We get less sleep than in the past

Over the past century, the normal night’s rest has moved from nine hours nightly to six and three-quarters hours, research shows. This decrease in sleep time is paralleled by the increase in body weight in the U.S. population. One potential cause: adequate rest accounts for several weight and appetite controlling hormones, including human growth hormone, leptin, phrelin and ghrelin.

Just over the past four decades, routine sleep length of time has decreased by one and a half to two hours. The percentage of young adults sleeping less than seven hours per night has much more than doubled, from 15.6 percent in 1960 to 37.1 per cent in 2002.

A study introduced at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in 2006 showed that middle-aged females who sleep five or fewer hours every night weigh around 5.5 lbs. more than those who sleep a minimum of seven hours.

Study shows link between sleep and weight gain

In the Quebec Family Study, a six-year research project created to identify the connection between sleep extent and bodyweight, researchers followed 276 adults aged 21 to 64. The researchers analyzed weight gain relative to three groups of sleep duration: “short” (5-6 hours), “average” (7-8 hours), and “long” (9-10 hours). Compared with average-duration sleepers, short-duration sleepers gained 4.4 pounds more in the six-year period of time. At six years, short-duration and long-duration sleepers were 35 percent and 25 % more likely to undergo a 12-pound gaining of weight, respectively, compared to those who slept seven to eight hours a night.

In comparison with average-duration sleepers, short-duration sleepers had a 27 per cent elevated threat for the evolution of obesity, and long-duration sleepers experienced a 21 per cent increased risk. Realignment for caloric intake and physical exercise didn’t influence these links.

Now how much sleep is ideal for keeping thin? Between seven and nine hours is recognized as most beneficial. Less than seven hours boosts the risk of obesity about 30 % and contributes an added five pounds generally.

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Sleep Apnea

Loud snores could seem comical, but obstructive sleep apnea is no joke. It is able to raise your chance of high blood pressure levels and diabetes — and even make you more threatening on the road.

Sleep Apnea Related Health Issues:

High blood pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea can cause hypertension in those who have it. The repeated nighttime wakings that plague sufferers induce hormonal systems to go into overdrive, which results in high blood pressure levels at nighttime. Reduced blood-oxygen levels, caused by the cutoff of air, might also play a role in hypertension in those with sleep apnea. The good news: Many people with high blood pressure that are treated for sleep apnea can cut back on their blood pressure drugs.

Heart problems. Those with obstructive sleep apnea are apt to undergo heart attacks and die in the middle of the night. The causes could be low oxygen or the stress of waking up repeatedly while sleeping. Stroke and atrial fibrillation – a issue with the rhythm of the heartbeat — may also be linked to obstructive sleep apnea. The disturbed oxygen flow brought on by sleep apnea can make it tough for your brain to regulate the blood flow in arteries and also the brain itself.

Type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea is rather typical among people with type 2 diabetes – as many as 80% of diabetics have some obstructive sleep deprivation. Excessive weight is a common risk factor for both conditions. Although studies have never shown a specific link between sleep apnea alone and type 2 diabetes, sleep deprivation could cause insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

Weight gain.Adding weight raises your chance of sleep apnea, and up to two-thirds of patients  are seriously overweight. Obstructive sleep apnea is often healed if you lose enough weight, but that can be not easy to do.

Being overweight will cause fatty tissue in the neck that will hinder breathing through the night. Consequently, sleep apnea impacts the body’s endocrine systems, creating the release of the hormone ghrelin, that makes you want carbohydrates and sweets. Additionally, individuals with sleep apnea who are weary and sleepy constantly may have lower metabolisms, which can also contribute to extra weight. Getting therapy for sleep apnea can make you feel great, with increased energy for exercise as well as other activities.

Adult asthma. Even though the link to obstructive sleep apnea is not proven, those people who are treated for sleep apnea might find they have a lot fewer asthma attacks.

GERD. There is no proof that sleep apnea causes acid reflux, but many individuals with sleep apnea complain of acid reflux, and the treatment of it appears to improve apnea symptoms, say sleep physicians.

Auto accidents. Daytime grogginess can put people with sleep apnea at increased potential for falling asleep while at the wheel. Those with sleep apnea are up to five times more likely than ordinary sleepers to have car accidents.

Treating Sleep Apnea

The elevated risk for health problems associated with sleep apnea can be scary, but effective treatment for sleep apnea is obtainable. Generally, a sleep professional will advise a device known as CPAP. While it can take some adjusting, people who use CPAP feel better and are much healthier. Talk to your doctor about addressing your sleep apnea and avoiding related health problems.

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Problems Sleeping?

Depression is a mood dysfunction that is described as sadness or feeling blue. Almost everyone feels sad or down from time to time. Sometimes, however, the sad feelings end up intense, continue for extended periods of time, and prevent a person from leading a normal life

How Are Sleep Problems and Depression Linked?

An inability to sleep, or insomnia, is among the signs of depression. (A percentage of depressed people, approximately 15%, oversleep or sleep excessively.) Lack of sleep alone cannot result in depression, however it does play a part. Insufficient sleep caused by another medical illness or by personal problems can make depression worse. A failure to get to sleep that lasts over a long period of time is also an important hint that somebody could be depressed.

What Remedies Are Available for Depression-Related Insomnia?

Usually, once the depression is successfully treated, symptoms of insomnia will improve.

Therapy choices for depression will depend on how severe the illness is. The most efficient remedy for depression is actually a mixture of psychotherapy (counseling or talk therapy) and prescription medication. Drugs will work more rapidly to reduce symptoms while psychiatric therapy helps individuals to understand coping strategies to prevent the oncoming of future depressive symptoms. Psychotherapy can also address coping skills to enhance an individual’s ability to get to sleep

Drugs Available To Treat Sleep Problems and Depression

Doctors may occasionally treat depression and insomnia by recommending an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) along with a sedating antidepressant or with a hypnotic medication (which is medications that can help people get to sleep).

Frequently Used Antidepressants include:

SSRIs such as:

• Zoloft
• Prozac
• Celexa
• Paxil

These kinds of prescription drugs can do double duty for patients by helping them get to sleep and increasing their mood, however some individuals taking these drugs could have sleep problems.

Tricyclic antidepressants (including Pamelor and Elavil)
Sedating antidepressants (Trazodone)

Regularly Suggested Hypnotic drugs include:

• Ambien/Ambien CR
• Lunesta
• Sonesta
• Restoril
• Serax
• Silenor

Other Methods To Deal With Your Sleep Problems

Along with trying prescription drugs, here are some tips to enhance sleep:

• Master relaxation and deep breathing techniques
• Clear your mind of concerns by composing a summary of activities that ought to be completed the next day and tell yourself you will deal with it tomorrow
• Get regular physical exercise, no later than several hours before going to bed
• Don’t use caffeine, alcoholic beverages, or nicotine in the evening
• Don’t lie in bed fidgeting. Get up out of bed and do something in another room whenever you can’t sleep. Go back to bed when you’re feeling sleepy
• Make use of the bed just for sleeping and sex. Do not lie in bed to watch TV or read. This way, your bed turns into a cue for sleeping, not for lying awake

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Sleeping Problems

If you are among the many who wake up each morning more tired than you went to bed something is probably causing you sleeping problems that you might not even be aware of.

Sleeping Problems Have Many Causes

Some sleeping problems are caused by obvious factors that are easily controllable. Things like coffee in the evenings, babies with a difficult schedule, or outside noises  quite clearly can cause sleeping problems very easily. But other reason for sleeping problems are not always so clear. Here are three causes of sleeping problems you might not be aware of and may be robbing you of sleep nightly.

Undiagnosed GERD

If you don’t know what “GERD” (GastroEsophageal Reflux Disorder) is, don’t feel bad. Most of us know it as “acid reflux”. More important than the name is that those who have GEERD can frequently have sleeping problems as well. This is because, once they lie down to sleep, acid can back up into the esophagus which results in discomfort and heartburn. This leads to attempting to sleep propped up on a pile of pillows to prevent the pain.

What you might not know is that GERD doesn’t always cause such dramatic symptoms. Some people might only have undiagnosed sleeping problems as their only clue.

If you suspect that GERD  is causing your sleeping problems, you should seek treatment for it. Successful treatment will not only help you sleep better but it will also minimize the risk of other, serious, health problems as well.

Alcohol

Because drinking can often make you drowsy, this cause of sleeping problems is frequently a surprise.

While it is true that alcohol does first act as a sedative on your system, once the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream diminishes it can wake you up. Alcohol will also dehydrate you to the point where a dry mouth can cause you to wake up desperate for water.

To stop alcohol from potentially causing sleeping problems, don’t drink anything within three to four hours of going to bed.

Pain

Clearly sharp or throbbing pain can and do cause sleeping problems but even common everyday aches and pains can disrupt your sleep. Mild discomfort like muscle aches, headaches, menstrual pain, and back pain that we tolerate or barely notice during the day can cause sleeping problems.

Even worse, pain doesn’t even have to be severe enough to wake you up to disrupt your sleep. Even mild pain signals sent out by an aching back or muscle can disrupt your sleeping pattern and lessen the amount of time spent in deep sleep. So, even though you don’t wake up, you aren’t getting the rest you require.

If any of your pain is “chronic” (long lasting) it is definitely worth a visit to your doctor and having it checked.

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Antidepressant Pills

Another report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics shows that over a 10-year period of time, the utilization of antidepressant medications has skyrocketed across the U . S . by a staggering 400 percent – as the levels of those identified as having Major Depressive Disorder (the scientific name for depression) and anxiety disorders has substantially accelerated.

With the production of Prozac and other alike drugs, more than one out of every 10 Americans over the age of 12 now uses an antidepressant, as per the conclusions. Researchers reviewed data collected from 12,637 individuals who participated in the center’s National Health and Nutrition Assessment Surveys, which asks for details from around 5,000 Americans of every age group every year. Various antidepressant medications were the third most frequent prescribed drug utilized by Americans of all ages in 2005-2008 and the most often used by persons aged 18-44 years. The nearly quadruple rate of antidepressant use was from 1988-1994 through 2005-2008.

Women Twice As Likely To Use An Antidepressant

Overall, women tend to be more than two times as likely as men to make use of an antidepressant, the research reveals. The largest users are women ages 40 to 59, with 23 percent of this group using an antidepressant. Among men and women ages 12 to 17, 3.7 percent take an antidepressant, in contrast to 6.1 percent of people aged 18 to 39, 15.9 percent of those 40 to 59, and 14.5 percent of individuals 60 and older.

Whites More Likely to Use An Antidepressant than Non-Whites

Whites use antidepressant medications much more frequently when compared with anyone else, the reviews show. Fourteen percent of whites use an antidepressant, compared to 4 percent of blacks and 3 percent of Mexican-Americans. Around 14 percent of Americans who take an antidepressant have been doing so for no less than A decade. Over 60 percent are taking them for longer than two years.

Antidepressant Medication Also Used for Other Reasons

The CDC noted that roughly eight percent of Individuals beyond age 12 without active depression symptoms take antidepressant drugs for other reasons. And lower than one-third of Americans having one antidepressant and lower than half of people having multiple antidepressants had seen a “mental health professional” in the previous year. The research also found that there is no distinction by income in the frequency of antidepressant usage.

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