Sleep medicines may be used when someone has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. These problems can be caused by insomnia, nightmares, nocturnal anxiety, teeth grinding and other sleep disorders. Sleep medications should only be used...
If you don't get enough sleep, you will not only have problems performing your normal day-to-day tasks, you can also do some serious damage to your health. If insomnia persists, you can try several different medications. All sleep medications...
Millions of individuals have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and do not get good-quality rest. This can be harmful to your health in a multitude of ways. Not only do you not function as well when you don't sleep properly, but your...
According to the "Merck Manual Home Health Handbook," sleep can be disturbed by many things such as stress or diet. Lack of sleep makes people tired throughout the day and unable to perform optimally. Over-the-counter sleep aids help...
Choosing the best over-the-counter sleep medicine depends on how well it works for each individual. OTC sleep medications affect the body in different ways, and experimentation with the various types of sleep aids will help make the decision as to...
There are many sleeping medicines on the market, available over-the-counter and by prescription. It is important to follow all directions for taking sleeping medication to avoid an increase in tolerance and physical dependence. Alcohol should also...
Tucking your children in at night is a wonderful time to spend with them; however, it can also be an exhausting experience. One of the best ways to insure a relaxing experience of putting your children to sleep---and keeping them asleep---is to...
In 2008, an estimated 28 percent of Americans reported having sleep problems at least 50 percent of the time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults sleep for seven to nine...
If you are one of the millions of American suffering from a sleep problem, finding a sleep expert may be the first step towards a resolution. Common symptoms of sleep problems includes difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep,...
According to the "American Academy of Sleep Medicine," insomnia, or sleeplessness, can make people feel tired and grumpy and can affect a person's ability to focus, remember things and function at work and while driving. Although there is no...
As a parent with a new baby, there is nothing quite like the feeling of rocking your child to sleep in your arms. However, you may not find the experience quite as rewarding as your baby turns into a toddler who refuses to go to sleep without your...
Your quality of sleep can be affected by a number of factors, including stress, anxiety, medical conditions and nutrition. Nutrition can affect the production of chemicals that affect sleep. In fact, certain nutrients, such as vitamin B-6, play...
Good quality sleep is not a luxury, but a necessity for optimal health. In natural medicine, sleep is sometimes called the "antioxidant for the brain," because free radicals that accumulate during the day are removed during sleep so there is less...
A 2009 survey by A. Smaldone and colleagues published in the "Journal of Pediatric Health Care" estimated that about 33 percent of American children ages 6 to 17 do not get adequate sleep. Insufficient sleep was associated with higher rates of...
If you suffer from poor sleep due to carrying excess weight, you may already be familiar with CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, which is a treatment for sleep apnea through which a machine keeps your airways open by wearing a mask over...
Snoring is the result of a partial obstruction of the airway during sleep. Snoring is sometimes a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, which is a serious medical condition in which the soft palate and tongue collapse on the back of the throat,...
Over-the-counter sleeping pills are widely available without a prescription, but many doctors do not recommend using them except for the occasional problem sleeping, such as from jet lag. An estimated 20% of people with chronic sleep problems such...
Insomnia is a common problem in American society. A 2009 review in "American Family Physician" indicates that up to 30 percent of adults are affected by difficulty sleeping, and many have chronic insomnia. Insomnia leads to daytime fatigue,...
Valeriana officinalis, or valerian, is a perennial plant native to Europe and northern Asia, but it has been cultivated elsewhere for use as a calming agent and sleep aid. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, it is not clear which of...
It's not always easy to get a good night's sleep, but the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School says wearing a sleep mask can help you do just that. Sleep masks can be part of what Harvard's Division of Sleep Medicine calls sleep...
Caffeine is a stimulant found in many beverages, including coffee and diet Pepsi. While you may enjoy the burst of energy caffeine provides, excessive caffeine consumption can cause unpleasant side effects. It is wise to monitor your overall...
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition which is caused by an unusually narrow airway. This causes the patient to fall asleep because parts of the airway collapse and are blocked. This leads to the patient waking up slightly in order to reopen the...
If you drink caffeine, you probably already know that consuming it too close to bedtime can prevent you from falling asleep. However, caffeine, in the form of drinks and foods, can do more than simply delay sleep--it may disrupt it. According to...
Sleep testing is commonly used to help diagnose patients who may have sleep disorders, in particular obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep tests use different sensors to monitor the flow of air through the patient's respiratory system, the blood oxygen...
Sleep apnea, a pause in breathing, is a common condition that affects millions of people. Symptoms in include snoring, gasping and sleepiness. According to a 2010 survey in "Sleep Medicine," this disorder affects 33 percent of the population....
Caffeine pills or tablets generally contain between 50 to 200 mg of caffeine per serving, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This is approximately twice the amount of an average cup of coffee. Although the intensity and...
The average woman gains 25 to 35 pounds during a pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic. Once the baby is born, the key to losing weight is to not overdo it. Rather than trying to imitate celebrities and lose all the weight in just a few weeks,...
If you've ever been on either side of a lopsided sporting event, you know skill and athleticism can overwhelm. But in tightly contested games, endurance often is the difference between winning and losing. Champions emerge when muscles are giving...
Caffeine causes many physical reactions in the body. The caffeine content in soda is generally less than that of coffee or tea, so its effects may not be as noticeable when you drink soda as when you drink coffee or tea. Although the intensity and...
