Don't Skimp On Your Sleep, It Could Cause Your Death!

A recent study has shown that those of you who regularly get fewer than six hours of sleep at night are significantly increasing your risk of stroke. Researchers found that those in middle age who skimped on sleep were more likely to suffer stroke symptoms than those who got at least nine hours of shut-eye even if they were of healthy weight and with no family history of stroke.


Study: More than 5,000 participants, who were between 45 and retirement age, were monitored for three years as part of the US study.

The participants were divided into five groups according to how many hours a night they slept. They were asked to report their symptoms every six months.

The findings:

• Those who slept for fewer than six hours were most likely to experience symptoms such as numbness or weakness down one side of their body, dizziness, loss of vision or a sudden inability to express verbally or in writing.

• Scientists at the University of Alabama said the impact of sleep deprivation was a major one, even after taking into account age, weight and other known risk such as high blood pressure.

• Co-author Virginia Howard, a professor of epidemiology, said: ‘Many people can have these symptoms and not recognize them as a precursor to having a stroke, and perhaps not even mention them to their doctor. 

• ‘Sleeping habits can exacerbate the potential for these symptoms, which are internationally recognized as putting people at extraordinary risk of subsequent stroke.’ 

 How will this study affect you?

  

Most people think that all they need is to sleep more, but they failed to realize that quality of sleep is more important.

A few years back, I was barely sleeping enough because of late-night supper, project deadlines and work stress (I had a demanding boss!)which were keeping me up at night. My body was in a horrible shape, my weight was fluctuating and I looked older than my actual age.

In 2010, I started to seek help and to search for my own remedies.I have been sleeping better ever since then and have compiled all my knowledge into a series of newsletter.

To get started, here are some good sleep habits you can follow:

Food:  Avoid caffeine late in the day, eat the last meal of the day at least 2 hours before bedtime and cut down or avoid fluids at least one hour before bedtime.

Exercise: Avoid vigorous exercises too close to bedtime.

Bedroom: Try as much not to watch television in bed and relax your mind before bedtime to create a bedroom environment that enhances sleep.

If you have any other difficulties regarding sleep or would like to ask what food is advisable for you to take it to improve your quality of sleep, click here to leave a comment or drop me a question. 

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What you will be expecting in your mail once a week,

1. Updated information on health news

2. 5- minute exercise routines you can do daily

3. Tips to improve your physical and spiritual well-being

 and many more...

Once you have signed up, you will receive a FREE info-fact sheet which will give you a summary of how insomnia will affect you and what can you do about it.

Keep the questions coming, we will work on them one by one.

To your health,

Study: Sleep deprivation leads to weight gain

 

"When people were sleep deprived, they ate an extra 549 calories per day," says researcher Andrew Calvin, MD, MPH, a fellow in cardiovascular disease and assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

How true is that?

Calvin held a study on 17 men and women, ages 18 to 40, for a total of eight days at a sleep lab. They were each randomly assigned to sleep as much as they wanted or to sleep only two-thirds of their normal sleep time.

Everyone has access to as much food as they wanted. Food intake was logged.

While the sleep-deprived group ate the extra 549 calories daily, the comparison group actually ate about 143 fewer calories daily than usual.

The researchers tracked how active each group was. But they didn't find much difference in activity expenditure between both groups.

Sleep deprivation was linked with somewhat levels of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain you are full. 

It is linked to somewhat lower levels of ghrelin, the hormone that tells your brain you are hungry. The findings found the leptin levels went up and the ghrelin levels went down in the sleep-deprived group.

When this study was compared with previous findings, it was found to be consistently pointing that there are possible links of sleep deprivation to increase intake of calories.

This could be the contributing factor to the alarming rate of obesity rate increasing in the city as people continue to face stress and have poor lifestyle that leads to sleeplessness.

Have you noticed that your weight have been fluctuating for the past 3 months?

If yes, do seek help today. With proper monitoring of diet and lifestyle, there is a possibility of maintaining a good body shape and weight without having to lose weight artificially.

Leave a comment if you find that this article helps you.

Read also:                  
Sleeplessness: How does it affect you?
Sleep routines that HELP you sleep better
Sleep deprivation will lead to TYPE 2 diabetes

Opt-in to my mailing list and get in touch with me for a wellness screening to better understand the condition of your body which may be affecting your quality of sleep every day.

I wish you a good night's sleep,

 

How Propofol killed Michael Jackson

Officials have not yet determined the cause of death for pop star Michael Jackson, but a disturbing picture continues to emerge of the amount and range of strong prescription medications the singer was allegedly taking at or near the time of his death last Thursday.

The trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor accused of giving Michael Jackson a lethal dose of propofol, has landed the powerful sedative in the spotlight. Jackson reportedly used drug, which he called his "milk," as a sleep aid. Murray had administered the drug the day Jackson died. 

This video below was featured on CNN in which Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Raphael Gershon explain the deadly effects of Diprivan when administered at home without any (or inadequate) medical supervision.

What Is Propofol? 

Propofol is a fast-acting sedative that is usually administered to patients who are undergoing surgery or another medical procedure. It is a drug that reduces anxiety and tension, and promotes relaxation and sleep or loss of consciousness when injected into the veins. Most patients receiving it loses consciousness within a matter of seconds. The potency of propofol as an anesthetic is so widely known, in fact, that in anesthesiology circles, the drug, a white liquid, is nicknamed "milk of amnesia." 

What Are the Dangers of Propofol?

Propofol is widely known as a risky drug, and it is generally administered only in a controlled medical setting due to the dangers it poses. It may cause complications and side effects when the drug reacts with,

 alcohol

• barbiturate medicines for inducing sleep or treating seizures (convulsions)
• herbal products, including St. John's wort
• medicines for anxiety or sleeping problems, such as diazepam or temazepam
• medicines for colds, breathing difficulties, or weight loss
• medicines for mental problems and psychotic disturbances
• medicines for pain

Why Would Anyone Abuse Propofol?

Despite the effects and risk profile of the drug, some patients who've had the drug describe it as inducing "a very pleasant sleep" that "has the potential to be habit-forming," said Dr. Howard Nearman, chairman of the anesthesiology department at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. 

Most likely Jackson, who was reportedly on a number of different strong pain medications at the time of his death and who was alleged to have struggled with an addiction to prescription medication, likely built up a tolerance to those drugs over the years. There must have been an overdose and together with mixture of other drugs in his blood which led to his death.

A word of caution!

Sleeping pills and sedatives should be the last option when one is facing chronic insomnia. The most important thing is to find out the root of cause of sleeping disorder. Using natural remedies would be the best option before succumbing to drugs and medication if not there may be no turning back.

I would strongly recommend more natural remedies that have less harmful effects on the body. In my previous post, I shared about how changing your sleeping routines and your diet could improve sleep and reduce the risk of having chronic insomnia.

If you have any valuable word of advice, do leave a comment and share with the rest!

I wish you a good night's sleep,

Are you changing your sleeping habits?

Check it out. I think you'll love this. Press the play button below...

Now I know this isn't you in the video, right friend?

Right?

Good.

Many people will start to procrastinating when it comes to starting an exercise regiment, lifestyle and diet change.

When they don't do anything, absolutely NOTHING changes.

But they know that not remaining at status quo will means an improvement in their health, relationships and work.

Let's get started today!

Start to take note of your diet and take action. You never know when it is too late to reverse the process.

I wish you a pink of health,

Dawn

Top reasons to cut down on your salt intake

Singaporeans are consuming more salt than they should and Minister of State for health said the findings of the survey were "a cause for concern". In general, men were found to consume about 9.6g a day, while women consumed about 7.1g a day which is more than 60 per cent above the recommended level of 5g a day for adults. This is particularly important in Singapore, because "6 in 10 people actually eat out at least four times a week".

Could cutting salt intake reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and insomnia?

A low salt diet may improve conditions such as anxiety, irritability, depression, fatigue and migraine headache the findings of an investigation of a low salt diet for “insomnia and tension states” was published in the Journal of the American Association in 1945 (1). Patients with “pronounced insomnia, nervous tension, anxiety and increased emotional liability” were instructed to follow a low salt diet with striking results.

After just four to seven days of the low salt diet the “majority of patients began to exhibit a gradual decline in nervous tension, activity drive and restlessness, accompanied by an increased ability to fall asleep and general improvement in the character of sleep.

It was noted that subjects “tended to retire at an earlier hour, usually falling asleep within ten to fifteen minutes and sleeping soundly until wakened at 6am.” Over a period of weeks the low salt diet also improved blood pressure, brain wave activity and concentration while reducing emotional reactivity and vivid dreaming.

What action can YOU take?

1. Start from the food that you eat- excess salt and sugar damage the blood vessels, leading to decreased blood flow. Excess saturated fat and trans fat can clog veins and arteries and impede circulation. In order to improve poor blood circulation, avoid canned foods and deep-fried foods, which often contain trans fats. When your circulation improves, the quality of your sleep will improve.
2. Exercise- to get rid of toxins and calories by sweating and thereby eliminating salt.
3. Drink plenty of water- removes the toxins by flushing it out of the body.

References:

Miller, M. Low sodium chloride intake in the treatment of insomnia and tension states. JAMA. 1945. 129; 4: 262-266.

Read also:
                  Sleeplessness: How does it affect you?
                  Sleep routines that HELP you sleep better
                  Sleep deprivation will lead to TYPE 2 diabetes

Opt-in to my mailing list and get in touch with me for a wellness screening to better understand the condition of your body which may be affecting your quality of sleep every day. 

Insomnia treatment- Instant stress relief!

In my previous articles, most of you would have identified some of the symptoms you may be facing. The most common symptom generally felt by many is feeling fatigue the first thing in the morning. Coffee seems to be the only beverage that seems to be working, but the number of cups seems to be increasing as one cup does not seem to be enough to keep you energetic anymore.

Are people doing anything to increase their quality sleep hours instead of doing something to increase their wake hours?

The mind has a great influence over the energetic body because it plays a significant part in the health of our energy body. It can either work for us, helping to balance the energy flow and bringing about good health, or it can work against us, causing disruptions and diminishing our overall health.

Conditions such as insomnia indicate that the body is struggling and that there are energetic imbalances, which will require time and effort to put right.

I have been searching for a method which can help give you instant stress relief when you can feel a knot at your forehead. Here is a tip which you may find useful:

Focus on two very effective stress-releasing points, on your forehead about 2.5 cm (1 inch) up from the center of your eyebrows. Do it consciously and direct your energy here when your mind refuses to relax down, or when you are unable to sleep, despite your body and mind being exhausted. 

Increased clarity

Holding your stress-releasing points for a minute or two can bring tremendous relief from the turmoil of the mind. Use them whenever tensions are building, when you feel the need for increased clarity, or when you think your inability to sleep is due to stress and anxiety.

• Gently place your thumb and index or middle finder in position to induce calm.
•  After a while, you will probably notice that your breathing deepens and flows more freely and that your mind is clearer as your thoughts become less congested.

      Use these methods when you are having a rough time during school or at work. If it works for you, teach others how to do it.

If you realized that this mini exercise is not helpful, your sleep condition could be more serious. 

To accurately find out your health status and the underlying reasons which are disrupting your sleep, opt-in to my mailing list and get in touch with me for a wellness screening to better understand the condition of your body which may be affecting your quality of sleep every day.