Sleep Category
Night Fears in Children
It’s normal and common for young children to be afraid of the dark. One study showed over 73% of kids aged 4-12 years said they experienced fear at night (Muris et al 2001). While another study showed that even up to the age of 16 teens, admitted to nighttime anxieties or fears. Research shows that if parents treat their children’s fears at an early age, they can help their children avoid emotional problems later in life.
Kids need your help in overcoming nighttime fears.
1) Help them by teaching them how to handle their emotions. Young children don’t know how to calm themselves down. Sit with your child and help them breath slowly to calm themselves. Hold them and comfort them when they are scared.
2) Sit with your child and help them look at their room in the dark. Point out “that bump is the lamp on your desk or a pile of toys”
3) Leaving a dim nightlight can be helpful. For other children leaving their door open at bedtime can also create a sense o...
Sleep - you are Not a giraffe!
Fun fact: Giraffes require on average only 1.9 hours of sleep per day. Who knew!
It's easy to assume that the bigger you are, the more sleep you require, but that just isn't the case. Brown bats are at the other extreme, using around 20 hours of sleep per day.
Humans need between 7.5 to 9. This doesn't mean you can get by on 7 hours. Getting by on less sleep than you need creates what's called SLEEP DEBT and your brain actually tracks this. One solid night's sleep will help you feel better but your stamina is affected.
Sleep is crucial to your overall health. Lack of sleep is connected to diabetes, to fibromyalgia and to trouble losing weight.
Turn off the TV and computer early. Dim the lights for the couple hours before you turn in. Keep your room cool. Move sources of electromagnetic energy as far away from your bed as you can manage as these energy waves can disrupt your sleep.
Quality and quantity count. You might get used to feeling sleep deprived but your body will not adapt...
Using Melatonin in the Treatment of Insomnia
As a psychotherapist in San Jose, California, I frequently have clients ask about natural methods to help them sleep. Because melatonin is a hormone that is part of the human sleep-wake cycle, many people think that by taking more of it in pill form will help them to fall asleep faster or stay asleep longer. Unfortunately, that isn't exactly how melatonin works.
Melatonin, also known chemically as "N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine," is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants and microbes. In animals, circulating levels of the hormone melatonin vary in a daily cycle, thereby allowing the entrainment of the circadian rhythms of several biological functions.
Many biological effects of melatonin are produced through activation of melatonin receptors, while others are due to its role as a pervasive and powerful antioxidant, with a particular role in the protection of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
In mammals, melatonin is secreted into the blood by the pineal gland in the bra...
How Your Holiday Season Can Be More Relaxed
As we head toward the holiday season, it's a good time to take stock - am I managing my stress well? Am I managing my stress at all?! Not too many years ago, I noticed that clients would sometimes complain of poor sleep, headaches, asthma, indigestion and sometimes even heightened blood pressure brought on by the demands of family, intimate relationships, and unrealized hopes at this time of year. Sometimes people respond by worrying about these stressors without finding resolution.
Yet when we are too stressed, we get anxious, fatigued, do not focus well, lose sleep, lose confidence, and even get disconnected from our feelings. I like to remind myself and the people I work with to take an active stance and do more to relax when stress increases - calm is not a luxury! The temptation to drop everything when life gets hectic is understandable. On the other hand, how well will we cope with all the demands and dynamics of this time of year if we're unfocused, low energy, discouraged, or ...
Sharing Something Worthwhile
I am starting to prepare for the Reiki class which i am going to teach this winter (Newburyport Adult Education). I am looking at which text I will use. Right now I am leaning toward a very short one called, 'Reiki, the Healing Touch.' It is very short and very simple. It tells about the power of Reiki and how to utilize it. It gives a history and talks about the attunement - a ceremony of passing the knowledge and ability to perform Reiki between teacher and student. One of my favorite parts is a chapter simply titled, 'Reiki." It talks about how Reiki is always helpful, that is unending energy that anyone can learn. Reiki is spiritually guided life force energy and it is meant to be spread throughout the world for everyone to share and benefit. It will be an honor to teach the class.
Sleep On It
How do you sleep at night? Do you have things that keep you awake like physical pain or worrying? Almost any adult I talk to would answer 'not so well' to first question and 'yes' to the second one. The good news is that there is a method to help you. Everyone dreams when they sleep. Many adults go to bed anxious and therefore their dreams have an anxious effect on them. By using mediation and visualization before sleep to put yourself in a relaxed state, your dreams can actually have a calming effect on you.This can be carried over once you wake. So instead of a vicious circle you have a healing one. As I tell my clients, all the tools I utilize (Hypnosis Reiki and EFT) can also help to reinforce this calming effect. Instead of having anxiety at night, why not have our sleep work for us?
Awake Again, Naturally
Two nights ago ihad the best sleep that I'd had in what seems like about a year. It was like my head hit the pillow and next thing i knew it was time to get up. So when i went to bed last night, nice and tired and on time, I had expected the another good night's sleep. But it was not to be. I am not much of a sleeper I suppose. What about you, do you stay up at night too? When i can't sleep my mind will start to wander. I'll think of the projects I have going, whether at home, work or with my family. Sometimes I come up with great solutions to a problem (for example I realized that I needed roofing screws for a project, not roofing nails!). When i can't sleep, I just get up and do something else, something productive if it's not too loud. Like writing this blog for example.
Warrior/Soldiers can release the "normal" stress of combat
Many men and women in the military have significant problems adjusting to civilian life after active duty. They have problems sleeping. They are agitated and jumpy, easily angered. Thoughts and images about the war come back to them at unwanted times in unwanted ways. They often feel emotionally disconnected from others including family. These men and women were asked to become warriors and they did just that. They understand that the difficulties that they are having are simply part of the price they pay.
Our soldiers were trained to be tough. They are tough. They have been trained to know that there would be significant consequences to their military careers if they state they are having emotional problems secondary to combat. So they do what they consider to be reasonable, they tough it out.
If things would get better for these warriors this might be a reasonable strategy. The problem is that things often do not get b...
Treating Insomnia with Hypnotherapy
The Benefits of Treating Insomnia with Hypnosis
Peter is a CPA in his late 30s, with a wife and two young children, who is employed by a major financial consulting firm. He suffered from insomnia that began when his daughter was born. Peter’s wife and infant daughter almost died shortly after the delivery of the child, and Peter had figuratively programmed himself to wake up at intervals during the night to check up on them. This was done partly to ensure that they were safe, and also to allay his fears regarding their wellbeing. Unfortunately, this habit of waking up at sporadic intervals during the night persisted, even after his wife and daughter had recovered, negating the need for such checks.
When Peter came to see me, he was so upset at the state of affairs that he cried throughout the entire first session. He said that the sleep deprivation made him feel like he was “going crazy.” Apart from the toll the lack of sleep was taking on his body, Peter was also w...
Insomnia: Taming the Sleep Demons
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes people to have trouble falling asleep, staying sleep, or both. Typically, insomnia leaves people feeling sleepy and fatigued with low levels of energy, impairing a person's ability to function normally during the day.
The amount of necessary sleep varies among different people. Seven to eight hours is optimal for the average adult. There are two categories of insomnia: primary and secondary. Primary insomnia describes the sleep disorder when it is not in any way connected to other health issues. Secondary insomnia describes an individual's sleep issues when they are directly associated with other conditions, such as depression or alcoholism.
Insomnia is also categorized by the frequency and duration of its occurrence. A short spell of the disorder is termed acute insomnia, while longer bouts are termed chronic insomnia. Acute insomnia presents anywhere from a single night to several weeks. The condition is identified as chronic if it occurs at...
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