Why we need sleep
Nearly one-third of an adult’s life is spent sleeping. Although scientists have identified many of the vital processes that take place during sleep, no one has yet determined why these processes cannot take place while we are awake. It is well documented that some people do not sleep much and – unlike most of us – appear not to suffer for it. For these people, sleep is clearly not essential.
While many people insist they can happily get by on a few hours of sleep, sleep experts agree that seven hours is the minimum to ensure energy reserves are rebuilt. The average person sleeps only five or six hours a night, building a “sleep deficit” that can impair function and cause depression and ongoing feelings of fatigue and stress.
How much sleep do we need?
- Newborns (0 – 2 months) 16 to 18 hours
- Infants (3 months – 1 year) 14 to 15 hours
- Toddlers (1 – 3 years) 12 to 14 hours
- Preschoolers (3 – 5 years) 11 to 13 hours
- School-aged children (5 – 12 years) 10 to 11 hours
- Teens (12 – 18 years) 8 to 10 hours
- Adults 7 to 9 hours
Sleep scientists are now saying that fatigue can affect the body in much the same way as alcohol, severely impairing judgment, affecting mood, reducing reaction times and performance at work or during athletic activity. A lack of sleep also intensifies the effects of alcohol, making your speech more slurred, and increasing the likelihood of falling.
The primary purpose for sleep appears to be so that the body and mind can repair and recharge for the challenges of the day ahead. This is why people who lack sleep fell lethargic, unable to fully cope, and have increased stress levels. Recent research has determined that loss of sleep can severely impact the emotions, making us tense and fearful.
Insomnia and other symptoms of menopause
Every woman experiences menopause differently. Some women seem to breeze through with only minor symptoms while other women have a relatively hard time adjusting to the intense physical and emotional changes. The first step in dealing with your voyage through menopause is to recognize your own sings and symptoms.
Some of the symptoms of menopause:
Sleep Disturbances (insomnia) – If you’re having hot flashes at night (hot flashes are uncomfortable feelings of warmth that move from your chest to your shoulders, neck and head. They are common during perimenopause) which are called night sweats, then these may be menopause related sleep disturbances. If they disturb your sleep, then this lack of proper rest can affect your mood and overall health.
Emotional Changes – mood swings can be a difficult symptom to deal with, which can be attributed to hormone changes or a lack of sleep because of night sweats. Many women complain of being more irritable, sad and discouraged. These feeling are common, but depression that interferes with your quality of life is not a normal part of menopause.
Irregular Periods – these can be the first clue that menopause is starting. In most women who have not had a hysterectomy, periods become less frequent over a period of time.
Urinary Tract Changes – during perimenopause, some women will experience bladder control problems because of the drop in estrogen levels. The most common bladder problem experienced in this phase is called stress incontinence.
Vaginal Changes – when estrogen is reduced in your body, the tissues lining your vagina may become drier, thinner, and less elastic. You may feel more burning sensations and sexual intercourse could become painful.
Other Physical Changes – physical changes that may occur during menopause include:
weight gain, headache, joint pain, heart palpitations, fatigue, forgetfulness, changes in the skin, eyes, hair and teeth.
Are there any lifestyle changes that could help?
Lifestyle changes that include regular breathing and aerobic exercise and quitting cigarettes can help reduce the intensity of hot flashes. Also, increasing the quantity of specific foods that are high in “Isoflavones – phytoestrogens” (example: soy beans, yams, soy milk, tofu, miso soup, etc.) can help reduce hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness.
A good quality sleep
What exactly is sleep?
Loosely defined, sleep is the cessation of consciousness. When we fall asleep, all activity decreases and the breathing and heartbeat slow down. Sleep is divided into two distinct phases which alternate during the night. These are referred to as REM sleep and non-REM sleep. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement.
During REM sleep the body’s heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rates rise. The eye twitch rapidly and mental activity closely resembles waking activity. This is the stage of sleep in which we dream and a person woken during REM sleep will often be able to recall his dream. The body enters a state of paralysis during the REM sleep cycle, so dreamers do not act out their dreams.
Non-REM sleep is split into four different stages:
- stage one, during which the eyes are closed but the individual is easily awakened
- stage two, or light sleep, when the heart rate slows and body temperature falls
- stage three, when the body enters deep sleep
- stage four, when sleep becomes even deeper
People awakened from stage one sleep often remember fragmented visual images. Many also experience sudden muscle contractions called hypnic myoclonia, often preceded by a sensation of starting to fall. These sudden movements are similar to the “jump” we make when startled.
Why is sleep quality important?
Just as important as your hours of sleep is quality of sleep. Many people wake after eight or more hours feeling unrested and groggy. This is usually to do with some disturbance how REM sleep. Although scientists do not yet understand how REM sleep specifically affects the body, it appears that it is more restorative than non-REM sleep. Rats deprived of REM sleep lived only to six weeks of age and people who are consistently woken during REM sleep – or have a REM sleep disorder – generally feel exhausted and unable to function properly the following day.
Getting enough quality sleep plays a key role in our health and affects everything we do. Study after study shows that good quality sleep, along with the correct of hours spent sleeping, may be as important to our well-being as living a smoke-free life, and more important than diet and exercise. Healthy sleeping is also vital to our well-being. More and more, experts are realizing sleep’s significance to our health, and many are now citing it as perhaps the most important contributor to continued good health, mental alertness and overall enjoyment of life.
Nasal device ClipAir® improves breathing and prevents snoring
ClipAir® is nasal medical dilator device designed to opens up the nostrils and improves breathing and can be used in the following cases:
SLEEP
- Snoring
- Narrow nose or nasal valves
- Prevent drying out of the throat
- Nasal breathing difficulties
SPORT
- Better oxygenation of muscles
- Improved breathing performance
- Decrease in breathing effort
- Prevents the thightening of nostrils in case of deep inhalations
Gently slight soft ClipAir® nasal medical dilator device on the nasal septum.
List of reference:
Clinical studies, statistics on efficiency, quality of products.
In Switzerland developed products against snoring and sleep apnea for several years, take part in conferences for sleep medicine specialists.
Good sleep is one of the body’s best defences against stress
Stress is a useful defence mechanism in the short term, but chronic stress can be detrimental. Take time out each day to escape and unwind from stress, don’t skimp on your sleep, and try to avoid
processed foods.
As if high cortisol and poor sleep were not enough to worry about, stress can also lead us to poor nutrition. During fast-paced, high-stress times it is common for us to miss out on proper nutrition as we reach for quicker, convenient, and generally more processed foods.
Just when our bodies need more nutritional support, we often provide them with less. This can really sap energy and compound the already negative effects that stress has on our system.
When we are short on time, sleep is usually the first thing we start to cut down. We are all guilty of skimping on sleep, but good sleep is one of the body’s best defences against stress and is crucial for proper immune function.
A study looked at how much of an effect sleep can have, and the results were remarkable. Those who slept less than seven hours were almost three times more likely to get a cold than those who slept eight hours or more.
When researchers looked at the amount of time spent in bed with the intention of sleeping compared to how long people actually spent sleeping, even more interesting results surfaced. Those who spent less than 90 percent of their bedtime sleeping were over five times more likely to get a cold than those who spent 95 percent or more of their bedtime asleep.
This demonstrates that it is not just a matter of lying down and resting that provides health benefits; we must actually get proper, restorative sleep in order to keep ourselves in peak form.
The effects of chronic stress are many and can be seen throughout the body:
- sleeping too much
- moodiness, irritability, or short temper
- eating more or less
- procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
- using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
- agitation, inability to concentrate or relax
- depression
- feeling overwhelmed, lonely, or isolated
- memory problems
- headaches, aches and pains
- frequent colds
- chest pain, rapid heartbeat
- hormone imbalances
- poor healing
- immune suppression
- cardiovascular disease
What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
Quitting smoking is one of the best things to do for health. It can reduce risk of heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), nasal congestion, mucous in the throat area, which can increase the amount of snoring.
Here are some of the positive effects that typically occur when quit smoking:
- within 6 months, stuffy nose, coughing, tiredness, shortness of breath improve and help to reduce snoring
- within 4 days breathing becomes easier and lung capacity increase
- within 2 days risk of heart attack starts to decline and senses of smell and taste improve
- within 8 hours the carbon monoxide levels drop and oxygen levels in blood return to normal
- within 2 weeks to 3 months blood circulation improves and lung functions increase 30 %
- within 1 year risk of smoking related heart attack is half
Remember:
Avoid second hand smoke
It is never too late to quit smoking
Relaxation techniques tips help you stop snoring
There are a variety of methods that help many people relax and relieve tension. The following are some relaxation techniques that can help reduce and control the physical symptoms of stress and help ease your mind:
Deep breathing: During stress, breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Taking a deep breath from the abdomen, rather than the chest, is an effective technique for winding down. Try to do 10 minutes of deep breathing every day for good health, not just when you’re stressed.
Aromatherapy: Aroma-producing oils from plants are used to promote relaxation.
Massage therapy: Massages can help relieve muscle tension.
Progressive muscle relaxation: This technique involves relaxing a series of muscles one at a time. First, you raise the tension in a group of muscles, such as in a leg or arm, by tightening the muscles, and then you relax them. Concentrate on letting the tension go in each muscle.
Yoga, tai chi: These are forms of exercise and meditation. This relaxation technique focuses your attention on feeling calm and having a clear awareness about your life.
Music therapy: Music can alter your mood and help you relax.
Hypnosis: Your subconscious mind is in control of all of your bodily functions. Hypnosis is a very normal state of being that along with its ability to provide emotional and physical healing. Has been widely and successfully used within the medical community for pain relief and hypno-anesthesia, can also be helpful in the treatment of snoring and can help control stress levels.
Toxicity does not happen overnight
The build up of waste and toxins in cells (especially in fat cells) and tissues, causing
wrinkles and premature aging. These bad changes in the cells weaken the body and lead to:
- Sleeplessness
- Fatigue
- Aches and pains
- Headaches
- Dry, itchy and irritations skin
- Nausea
- Indigestion
- Mood swings
Removing toxins from your body promotes health and beauty.
Improves quality of:
- Improved sleep patterns
- Relieves fatigue
- Renewed energy
- Clear skin
- Relax muscles
Stop snoring with Snore Relief ZD-100 nasal stimulator device
Snore Relief ZD–100 is a stops snoring nasal device. It is synthesized with the microelement from the magnetic, so that the nasal has the physical therapy that effectually activates the trigeminal ending in nasal septum and transfer conduction. Snore Relief ZD-100 can improved the symptoms of snoring patient whose aspiratory (suited for breathing) tract is blocked from stenosis (an abnormal narrowing in a blood vessel of nose), nasopharynx (the area of the upper throat that lies behind the nose) or uvulae (a small conical mass of tissue suspended from the centre of the soft palate). The nasal cavity (is divided into a right and a left side by a bony and cartilaginous divider called the nasal septum) was open, breathes smoothly and snore was released.
What is the therapy and the result, after using Snore Relief ZD–100?
By using physical point therapy and magnetic therapy to activate the trigeminal ending of the tissue, the nose and pharynx breathe smoothly.
Accompanied with good dietetic habit, snoring can be cured.
Professional suggestion:
Snoring should be cure as early as possible. Otherwise, people will be suffering from the cardiovascular disease, (refers to the heart – cardio and the blood vessels – vascular) obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snore brought.
Effective active life – better sleep
Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to reduce your sleep problems. Any physical activity is better than none. Physical activity will help you cope better with your busy and stressful week.
Choose physical activities that require strength, endurance and flexibility:
Strength activities, such as carrying groceries (or toddlers), heavy yard work or weight training, strengthen muscles and bones and improve posture. Aim for 2 – 3 times a week.
Endurance activities, which are continuous activities such as walking, cycling and tennis, are especially beneficial for your heart, lungs and circulatory system. Aim for 4 – 6 times a week.
Flexibility activities, such as stretches, yoga, housework or golfing, keep your muscles relaxed and your joints mobile. Try to incorporate some form of stretching 4 – 6 times a week.


