good and can prevent this disorder. Gentle exercise can help you sleep better.
Insomnia can cause a variety of physical and mental problems. So it is suggested to take care of your dose of sleep, so that you can do well if you sleep well.
Tags: Health, Insomnia, Stimulants, Lifestyle
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