Waking up to INSOMNIA

For those lucky ones who are blessed to slip into a slumber easily, there are millions of people out there struggling to get some shut-eye each night.
 
Approximately 30% of the population is troubled with sleeplessness at one time or another, and for some it developed into chronic insomnia. Most affected are healthy seniors and people prone to stress and worry.


To fix up this annoying problem, the so-called Z drugs or sedates come into play and gain popularity because they were made to believe that hooking off when not required is easy. Often prescribed are tranquilisers that can induce sedation by reducing irritability or excitement to enable a relaxed sleep. The commonly available sleeping pills prescribed are benzodiazepines, non-benzidiazepines and barbiturates.


(Note:  A sedative is a barbiturate used to treat acute anxiety, tension and insomnia. A tranquilizer is a benzodiazepine prescribed to treat anxiety, acute stress response and panic attacks. Not much difference, yet mental alertness might be greater with a tranquilizer.)

However, such sleeping pills and related drugs have so far claimed the lives of celebrities like Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson (the anaestheic propofol) and Whitney Houston. All the money in the world cannot buy them sleep and for those who are still traumatised by sleep nightmare would have to learn to manage without pharmacological aid.


Sleep cycle

Insomnia can take the form of not being able to fall asleep in the early sleep cycle (R.E.M) or waking up during this cycle and unable to go back to sleep. The cycle is divided into two stages: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM. During the night, we alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times.

The earlier part of sleep is mostly non-REM where our pituitary gland in the brain releases growth hormones to repair and rejuvenate the cells. The latter part of sleep is more and more REM type to help in mental consolidation to prepare us to be alert during the day. Basically, it provides rest and clears the mind like rebooting a computer.


This is an important process as a lack of quality sleep can cause you to be mentally irritable instead. That is why if you have slept for less than 5 hours, your body is in a complete physical mess, feeling tired throughout and your immunity is lowered.

This is a temporary problem for most people and can get over without realizing. In fact missing a day or two for most should merely cause some irritability and daytime sleepiness, with decreased ability to perform creative or repetitive tasks. However, prolonged deprivation can lead to serious deterioration in overall performance and personality changes.

Benefits of sleep

At times we wonder if sleep is necessary and time-wasting. The benefits of healthy sleep are profound as are the drawbacks of deprivation. Every system of the body is affected by sleep, including physical, emotional and cognitive functioning. Even dreaming (even when you cannot remember) also appears to play a powerful role in psychological and emotional health, well-being, memory and the ability to learn new tasks.

Daily sleep is so critical to the health of our body and mind to recover from the vitality of each passing day. During this full resting mode, the pituitary gland releases hormones abundantly to repair and regenerate our tissues and organs, especially the liver. Most of the vital organs in the body are still at work during this period performing tasks like detoxification, muscle and bone development, and breakdown of fats. Hence, deep sleep is vital for anti-inflammatory benefits and restoring hormonal balance.

Harmful effects of insomnia


On the contrary, not sleeping well can affect mental and physical proper functioning as the body cells are not well rejuvenated, leading to premature aging. Having prolonged sleep deprivation can cause significant physical and emotional effects, including changes in cardiovascular function, glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, elevations of blood pressure and cortisol. This can develop into a host of illnesses such as arthritis, asthma, breathing problems, hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, indigestion, kidney or heart disease and muscle aches. If the health issues are not fixed up after prolonged periods, they can develop into chronic diseases such as cancer, premature aging, depression and gastrointestinal disorders.

 

Some results published on lack of sleep as follows:

· Young people (25-49 years of age) are twice as likely to get high blood pressure if they sleep less.
· Individuals who frequently slept less than 5 hours a night had a 39% increased risk of heart disease. A further rise of 8% for sleep less than 6 hours per night. You can check against the marker 'high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein' (hs-cRP), the strongest predictor of heart attacks. The levels can remain high even after recovering adequate sleep.
· Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in body such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP) that are responsible for many medical conditions like cancer, arthritis and heart disease.

Other possible signs are poor thinking and concentration, sanity, impaired vigilance, and erosion of physical endurance. Basically, there is alteration of brain chemistry which interferes with a sense of reality, eventually disturbing mental and emotional stability.

Random sleep problems

Causes -

 

+ alcohol and caffeine consumption
+ jet lag
+ negativity
+ hormonal shifts during premenstrual syndrome and menopause as the estrogen hormone affects the production and balance of the brain chemicals responsible for wakefulness
+ nutrient deficiencies like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron
+ drugs like antidepressants, appetite suppressants, beta-blockers, birth control pills, thyroid hormone replacement drug. Hence, medications and drugs can be the culprit behind sleeplessness.

SLEEPING PILLS

They do not cure insomnia and should not be relied on permanently. While medications mimic the appearance of sleep, they do not reproduce the quality or restorative, integrative functions of sleep.

Tranquilisers are known to pose a lower risk than sedatives. However, both can cause mental confusion, sluggishness, restlessness, heightened anxiety and drug dependency on persistent use. Hence using all kinds of medications to promote sleep eventually backfire and erode it, making the condition dependent on escalating doses of drugs and more resistant to treatment.


Patients who should not take this pill…..


+ People who work frequently rotating shifts or at night may be plagued by shift work sleep disorder. Most workers on rotating shifts complain of sleepiness or disrupted sleep that can cause immeasurable stress. As a relief, the pill may be the easy solution for a possible sleep. To this problem, experts advised employers to ensure the workplace is well-lit at night and implement a shift system to let employees stay on the same shift for minimum one week to let the body adapts. Forward-rotating schedule, where employees move gradually from morning to afternoon then to night shift also helps in following the tendency of the biological clock to delay sleep.

+ Though normal sleep patterns change with age, it may be misinterpreted as a disorder at time. Though half of those aged above 65 may find it hard to get a good night’s sleep at least a few times a month, more often than not is due to medical issues. For instance, they may be badly disturbed at night from pain or breathlessness caused by problems like arthritis, cancer, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

+ Other conditions involving younger patients such as sleep apnoea (airways blocked) and mental imbalance can be wrongly diagnosed when they should be having their own treatment to correct the sleep problem instead.

Patients prescribed this pill….

Doctors usually administer such drugs to patients in order to dull the patient’s anxiety relating to painful or anxiety-provoking procedures eg. before they are anaesthetized for heart surgery, colonoscopy or MRI, especially on children, troublesome or demanding patients. Patients in intensive care units are almost always sedated (unless they are unconscious from their condition anyway). In general, sleeping pills and sleep medications are most effective when used sparingly for short-term situations, such as traveling across time zones or recovering from a medical procedure.


Side effects of the pill……

+ All prescription sleeping pills have side effects, which can vary depending on the specific drug, the dosage and the duration drug lasts in your system. Common side effects include headache, muscle aches, constipation, dry mouth, daytime sleepiness, trouble concentrating, dizziness, unsteadiness and rebound insomnia.

+ Some sedatives can cause physiological and psychological dependence when taken regularly over a period of time, even at therapeutic doses. Dependent users may get withdrawal symptoms ranging from restlessness and insomnia to convulsions and death. When users become psychologically dependent, they feel as if they need the drug to function, although physical dependence does not necessarily occur, particularly with a short course of use.

+ Doses of sedatives such as benzodiazepines when used as a hypnotic to induce sleep tend to be higher. The medications act by working on receptors in the brain to slow down the nervous system, either to induce or stay sleep. They can lose their effectiveness if used on a nightly basis, because the brain receptors become less sensitive to their effects. For instance, this specific pill can become no more effective than a sugar pill after using for 3-4 weeks. The overall quality of the sleep can be reduced, with less restorative deep sleep and dream sleep, and may experience cognitive slowing and drowsiness (the hangover effect) the next day, which can be worst than sleep deprivation.

+ Both benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines are known to cause severe allergic reaction, facial swelling, memory lapses, hallucinations, and complex sleep-related behaviors such as sleep-walking, sleep-driving (driving while not fully awake, with no memory of the event) and sleep-eating (eating in the middle of the night with no recollection, often resulting in weight-gain).

Misuse of the pill……

Such drugs can be misused by some heroin users either to supplement their drug or to substitute for it; heavy users may increase dosage to calm excessive jitteriness, and others take to relax and forget their worries.

Major risks of taking the pill…….

+ A recent American study published showed that commonly prescribed sleeping pills are linked to a more than 4 fold risk of premature deaths. People who took less than 18 sleeping pills a year are not any better off with 3 folds. What can very go wrong include attempted suicides, reckless behaviours and accidental drug poisonings. This happens when a drowsy, confused user repeats doses, or when sedatives are combined with alcohol. It is found that about half of all the people admitted to emergency rooms in the U.S. is due to nonmedical use of sedatives having obtained the drug legally, but consumed an excessive dose or combined it with alcohol or other drugs.

+ Taking these pills at higher doses was also associated with a 35% increased risk of cancer, but the reason is unclear. On the contrary, our natural hormone – melatonin, released only in our sleep is a cancer suppressor.


Note: Melatonin is a powerful natural hormone produced mainly by the pineal gland below the brain about an hour after you fall asleep. It helps you to sleep deeper and longer. As an antioxidant, it boosts the immune system, and as an anti-inflammatory compound, its two factors add up to make sleep naturally healing. Melatonin is also involved in regulating the levels of human oestrogen (estrogen) and growth hormone in the body, two critical hormones in the cancer process, found to have cancer-correcting properties as well as modifying oestrogen receptor sites so that all internal and external´bad´ oestrogen cannot bind to them.


This is a well-known supplement prescribed by doctors to the elderly to aid sleep. However, overuse of melatonin can suppress the body from producing its own hormone.

 

Changing lifestyle -  

1.  Examine one’s diet to eliminate causative agents like alcohol, caffeine (except green tea and chamomile tea rich in theanine) and foods like sugar, potato, sausage, chocolate, tomatoes containing tyramine, which increases the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant and add foods high in tryptophan such as bananas, cherries, dates, figs, milk, yogurt, turkey, tuna to promote sleep. Take complex carbohydrates like cereals, rather than simple carbohydrates (leads to ‘sugar roller-coaster’), to trigger the release of neurotransmitter serotonin, which is soothing to the body. Foods loaded with calcium and magnesium like almonds, dairy and oatmeal can promote both sleep and muscle relaxation, and “restless leg syndrome” for older patients suffering leg cramps from over-using certain drug medications. Also note that during sleep, the body’s basic system is still functioning. Nutrients are essential during the sleep cycle. For instance, women who are deficient in copper and iron are prone to insomnia. Vitamin B complex is a good stress reliever to be taken in the day.


2.  Avoid heavy meal, fattening and unhealthy snacks before bedtime so that the digestive system is less burdened and do not cause stomach upset. No supper even if it is a healthy one. Equally bad are alcohol and coffee consumption.


3.  Adopt good bedding habits like bedroom strictly for sleeping, wake up promptly when alarm clock rings and hot shower before rest. Routine conditions the body to the fixed hours to rest each day, even on weekends. Go to bed only when you are real tired. You can do some reading or practise relaxation techniques that can relieve stress and help you sleep like simple meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, tai chi and the use of deep breathing (help the part of our nervous system that controls relaxation).  Naps are not encouraged but if necessary, restrict it to an hour in the early afternoon.  Having too late in the day can cause night sleeplessness.


4.  Change the setting to put on some light music for a relaxed atmosphere and keep the lights low to naturally boost melatonin in the body. As sunlight helps to regulate melatonin as well, consider evening walks to catch the last sunrays. It has also been found to be naturally occurring within walnuts. Average melatonin (MLT) content of walnuts is approximately 3.6 nanograms (ng) per gram (g), or 102ng/ounce. Other commonly eaten foods – for example, cherries – have also been found to measurable amounts of MLT. Foods like bananas, dates, figs, milk, yogurt, turkey and tuna are high in tryptophan, which promotes sleep.


5.  A sedentary lifestyle can be a major contributor to sleep disorders. Exercise regularly to de-stress and relax the mind and body. Studies have shown that exercise during the day can improve sleep at night. Hence, moderate exercise like swimming, brisk walking or jogging should be carried out in the day and not near bedtime. Such aerobic exercises are the best to combat insomnia as they increase the amount of oxygen that reaches the blood.
6.  Electrical gadgets like cell phones, tablets and TVs emit blue light that can inhibit the production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and disrupt our body rhythms. This may be because blue light emits wavelengths similar to daylight, which can make our bodies think it is daytime, at any time. It is advisable to power down all electronics two hours before bedtime or keep them in another room.

7. Do NOT bring problems and stress to bed. Tossing and turning end up sleepless or lacking the quality stuff. Deep sleep, without dreaming and rapid eye movement results in secretion of almost 65% more human growth hormone (HGH), much needed for cell rejuvenation and repair work. With the interference of R.E.M sleep, chance of going into deep sleep is reduced and soon, insomnia gets worse. 


Conclusion

With some discipline and work, getting to sleep without those pills can be achievable. Persistent insomnia is usually a symptom of an underlying medical or psychological problem caused by worry and stress - addressing the root of the problem is wiser. Making simple changes to your lifestyle is far more effective at ending sleepless nights without any more torment and harm to your body. Thus, catching up with 6-8 hours of uninterrupted beauty sleep daily is essential for optimal health and longevity. If all the animals know how crucial it is to catch up with sleep, why is the intelligent being not able to do the same? Humans worry too much?? 


VIVA corner

VIVA Calcium-Magnesium & D has a calming effect, especially taken before bedtime.

VIVA Ageguard contains all the amino acids that can stimulate increased hormone production by the pituitary glands and promote R.E.M deep sleep.

VIVA B-easy helps to relieve stress and thus promote a restful state and is a necessary ingredient for the production of serotonin, a hormone that aids in maintaining a generally good mood especially to assist the brain's response to pain and regulates anxiety levels.