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Commonly, the term “restless legs” is applied to people who find it challenging to keep seated or whose legs tend to shake consistently. This phrase is often employed in everyday talk to denote individuals who appear to be persistently on the move, driven by a sense of urgency, demonstrating a compelling need to be in constant motion. However, in many cases, this behavior stems more from habit than actual decision-making. Such individuals frequently engage in the repetitive movement of their limbs, motivated by either anxiety or boredom, possibly without being aware of their ongoing restlessness.

In reality, restless legs syndrome is a severe disorder. You must have heard about the strange affliction of a distant aunt or the curious “night-time tingles” your grandma used to experience in bed. It turns out. It is not as uncommon as people previously thought it to be.

Who gets restless legs syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome or RLS usually affects adults. An increasing number of men than women find themselves awake in the middle of the night with strange crawling, tingling, itchy or painful sensations in their legs. Sometimes, their arms aren’t spared as well. Older women and men have mistaken it for muscle fatigue, a prelude to Charlie Horses, cramps, dehydration and even symptoms of stroke.

In contrary to muscle fatigue and nightly cramps, these movements are periodic. As a result, many doctors and sleep specialists refer to it as periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS). It is evident that such sudden and intense movement can cause difficulty in staying asleep.

What causes restless legs among people?

Sadly, in most of the cases, RLS does not have any known or proven cause. There are a few verified and stipulated secondary causes including pregnancy, iron deficiency, kidney diseases, chronic kidney failure and stubborn nerve problems or previous injuries to the sensory nerves. The severity of the symptoms of the disorder can vary from mild to intense. The impact of the movements depends upon the intensity, and the disease can wreak havoc on your regular sleeping regimen.

Restless legs do not just cause trepidation in the minds of those experiencing it each night, but it also affects their social life and family life drastically. Imagine staying awake night after night without a justifiable cause that your friends and family cannot see. Remaining awake all night, the inability to rest during the daytime and the discomfort of sitting for long periods during the day always takes a toll on the general health, cognition, and psychological health.

The exact causes of RLS are still not precise. In fact, it was not a part of the medical glossary up until a few years ago, when doctors finally decided to include restless legs in the purview of a medical disease. At present, some doctors believe that it is a result of dopamine deficiencies in the brain and others cite insufficient circulation for the cause of the disorder.

How is the ongoing research on RLS helping with modern treatment options?

The ongoing research on RLS sheds some light on the complex nature of the cause-and-effect mechanism of the disorder. Firstly, it shows a highly heterogeneous character of the disease and its triggers. Secondly, the research uses advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the chemical changes in the brain of RLS affected individuals during the day and night. It highlighted a significant role of iron traffic mechanism of the blood-brain barrier (endothelial) cells.

Right now, the founding research and treatment of RLS stand upon the fact that the regulation of cerebral iron levels can determine the resting state of the limbs of an individual. As a result, multiple publications carry data on the treatment of affected groups with iron supplements for a period to study the effects on their symptoms. Further research on the dependence of this disorder on the brain’s iron levels may even help with the treatment of movement symptoms and cognitive challenges associated with RLS and similar syndromes.

What are the current treatment options for those suffering from restless legs?

Since the cause of RLS is not clear, finding treatments and potential cures is tricky. It is like battling a computer virus blindfolded without knowing how it got in or what its weaknesses are. In medical science, treating any disease or disorder is close to impossible, when you do not understand the epidemiology of it. At present, RLS affects about 10% of the population in the USA.

The penetration level of this sleeping disorder is constant for most of the countries and their communities. The only exception is Asia, where RLS is not common at all. Studies on patients in the US and Europe show that it follows a chronic course. The symptoms become worse with time, and the prognosis worsens with the age of the patient. At the moment, the studies on the demographics, intensity of the disease and other epidemiological evidence show that RLS has its roots in the neural network of man.

Isolate all probable personal causes of RLS.

The first step in treating RLS is finding out what causes it in the first place. Apart from kidney problems and neuronal disorders, it can have roots in metabolic upheavals during pregnancy, post-surgical complications and a sudden threat to the immune system. Apart from these, daily habits, new medications, and other health conditions can also contribute to the potential causes. Research shows that the increasing use of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine can also exacerbate the symptoms of RLS.

Effects of specific medication on the restless legs syndrome.

Before going into the genetics of neurodegenerative or muscle degenerating diseases and other apocalyptic disorders, let us find out what kinds of drugs can aggravate the symptoms of RLS.

• Antihistamines including Benadryl (diphenhydramine).

• Antiemetics and anti-nausea compounds including Reglan (metoclopramide) and Compro (prochlorperazine).

• Antipsychotic medications including Haldol (haloperidol), olanzapine (Zyprexa) and lithium.

• Antidepressants including a class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) including Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline) and Lexapro (escitalopram).

• Elavil (amitriptyline) and Asendin (amoxapine) like a tricyclic antidepressant.

• Levoxyl (levothyroxine) that can treat hypothyroidism.

While seeking redressal from restless legs syndrome, always mention all medications you are taking, including the most straightforward digestive aid the new doctor has prescribed for daily consumption. Even the slightest change in medication doses like that of Haldol or Lithium can cause the symptoms of RLS to appear for the first time or worsen within a record short period.

How do underlying health conditions challenge sleep quality?

If your spouse or friend complains about sleeping irregularly or waking up in the middle of the night since putting on weight, they are probably right. Obesity can compromise the quality of rest you get each night, just like rheumatoid arthritis, neuritis, renal disease, and diabetes can. People can experience permanent nerve damage from rising blood glucose levels, and that can take a toll on the quality of life they lead.

Make it a point to eat healthier before bedtime. Do not eat a lot of high sugar and high-fat foods. Do not wear your yoga pants to bed since tight clothing can make the symptoms worse. However, in your case, it might be true that none of these causes give rise to RLS. Therefore, it is indispensable to invest some time in combining these precautionary measures to see which affect your symptoms.

Picking up healthy sleeping habits.

Sometimes, working overtime or spending two extra hours in front of the TV can compromise the quality of rest you get at night. The blue-light from digital screens is enough to cause sleeplessness, increased fatigue and exacerbate the symptoms of sleeping disorders like RLS.

Sleeping sounds are preposterous to anyone who has experienced RLS. However, following a dedicated sleeping routine can help you get into the habit of going to be earlier than usual and make the best of your quiet hours, even when you have to wake up twice. You should try the following to combat your RLS.

• Try to go to bed at the same time each day.
• Maintain a steady temperature and humidity inside the bedroom.
• Use dim lights and keep the sleeping area dark.
• Keep your legs covered, since many RLS sufferers report feeling more comfortable holding a little weight on their legs.
• You can try using leg warmers and heating blankets to rest the soreness in your leg muscles during sleep.
• Always keep your phone silent and switch your TV off before falling asleep.
• Invest in a good white noise machine for your bedroom.

Take the correct dietary supplements.

Scientists and doctors have been finding plausible links between restless legs and iron deficiency in the recent years. According to the latest studies, a severe iron deficiency leading to anemia can cause significant difficulty in falling asleep. A simple blood test is all you need to determine if the cause of your RLS is deficiency related.

Apart from organic iron, deficiencies in Vitamin D levels in the body also influence the extent of RLS. Treatment of patients with Vit D supplements has shown significant improvement. Sometimes, patients require an intravenous dose of iron instead of an OTC medication. The method of administration and the treatment will depend upon the results of your blood test.

People on hemodialysis complain of RLS and supplements of vitamins C and E relieve their symptoms to a great extent.

Take up exercising regularly to improve muscle control.

Sometimes, working out helps reduce the RLS symptoms. The National Institutes of Health studies point towards the lack of muscle tone and degrading muscle strength with age as leading contributors to restless legs. In a 2006 study on 23 participants with RLS, daily aerobic exercises along with lower body training for 12 weeks decrease the discomfort. People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) feel better after working out lightly for about 10 to 15 minutes per day.

The underlying complications might require you to consult a specialist and physiotherapist before you begin your work out. Regular activity does help people fall asleep quicker. However, the restless legs foundation does emphasize the importance of light exercise that does not increase muscle fatigue or challenge the situation further. You must be sure not to work out so intensely that the joints and muscles begin to ache.

Indulge in therapeutic massages.

We are not talking about spas after mud baths. When we say “massage,” we mean the full physiotherapy deal you can get for your lower limbs. The recurring bouts of restless legs can leave you feeling tired and worn out after a couple of days. Eminent research organizations like the National Sleep Foundation recommend in-house treatment to address the symptoms.

The frequency of studies en-masse is scarce, but over the years there have been individual reports of men and women experiencing relief from regular massages. One theory suggests that massages stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin. The increased levels of the “happy hormones” can reduce the discomfort.

Another prevailing theory cites that improvement of blood circulation post massages can be a contributing factor to the relaxation. Even if you don’t believe in these theories, you can try massaging regimens since they can enhance your sleep quality.

Yoga and Pilates

Mindfulness meditation has been a solution to almost anything in the recent years. Starting from anxiety to depression; meditation has helped people find themselves, rest better, and feel better. When you combine mindfulness with the workout, you get yoga. This ancient form of exercise helps people get to know their bodies better. Once you start with guided asanas and stretches, you will start feeling a kinship with your body. It will help you regain the control of your systems and your mind. Yoga improves external appearance, but, most importantly, it enhances the metabolic balance and organ systems of an individual.

An eight-week study in 2013 shows that ten women with RLS experienced an alleviation of their symptoms when they shifted to a daily yoga routine. Unlike jogging or running, yoga is intricate, and you will need a guide to help you achieve the relaxation you want. There are asanas and mudras for almost all kinds of human afflictions, so you need to be sure about the ones you want to practice each day.

Pilates is a smart option for homemakers, busy office workers and the elderly. It is lighter and more comfortable than yoga. It has lesser chances of injury as compared to yoga. Moreover, anyone can perform Pilates without worrying about old wounds and joint pain. The main aim of Pilates is to increase the mobility of your body, help you know your physiology better than before, and to aid balanced metabolic functions.  

You might doubt the effectiveness of yoga and Pilates in treating something as cryptic and complicated as RLS. However, several studies have shown that these forms of light, full-mat exercises along with stretching can reduce the tingling feeling and cramping sensations you go through each night.

Give Pneumatic compression a try.

Pneumatic compression sounds like a complicated procedure, but it is a simple way of increasing pressure on your legs by putting a pressure-regulating sleeve on it. If you have visited a hospital recently for edema of the lower limbs, rheumatoid arthritis treatments or the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), you must have experienced at least one round of pneumatic compression.

The intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices prevent accumulation of fluids, protect the system from blood clots and it helps to keep the blood in your lower limbs in continuous circulation. The circulation determines the level of discomfort and the improvement in blood flow can directly affect the RLS symptoms.

Several sleep experts believe that the falling levels of oxygen in the limbs contribute to the periodic muscle contraction when a person falls asleep. Pneumatic compressions help the RLS sufferers significantly. Over 35 people participated in a 2009 study that showed the use of PCD for at least one hour per day for almost a month. It improved the symptoms, daytime productivity and sleep quality of the participants significantly.

You can purchase the setup, but you will require the help of a professional physiotherapist to administer the therapy. You may even be able to rent one, over-the-counter, with one prescription from your physician. People have reported finding medical coverage for PCD, especially if they cannot tolerate daily RLS medication.

You should try a scientific foot wrap.

An ergonomic foot wrap can help exert pressure on specific points at the bottom of your feet. It works on the same principle as putting weight on your feet to relieve your symptoms. A foot wrap helps in sending pressure to your brain. That stimulates the neuro-muscular cortexes in your mind to send relaxation signals to your legs. It is a straightforward bi-directional mechanism that the foot wraps leverage to provide relief.

A recent study on about 30 people showed that those who used a foot wrap for about two months enjoyed lesser intense symptoms than the control group. One can set you back by a couple of hundred dollars. However, those who suffer from RLS know that it is a small price to pay for the peace of the night. Before you head out to order one, know that foot wraps require a prescription and regular health insurance might not cover it.

Revisit your list of prescription medications.

There is hardly anyone in the urban US, who has never had any medication. From antacids to anti-depressants, people have had their share of popping in the 21st century. The fast lifestyle and faster acquaintance with diseases have ensured that we depend on some form of medicines each day to remain our productive best. Scientists are coming up with designer drugs and personalized medications for treating the unique of all conditions. Here’s a list of drugs that can help alleviate your RLS symptoms. However, be sure to consult a medical practitioner before starting them.

Dopaminergic drugs.

In simple words, these drugs produce dopamine. Our brains should naturally be able to provide enough to keep us happy and our bodies comfortable, but sometimes, the daily stress, lack of dietary regulations, weight-related issues, and health challenges keep our dopamine levels uncannily low.

Dopaminergic drugs have the power to relieve severe RLS since the condition depends on the dopamine levels in our body. Most of these medications require thorough approval from the FDA. Never take any form of dopamine enhancing supplements without a prescription. Always remember that upon constant use and abuse of these drugs, RLS symptoms can gradually worsen with time. Additionally, it is possible to develop resistance to them.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are a category of opioid that commonly treats anxiety and sleep-related problems. It is a class of psychoactive drugs that have the potential to treat RLS. Clonazepam, Valium, and Xanax fall into this category. Although these medications are useful in treating a plethora of mental disorders and physiological diseases, these are highly risky. Developing dependence and addiction is easy.

In combination with dopaminergic drugs, benzodiazepines can improve the quality of rest you get each night. These drugs might not eliminate the signs of RLS, but they will supplement the lack of sleep.

Gabapentin

Gabapentin is the fourth drug that the FDA has approved in the recent years for the treatment of RLS. Horizant is the brand name that is most popular among the patients and doctors alike right now. A majority of them fall under the category of ant seizure medication. Research does not shed light on how gabapentin relieves the RLS symptoms, but clinical trials point at the relief of the symptoms with persistent use of the same.

A clinical trial involving the treatment of 24 RLS patients with placebo or gabapentin showed that those, who were under gabapentin prescription for about six weeks experienced a better quality of sleep. Their leg movements and the tingling sensation was almost unnoticeable as well. The group which received the placebo in place of gabapentin did not show improvements at all.

Opioid

Doctors have been prescribing opioid for a long time to treat almost all kinds of chronic pain. Amidst the surmounting opioid crisis, it has become imperative to exercise caution while starting a new potentially addictive medication. Nonetheless, some people experience relief from their physiological symptoms of RLS only with regular opioid treatments like oxycodone or naloxone extended-release tablets.

These medications have a nerve relaxing effect. They can provide temporary relief to the symptoms. Contractions and discomfort become significantly less after people switch to a new opioid. However, the increased chances of dependence and misuse make it mandatory for patients to remain in close medical care and observation while they are on these drugs. Opioid should be the last resort for any patient suffering from RLS or other pain.

The effects of medication for RLS vary drastically between people. You cannot expect medicine to work wonders for you just because it worked for others.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

NIRS is a non-invasive technique that can treat RLS successfully. It is a painless and discomfort-free treatment that uses guided long wavelength and low energy light beams to pass through the skin. The low-wave light is incident on the localized area of discomfort, and it can dilate the blood vessels of the local area. It increases blood circulation to a great extent.

One of the most popular theories on the cause of RLS states the lack of oxygen due to improper blood circulation as the leading cause. NIRS treatment that dilates arteries and veins in a localized manner increases blood flow. It relieves the RLS symptoms in a non-intrusive and side-effect-free way.

A famous study involving 21 people with RLS shows that NIRS treatment at a frequency of 3 to 4 times per week, for over four weeks in a row can help in redressing the unpleasant symptoms. The therapy session needs to be about 30 minutes in the least to be effective. While you can seek out professionals and clinics that provide NIRS treatments, you can also purchase NIRS equipment online for a discounted price. Your health insurance might not cover the cost of this treatment.

Have you thought about Vibration Pad Therapy?

Vibration pad therapy is not something everyone considers when they experience the first couple of RLS bouts. The discomfort seems too foreign for something as simple as vibration and movement therapy.

A vibrating pad is incredibly easy to use for all ages. We have seen 20-something damsels, and 70-year-old people use them with full gusto. They are comfortable. They do not take up a lot of time. Also, you can use these vibration pads when you are lying down or watching the latest episodes of Dark on Netflix. In fact, several RLS patients even use this vibration equipment when they are asleep. It keeps their lower limbs in constant comfortable motion that lessens the sensation of burning or tingling common to RLS.

Combining the vibration pad therapy with dopaminergic drugs or benzodiazepines or gabapentin has high efficacy. If you are skeptic about the effectiveness of a simple vibrating pad on something as cryptic as your nightly tingles, you can invest in one because they work marvelously on leg mobility, muscle fatigue dissipation and relief of arthritic pain.

The lesser known alternative approach towards treating RLS

These are the most popular, research-backed scientific approaches to address restless legs syndrome and associated sleep disorders. These treatments have recorded evidence to support their effectiveness. However, there are many experimental methods and alternative therapies that do not have enough scientific backup but still provide relief to select RLS sufferers.

In case, you cannot go for dopaminergic drug therapy, opioid treatments, NIRS therapy, vibration treatments or pneumatic compression. You don’t have to give up and accept your sleepless state. You can give the alternative therapies a try. You can try repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, hot-and-cold compression, transcutaneous electric stimulation of the nerves and acupuncture. These procedures have helped quite a few people across the USA to enjoy proper sleep at night after months of struggling with new postures, heating blankets, leg weights and ergonomic leg pillows.

We should also mention here that people suffering from varicose veins have a high probability of developing RLS in the future. A varicose vein is the presence of dilated blood vessels in the lower part of the legs. These vessels have a higher than regular blood pressure and removing them surgically leads to temporary relief of the force. In fact, a 2008 study involving 35 people with RLS and SVI showed significant improvement after endovenous laser ablation of their varicose veins reduced the blood pressure in their legs.

Is there a complete cure for restless legs syndrome?

Thousands of people search the web each day for a cure to their restless legs problem. The tingle, burn, itches, and discomfort keep them kicking and throwing their legs around all night. They wake up more tired each morning and wish for a miracle that would redress them of this strange affliction. In reality, medical science is not a platform of miracles, and the effects of the same treatment can be vastly different on two recipients. It is easy to understand why something like RLS does not have a foolproof long-term cure.

In fact, most medical experts pronounce RLS as a lifetime condition. The current medications, treatments, and therapies only give you control over the degree of each incidence. Sometimes, after taking massage, people do not get another episode of RLS for two weeks. Whereas, some people do not experience any relief without benzodiazepines and opioid. The extent of comfort and the effectiveness of each treatment depend upon the current health and physiology of the patient.

Each episode is erratic. Two events can have a gap of two days, two weeks or even two years. The symptoms usually reappear in a person with a confirmed RLS diagnosis irrespective of the treatment type or duration of remission. Therefore, you will often meet doctors, who are reluctant to dish out “solutions” to your RLS problems, in case your symptoms are mild.

Your residence is designed to be a haven of safety and joy. It’s apparent that you put in a lot of effort to keep your floors, walls, and furnishings pristine. The chores involved in dusting, wiping down surfaces, and vacuuming take up a considerable amount of time, especially in the spring and summer months when the atmosphere is usually drier and dust tends to gather more easily in different areas. Following an exhaustive cleaning session, your home should feel refreshed, but do you notice your children continuing to sniffle? Or perhaps you’ve experienced multiple sneezes right after waking up? These might be signs indicating that your mattress has become a significant repository of dust over the past few months or even years. When was the last time you gave your bed a deep clean during spring cleaning?

We spend over a third of our lives sleeping. That means, out of the 78 years (average life expectancy of Americans) you spend about 26 years in bed snoozing. It is possibly more than the time you spend at your workstation, inside your car, or with your kids. Your bed commands more attention than you give it right now. At this moment, your mattress might be crying for a quick cleanup, and you might not even know it. Not paying enough attention to mattress cleaning can translate to a more tiresome day, severe allergic reactions, breathing difficulties, muscle fatigue, and low productivity during the daytime.

You can think of bed as the focal point of your bedroom. The mattress decides the environment of your room. Neglecting the health of your mattress is like ignoring the health of your family. Over the years, it can become the repose of dirt, stains, dust mites and mold. It can impact the quality and quantity of your sleep, and it will determine the air quality of your room. It affects the rate of respiration while you rest. Aside from the foreign particles, your mattress can collect skin cells, hair, sweat and microscopic insects that escape the naked eye. These “pollutants” can go deep inside the foam and latex layers. They pass through the linen easily and resist all forms of superficial dusting.

Aside from compromising the integrity of your mattress, you are also exposing yourself to a significant level of allergens. They can disrupt the natural restorative mechanism during sleep, cause insomnia, sabotage your immunity, cause inexplicable skin reactions and even dampen your libido for good. Additionally, a mattress hardly lasts longer than 6-7 years without proper cleaning and maintenance. However, upon regular cleaning, you can extend its longevity to over ten years at an average. Little extra work can save you more than $800 this year!

If you were still dilly-dallying about that spring clean session, now it is time for you to give it serious thought. Cleaning your bed inside-out can take some time, but is neglecting the task worth it?

How to Clean a Mattress vs. When to Clean a Mattress

We have all asked “How to clean a mattress,” but “when to clean it” is the real question we should be asking right now. Should cleaning depend on the season? Should you consider the weather while cleaning your mattress? Are there specific signs that indicate a pending wipe-down? These are a few valid questions that can come to your mind.

• For any new mattress, the first dust-flip-rotate routine should begin within a month of first use. It should continue within an interval of one month up to one month. This process is the seasoning of a mattress, and you need to follow this for at least one year.

• For an old mattress, flipping and rotating it every six months is essential for getting the dust off and distributing the wear evenly. Flipping is usually impossible in case of single-sided springs, but you can always rotate it every six months.

• It is an excellent idea to dust and wipe the mattress while you are flipping and rotating it every six months. It is always better to air your mattress and expose it to sunlight about every eight weeks, but the busy city life often makes that impossible.

There is indeed a preference of seasons for mattress cleaning. Spring and autumn months are great for it. These seasons usually see a lot of dust and pollen in the air. It is possible for a mattress to gather allergens through these seasons. During the winter months, mattresses usually gather more skin and hair. Therefore, it is wiser to dust, air and sun-dry your bedding at least twice a year during the fall and the spring months.

How to Maintain a Mattress in Good Health?

Maintaining a mattress means investing towards the better health of your family. There are a few regular steps you can take to save the cost of professional cleaning or a new mattress every couple of months. A few easy steps can help you achieve better health and preserve your home air quality.

1. Wash and change your sheets at least once a week. If you go to bed without showering, you can be sure that your sheets gather your day’s dust and grime. Sometimes, changing the sheets and pillow covers twice a week is the better idea. Do not forget to use hot water to make sure all the grease and stubborn dirt wash off thoroughly.
2. One way to protect yourself from unpleasant allergic reactions is by covering the mattress with a mattress cover. The constant buildup of dust and dust mites can trigger severe allergic symptoms that can range from hives to breathing difficulties in sensitive individuals. Choose a cotton mattress cover to delay the accumulation of allergens.
3. Try to stay away from cleaning solutions. Professional mattress cleaning solutions in the market can work better than home-made solutions, but they can be equally challenging for the health of a mattress. It is difficult to dry bedding indoors, and soggy inner layers will become a haven for mildew and mold. Keep your mattress as dry as possible at all times.
4. In place of spraying it with cleaning solutions, you can strip it and vacuum it. Take off the top sheet, throw it in the drier and strip the cotton mattress-protector. Vacuum the protector and the mattress separately. A good vacuum usually comes with attachments for cleaning bedding. A powerful vacuum will suck out the collected moisture and dry particulates from deep within the layers and relieve your allergies.
5. In the event of an unfortunate spill, always blot the stain first. Wine stains, juice stains, and blood stains are the most difficult to get rid off with DIY solutions. If you manage to spill something that stains heavily, you might want to talk to professional services for a cleanup. In case, you do not want to refer to professional services, try sprinkling some baking soda over the spot, vacuum the excess and repeat the process in case the stain does not budge.

Your mattress can last longer than the manufacturer guarantees, provided you treat it right. Be gentle, but prompt in your cleaning attempts to extend its longevity.

How to Get Rid of all Unwanted Smells, Stains, and Dust From your Bed?

Cleaning a mattress is a necessary task if you live in a hot and humid climate. Even the residents of cooler cities and suburbs need to opt for a thorough cleanup every six months. This process might take some time as bedding usually has multiple components, and each one requires different treatment.

Separate the mattress and the covers. Begin by stripping your mattress cover and separating the pillows. Pillows harbor a lot of dirt and grime, especially if you have long hair. You can see marks of hair products and sweat stains in case you have lightly colored covers. Wash the linen in hot water and dry in the highest heat setting (check manufacturer’s label for best cleaning practice). Expose your pillows to sunlight and flip them at least once a week.

Ready your vacuum cleaner. Do you have an upholstery attachment for your vacuum cleaner? Then use it for cleaning the mattress. Always start from the top and work in straight overlapping lines. Pay extra attention to the creases and stitches since these places are the nexus of dust mite activity.

Clean and vacuum every nook and cranny. Do not neglect the sides. Use the same overlapping motion to clean the edges of your bedding. The edges rub against our calves and thighs constantly, when we are sitting on the bed. It leads to the accumulation of significant amounts of dead cells, sweat, and grime. It is a crime not to clean the sides of a mattress while cleaning the rest of it.

Get rid of the faint smells. We are unlikely to notice our body odor, but on a mattress, it can be overwhelming. Sweat, skin cells, and body grime can collect on a bed for weeks, months and even years without a proper crackdown. Baking soda is the most active enemy of body odor. Always scrub the top of your bedding with baking soda and let it stay for good 5 minutes. Next, bring out your vacuum again. Follow the same straight overlapping motions to suck out all moisture and odor. In most cases, getting rid of the humidity can get rid of the scents as well.

Cleaning out visible stains. Treating the stains is just as important as treating the smell. Stains remain because there are small portions of the spill present on the mattress. Not getting rid of the stains entirely can leave unpleasant odors behind in most cases.

Mattress stains are usually of 3 types, urine, blood and “other bodily fluids.” You may have already noticed these stains on your kids’ bed, but there is no need to be alarmed. Kids are more active during the daytime than at night. Hence they are more likely to sweat and get minor scrapes. These scrapes can bleed during the night when their delicate skin brushes against the linen.

However, numerous small blood stains on the linen and the mattress can be a sign of bedbugs. If you see such blood stains on your kids’ bed, always check their skin for bite marks. Cleaning out bedbugs is an entirely different ordeal, and you will require a diverse arsenal for that process.

• Cleaning out blood from the bedding. You can combat blood stains with a paste of one-fourth cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide, one tablespoon of liquid dish soap and some table salt. This mixture reacts with old clotted blood and removes the marks pronto. Spread this mix on the stain generously and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on its intensity. Always wear gloves and only use a white rag to transfer the mix. Dab with a white cloth and rotate the rag as the peroxide removes the stain.

• Removing urine stains. Getting rid of urine stains is not tricky, but you should always wait until the stain dries. Having small kids in the house can be a blessing, but your mattress has to bear the brunt during their toilet training period. Forego the industrial grade cleaners and use this two-step DIY method to breathe new life into your bed.  

1. Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 8 oz. of hydrogen peroxide. Add two to three small drops of liquid soap and lightly dab the solution onto your mattress. Remember not to soak the region with the answer.
   
2. If the stain is particularly recalcitrant, consider using three tablespoons of laundry detergent powder and one tablespoon water to make a dry foam. Avoid any detergent with bleaching in it. Spread this on the stain lightly and wait for it to act (30 minutes). Use a spoon to scrape the dried paste away and use a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide to remove the last bits of the paste.
   
3. End each step with vacuuming, since leaving your bed wet makes it a happy home to mold and mildew.

• Other bodily fluids. Bodily fluids have the nasty quality of being odorous. The first step to fight them is by airing the room and the mattress thoroughly. Blot the stain with undiluted ammonia (the kind you get at Home Depot). Next, dry the spot by blotting with a white rag and sprinkle some baking soda to get rid of the pungent ammonia smell. That will also dry out the remnant moisture. Follow this will dry vacuuming. That will obliterate the stain and the odor.

To prevent further assaults to your precious sleeping zone, you should try using mattress covers. Go for the waterproof, fabric-bonded kind that can prevent seepage of liquid. It will also prevent dirt and dead skin cells from reaching the inner layers of the mattress.

Can you Tackle your Recurring Allergies with Efficient Bedding Cleaning Processes?

Do you wake up with a blocked sinus or a runny nose frequently? The problem might not be the flu or a cold, but dust mites in your bed. The prevalence of breathing difficulties including allergic asthma has increased since 1980.

There is a link between the 90% of the cases of allergic asthma to dust mites. Allergic rhinitis may not be as acute as allergic asthma, but it can precede breathing troubles in children and the adults. The cause of your health problems might be lurking inside your home. That implores proper cleaning of the bed linen, mattress covers, and the mattress on a regular basis.  

There is no research to suggest the special detergents or fabric softeners can interrupt the effect of allergens on your immune system, but it is a fact that regular dusting and period vacuuming can keep your allergy symptoms away. Here are a few ways you can combat your dust mite allergies on a regular basis for better sleep.

 

1. Pillow sanitization. You have no reason to believe that your pillows are utterly innocent while you bed provides asylum to the nasty dust mites. The dead cells from our scalp, oil from our hair, and bodily fluids make our pillows the haven for allergens. To save a fortune, you can try to sanitize them at home. Toss your pillows for 15 minutes and spin them at 130 degrees. Invest in hypo-allergenic covers for your pillows to retard the buildup of allergens.
   
2. Clean your mattress. Okay! We have said this enough time to bore you, but we will say it once more nonetheless, you need to vacuum your mattress to remove dust and mite buildup. Use small strokes to remove all traces of dust. To keep your breathing zone free from dust, buy a pair of hypoallergenic bed covers and bedsheets. These covers will also prevent the shedding of skin, oils, and sweat from reaching the mattress. It will make the mites starve, and it will keep the bed clean for a longer time.
   
3. Wash, wash and wash. To keep the dust mites from coming back with all might, you need to clean your bed linen and dry-wash your pillows. Try to use hot water for washing your bed cover, bed sheet, and quilts. The hot water deters the mites from growing in number and keeps your bedding smelling fresh all the time.

How to Get rid of Stubborn Smells From the Bedding?

There are times when a mattress does not appear dirty to the naked eye, but it emanates unpleasant smells. That usually happens during mucky summers and wet monsoons. Mattresses have the irritating habit of soaking up everything that land on top. From spilled wine or juice to hair products. These products reach the deeper layers, and the heat from the air starts fermenting them.

The presence of mites and microbes does not help the case either. We have seen clean mattresses smell like a garbage dump in the rainy days. The weird combination of organic matter including bodily fluids along with microorganisms contributes to the foul odor. Smokers face this problem more frequently since the fabric surface effectively absorbs the smell. Room fresheners and apparel fresheners rarely help in such situations since these sprays only reach the upper layers and they fail to remove the cause of the unpleasant odor.

1. Vacuuming will help you suction the small organic particles from the deeper layers and the crevices of the stitches.
   
2. You can try using store-bought deodorizing products including common ones like Febreze to remove the smell.
   
3. In case the smell is quite stubborn, try using any de-scenter on your pillow and mattress. It is the same kind hunters use so their target cannot spot their body odor. It works better than other deodorizers.
   
4. In case, you are using solid or powdered carpet deodorizers, be sure to vacuum it after 24 hours.

Do not sleep when the deodorizer is fresh on the mattress. Getting rid of cigarette smoke is the most difficult. However, extensive data collection and comparison tests show that a combination of de-scenters and carpet deodorizer works fine when you apply them in succession of each other within 48 hours.

How to Keep your bed From Turning Into a Home for Bedbugs?

Ask any homeowner, what is a terrifying real-life nightmare, and almost everyone should tell you “bed bugs.” There is nothing more horrifying than waking up in the morning to an itchy back and little red bumps all over the body. These critters are such a pestilence because they are tiny, they spread faster than you can call your terminators, and they are unwanted guests, who never want to leave.

You should know that your bedbug situation is crying for professional help when you wake up to red spots on the mattress and the linen. People have lost some of their favorite sheets and dresses due to these pests. They are nasty, bothersome and they come with us everywhere! You will find the occasional itch during an important conference, during your speed at the seminar and while pushing your stroller at the grocery store.

Here are some things that you can do to prevent bedbugs.

1. Wash and sanitize everything. Since burning everything down is not an option, you need to take the saner step. It is vital that you understand these critters don’t just infest your bed. They are capable of spreading like viruses, and they will infest every bit of fabric inside your home. If you have come in contact with your office chair, and drapes, they probably have bedbugs too. The best way to combat them is by making piles of all infected clothes and putting them in the washer. Turn the water to the hottest possible setting to zap them instantly. However, washing woolens and soft toys in hot water can be harmful to their texture, so consult an expert before cleaning them.
   
2. Put the rest in double-layered garbage bags. These pests can be everywhere. From mobile phones, laptops to books, and TV remotes. Bag everything you have come into contact with during the infestation problem and put pest-strips inside these bags to kill off the insects completely.
   
3. De-bug your mattress. Cleaning your bedding like your clothes or drapes is impossible. You need to take a more labor-intensive step for this process. You can opt for a professional cleaning service, but they usually cost a bomb. You can save tons by combing the mattress for bedbugs. Use a flashlight, look in every corner and vacuum them. Do not use bristles or other attachments for the vacuum. Bugs are clingy, and they will stick to these attachments.
   
4. Take care of your furniture. Bedbugs go everywhere and infest everything. You have no reason to believe that your furniture is safe from their wrath. Your dresser, cabinet, wardrobe, and even study table could be under threat right now. Look for the bugs and their eggs inside the drawers and at the corners of the cabinets. Scrape with a hard-vacuum cleaner attachment to clean them out.
   
5. Clean all the surfaces. Cleaning every surface inside is very necessary for complete removal of the insects and their eggs. Wiping down the surface with disinfectants including the baseboards, floors, walls and the cracks in the walls is imperative for ridding your home of these bugs.

To prevent another outbreak in the recent future, you should try to invest in a mattress encasement. These covers keep the bed bugs from reaching the surface and feeding. They eventually starve and die. These remaining bugs will usually die within the next year, and you should vacuum your bed again by removing the encasement after a year. In the meantime, use hypoallergenic linens and mattress toppers to sleep comfortably without adverse reactions from dust buildup.

Is There a Time you Should stop Cleaning and Buy a New Mattress?

Many of us do not understand when it is time to give up and buy a new mattress. We have seen mattresses with mold, tears, visible stains and foul odors. Although the owners keep cleaning them periodically, the problems never seem to go away. Buying a new mattress is a considerable financial burden, but nothing should sound like an unwarranted expense when your health is in question.

Here are a few situations you should never ignore.

 

1. Mold. When you leave drink spills and food particles on your mattress for long, it facilitates the growth of mold. Molding is a health hazard, and it is almost impossible to stop fungal growth inside mattresses once they start. It is best to buy a new bed and take good care of it.
   
2. Wear and tear. Some people believe that the costliest memory foam mattresses will last them a lifetime. That is a false belief, and you need to reconsider replacing your old bedding once it crosses 6 to 8 years. Depending on the material and build of it, the longevity will vary, but at an average, you should never use a mattress for more than ten years. It can cause health problems including muscle fatigue, joint pain and lower back pain, irrespective of your age.

How to Tackle the “New Mattress Smell”?

A new mattress usually has a strong odor. Off-gassing causes volatile organic compounds from inside the bed to come out and disperse in the air. Although this is a temporary stage, people often want to accelerate it since they do not have a standby.

The most obvious sources of off-gassing include adhesives. The VOCs are formaldehyde, methylene chloride, naphthalene, benzene, perfluorocarbons, toluene, and trichloroethylane. Low-level emissions of these compounds are okay to breathe, but fervent discharge inside a closed room can cause breathing trouble, suffocation, and headaches.

Since most mattress companies work with recognized research organizations and regulatory units for the control of VOC emissions, purchasing from a reputable company and dealer is always the safe option, especially if you have children in the house.

Here are a few ways to get rid of the artificial smell.

1. Open the mattress packaging and let the air out. Do it in an area of your house where there is enough cross-ventilation.
   
2. You can choose to air the mattress outside on the patio or your balcony, as long as there is not too much dust and vehicle exhaust in the air.
   
3. Cooler areas away from direct sunlight, but directly on the path of cross breeze is perfect for airing out the mattress.

It might take you between two days to two weeks to get rid of the smell entirely. However, off-gassing is a natural process for all mattresses, irrespective of their size and budget.

A mattress will determine more than the quality of your rest. That will dictate your mood, physical performance and mental state throughout the day. Therefore, you need to pay slightly more attention to your mattress than you already do. Invest time in proper vacuuming, deodorizing, sanitizing and stain removal. Take protective measures like putting a mattress protector and an enclosure to keep the dust mites and bed bugs at bay. No matter how expensive or how old your mattress is, implementing a few steps of regular cleaning and dusting will help you achieve good health.

Throughout history, people have aimed to understand the nature of sleep and the factors influencing it. Different cultures have created their natural concoctions, ranging from herbal remedies to teas, intended to delay or hasten the onset of sleep. Nowadays, it’s uncommon to meet someone who is content with the amount of sleep they get.

There are individuals who need to drink more than 5 cups of coffee per day to remain functional and productive. On the other hand, there are those, who can only dream about falling asleep throughout the day and night. Which situation is better? Is it better to become sleepy early in the evening and fall asleep immediately as soon as you hit the hay? Or is it better to remain alert throughout the day and wait for a couple of hours past bedtime for sweet sleep? It is debatable since each thinks the grass is greener on the other side. However, it is understandable that these two problems share a strong association.

Once you do not get enough restorative sleep, you are bound to feel drowsy throughout the day. If you doze off multiple times a day, it is harder for you to fall asleep at night. People, who have to wait for more than a couple of hours per day to go to sleep, may have a case of insomnia. Doctors and experts classify it as a sleeping disorder that involves the inability to fall asleep, even when a person has enough time to do so. The affected feel stressed, fatigued, easily agitated, irritable and easily distracted throughout the day.

For some, the cases are sporadic, and the causes vary from anxiety to change of daytime routines. Others, who have chronic insomnia, experience disturbed sleep for about three times a week. Chronic cases have various underlying causes including shift work, clinical disorders, mental or psychiatric disorders, and unhealthy sleeping habits. These usually last for longer durations and command medical attention. More importantly, cases of sleeplessness can be comorbid. In such cases, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause-effect relationship.

Combating Sleepless Nights with Lunesta

Over 30% of the general population complains of sleep disturbances. It means millions of people have insomnia. It prompts the question, is there a cure for the disorder? Understandably, it is impossible for a person to carry on daily work without sleeping soundly for weeks and, sometimes, months. Modern pharmacology and biochemical engineering have made it possible to design drugs that can help people with sleep onset.

Lunesta is one such popular medication that doctors have been prescribing for more than a decade for treating symptomatic insomnia. Adults taking Lunesta have reported an improvement in their sleep quality, daytime productivity and onset time. It is a common drug for treating insomnia that affects the elderly population.

However, just like any other sleeping aid, there should be several indications and contraindications of the drug. Medicines work by intervening or decreasing one or multiple biochemical pathways in our body. That makes it necessary for every one of us to learn all that we can about the sleeping medication we are about to take to improve our rest quality.

You must always ask yourself, “the new medicine can help me fall asleep faster, but at what cost?” So here we are, exploring all critical aspects of the medicine and its effect on our system, in the short term and long term.

What is Lunesta?

Lunesta is the brand name of the hypnotic agent Eszopiclone. It is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic approach that medical practitioners and sleep experts have been using for almost a decade to treat chronic sleeplessness in patients. It is a stereoisomer of zopiclone. It belongs to the cyclopyrrolone class of sedatives. While it is readily available in the USA, it is not available in Europe due to its pharmacological similarity to zopiclone.

As of May 15, 2014, the USFDA lowered the initial dose of the drug to 1 milligram from 2 milligrams. It was after extensive study of the drug half-life showed that the consumers were unable to cope with the daily daytime activities after 8 hours of undisturbed rest. Since it works by interacting with the GABA receptors in the brain, it can impair all activities that require full alertness (driving and operating heavy machinery) and decision making.

What are the Specific Uses of Eszopiclone?

Zopiclone and its stereoisomer are highly active hypnotic agents that stimulate sleep. When the main complaint is the inability to fall asleep, patients often find relief from taking Eszopiclone for a brief period. The drug trial studies were controversial due to the small sample (test group) size. The placebo response was questionable due to the low variance. Nonetheless, Lunesta has gained popularity over the years, but doctors do not recommend it for the long-term treatment of chronic insomnia in the elderly.

Doctors have been using a large percentage of hypnotic drugs like Eszopiclone to treat insomnia among the elderly population. This drug is not typical for the treatment of sleep deprivation in the young adults or the middle-aged. Most importantly, sleep experts should never prescribe this medicine for children at any cost. Besides the unwarranted side effects in the youth, the drug has not shown impressive improvements among them. In case, it is the drug of choice due to the unavailability of other medications. The doctor should begin therapy at the lowest possible dose. It will minimize the side effects if there are.   

Research on long-term management of insomnia without the use of benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines, including Eszopiclone shows promise. It discourages long-term use and abuse of the drug due to increased chances of cognitive impairment, impaired motor coordination, and daytime sedation. The indications of long-term use and its relationship with effectiveness are not yet clear.

There are several controversies about the effects of Eszopiclone on patient’s mental health. However, there has not been enough precise study to outline a strong relationship between Lunesta intake and the genesis of a psychological disorder. Several studies prove a strong bond between the medication and the exacerbation of depressive symptoms in adults.

Amidst a lot of controversies, Lunesta has become one of the shining stars among the 3-Z drugs. Millions are regularly using it to get the rest and restoration they deserve. Every day, Eszopiclone, in different forms, is saving millions from collapsing due to fatigue, stress, and anxiety. Nonetheless, that is not reason enough to ignore the potential side effects of this medicine. So keep reading to find out the truth about the activity, efficacy, contraindications, and risks of taking Lunesta for treating insomnia.

What are the Side Effects of this Non-Benzodiazepine Hypnotic Drug?

Hypersensitivity to Eszopiclone is not uncommon, and it is undoubtedly a contraindication you should remember. Almost all sedatives and hypnotics in the market have some form of side-effects, whether it is in short-term or long-term usage. The recommended dosage and use of this medication depend on existing health conditions.

Here are a few instances that call for a reconsideration of Eszopiclone prescription;

1. Slow metabolism rate. People with a slower than average metabolism rate will find it difficult to eliminate the drug from their system within 8 hours. They are likely to suffer from a daytime impairment.  
2. Liver problems. Liver enzymes help with metabolizing the drug. People with liver function impairment will experience a longer half-life of the drug.

Here are a few side effects of the drug people may experience;

• Headache

• Peripheral edema

• Abnormal thinking

• Dryness of mouth

• Excessive thirst

• Rashes

• Alteration of sleep patterns

• Dizziness

• Drowsiness

• Chest pain

• Confusion

• Agitation

• Frequent and painful urination

• Amnesia

There are several contraindications of long-term usage of Eszopiclone which include;

• Stomach cramp

• Anxiety, nervousness, mood swings and irritability

• Vomiting and nausea

• Sleep activities (sleep talking, sleepwalking and sleep driving)

• Impaired concentration

Medications like Lunesta and Ambien are ideal for short-term treatment of insomnia. During the initial phases of trial and research, the experts tested them for long-term curative therapy. However, that does not make these hypnotics suitable for regular, extended period of use.

Can Eszopiclone Cause Dependence?

The Control Substances Act classifies Lunesta as a schedule IV-controlled substance. The regular use of benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics can lead to psychological and physiological dependence among the consumers. As the dose of the drug increases, so does the chance of dependence. The duration of use contributes directly to the probability of addiction and dependence.

Research shows that the history of dependence is prominent among patients with a history of alcohol use and drug abuse. Additionally, most people develop a tolerance towards these hypnotic drugs, and that leads them to opt for successively higher doses. In fact, several people may develop a tolerance towards non-benzodiazepines in less than two months.

Individuals with a history of benzodiazepine abuse, use Lunesta for its hallucinogenic effects. Research on the addiction and abuse of this compound shows the high potential for the same. An individual addicted to it may do the following;

1. Continue the prescription long after the expiry of the prescription.
   
2. Forge prescriptions to acquire the medicine from pharmacies.
   
3. Opt for higher doses due to the quick tolerance buildup.
   
4. Consume it with alcohol and other hypnotics to increase its effects.
   
5. Resist falling asleep to experience the hallucinations.

There have been cases of people taking Lunesta at 6 mg and 12 mg doses regularly, which produce effects similar to 20 mg of diazepam. Experts have also noted the coincidence of such high doses with chronic anxiety, amnesia, sedation, and hallucinations.

Can people Overdose on Lunesta?

It’s possible to overdose on non-benzodiazepines like Lunesta. According to the US Prescribing Information, people have overdosed on up to 90 times the prescribed dose of the medication but have made a full recovery after medical intervention. As per the reports from the same authorities in 2014, the fatalities in case of Lunesta overdose are common with coincidental alcohol abuse only.

The overdoses are not always intentional. Since people develop tolerance to this medication fast, it is common for them to try out higher doses. It can lead to accidental overdose. Timely detection and medical attention can prevent physiological damage. Activated charcoal and gastric leverage are standard procedures for the treatment of an overdose in adults. Doctors often treat an overdose with Flumazenil.

Overdose symptoms can vary from mild to severe, depending upon the quantity of intake. From unnecessary confusion and grogginess, it can escalate to loss of consciousness and short-term amnesia. Severe overdoses can lead to slowed breathing, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. Without proper medical attention, Lunesta overdose can lead to brain damage, comatose, respiratory damage, and even death.

As of last year, there were over 600 isolated cases of Eszopiclone. Most of these cases were attempted suicide. However, the percentage of fatalities was significantly low due to the treatability of Lunesta overdose.

How does Lunesta Interact with Other Drugs and Substances?

When individuals take Eszopiclone along with other sedatives, antipsychotics, opioid, and antidepressants, the risk of central nervous system depression (CNS depression) increases significantly. It also interacts with anti-histamines or allergy medications.

Several medications that suppress the secretion of the CYP3A4 (Cytochrome P450 3A4) enzyme from the liver can cause high chances of CNS depression. The inhibiting medications include ketoconazole, clarithromycin, itraconazole, ritonavir, and nelfinavir.

Alcohol and opioid have additive effects on Lunesta. Cough relievers like codeine and hydrocodone can increase the impact of it as well. Marijuana, sleep-inducing drugs like alprazolam and lorazepam, and muscle relaxants can interact with Eszopiclone.

Is Lunesta the Best Medication for insomnia?

Finding medication to treat insomnia or sleep deprivation is not tricky at all. In fact, it is a bit too easy to come across a considerable variation of drug types that can reduce sleep latency. Most doctors prescribe a generic version of Ambien, Lunesta or Sonata.

If you are currently under treatment for insomnia, you are likely taking Zolpidem, Eszopiclone or Zaleplon. These are the three most popular and well-researched z-drugs in the market. These are all non-benzodiazepines that can induce sleep by producing a hypnotic effect. They have lower dependency levels as compared to benzodiazepines.

The dilemma lies in the condition or environment of the sleep studies. There is extensive documentation on the actions, interactions and side effects of popular sedatives like Ambien or sonata or Lunesta, but the companies have conducted the trials inside sleep laboratories, which are akin to luxury motels.

The conditions of experimentation and tests are different from real life, where a person might have to awake multiple times per night to adjust temperature and humidity. These laboratories are unfamiliar. Hence, they are likely to exacerbate cases of anxiety that compels higher doses of any hypnotic.

Real life data will vary considerably from the lab data. Here’s a brief glimpse of the kind of data the researchers have collected.

1. People between the age of 35 and 54 years stated that Sonata and Ambien worked equally well.
   
2. Participants above the age of 55 years found Lunesta worked best for them.
   
3. The participants also stated that Lunesta had the least side effect among the three z-drugs.

This study involved 414 respondents. It revealed that Lunesta gets an average of 55% of the score and Ambient works for 67% of the time. That leaves a lot of people awake, and craving rest at night. Even with regular medication, people find it difficult to fall asleep.

Several studies in Japan showed that at doses of 2 mg or higher, Eszopiclone is more effective than Zolpidem. The effect was wholly dose-dependent, and the advantage of it vanishes once the amount is lower than 1 mg. The same study also reported a higher incidence of morning drowsiness, confusion and lower levels of alertness in people taking the higher quantity.

It is difficult to say which drug is the best since there are several factors one has to consider during a comprehensive comparison. Therefore, for some people, Lunesta might be the best option due to its short-term effectiveness and high power by reducing sleep-onset latency.

Who Should be Using Lunesta?

Doctors recommend using Lunesta when they require a rapidly acting hypnotic. It is not a permanent solution to your sleep problems. Here are a few situations where your sleep therapist or physician is likely to prescribe Lunesta.

1. You are staying up until late every night (challenges with sleep onset).
   
2. You have trouble getting proper uninterrupted sleep.
   
3. You frequently wake up early in the morning, and you cannot go back to sleep.

In all three cases, one common result is excessive daytime sleepiness and chronic fatigue from not getting enough rest at night.

Who Should not be Using this Sedative?

Like all medicines, Lunesta can cause allergic reactions to some people. If you are allergic to Eszopiclone or any other component in it, you should not be taking Lunesta. It is not suitable for everyone.

If you have one or more of the following conditions, you should speak with your doctor immediately before starting therapy.

1. You have a history of mental illness, depression or recurring self-destructive or suicidal thoughts.
   
2. You have experienced liver disease.
   
3. You have a history of alcohol abuse or drug abuse or any other addiction.
   
4. You are pregnant. It is a Category C drug, and its effects on the unborn baby are unknown.
   
5. You are breastfeeding. The effects of Lunesta on lactation and the quality of breast milk is unknown.

You should always disclose information about other pain medication, vitamin or antidepressants you are taking. It can interact with a plethora of other drugs and compounds.

What is Lunesta’s Mechanism of Action?

Sleep is a result of complication actions and interactions in our body. The brain is the most complex organ and interjecting its sleep mechanism is never easy. A few medications like Lunesta can improve the quality and duration of sleep but understanding the biochemical reaction of the same is of paramount importance to judge its efficiency and risks.  

Eszopiclone works as an agonist for the GABA receptor in the brain. It binds to the GABA molecules and prevents their direct binding to the receptors. As a result, the availability of these molecules increases and this results in the onset of sleep. It is quite similar to many anti-anxiety medicines that work by adjusting the interactions of the GABA molecules and their receptors in the brain.

Lunesta is a very fast acting drug. Therefore, you should take it only when you are ready to go to bed. Unless you have 7 to 8 hours in hand to sleep at a stretch, you should not be taking the medication. Scientists and doctors don’t yet know the complete mechanism of action of Eszopiclone, but they recommend a dosage below 2 mg for adults.

It is safe to say that this drug treats symptomatic insomnia and it does not address the underlying issues (psychological and physiological) that cause it.

What to do In Case you have Missed a Recommended Dose of Lunesta?

You should always take it immediately before you go to bed. Taking it after the heavy meal or excessively fatty food can reduce its efficiency.

If you miss a dose or if you realize late at night that you have forgotten to take the recommended dosage, do not consume the missed Lunesta dose unless you have 7 to 8 hours to sleep it off. It is imperative that you do not take an extra amount of the medication to make up for the missed dose.

Is it Possible to Stop Taking Eszopiclone?

Since Lunesta and other brands of Eszopiclone are highly addictive, it is critical not to take them for an extended period.

Although it is safer than contemporary non-benzodiazepine sedatives, it can pose a severe threat of addiction and abuse. As per the 2013 report from CDC, 4% of US adults over the age of 20 years abuse prescription pills on a daily basis. Sudden withdrawal from the medication can elicit the following symptoms.

1. Increased anxiety and irritability.
   
2. Abdominal cramps, upset stomach, nausea, and vomiting.
   
3. Dizziness, confusion, trouble in sleeping, and mood swings.
   
4. Tremors and hypersensitivity of skin.
   
5. Depression, suicidal thoughts, self-destructiveness and trouble concentrating.
   
6. Sweating, headaches, fatigue, and neurosis.

The symptoms can vary from person to person, and the intensity can depend on the extent of abuse. It is possible to wean off the medication by speaking with your doctor and consulting a psychologist. They usually recommend gradually lowering the dose of Eszopiclone till you are not dependent on it anymore.

What is the Effect of Eszopiclone on Mental Health?

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, there are around 8 million adults in the USA, who suffer from co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. If you have a long history of psychological challenges, you should talk at length with your doctor and psychiatrist before starting Lunesta.

Case studies of the effect of Eszopiclone on patients with schizophrenia show that it is a safe drug that is suitable for the treatment of insomnia. It was a result of a double-blind, randomized study that does not show any effect of this compound on the cognition of the subjects. In fact, there is not much evidence to outline the relationship between Lunesta and insomnia in schizophrenic patients.

There are instances of Eszopiclone making cases of depression worse. People with mental health disorders including recurring bouts of depression, and anxiety can experience deteriorating symptoms during treatment. Studies show that they can find themselves thinking about suicide or self-harm during this period.

People also experience abnormal thoughts and exhibit increased agitation while taking this drug. Additionally, there can be unusual behavior changes. The mental health implication of Lunesta is quite expansive, and you need to understand the cost of getting uninterrupted sleep.

How Should you Take this Sleeping Medication?

You should follow the advice of your sleep expert or general physician closely. Always take it before you head to bed with a glass of water. Most modern sleep medications come in the form of extended-release tablets that you should not break in half or bite through or grind. The recommended dose for adults is between 1 mg and 3 mg. You should take the pill(s) at one go. The total dose should never exceed 3 mg as per the updated recommendations.

The medication can lose its activity and effectiveness if you do not store it in the right conditions. Find a cabinet or storage drawer that is between 59-degrees to 86-degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. Do not keep it in a humid place or an area that receives direct sunlight. Never consume Lunesta if it has crossed the date of expiration.

Taking this medication after a heavy dinner can delay its action by slowing its dispersal and absorption. The mechanism of this drug is still unknown, but research has seen that consuming a high-fat diet for taking Eszopiclone can cause delayed effects.

You should never take this medication in the afternoon. If you are recovering from a recent change in shift or suffering from jetlag, always speak with your sleep expert to understand the implications of this medication on your physical and psychological health.

What is the Most Critical Information you Should know about Lunesta?

Lunesta has been around for almost a decade, but the presence of multiple opinions and controversies make it necessary for you to know a few facts about the medication before consuming it.

• Eszopiclone uses several inactive ingredients, and you can get severe allergic reactions to any of them. It uses lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, and hypromellose. If you have known allergies to any of the compounds, you should speak with your doctor before taking the pills.

• It works fast, and you should never take this medication on your way home from the office or while operating machinery at home before bedtime. Always pop it when you know you have 7 to 8 hours in hand to sleep it off.

• There have been cases where people have taken the medication and then engaged in walking, holding phone conversations, eating, and even driving, but without the memory of it.

• Without proper time to sleep it off, you can experience dizziness, drowsiness, lethargy, cognition impairment, and short-term memory problems on the very next day. These are severe challenges in case you have to drive far for work, or you have to handle heavy machinery during work hours.

• Drinking alcohol is very risky while you are taking Lunesta. In can increase the activity of the medication and it contributes to increased side effects. Taking it with other opioid and muscle relaxants can create an unpleasant hallucinogenic effect that can add to dependence and addiction. Prolonged usage often builds tolerance in adults and people are more likely to increase the dose without consulting their physicians to experience better sleep. It poses threats of overdosing as well as dependence on everyone.

• You should never stop taking the medication suddenly, especially if you are taking a higher dose. Weaning off is the better option since sudden cessation can lead to intense withdrawal symptoms, similar to the kind opioid withdrawal causes.

• People suffering from lung problems including bronchitis, bronchial pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma should refrain from taking Eszopiclone.

• In case, the symptoms of insomnia do not go away with 7 to 10 days of constant Lunesta use, you should talk to your doctor. Sometimes, when the medication does not work, it can elicit adverse effects like increased sleep onset delays, or more extended bouts of insomnia can result from drug interactions.

• Never share this medication with a friend or family member, who might have symptoms similar to yours. It is a drug of abuse, and it is against the law to share Eszopiclone with others. Always keep this medication out of the reach of children and teenagers.

You must always remember that medications belonging to the category of benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics can be highly addictive. Almost all of them have side effects. If there are other ways to overcome your sleeping disorder you should always try them before resorting to Eszopiclone. Lunesta is not the one-stop solution for all sleep deprivation problems, and you should not treat it as one.

Though the mysteries of the human body may largely be unraveled, the complex biochemical activities governing our metabolism continue to puzzle scientists and healthcare experts. Most bodily functions rely on the role of chemical messengers, widely known as hormones, which together with numerous glands, form the endocrine system.

Some of these hormones are ubiquitous among all mammals. It signifies their importance in the maintenance of homeostasis in the mammalian body. One hormone, in particular, is present in the plant system as well. Melatonin or N-acetyl-5-methoxy tryptamine is the first line of defense in plants against oxidative stress. In animals, this hormone regulates the circadian rhythm. Calling it a part of the circadian clock is an understatement since it plays crucial roles in the maintenance of blood pressure, reproduction, and the sleep-wake cycle.

Several organ systems in the human body are directly or indirectly dependent on this hormone. It elicits these responses by binding with the melatonin receptors and sometimes it mediates biochemical mechanisms by functioning as an antioxidant. In its medicinal form, it can treat insomnia or delayed sleep onset. It is a multifunctional compound that acts as a neurotransmitter and a neurohormone. Melatonin is also a neuro-protector that prevents cell damage by working as a potent anti-oxidant.  

Scientific evidence points towards a successful long-term treatment of sleep deprivation in adults and children with melatonin. In the US, Europe, and Canada, you can buy melatonin supplements over the counter. Other countries may require a prescription from a doctor.

Why is Melatonin Overdose Uncommon?

At present, medical professionals rely on melatonin for the treatment of delayed sleep phase syndrome and insomnia. It can mediate the circadian rhythm and advance the sleep onset period.

Melatonin is a hormone that occurs naturally in the human body. The level of the hormone varies from one person to another, but it is not a foreign compound our system has to encounter. Interestingly, the effective dose of the supplement differs considerably between people. It can depend on many factors including age, daytime physical activity, and other medicinal interactions. Therefore, pointing out a melatonin overdose from a blind study is quite impossible.

In short, experts often state that overdosing on melatonin is impossible. However, taking them beyond recommended levels can elicit unpleasant and disruptive side effects. Sometimes, using this supplement for an extended period can result in dependence and habituation. People are also likely to experience a hangover effect from the regular use of melatonin supplements.

How Does Melatonin work in Treating Insomnia?

Today, about 70% of adults in the US report disturbances of sleep quality and duration. Some of them report their inability to fall asleep during designated bedtime for over a few months. Insomnia is the difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep during the night. People with insomnia do not experience restorative sleep. The symptoms include low energy, fatigue, mood disturbances and decreased productivity. Although the primary symptoms are similar, there are two broad classifications of this sleep disorder.  

• Acute insomnia. It usually occurs for brief periods as a result of interruptive activities including stress due to circumstances, work pressure, physical pain or changing sleep cycles due to shift work. It is a passing phase of sleep disruption that usually resolves without medical intervention.
• Chronic insomnia. It is a form of disrupted sleep that occurs at least thrice a week. People with chronic insomnia have a history of disrupted sleep for at least three months. Changes in the environment, inherent psychiatric issues, unhealthy sleeping habits, shift work and interactions between medications can cause long-term insomnia.

Insomnia in the chronic form can be a result of co-morbidity. Understanding the cause-effect relationship between the two issues is quite impossible, leading to complexity of possible treatment options.

A person’s response to light and darkness depends on his or her circadian rhythm. Melatonin mediates the light and dark response. Light or dark information stimulates a pathway that leads to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. As a response to light, it signals the pineal gland that switches on melatonin production and its release into the bloodstream. Serotonin, a tryptophan derivative, is the precursor to melatonin. The pineal gland is the site of conversion of this hormone to melatonin. Several theories state that the high level of biochemical activity of serotonin might depend on its ability to generate melatonin.  

The usual production of melatonin starts at around 9 pm. In case of an average metabolism rate, the level of the sleep hormone increases sharply, and you should feel sleepy by 11 pm to 12 am. The effect of high levels of this compound remains in the blood for over 12 hours, and the levels start dropping in the morning. By 9 am, the presence of melatonin in blood is barely detectable and remains so throughout the day. The activity peaks at around 3 am, which is when people have the most profound sleep. In children, melatonin levels are higher than in adults. That is one of the reasons they need more extended periods of restorative sleep.  

Melatonin is the “hormone of darkness” that promotes the onset of activity in nocturnal animals, and it fosters sleepiness in the diurnal ones. Hijacking this hormonal pathway can give us control over the amount of sleep and quality of rest. Researchers and scientists have been working for years to perfect the dosage and design of melatonin supplements that can mediate sleep pathways and suppress the symptoms of insomnia in the population.

What is the Correct Dose of Melatonin?

Young children should avoid taking melatonin unless a specialist recommends use. Doses as low as 1 milligram and 5 milligrams can cause seizures in children. People’s sensitivity to melatonin varies according to metabolism and underlying physiological conditions. Overdosing on melatonin is highly unlikely, but adverse effects start manifesting in doses in the 30 mg range.

An adult should always start with a safe beginner’s dose around 0.2 mg and 5 mg. That is the lowest dose range that is both effective and safe in adults. Determining the correct dosage can be complicated since it varies with body weight, BMI, age, and sensitivity. Although in several countries it is an OTC product, you should always consult your physician and a sleep expert before beginning melatonin treatment.

What are a Few Things About the Sleep Hormone you Should Know?

Starting sleep medication can bring a lot of changes in your lifestyle. Melatonin is a hormone and taking supplements to increase its level in your system can have many side effects. It can affect your sleeping hours, diet, productivity and daytime temperament.

There are several facts about it you must know before you start taking it. Here are the ten points about melatonin that can help you understand the treatment, contraindications and positive effects of it.

1. Our pineal gland produces this hormone as a response to the light receptors in the retina. This pathway is present in all mammals, but it works differently for nocturnal and diurnal species. Its primary function is to mediate the sleep cycle by monitoring the activity of the clock genes.
2. This darkness hormone is the natural pacemaker of the body. It can signal the body about the time during the day or the time of year. It regulates the internal clock of the body.
3. Melatonin supplements adjust the internal clock of a person. It can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep for 8 hours. People, who do not experience therapeutic sleep benefit from taking melatonin supplements.
4. It is also a short-term treatment for shift working, jet lag and sleep deprivation. Long-term use of this compound can cause complications.
5. Blue light from LEDs and smart devices can hamper the effectiveness of melatonin. You can think of blue wavelength light to be its arch nemesis, and the presence of this light makes it more challenging for people to fall asleep.
6. Therapists and doctors often recommend the use of red light in the ambiance to complement the effects of melatonin. They have the least impact on shifts in circadian rhythm and changes in melatonin levels. They are the perfect choice for bedroom lighting and night lights.
7. This hormone plays a vital role in the regulation of menstrual cycles. Increased levels of melatonin can suppress the synthesis of luteinizing hormone and delay the release of the ovum from the ovary. It can interfere with the frequency, duration, and onset of the menstruation cycles.
8. Doctors prescribe melatonin for the treatment of developmental and learning disabilities including ADHD and autism. The efficacy of the procedure can vary considerably depending on the severity of the challenge.
9. Melatonin and cortisol are antagonists. As the level of the former hormone declines, cortisol levels in the blood increase. It increases as the person wakes up. Therefore, in especially stressful times, people experience an imbalance of the cortisol and melatonin activities causing extended periods of wakefulness and daytime sleepiness.
10. Blind people cannot receive light and dark signals. Therefore, it becomes necessary to modulate their circadian rhythms from the outside with the help of supplements like melatonin that can restore the circadian rhythm.

What Can Qualify as Melatonin Overdosing?

Taking too much melatonin is possible. Usually, repetitive doses above 30 mg can disrupt the sleep-wake cycle in adult individuals. While defining a standard overdose limit for this supplement is impossible since there is no usual safe dose for everyone. However, it is indeed possible to experience at least one or several unpleasant side effects of the medicine.

Doctors usually recommend a dose between 0.2 mg and 20 mg for adults. Several patients take more than the prescribed dose without any severe side effects. In case, your regular treatment of supplements has stopped working, you should speak with your doctor.

If you are thinking about taking a higher than the regular dose of melatonin to boost your sleep onset and duration, you might not get the desired results. Research shows that the half-life of this ingredient is about 50 minutes. That means it exists in the blood only for about 50 minutes before dissipating. There is no chance of improving your sleep quality or duration by increasing the dose of melatonin. Instead, you might wake up with a sullen mood and a bad “hangover.”

What are the Symptoms of Melatonin Overdose?

Studies on proven cases of melatonin overdose show that too much of the substance can have undesirable effects that are contrary to the desired purpose. Too much sleep hormone in your system can make it harder for you to fall asleep. An overdose of melatonin is rarely lethal, but it can leave you groggy and irritable the next day. It can also cause vivid nightmares and bizarre dreams that may make sleeping at night extremely difficult.

In addition to these, you might also experience the following symptoms.

1. Dizziness
2. Nausea
3. Irritability or anxiety
4. Joint pain and back pain
5. Stomach cramps and diarrhea
6. Headaches and wooziness

In fact, some even suffer from the sudden elevation of blood pressure. Taking a supplement without expert advice is not smart. You should always consult your GP and cardiologist if you are taking beta blockers and calcium channel blockers for your cardiac problems.

These side effects are usually ephemeral, and they go away within a day. However, the dizziness, excessive daytime sleepiness, physical pain and headaches can pose a high risk of accidents and bad decision making during the next day. It is unlikely for melatonin to cause symptoms of an overdose on its own, but consumption with alcohol and opioid can elicit severe reactions.

With which Medications and Substances do Melatonin Interact?

Naturally occurring organic compounds have a broad reactivity range. Same is true in the case of melatonin.

1. The supplement interacts with CNS depressants aka sedative medication. Both of them cause drowsiness and dizziness. Therefore, taking the two drugs together can double the effect. Never take melatonin with clonazepam, lorazepam, zolpidem, and Phenobarbital.
2. Caffeine elicits interactions with melatonin since the wakefulness stimulating compound can decrease the effectiveness of the hormonal supplement.
3. Fluvoxamine also interacts with melatonin from time to time. The former increases the amount of the hormone supplement that body absorbs. Consuming them together increases the side effects of the hormone.
4. Diabetes medication can also react with the supplement. The sleep hormone can increase blood glucose concentration by decreasing their affectivity.
5. Birth control medication also interacts with this medication. Therefore, speak with your gynecologist and your sleep expert before starting melatonin therapy.
6. Anti-histamines and immune system suppressants interact moderately to strongly with the natural hormone supplement. Taking it with immunosuppressant can decrease the immunity suppressing the effect of the medications.  
7. Melatonin interferes with the blood clotting mechanism and the anti-coagulant medication that doctors prescribe for patients suffering from a high risk of thrombosis. The supplement can increase a person’s chance of bleeding and bruising.
8. All kinds of benzodiazepine compounds react with melatonin.
9. The medication reacts mildly with flumazenil. The latter compound decreases the effectiveness of the supplements.

How to Avoid Melatonin-alcohol Interaction?

Many of us enjoy the occasional drink after a long day at work. A little alcohol does not affect our health adversely, in fact, it helps us relax and prepare for the next day’s battle. However, is one shot of whiskey or a pint of beer as harmless when you combine it with melatonin therapy?

A combination of melatonin and alcohol is potentially dangerous since liquor can rid your body of melatonin quickly. Although alcohol acts as a sedative, it interrupts your sleep cycle. It can worsen symptoms of sleep apnea and non-restorative sleep. Here are a few of the adverse side effects you might experience if you combine the two.

• Increased drowsiness that makes it extremely difficult for you to operate heavy machinery and drive on the day after.
• Dizziness and confusion that might make walking, talking and regular decision making impossible.
• Increasing irritability, anxiety and fatigue that wreaks havoc on your metabolism and blood pressure.

Combining the two can cause swelling of your extremities, excessive sweating, flushing, and delusion, breathing trouble and fainting. In case you have consumed alcohol and melatonin together, you need to speak with your physician immediately.

To avoid all the trouble, you need to plan your evening. Spread out your socializing so that there is a 2 to 3 hours gap between drinking and your medication. Of course, the duration of wait will depend directly on the amount you have had to drink. Try to stick to 60 ml to 80 ml alcohol for the time you are on the new medication. Since melatonin is only a short-term treatment, this kind of restriction should not disrupt your social life for long.

What are the Top Benefits of the Neurohormone that are Enough to Overrule the fear of Melatonin Overdose?

The FDA does not monitor the quality standards of melatonin. Nonetheless, millions opt for this OTC nutritional supplement from time to time. Why is it so? Why do people keep going back to melatonin, if it poses many risks and threats? It is Completely Natural

Unlike the benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines, melatonin supplements are au naturel. Sleep trouble goes away once you bring this natural supplement into the scene. It can “fix” disrupted circadian rhythms and make up for low melatonin synthesis in the body.

It is instrumental in treating insomnia and delayed sleep onset syndrome in the ages 55 years and older. New, prolonged release formulations are ideal for the treatment of primary insomnia in adults.

It is a Potential Treatment for Prostate Cancer and Breast Cancer

By now, we know that melatonin interacts with the hormones of the reproductive system. That makes us wonder if this compound can treat diseases of the reproductive system as well. Several in vitro studies involving mammalian (human) breast cancer cells show that it can inhibit the growth of tumor cells.

The scientists reproduced the same survey in a mouse model (in vivo). That promises a potential treatment for common hormone-resistant breast carcinoma. At the same time, studies involving prostate cancer show that melatonin levels are much lower in people suffering from prostate carcinoma than in the healthy (control) population. Melatonin can actively inhibit the growth and proliferation of prostate cells in vivo.

Helps Deal with Menopause

All women go through several physiological changes in life. During puberty, the first couple of years go by trying to adjust to the monthly cycles that bring a surge of hormones, cramps, leg pain, nausea, and bleeding. 40 – 45 years after the initiation of the menstrual cycles begins the menopause phase, where an annoying period starts once again. Only this time, the cycle is more ruthless, and it brings forth hot flushes, joint pain, skin irritations, mood swings and hunger cravings.

Several studies involving menopausal and peri-menopausal women and melatonin show that it can lead to the recovery of thyroid and pituitary functions. It is a promising find since a natural compound can finally help with the restoration of post-menopausal health and redressal of menopause symptoms.

It Can help Tackle Fibromyalgia

Imagine living in pain 24/7 without any specific reason. You don’t have to imagine, in case you have fibromyalgia. This disorder involves the severe pain of connective tissues and muscles, all over the body, without any specific cause.

Research over the last few years shows patients taking melatonin supplements to experience decreasing pain and discomfort. The group that took melatonin in combination with fluoxetine (antidepressant) experienced faster improvement. Further research shows that people, who suffer from chronic migraines may benefit from melatonin treatment.

It can Strengthen the Immune System

While we have already asked you not to take immunosuppressant with melatonin, you need to know the reason. The latter increases the strength of the immune system. You can think of it as the “immune buffer” that can act as an anti-inflammatory, anti-infection and immunity boosting agent.

Research points towards the use of melatonin in the treatment of localized infections and edema. The effectiveness of this powerful anti-oxidant in the treatment of systemic infections like septicemia creates a promising future for viral and bacterial immunotherapy.

It can Effectively Reduce the Symptoms of Jet Lag

Jet lag does not fall under the category of delayed sleep or advanced sleep onset disorders or insomnia. Jet lag occurs when you have traveled from one part of the world to another, and your internal clock is not in sync with the external clock.

Documented research shows that 9 out of 10 trials for the “treatment” of jetlag with mild doses of melatonin were successful. It helps people adjust faster to the new external clock, without disrupting their inherent circadian rhythms. As per the research data, doses between 0.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams work well for re-syncing the internal clock.

Melatonin can Help children with Developmental Issues Like Autism

As per a recent publication in the Scientific American, autism levels are on the rise in the US. It may be due to the increasing levels of awareness among the parents and the evolution of better methods of diagnosis in the mainstream, but the research on developmental issues in children are also on the rise.

According to a Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology publication from 2011, 35 individual studies on the effects of melatonin on autism spectrum disorders including Rhett Syndrome and Asperser’s Syndrome show that supplementation of the “sleep hormone” can help with improvement of daytime behavior and better night-time sleep quality.

Helps with Bladder Dysfunction

Bladder dysfunction is quite common among women who have undergone a hysterectomy and in older men. People with bladder problems often suffer from elevated levels of malondialdehyde.

Melatonin helps reduce oxidative stress in the body, and it combats bladder dysfunction. This natural hormone supplement can help you deal with an overactive bladder by lowering the stress elevating hormone malondialdehyde.

It can Reduce Tinnitus

If you have been hearing an annoying buzzing or whirring noise in your ears for some time now, you must already know that modern medicine does not have too many pharmaceutical or surgical cures for it. Tinnitus is an age-old problem for all ages that can be ephemeral or quite permanent. It can even lead to depression, anxiety and constant irritability in adults or children.

Modern research in medicine and diseases shows melatonin to be effective against tinnitus in all ages. Taking 3 milligrams of melatonin for 30 nights in a row can reduce the symptom of tinnitus in adults. It also helps in improving the sleep quality in the same patients.

It is an Excellent Stress Buster

There is no better way to tackle job-related or any other stress in life than getting a good night’s rest. However, only some of the most privileged souls of the world get to sleep each night soundly. Resting has become an unachievable dream for the most of us unless you have access to the natural sleep hormone nutritional supplements.

It controls the levels of cortisol (decreases) that can relieve the stress symptoms in your body. Melatonin is an effective natural way to unwind, relax and get a good night’s rest before your body goes into a fatigue-shock.

It can Also Help Treat Heart Conditions

In 2018, you would be surprised to hear about an adult, who does not have any heart troubles. The surmounting stress and promotion of unhealthy lifestyles can take a severe toll on your cardiac health.

The lack of enough melatonin secretion in your system will increase your blood pressure and create severe pressure on the arteriolar and ventricular walls, and the heart valves. Melatonin supplements can actively reduce the blood pressure and protect the heart. It may even treat cardiovascular diseases.

Where Does Melatonin Occur Naturally?

Melatonin is a natural dietary supplement in the USA, as per the directives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is an OTC product in Canada and the US. Therefore, the restrictions and regulations applicable to medications are not relevant to melatonin (nutritional) supplement.  

There are several food items including fruits, vegetables, seeds, herbs and cereals that contain high levels of the neurohormone. For exampl, bananas, grapes, grains, malt beer, olive oil, plums, rice, and plums contain melatonin. Research shows that when we consume oranges, pineapples, bananas, and grapes our blood melatonin levels increase significantly.

Sticking to a diet of rice, rolled oats, barley, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, mustard seeds, peanuts, tart cherries, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, olives, and grapes is the best way to improve your sleep quality naturally. These are natural reserves of the neuro-protector hormone. Staying away from fatty food and caffeine will help you enjoy the sleep-inducing effects of these foods.

What else Should you Know and Remember About this Darkness Neurohormone?

Earlier, scientists and pharmaceutical companies synthesized melatonin from the bovine pineal tissue. Right now, almost all pharmaceutical companies across the US and Canada produce it synthetically. It reduces any chance of cross-infection and anaphylaxis that was prominent in animal tissue-based cultures.

Several food manufacturers and beverage brands sell melatonin-rich products via grocery stores and departmental stores in different parts of the US and several European nations. Nonetheless, it remains a critical neurohormone and does not become a natural additive in your food. Always check the labels of the melatonin nutritional or dietary supplement you buy for the level of the compound present in the total quantity of food or drink.

Although you may find these supplements outside pharmacies, at your favorite departmental store, you should consult your doctor to lessen the chances of any contraindications. It is imperative in case you are consuming heart medicines, diet pills, birth control pills, anticonvulsants, antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications.

Melatonin supplements can be of various types and powers. Your doctor, psychiatrist and sleep expert can help you determine which one is the right concentration depending on your age, BMI, weight, and other health conditions. Therefore, it is neither smart nor advisable to treat sleeping disorders in children with over the counter melatonin “nutritional” supplements.

In today’s fast-paced world, there exists an unyielding desire to extract more from life. The chance to stop and appreciate the splendor of a sunset often eludes us. It’s uncommon for people to take time to relax and decelerate. This might shed light on the rekindled fascination with the idea of ‘less sleep, more life.’

Simply speaking, it is the concept of breaking down the extended 8-hour sleep schedule per day to several short naps throughout the day. These can be super quick 20-minute resting phases distributed evenly throughout 24 hours, or these can be longer nap durations that allow one non-REM and one REM cycle.

One-third of the US does not get enough sleep per night, but there are several Americans out there, who believe they can do more by cutting down their sleep hours. They might be a small group, but their wish to spend less time on the bed is rattling the belief of the sleep-lovers of the world.

Apart from getting more time to work, think and spend more time with their families, polyphasic sleepers often practice short-duration naps because similar patterns of sleep have always fuelled great ideas and genius innovations. This somewhat “odd” sleeping habit has been becoming popular among the Silicon Valley workers and shift workers.

It is indeed much easier to make the most of the day when you are sleeping for less than 3 hours. According to the seasoned polyphasic sleep practitioners, you can experience the effects of complete rest from fragmented sleep spread out throughout the day.

Is it Easy to Master Polyphasic Sleep?

Most people are monophasic sleepers or biphasic sleepers. They prefer to sleep in long durations, or they take one small nap in the afternoon, usually between 2 pm and 4 pm. In contrary, people, who engage in polyphasic sleep prefer sleeping in short bursts.

As per data from the Polyphasic Society, there are several schedules that people follow all over the world. Experts state that spacing out the naps can maximize the time one spends during REM sleep. Spending maximum time on slow-wave sleep boosts restorative sleep. As a result, they believe regular 8-hour sleep schedules to be unnecessary.

What is the Uberman Sleep?

The Uberman Sleep Schedule is one form of polyphasic sleep. It consists of small 20-minute naps that are equidistant from each other. Usually, six 20-minute naps comprise the complete pattern.

According to the experts, not everyone can be a natural Uberman. However, there are several polyphasic sleepers, who have practiced this schedule for over a year with no severe health impacts. The only constraint in each case was the requirement of a human alarm clock. It is quite impossible for people to stick to this schedule without the help of another human being. The usual 6-nap cycle only takes up 2 hours time during an entire day.

The time-saving and somewhat unconventional sleep schedule has become a popular meme. It has been on the web since the early 2000s and thousands have tried this form of polyphasic sleep over the last few years. For over a decade, fans and followers of the Uberman Schedule have been attempting to perfect their sleep-wake schedules to maximize restoration and to maximize their working potential.

You can think about it this way, if you started today, you would save 5 hours per day, and that would amount to 1,825 hours per year. You would gain about 11 years in total, at an average. That would, of course, depend on when you are starting out and other health conditions.

What is Non-Equidistant Divided Sleep?

The more popular form of the Uberman Schedule is the non-equidistant Uberman. The body and the brain experiences different kinds of sleep throughout the sleeping cycle. In fact, during different parts of the day or night, we are likely to experience different types of rest.

The non-equidistant rest is possible for people who get by on fewer than 6 hours of sleep. You can shift from an equidistant eight nap schedule to a seven-nap schedule and finally to a six-nap schedule by eliminating a late-morning nap. It is all about adaptation and adjustment. The transition should always be gradual. This schedule allows for weekend “sleep-ins” with eight naps and “work days” with six naps.

What are the Different Types of Polyphasic Sleep you can Try?

The first step for adopting a polyphasic sleep is choosing a type. Assess your goals and understand your body’s unique need for rest. Various kinds of polyphasic sleep include the Everyman pattern, Dymaxion pattern, biphasic sleep method and Uberman method.

Everyman Sleep

The everyman sleep is one of the most popular polyphasic sleep patterns. The original schedule consists of a 3-hour core sleep and three 20-minute long naps throughout the day. These naps are equidistant from one another, and their position depends upon our natural drop in alertness or BRAC cycles.

Over the years, it has evolved into a 3.5-hour core sleep with similar nap timings spread throughout the day. The partition of slumber depends upon the external cues your body detects through the retina, liver and several other places. You should always time your core sleep, so your second REM cycle coincides with the end of your sleep.

Uberman Pattern

The Uberman sleep pattern requires people to sleep only about 2 hours per day. It is a borrowed moniker from the theories of Friedrich Nietzsche. It is a polyphasic sleep schedule that consists of six 20-minute naps in four-hour intervals. That means you get to nap at 2 am, 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm. People, who have been practicing the schedule, assure that they experience increased energy.

History shows that prominent artists and eminent musicians practiced similar polyphasic sleep patterns to fuel their creative instincts. The average Uberman claims 91 extra days per year that they can utilize for new projects. Additionally, these Ubermen never experience jetlag and shift-lags since they break free of the bonds natural daylight and night impose.

Dymaxion Sleep

Several research papers postulate that people with a double mutation in the DEC2 gene can sustain themselves for years with extremely short sleeping periods. This mutation increases the chances of people experiencing the regular number of REM cycles and deep restorative sleep phases, even with shorter total sleep durations. Sadly, only about 1% of the human population has this gene.

Buckminster Fuller came up with the concept of the Dymaxion Sleep schedule. People who practice this kind of sleeping patterns take a nap four times a day for 30-minute duration only. These people can quickly get by with fewer than regular REM cycles without any severe impact on their sleep pressure. Although we currently do not have any mechanism to modulate the effects of the circadian rhythm on the human sleep-wake cycles, polyphasic sleepers can successfully reduce the sleep pressure to maximize restoration.

A more realistic Dymaxion sleep schedule includes longer nap durations that are fewer in number. It is an uneven polyphasic sleep pattern that involves four resting stages and four waking stages.

Biphasic Sleep

Biphasic sleep or bimodal sleep is when people divide their sleeping time into two periods. Although there are several forms of biphasic sleep, the extended rest – short nap version is the most popular. Taking afternoon siestas is a common practice in some areas of Europe and Asia. There are two forms of this kind of sleep.

1. Long nap: this includes a 5-hour rest and about 1-1.5-hour nap.
   
2. Short nap: this one involves about 6 hours of sleep per night and a 20-minute gap.

Another favorite schedule is the equally bifurcated sleep pattern, where the sleeper divides his nighttime sleep into two equal parts of about 3.5 to 4 hours each. This form was prevalent in the western European regions in the 18th and 19th region.

French royals used to sleep for about 3 hours during the first phase of the night, wake up to write or read or pray and then go back to bed in the wee hours of the morning.

What is the Evolutionary History of Polyphasic Sleep?

Polyphasic sleep patterns have been around for quite a while. Some people believe that similar sleeping patterns have existed to support sustenance, gathering-and-hunting lifestyle and facilitate complete restoration since the ancient times. Patterns of bifurcated sleep and polyphasic sleep are predominant in the 18th and 19th-century literature.

People have made a few changes in these sleep patterns that have given rise to the modern Uberman sleep and Everyman sleep patterns. No matter how radical these schedules seem, you must remember that none of these are brand new. People have studied the human body responses to circadian rhythms for ages and developed several poly-stage sleep patterns that can foster complete rejuvenation within shorter periods of time.

According to many noted historians and anthropologists, polyphasic sleep has its roots in the environment rather than physiology. Even today, fragmented sleep is common among the younglings of almost all mammalian species. Thomas A. Wher discovered the persistence of biphasic sleep patterns among human beings as far back as 800 BC. His polyphasic sleep study involved a group of 14 subjects. He put them in an artificial environment devoid of sunlight for 30 days.

As his research advanced, he noticed that these subjects started sleeping according to a bimodal pattern. Two 4-5-hour blocks of sleep separated comprised their total, and they lay awake in between these two blocks quite peacefully. That showed the world that the biphasic sleep pattern was, in fact, the most ancient of all sleeping patterns that our bodies naturally adopted. Biphasic and polyphasic sleep might be our “default” rest setting, and we might be struggling in vain to conquer monophasic sleep.  

Interestingly, segmented sleeping patterns may have been prevalent before the founding of the most ancient civilizations. We have the shortest resting phase among all primates and research by the department of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University shows that segmented sleep might have something to do with our cognitive capacities. The shift in sleeping patterns began about 1.8 million years ago. The discovery of fire and adaptation to cave dwelling may have fueled the practice of continuous sleep.

Monophasic sleep enjoyed three-fold advantages including warmth, security of sleeping in groups and better REM sleep that propelled cognition and memory. It only meant the modern human being did not have to sleep as frequently and yet enjoy the benefits of complete rest at night.

Why is it Challenging to Re-adapt to Polyphasic Sleeping Patterns Today?

It seems like evolution pushed us towards the monophasic sleep pattern in the last couple of million years. It might seem counterintuitive to go back to polyphasic sleep until you consider the challenging reduction of the resting hours we are about to experience.

Shifting to a new Uberman pattern or Everyman pattern of sleep can take considerable effort since we are pushing ourselves towards achieving the same level of comfort with reduced sleeping hours. You could say that we are looking towards undoing what millions of years of evolution have done to our physiology and habit.

Adapting to the polyphasic sleeping patterns can be challenging without the correct guidance and help. In addition to a “human alarm clock,” you will need the correct information. The duration of the adaptation process depends on the body’s response to the circadian cues. You can begin by napping every 3-hours or 4-hours depending on the synchronization with your internal body clock. The “zombie mode” is an unavoidable part of the Uberman if you decide to skip the exaptation. Embracing exaptation will help you alleviate these symptoms through the practice of an eight-nap schedule.

For some people, the adaptation process takes shorter than a month, and for few others, it can even take more than a month. Most claim that this period of increasing exhaustion, predisposition to fatigue and occasional sleepiness as per the old monophasic sleep patterns can last for more than a month for the regular sleeper.

Ubermen are usually able to shift their resting patterns without disturbing the natural rhythm. With daily practice, people are often able to overcome their tendency to revert to monophasic sleep. Even missing naps or oversleeping does not interrupt the Uberman routine upon extensive practice.

Why Should you try Sleeping Polyphasically?

We rarely consider the fact that we spend about 26 years (of an average lifespan) in bed. Sleep can boost health, immunity and sustain memory, but it is complicated for many of us to get 8-hour long resting phases on a regular basis.

The correct segmented sleep pattern can help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated with lesser than one-third of the time you spend sleeping right now. Here are a few reasons you should try polyphasic sleep.

You can Dedicate More Time to Regular Activities

Whether it is studying, sports, meeting with your friends or browsing the web, you will be able to do everything, every day, without losing out on essential slow-wave sleep. In fact, with several sleep phases, you will be able to experience more than one first-task-of-the-day!

Go to Bed Late, Yet Wake up Early

All the different types of fragmented sleep support late bedtimes and early wake-up times. You will never have to leave a party early or a movie halfway because it is time for you to hit the hay.

You will also be able to enjoy your morning walks and your morning cup-a-Joe even though you manage to go to bed late. In between, you will not feel tired or the need for going back to bed, if you can perfect your nap schedules.

Better Time Management

Do you always struggle with your work schedule, family time and self-improvement activities? People today feel the lack of personal time more than ever. Finding a balance between our responsibilities and our hobbies is almost impossible.

However, the Ubermen and Everymen state otherwise. They always have time for exploring new things, and yet meeting their responsibilities. These resting patterns enable convenient and flexible scheduling by increasing your net awake time.

Enjoy REM Sleep

Due to the building sleep pressure, you will never have to wait to go into REM phase. Adults spend about 1.5-hours per night in REM. When you break your sleep down to 30-minute naps, the surmounting sleep pressure allows you to delve right into a REM cycle without much prologue. It restores brain activity, boosts cognition and improves general health.

Improved Cognition and Decision Making

REM sleep frequencies can determine the power of cognition among people, and it can boost mental clarity too. It restores the neuron networks and promotes short-term memory conversion.

Therefore, any form of sleep that facilitates REM sleep has the power to provide mental clarity, increasing comprehensive skills, hone problem-solving skills and improve overall mental capacity.

Multiple Short Breaks Throughout the Day

Polyphasic patterns allow space for several brain-breaks in 24 hours. Each nap is about 4 to 6 hours apart depending on your sleep type. With several REM cycles throughout the day, your brain easily reaps the benefits of fast, frequent reboots.

Persistent Happiness

Today, one out of six adults in the US takes antidepressants. The lack of satisfaction, surmounting pressure at work, increasing instances of aggression and unhealthy competition is contributing to the rising frequency of depression among children and adults alike.

Recurrent REM cycles throughout the 24 hours can help them overcome the negativity in their lives that fuel depression. People with diagnoses of depression have found relief after adopting polyphasic sleep for extensive periods. Several informal pieces of evidence show a robust bond between polyphasic sleep and happiness.  

Overall Sleep Quality Improves

Talk about multiple REM cycles and short breaks to reboot the body and the brain! Polyphasic sleep supports quick restoration.

If you think more extended hours of sleep is necessary for better health, then think about all the times you have experienced 10-hours of sleep yet woken up groggy and confused. The renewed sleep schedules might be an answer to that. It can improve sleep stability and density. Rest should always be about quality and not quantity.

Weaning yourself off long hours of sleep is not a new idea but doing so takes some time. You should remember that polyphasic sleep can have different effects on different people and you should always stay in touch with a sleep expert or a physician when you switch to the new pattern of resting.

When Should You not try Polyphasic Sleep?

Several syndromes, existing health conditions, and disorders can take a turn for the worse if you start practicing polyphasic sleep without consulting a general physician or sleep expert first. Several factors should deter you from exercising this kind of a sleep schedule. 

Poor health. People with a severe heart condition, viral infections and other challenges of the immune system should not attempt this form of fragmented rest. There have been several instances of people falling sick within the first couple of days during the adaptation stage due to ill-effects of sleep deprivation. Additionally, research shows the presence of an immunity suppression stage at the beginning that can cause people to fall sick.

Addiction and substance abuse. Alcohol and other drugs impede proper REM sleep. People with a drinking problem should not attempt polyphasic sleep since getting quality sleep in short bursts becomes almost impossible when your brain is on any substance. In fact, people, who have a severe dependence on caffeine, should also refrain from adapting to a new sleeping format. Caffeine delays sleep onset, and this can always compromise the quality as well as the quantity of sleep you get at the end of 24 hours.  

Lousy diet choices. If you are obese or if you are suffering from any deficiency disease, you should always consider your GP before boosting your awake-time. Cutting down on your rest can cause your body to tire out much faster than usual. To successfully adopt a more productive daily routine, begin by improving your diet. Control your blood sugar, monitor your blood cholesterol and blood pressure, before starting the exaptation phase.

Which Famous Personalities have Advocated Polyphasic Sleeping in the Past?

Leonardo da Vinci. He used to sleep for about 1 to 2 hours per day only. But, it did not stop him from creating the Mona Lisa or visualizing the first flying machines. There is an official da Vinci sleep schedule that involves 10 minutes of napping every 2 hours.

Nikola Tesla. He was the king of polyphasic sleep. He has many inventions to his credit, including the methods to generate alternating current. He is famous as the inventor who made it possible to transfer electricity wirelessly for miles. If you are wondering how he found the time to accomplish all this, it might have been possible due to his polyphasic sleep schedule.  

Thomas Jefferson. He was one of those people who woke with the sun and stayed late for all parties. He used to work till late very frequently. His regular resting hours were between 4 to 6 hours long, depending on his workload. In case you are wondering how much polyphasic sleep will affect your functionality, you can inspire yourself by thinking about the founding father of America.

Buckminster Fuller. He is famous for quite a few things, but he is most famous for finding the Dymaxion sleep. It is the portmanteau of the words “dynamic, maximum, tension.” According to the TIME magazine piece of Fuller, he slept polyphasically for over two years, while working on several of his creations.

Salvador Dali. His Burning Giraffe, is as famous as his “Slumber with a Key” resting method. He was well-known among his peers and fans as the artist who never slept. His eccentricity and creativity needed more than the usual monophasic sleep.

He has often mentioned how the sporadic bursts of short-duration rest inspired him to create some of his masterpieces. You can find more details on his unique method of polyphasic sleep in “50 Secrets of Magic Craftsmanship”.

Thomas Edison. Edison was famous for sleeping little and accomplishing a lot. He has over 1000 patents to his name. His ideas and innovations revolutionized the world. Not much is public about his polyphasic practices, but his love for segmented sleep is quite popular.

People in extreme conditions or due to the nature of their jobs have often resorted to fragmented resting throughout the day. This form of scheduled napping is common in the US military, the Canadian Marine pilots, among the astronauts in space, practicing doctors and nurses in the US and even among specific departments of law enforcement in the USA. Under duress, people are often unable to sleep at a stretch for 8-hours straight. They break their total resting necessities in small naps of 20 to 30-minutes each.

How do Food Quality,Nutrition, and Food Timing Affect Controlled Fragmented Sleep?

Food type, nutritional quality, and timing have a lot to do with the sleeping schedule. During the exaptation and adaptation phases, it is imperative to ensure proper intake of nutritional food. Deficiency diseases due to the lack of proper eating habits can become worse due to changing rest schedules.

Eating high-density food like shellfish, seaweed, leafy greens, pumpkins, chia, quinoa, rice and oat bran, cruciferous vegetables and berries help in combating any deficiency that may arise during this period.  

The timing of food intake is just as critical as the composition of food.

1. You should always eat within the first 30 minutes of waking up.
2. You should not eat within 2 hours before commencing the core sleep period.
3. The meal before each nap should be a couple of minutes before you go to bed.
4. You should restrict most of your carbohydrate consumption during the middle of the day (during peak daylight).
5. Think of switching to faster-digesting food since gastric emptying is faster for REM sleep.

There are no specific Polyphasic Diets, but paleo nutrition diets and ketogenic nutrition diets abate fragmented REM-rich sleeping patterns. Ideally, any low carbohydrate, high fat and high protein diet with tons of digestive fibers are great for polyphasic sleep patterns.

What Should you Know Before Committing to a Scheduled Napping Practice?

When it comes to polyphasic sleeping, everyone should start with the Everyman Cycle. Not all physiologies and metabolisms can take the pressure of the Uberman. Biphasic sleep is one of the easiest and least demanding resting styles. No matter how you start or when you start, you need to remember a few points.

• Always start out slowly.
• Start with the easiest schedule that suits your body and resting needs.
• Avoiding caffeine altogether might be a bad idea in the beginning. Restrict coffee to the mornings.
• Always have a system of waking you up at the end of a REM cycle. It will prevent you from waking up all groggy. 
• Learn how to control your dreams. Lucid dreaming can boost your creativity and awareness.
• With all the extra time in hand, you should learn mindfulness meditation. Meditation will boost your cognition, mental capacity, and restoration.

It’s alright to fail. Changing your sleep schedule from monophasic to biphasic and finally to polyphasic has never been easy. In case, you fail to stick to your new routine and oversleep at times, and you should always try to commit to the next sleeping cycle. Remember not to give up. Good things in life always take a little time and a lot of practice. You are looking forward to gaining over 21 years of extra time. It is entirely justified if you have to struggle for a couple of weeks to perfect the pattern.  

The millionaire entrepreneurs, inventors, and artists have mastered the art of replacing long duration sleep with short naps over the years. Only a few with rare mutations in their genome can make do with as less rest as 5 hours throughout their lives with almost no repercussions.

Not everyone can achieve restful sleep. Many individuals often experience leg movement while sleeping, and there are those who sporadically move their arms as well. It’s clear that these symptoms are associated with a neurological disorder. Due to its negative effects on sleep quality, experts categorize it as a sleep disorder. The intensity of this issue varies among individuals.

Restless legs syndrome or Willis-Ekbom Disease (RLS or WED) is not a new disorder. It has been around since the beginning of humanity. It begins with an irresistible urge to move the legs. Some describe this sensation as “itchy” or “pins and needles.” The seriousness usually depends on how bad these sensations are. People often find respite during constant motion of the limbs. The feelings typically become worse during the evenings and nights. The itch or the pain can become intolerable when a person is in bed.

We often have trouble if we manage to hurt our leg or pull a muscle. It is easy to understand how disrupting persistent discomfort and itching of their lower limbs can be. It often leads to excessive daytime sleepiness, and RLS interferes with the daily quality of the affected individual’s life.

How Commonly Does Restless Legs Syndrome Occur?

Restless legs syndrome affects about 10% of the US population. It affects both genders, but it is more common among women. Sometimes, women experience periodic limb movement and restless legs for the first time during pregnancy. There is no particular age for the onset. There are cases of children suffering a case of restless legs as well.

The prognosis is usually severe in the event of a middle-aged patient. It is a disorder that is not easy to diagnose. Doctors often misdiagnose it as other sleeping disorders. It is usually prevalent among Caucasians who are around 59 years old. It has a high incidence in the North American and European countries. It is not as familiar in Asia.

In the last decade, there has been a significant rise in the number of people suffering from WED. The numbers rose higher with each survey and study between the early 1990s and late 2000s. Since it is relatively easy to misidentify the syndrome and its symptoms, thorough diagnosis as per the ICSD criteria is necessary to confirm the presence of the disorder in predisposed individuals.

What are the Symptoms of Primary and Secondary RLS?

The symptoms of RLS are diverse that can range from “mild persistent itching” to “creeping crawly” feeling that won’t cease. Relaxing, sitting, reading or lying down exacerbates the symptoms. Experts have classified this as a “spectrum” disorder that potentially results in sleep deprivation and impairs the quality of life. The symptoms can start during the childhood of the affected person.

The uneasiness during resting state usually disappears on its own, but for a few, the sensation and difficulty to commit to a state of rest can continue well into adulthood. The Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation conducted a study that showed 45% of their patients experienced their first case before they were 20 years old.  

The descriptions of the uneasy feeling due to RLS, as per the accounts of people suffering from this disorder, are as follows.

1. The unstoppable urge to move the lower limbs that results from uncomfortable feelings in their legs. It can occur in the arms and other body parts as well.
   
2. The constant motor restlessness that relieves the urge and the unease.
   
3. Relaxation and lying down usually worsens the situation.
   
4. There is significant variability in the symptoms according to the day-night cycle. The symptoms worsen with progressing night.

Depending on the symptoms and the causes, experts have categorized restless legs syndrome into two categories.

• Primary RLS. The primary form of the disorder is idiopathic. It means it has no known cause and it begins a late stage. Primary RLS progresses slowly after the 40s, and it can disappear without any indication for months or even years. The primary form is often progressive, and the symptoms worsen with age. In case of children with restless legs, doctors often misdiagnose it as growing pains.

• Secondary RLS. The Secondary form does not have a progressive nature. The restlessness, itching or pain can appear suddenly after the age of 40. It is usually continuous. People do not find a week’s or a month’s respite like in case of the primary disorder. In most cases, it is a result of side-effects of other medications or medical conditions.

What are the Leading Causes of Willis Ekbom Syndrome or Restless Legs Syndrome?

Since the manifestation of the disorder is diverse among individuals, the causes of RLS can also vary. In the last two decades, there have been several studies that have reported multiple contributing factors to the Willis Ekbom Syndrome.

1. Iron deficiency is common among 20% of the cases that experts have studied up until today. A foundational study on RLS noted that out of the observed facts of RLS, 34% of the patients had iron deficiency. Over 80% of the children, who were part of a study that investigated the cause of the disorder, had ferritin or stored iron deficiencies.
   
2. Many other conditions occurring alone or simultaneously can lead to the development of RLS. Varicose veins, folate deficiency, magnesium deficiency, Parkinson’s disease, POTS, thyroid diseases, peripheral neuropathy, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases can be the underlying causes of RLS.
   
3. Pregnancy can worsen the symptoms of this disorder. It can be due to the reduced levels of iron in the mother’s system or due to new reasons arising from a change in hormone levels and neurotransmitter levels.
   
4. Individuals with ADHD often exhibit periodic limb movement disorder and RLS. The association often depends upon the dysfunctions of the neurotransmitter dopamine. A study from 2005 showed that people with ADHD had a higher chance of developing RLS. In fact, according to this study, up to 26% of the patients with RLS had ADHD, and about 44% of the patients with ADHD suffered from co-existing RLS.
   
5. The presence of several RLS loci increases the person’s predisposition towards the disorder. The studies reveal that over 60% of the cases are familial and the disease passes down from one generation to another in an autosomal dominant fashion. The penetrance varies significantly depending on the extent of linkage between the six loci scientists have isolated this far. The MEIS1, MAP2K5, and BTBD9 contribute to the pathogenesis of RLS. Periodic limb movements in sleep depend on several genes and chromosomes including the BTBD9 gene and the PTPRD gene.
   
6. Several medications can accelerate the progression of RLS. Medicines can even cause it secondarily. These medicines include antidepressants, withdrawal from benzodiazepines, antihistamines, antiemetic, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and rebound from alcohol can create secondary RLS as well.
   
7. Primary and secondary RLS can become worse with surgeries of any kind. Back injuries and subsequent operations often contribute to restless legs. The cause and effect of injuries and surgeries are still not well established.

The mechanism of the disease relies on the dopamine and iron system. Experts have noted several differences in the dopamine and iron-related markers in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with diagnosed cases of RLS.

How Do Experts Diagnose WED?

Currently, there are no specific tests for the diagnosis of restless legs syndrome. However, several non-specific laboratory tests can rule out vitamin deficiencies. Four symptoms confirm the diagnosis in adults and children.

1. The restlessness creates an insatiable urge to move the lower limbs. Sensations of pain, pricking, tingling, burning and numbness accompany the call to be mobile.
   
2. The sensation begins with relaxation or an extended period of staying still.
   
3. The symptoms of RLS become more severe as the night progresses. In a few cases, the restlessness can persist during the daytime.
   
4. The movement of the legs or arms provides temporary relief from the agitation and painful sensation temporarily.

Apart from these four symptoms, there can be several indicators that your doctors should be able to diagnose. It is wiser to consult a sleep specialist or a neurologist. Doctors need to conduct physical examinations on the patients for determining the underlying physical discomforts that can trigger RLS.

Sleep studies rarely help with the diagnosis of WED. A sleep study can measure the quantity and the quality of sleep. The disorder can cause sleep deprivation, but that is not sufficient to diagnose the disease. Research has been going on for improving the diagnostic procedures that can determine RLS.

Your GP can assess the intensity of your symptoms, for example –

1. The frequency of your symptoms.
   
2. The intensity of the unrest.
   
3. The distress your symptoms may cause on a regular basis.
   
4. The extent of interruption it causes to your daytime routine due to the lack of rest.

Maintaining a sleep diary can help your GP or your sleep expert understand the progression of RLS. Recording your daily bedtime, wake-up time and other sleeping habits can help them understand the underlying cause of the disorder and the seriousness of it.

Are There Medicine-Free Ways to Treat Willis Ekbom Disorder?

In most patients, the symptoms disappear and reappear autonomously. Right now, there is no particular cure for the disorder, yet there are ways to alleviate the unease it causes.

Some medications lessen the crawling feeling or electric pain in the legs, but there are several alternative treatments you should try to improve the quality of your night-time rest. Here are a few drug-free steps you can attempt to enjoy some relief from the symptoms.

Good sleep routine. Not having a regular sleep schedule can make RLS worse. Going to bed at the same time every night helps regulate your sleep regime. It helps your body conform to resting hours. It might help to get in bed at around 11 pm, or 12 am. Going to bed a couple of hours later than usual can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Use non-blue LEDs, dim lighting, and keep digital screens out of your bedroom. Keep your bedroom dark, comfortable, and relaxed.

Mind your supplements. Iron plays a vital role in determining the severity of the disease. In the event of a definite diagnosis, your doctor is most likely to recommend regular iron supplements. Folic acid, Magnesium, and Vitamin B12 level fluctuations worsen the effects of this disorder. GPs often recommend daily supplements of the vitamins and minerals to combat restless legs.

Temperature. Try taking a hot shower or soaking in a warm bath before bedtime. Try using a heating pad under your legs or put an ice-pack under your calves. You can also the temperature of the muscles that suffer the most during the episodes. Sometimes, a change in the heat can help relieve the stress.

Massage. You can go for the occasional spa or give yourself a nice warm massage to soothe your worn muscles. Rubbing your calves can loosen the muscles and reduce the pain. Ligaments and tendons often suffer from tiredness due to the constant contractions. Massaging can help you get a good night’s sleep.

Electrical stimulation. A neuromuscular disorder like this one often benefits from electrical stimulation. This process involves controlled electrical vibration of your toes and your feet. People often find relief from the symptoms, when they practice it for a couple of minutes before sleep.

Acupuncture. It is a prevalent practice among people with RLS. No scientific study seconds this method. However, people try this to relieve their symptoms.

Exercise. Simple stretching exercises, yoga, and even regular walks can help with RLS. Working out on a regular basis can help you reduce your anxiety and stress levels. You can also try deep breathing and mindfulness meditations every day for relief. Research shows that Tai Chi, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation helps with busting stress.

What are the Medicines that can Combat the Effects of WED?

Several medications can make a difference. In several instances, RLS occurs sporadically in patients and GPs prescribe medications only when they have the symptoms. Here’s a list of medications that treat RLS.

Dopamine agonists. These are the first line of defense against RLS. This class of drugs includes pramipexole, rotigotine, and ropinirole. They act as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Dopamine agonists act like the molecule and bind to dopamine-receptors in the organ. It is not devoid of side effects such as nausea, lightheadedness, and excessive daytime sleepiness.

Dopaminergic agents. These molecules increase the level of dopamine in the brain. It can improve RLS symptoms over time. Some people often experience worsening of symptoms after daily use. Side effects can also include vomiting, dyskinesias, and hallucinations.

Opiates. These are common pain relievers, but they also work wonders on RLS. Hydrocodone is the most popular opiate that can treat this syndrome. However, they are highly addictive, and people can become dependent on them. Doctors usually prescribe opioids only when there are no alternatives available.

Benzodiazepines. Alprazolam, clonazepam, and temazepam are benzodiazepine derivatives that work as sedatives. Although they do not help with relieving symptoms, they help you sleep through the night.

Anticonvulsants. Restless legs syndrome is not a manifestation of convulsions or cerebral seizures, but medications like gabapentin can relieve RLS. It can ease nerve pain and chronic pain that people experience during WED.

Alpha2 agonists. These molecules activate nerve cells that can control the movements of the nervous system. They stimulate the alpha2 receptors in the hind part of the brain and dampen the involuntary movements.

Physical therapy is beneficial for the treatment of restless legs syndrome. However, all sorts of physical therapy give better results when patients couple them with proper sleep habit. Additionally, staying away from caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and tobacco can help with redressal of the symptoms of the disorder.

Dopamine medications usually lose their effectiveness over time. You might even notice the symptoms returning earlier during the day. This process is augmentation, and during this stage, doctors typically substitute these medications with newer ones to combat the problem. Many of the drugs that treat RLS are not safe during pregnancy.

Sometimes, alternative therapies work during the first two trimesters, but the last trimester can be particularly bothersome. Sometimes, antipsychotic medications, anti-allergic medicines, cold medication and antiemetic can exacerbate the symptoms of RLS/WED. During medical treatment of restless legs, it pays off to stay away from stimulants like caffeine.

What are the Triggers of RLS in Adults?

There might be multiple genetic factors that contribute to the incidence of the disease, but several environmental factors contribute to the beginning of each episode. There is more than one daily trigger of RLS and knowing them may help you control the symptoms and progression of the disorder.

1. Sitting still for long periods. When people sit for long forcibly, the flare can increase and they can experience worse pain. The only way to reduce the flare or avoid it is by booking aisle seats on flights, using standing or adjustable desks so you can work standing up and move around more during the day.
   
2. Boredom. That sounds generic, but not working out or not being active enough can increase the symptoms of RLS. Activeness can improve the symptoms of RLS and enhance the mental state. It also helps people fall asleep faster.
   
3. Working out too much. It can be a leading cause of your discomfort. Activity can improve cases of RLS, but strenuous workouts can aggravate inflammation of tissues and contraction of muscles.
   
4. Too much caffeine. Drinking too much coffee can make your muscle tissues more restless than usual. Caffeine can interfere with the regular sleep onset patterns and sleep quality. Drinking a lot of caffeine can increase wakefulness and delay the sleep onset time.
   
5. Varicose veins. Older people often find it difficult to fall asleep due to the pain weak veins or venous insufficiency. Blood usually pools instead of flowing in the correct direction. It can induce strain in the lower extremities, swelling, fatigue and night cramps. Thermal ablation and laser therapy can help with cases of varicose veins.

What are a Few Ways of Preventing the Recurrence of RLS?

Keeping a few daily triggers of RLS in mind can prevent you from staying awake all night or pacing around to alleviate the uneasiness.

• Finding relief from this sensorimotor condition can be very difficult. Creeping, prickling and crawling sensations in your legs can be classic symptoms of restless legs. A few personal improvement steps can help you work on the symptoms of your disorder.

• Avoid napping during the bedtime. Biphasic sleep or polyphasic sleep works marvelously for a few, but those with RLS usually do not do so well with regular daytime naps. Not giving in to your daytime sleepiness can help you get better quality sleep.

• Relax during your bedtime. Apart from literally warming your bed up with heating pads or hot water bottles, you need to warm up to the idea of sleep. You need to keep your mind occupied. Count sheep or imagine going on a date with Zac Effron, either way, make sure your thoughts are far away from worrying.

• Try taking a walk after dinner. Walking your dog or strolling in the neighborhood with your kids can help you get just the right amount of sleep you need for proper rest. After returning from your walk, soothe the sore muscles on your leg with a nice warm bath. Add lavender essential oils, ylang-ylang oil or bergamot extract for enjoying the right muscle relaxing properties of natural compositions.

• If you are experiencing the attacks of RLS only recently, after you have started a new medication or a new supplement, you need to speak with your doctor. Willis Ekbom Disease can be a side effect of several drugs, including herbal medicines. Find out if any new medication you are consuming can cause the symptoms of restlessness in your limbs.

• Work hours have a significant impact on your health and the RLS symptoms. Ease out the pressure at work by taking 5-minute breaks every hour. You will feel the difference once you manage to get out of that chair and walk around a bit. In fact, try to skip that post-lunch coffee. Replace it with a short walk or some easy (publicly accepted) stretching.

Your lifestyle choices will have significant effects on the outcome of your RLS. Everything you do, eat and drink throughout the day contributes to the comfort level you experience while in bed at night. If you are suffering from WKD at the present moment, you need to ensure that you make all the right choices that may lead up to a sound night’s sleep. Releasing the stress at the end of a long day makes a lot of difference to people suffering from a severe case of RLS.

EDS and RLS: How are they Related?

Patients with restless legs syndrome often find themselves wide awake at night. The pain, discomfort, and anxiety keep them sleepless night after night. Several studies show a strong correlation between RLS and excessive daytime sleepiness. It is understandable that people with RLS will not get enough rest during the night. Hence, they often feel overwhelming tiredness by 10 am next day. However, without professional medical assistance, they might find it difficult to fall asleep due to the chronic discomfort in their lower limbs.

Persistence of RLS for more extended periods often leads to similar crawling feelings, tugging sensations and pain in their hands as well. An article in the Journal of European Neurology states that treating RLS and EDS with dopaminergic agents can improve both cases dramatically.

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder vs. Restless Legs Syndrome

Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) may appear to be synonymous with many, but they are two distinct disorders that disrupt regular rest for the patients. Since they have different causes and effects, it is essential for the doctors to figure out which disease you have to treat it effectively.

During PLMD, a patient’s limbs move multiple times during a particular period. It is different from the spasmodic movement of legs as one tries to fall asleep. These happen during the non-REM stage of sleep, and people often do not know if they suffer from this condition. It is possible since PLMD is an involuntary action and the patient can sleep uninterruptedly through the episodes.

In case of RLS, patients do not experience involuntary movements. They move their legs in the hope of finding relief from the unnatural feeling that arises from sensorineural dysfunction. It keeps the patient awake and interferes with the quantity of one’s sleep.

While RLS can occur in about 15% of the population in the US, PLMD is common among only 4% of the population. At the same time, excessive daytime sleepiness and extreme fatigue are the effects of both conditions.

Several prevailing medical conditions can lead to Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and Restless Legs, including the following –

• Isaac’s syndrome

• Fibromyalgia

• Chronic lung disease

• Vitamin B12 deficiency

• Anemia and hemoglobin deficiency

• Myelopathy

• Peripheral neuropathy

• Amyloidosis

• Huntington’s Chorea

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

• Uremia (kidney related toxicity)

• Leukemia

• Diabetes mellitus

Similar to RLS, several medications can cause PLMD.

What is the Prognosis of Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome can worsen with age. It usually happens when the person does not seek medical assistance.Present day medical science and research recommends many physical therapies and medications that can levy the symptoms of the disorder.

Some patients experience long periods of remission. During these brief periods, the restlessness may disappear for days or weeks, but they eventually reappear. However, the presence of restless legs does not always indicate the presence of other neuropathologies.

Coping and Support

Living with RLS or WED can be challenging due to the lack of sufficient rest and the extreme levels of fatigue. Here are a few things you can do to make it easier for yourself.

Tell others about your disorder. Speak to your spouse or significant other about your case of RLS. It is not pleasant for anyone to sleep with a “kicky” partner. Talk about your problem to your coworkers and your friends, so when they catch you pacing up and down the aisle they will understand your obligation.

Do not be lazy. We know how much a comfortable chair or a bed can entice a sleep-deprived soul, but you need to resist the temptation. Make it a habit of moving around and taking the stairs to your office every day. Working out on a regular basis can be impossible for any office-goer, so make the best of the time you have in hand.

Maintain a sleep journal. A sleep journal should contain each bit of information about your bedtime, waking time, alarm details, quality of sleep, dream quality and incidences of restless legs. If the symptoms of RLS occurred twice this month, you need to write down every detail about it including at what time it happened and how long it continued.

Ask for professional help. Several support groups put people with RLS in touch with each other and their families too. Participating in a group discussion or regular meetings can help you gain new insights on pain management, alleviation of restless symptoms and improvement of sleep quality.

Preparing for facing your RLS with the help of a professional.

During your first visit to a sleep specialist or a neurologist, you can expect a flurry of questions. It always pays off to prepare in advance. Find out the following information to help your doctor.

1. Which words would you choose to describe your symptoms?
   
2. Are you tired during the daytime?
   
3. Do you consume caffeine?
   
4. Are you a regular drinker and smoker?
   
5. Do you get enough exercise?
   
6. What is your sleeping schedule?
   
7. How much do you move about at night?
   
8. When do the symptoms usually start and how long do they continue?
   
9. Do you have trouble while lying down, sitting or sleeping?
   
10. What is your diet type? Do you suffer from nutritional deficiencies?

The RLS is a severe disorder that compromises the quality and extent of sleep in adults as well as children. It can take a hefty toll on regular productivity and daily functions. Seeking professional help can help you overcome the discomfort and embrace the pleasure of sleep once more.

Have you ever pondered the idea that perhaps Sleeping Beauty was just experiencing a normal sleep and merely “forgot” to wake up? Modern research into hypersomnia, or the condition of sleeping too much, indicates that it’s entirely possible for people, especially teens, due to modern ways of living, to sleep for prolonged durations, much like Sleeping Beauty. Indeed, almost 40% of US workers suffer from a sleep disorder of some kind.

Hypersomnia or hypersomnolence occurs under the category of sleep-wake disorders in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – 5). Now, you may be wondering if the bouts of extended hours of sleep and daytime sleepiness you have been experiencing off late are signs of hypersomnia. Thankfully, not all episodes of excessive sleep fall under the category of this neurological disorder. Unless you have been suffering from repetitive bouts of extended periods of rest and excessive daytime sleepiness for the past three months, you do not have to worry at all. Sleep-wake disorders like this one usually have a lasting impact on a person’s thinking and cognition.

Due to modern lifestyle choices, almost 40% job holders in the US suffer from some form of a sleep disorder or the other. Interestingly, doctors, nurses, and researchers are no exception.

What is the Correct Definition of Hypersomnia?

The medical community refers to hypersomnia through various names including the more common hypersomnolence. One of the prominent signs of it includes excessive sleepiness during the daytime. This form of sleep disorder involves sleep drunkenness, disorientation, confusion, slowness, and poor coordination. However, hypersomnia does not include the classic sleep attacks usually seen in case of narcolepsy Type I and Type II.

There is a significant lack of immunogenetic features and polysomnograph evidence to characterize hypersomnolence. Sometimes, people with this particular disorder fall asleep during any time of the day, and they might also suffer from other sleep-related problems that begin with a chronic lack of energy during the daytime.

Case Studies of Hypersomnia

A recent publication by the Sleep Research Society studied the sleep disorder database of over 6000 patients from all states of the US. All of them had some form of sleep disorder that doctors had previously diagnosed.

The study involved a retrospective study of the 777 patients with idiopathic hypersomnolence. It showed that these people were more likely to experienced long duration of unsatisfactory daytime naps and slow-wave sleep. Most of the idiopathic hypersomnolence patients had a family history of sleep-wake disorders.

About 89% of the patients had a history that spanned several years, and only about 11% of them showed spontaneous remission. This kind of natural cure is absent from cases of narcolepsy. Several forms of hypersomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness show improvement over time with continuous medication and unique combination of sleep-modifying drugs.

What Causes Excessive Drowsiness During the Daytime and Hypersomnia?

There can be several causes of excessive daytime sleepiness and hypersomnia. The reasons can vary considerably depending on the age, profession, and lifestyle of the sufferer. It can result in an arbitrary classification of the disease, symptoms and their causes. Here are some of the more prominent causes of the disorder;

1. Several sleep disorders including narcolepsy and sleep apnea can give rise to this condition of excessive sleep.
   
2. Weight management problems and lack of exercise are other prominent causes.
   
3. Sleep deprivation can build the foundation for EDS in the long-run.
   
4. A long history of drug abuse and alcohol abuse can also contribute to hypersomnia.
   
5. Excessive use of tranquilizers, new antidepressants, and mood stabilizers often lead to EDS symptoms.
6. Excessive sleepiness can have a strong genetic influence as well.
7. Sometimes, EDS can be a symptom of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
8. New or old head injuries can lead to abnormally long hours of sleep.
9. Autoimmune diseases including Multiple Sclerosis can lead to hypersomnia in many.
10. Endocrine diseases and metabolic disorders.
11. Infections and toxin-induced hypersomnia like in the case of sleeping sickness.
12. Long recurrence of depression and depressive episodes can exacerbate EDS and hypersomnia.

In the general population, the complaints of excessive daytime sleepiness are often as frequent as 5 out of 100 adults. Between 5% and 10% of the people, who check into sleep clinics with complaints of excessive drowsiness during the daytime receive idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) diagnosis. It is only 0.5 times as common as narcolepsy.

In a study involving 77 patients, the mean age of diagnosis was around 30. The onset usually occurs between 10 and 30 years of age. The mean age of onset of IH among the observed group of patients was about 17. It has no gender bias, and in a larger group of subjects, hypersomnia usually affects 4% to 6%. As you can see, the epidemiology of hypersomnia is distinct from that of Idiopathic Hypersomnia. The latter is a subset of the sleep-wake disease, although several people use the terms synonymously.  

Why is the Differential Diagnosis of Hypersomnia Necessary?

Since this sleeping disorder can be of various types, medical professionals, sleep experts, and researchers often require learning the specific nature of the disease to treat it properly. Some individuals have more than one form of hypersomnia, and they need particular treatment that can address the causes at the very roots. Even when the reason for a specific case of excessive daytime sleepiness is apparent, the expert needs to assess the exact extent of the contribution of this cause to the EDS for dispensing proper treatment.

Hypersomnia can be primary or secondary hypersomnia mimics. Having more than one underlying causes often means juggling more than one type of the sleeping disorder throughout life. The complications due to multiple underlying conditions result in difficulties during diagnosis. For example, people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea may experience EDS due to obstructions in their airway, but there can be additional factors like obesity, brain hemorrhaging or narcolepsy that may contribute to the severity of their disease.

What are the Primary Hypersomnias?

There are only a few forms of true primary hypersomnias including narcolepsy, Klein Levin syndrome and idiopathic hypersomnia.

Primary Hypersomnia Mimics

Several genetic diseases can contribute to sleep disorders like hypersomnia. Norrie disease, Niemann-Pick syndrome, myotonic dystrophy and Prader-Willi syndrome are some of the most prominent causes of hypersomnia. The precedence of EDS in these cases usually occurs with other diseases that include several secondary objectives. For example, cases of myotonic dystrophy occur alongside sleep onset REM periods (SOREMPs) like narcolepsy.  

• Several neurological disorders often elicit EDS symptoms of primary hypersomnia.

• Brain tumors.

• Strokes and lesions in the brain.

• Disorders and diseases of the thalamus.

• Diseases of the brainstem and hypothalamus.

• Neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple system atrophy.

• Head traumas and early stages of hydrocephalus can lead to severe cases of EDS.

In each of these cases, it is essential to rule out the secondary causes of the disease. There have been reported cases of secondary narcolepsy in individuals with a head injury that was initially asymptomatic.

What are the Frequent Cases of Secondary Hypersomnias?

Sleep quality altering diseases reduce the duration and frequency of restorative sleep. It leads to feelings of excess fatigue during the daytime, during which people find themselves dozing off without any preface.

• The secondary forms of hypersomnolence are widespread. It can be a secondary symptom of several related or unrelated disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, obesity, encephalitis, and clinical depression.

• Sleep apnea, side effects of medication, autonomic nervous system disorder and central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, breathing difficulty during sleep and physical trauma can all lead to EDS symptoms at one time or another in the future.

• Upper airways resistance syndrome (UARS) is a type of sleep apnea that causes hypersomnia most often in middle-aged adults. It coexists with EDS just like narcolepsy, in about 4% of the male US adults.

• Neuromuscular diseases, dystrophies of the spinal cord and other painful conditions leading to insomnia can cause hypersomnolence as a secondary effect.

• Autoimmune diseases like Grave’s, celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis often occur with instances of secondary hypersomnia. Morvan’s syndrome and Lupus cause it too.

• Anemia, hypothyroidism, mononucleosis, Whipple’s disease, and Guillain Barre syndrome often result in EDS symptoms among adults.

• Restless legs syndrome (RLS) and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD/PMLS) can cause secondary hypersomnia among young adults and middle-aged adults alike. There are a few studies that debunk the relationship between PMLS and EDS.

• People often report instances of secondary hypersomnolence due to increasing frequency of obesity, diabetes, acromegaly (too much growth hormone) and hepatic encephalopathy.

• Instances of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome often coincide with cases of secondary hypersomnia. Researchers and sleep experts have isolated abnormal activity of alpha wave activity during NREM sleep that is responsible for the EDS in these cases.

Over the years, scientists have also associated several mood disorders, chronic depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders with EDS. Multiple medications, especially antidepressants and mood-altering compounds can interfere with sleep duration. It is essential to wean off these medicines to prevent any form of withdrawal. Chronic sleep deprivation as a result of lifestyle choice also contributes to symptoms of secondary hyper-sleep considerably.

What is the Treatment for Hypersomnia?

At present, there is no complete cure for the disorder. It is mainly due to the massive number of variations in the causes and the symptoms of it. However, research shows that management of lifestyle and improvement of sleep hygiene can make a huge difference in the quality of rest the patients get each night. It is quite the same for people with idiopathic hypersomnia (IH).

There are no specific cures since scientists and researchers do not understand the mechanism of this sleep-wake disorder completely. You will find several FDA approved the medication for narcolepsy, but there are hardly any of the different forms of primary hypersomnia and primary hypersomnia mimics.

There are several wake-promoting medications that doctors often prescribe for narcolepsy, but people often use them for treating their IH. The lack of documentation and studies on these treatments make the treatment quite risky for all. In fact, several patients do not achieve the same level of remission with the same medications that treat narcolepsy Type I and Type II.

Behavioral therapy does not work as well for IH as it does for other sleep-wake disorders. There is little evidence that proves the impact of sleep hygiene improvement on this disease. You might be tempted to try out polyphasic sleeping patterns and planned naps, but years of observation and investigation have shown that these naps are usually for long hours and unrefreshing. However, behavioral therapy can help in controlling the emotional responses to EDS.

Losing hours of work and social life to excessive sleep can invoke anger, frustration, and depression in many. Extensive counseling is often necessary for new partners of people suffering from prolonged episodes of IH. Children often require additional emotional support due to the lack of social life, and friends.

In several cases of idiopathic hypersomnia, experts have recommended the use of conservative behavioral therapy that focuses on behavioral modifications. Some of these behavior modification programs and counseling sessions often bear more significance with the simultaneous introduction of modafinil and atomoxetine like medications.

Some of the treatments need to be more aggressive with the introduction of wake-promoting agents like sodium oxybate and other high dose stimulants since CNS stimulants are lesser active than they usually are for narcolepsy. The approach towards the treatment and management of IH needs to be empirical and not generic.

Is there a Treatment for Recurrent Primary Hypersomnia?

While most of us would love to sleep on the weekdays and occasionally sleep until afternoon, we do not think that someone, somewhere in the world sleeps for 23 hours a day.

Imagine missing most of your life because you are sleeping all the time and when you are awake, you are dazed, and someone is force feeding you and keeping you clean. It is the “Sleeping Beauty” syndrome (Kleine-Levin Syndrome) we had referred to earlier. This syndrome can affect both boys and girls. The symptoms begin without any warning when they are in their early teens. As a result, they end up missing most of their school life, their friends, the Prom, and almost everything else. Even getting a driver’s license becomes impossible until the syndrome simply ups and leaves, as suddenly as it came.  

People suffering from Kleine-Levin Syndrome or the Sleeping Beauty syndrome often wake up to binge on high-calorie food, carry out compulsive behaviors and engage in childlike actions. Sometimes they have heightened sex drive and apathy to go with excessive sleep. The period between two bouts of Kleine-Levin Syndrome can last between 6 months to 12 months, during which the sufferer experiences regular rest. Although it is a rare disorder, keen observation and forum discussion at the Kleine-Levin organization shows that irritability, obsessive behavior, and lethargy often precede an episode.

It is indeed a form of primary hypersomnia that goes away on its own after the sufferer reaches adulthood. It is the only form of hypersomnia that goes away completely with time. The syndrome is common among men, although it lasts longer in women. There is no particular genetic link or infection related pathway that explains the occurrence of the Kleine-Levin Syndrome. The only known medication that works against the sleeping beauty syndrome right now is Lithium, the mood stabilizer doctors often prescribe for manic depression or bipolar disorder.  

What’s the Difference Between Narcolepsy and Idiopathic Hypersomnia?

Narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia are both diseases belonging to the class of primary hypersomnia. They are the central disorders of hypersomnolence (CDH) that share considerable similarities. For example, patients with either narcolepsy or IH exhibit EDS.

One of the best diagnostic tests that can distinguish between each disorder is by utilizing multiple sleep latency (MSL) tests and polysomnography. These tests elicit the number of sleep onset REM periods (SOREMPs) a patient experience. Patients with narcolepsy usually go through at least 2 SOREMPs, but patients with IH don’t.

There are several other diagnostic symptoms for each of these syndromes. Here’s a brief list of the symptoms for each.

Narcolepsy. Patients suffering from narcolepsy usually do not sleep for extended hours. They find small naps more refreshing. Sleep paralysis, sleep inertia, and other sleep-wake transition disorders are more common among people suffering from narcolepsy. Visual and auditory hallucinations during sleep onset-offset periods are very common for them too. People with narcolepsy often experience episodes of cataplexy (loss of muscle control) in response to sudden emotions.

IH. People with IH often suffer from sleep inertia and confusional arousal. However, they also sleep for more extended hours. Periodic napping hardly helps since these naps can extend for long hours and turn out to be utterly unrefreshing. They usually have problems waking up to alarm clocks and other external stimuli, although it is not a circadian rhythm disorder. In essence, their excessive daytime sleepiness is independent of the duration of their nighttime rest.

Is Idiopathic Hypersomnia the Same as Hypersomnolence?

Several blogs and articles on the web use IH and hypersomnolence interchangeably, although they are different from each other. IH is a subclass of primary hypersomnia. In a way, you could say that all cases of IH are also cases of hypersomnia, but all instances of hypersomnia are not IH. Medically, IH is the same as primary hypersomnia, HI, central hypersomnia and hypersomnia of the brain origin. For example – DSM IV defines idiopathic hypersomnia as EDS without the instance of narcolepsy. It is a subset of primary hypersomnia since it occurs without the cases of secondary hypersomnia causes.

Since it is the hypersomnia of the brain origin, GABA receptors may have an important role to play in this disorder. Although popular medications for other forms of secondary and primary hypersomnias are ineffective for IH, GABA-directed medications sometimes work in alleviating the symptoms of this sleep-wake disorder. These medications currently include variants of clarithromycin and flumazenil.

IH is a lifelong disorder, unlike the Kleine-Levin Syndrome. The symptoms usually begin with the onset of puberty, but unlike the latter, the symptoms do not disappear with age. It is a progressive disorder, but effective medication and improvement in sleeping habits can stabilize it. It has profound social and professional consequences just like any other primary hypersomnia. Therefore, it is easy to confuse IH with hypersomnia.

What is the Prognosis of Hypersomnia?

Hypersomnia is a heterogeneous disorder. Therefore, its prognosis depends on the cause of the particular case at hand. It is understandable that the prognosis of Kleine-Levin Syndrome will vary considerably from that of narcolepsy. As we have mentioned before, the cause of hypersomnia can be a tumor, stroke, head injury, autoimmune disease or a neurodegenerative disease. The only way to treat a complex disorder as this one is by addressing the cause at a grassroots level.

Most often, hypersomnia is not a life-threatening condition. However, this disorder has severe consequences including a higher risk of automobile accidents, higher risk during operation of heavy machinery, prolonged absence from work or school without legit explanation. In most cases, people are unsympathetic towards young students or adult job holders, who seem physically healthy, but sleepy all the time.

Modern culture has little tolerance for daytime sleepiness and the “laziness” that arises from it. It is also due to the lack of enough awareness about the disease. It can compromise one’s cognition and decision-making abilities as well. It takes a hefty toll on people’s social associations, career, and personal life. Educating relatives, friends, and colleagues or teachers helps the sufferer manage the disorder better than before.

What are Some of the Recent Research on Hypersomnia that Gives us Hope?

Research on the subject of hypersomnolence has been ongoing for the last several decades. There have been a few breakthroughs in the diagnostics, and treatment of the same. Here are the few examples from the scientific papers and recent publications.

L-carnitine

Recent research on several subjects suffering from Narcolepsy shows that their bodies have an abnormally low level of Acylcarnitine. In case of similar studies of hypersomnolence in mice, researchers have noticed a similarly lower level of acylcarnitine. In case of mice, the deficiency causes a significantly higher frequency of fragmented sleep and REM sleep. It also reduces locomotor activity in these subjects.

Another study on human subjects shows that when people suffering from hypersomnia received supplements of L-carnitine, they showed lesser hours of daytime sleepiness as compared to a control group, who received a placebo.

Melatonin

Melatonin has to be one of the most popular compounds that sleep experts and doctors use for the treatment of sleep disorders. Several studies have used slow release (SR) melatonin at a dose of 2 mg during bedtime. It has reportedly relieved daytime sleepiness and sleep drunkenness in the patient subjects about 50% of the times.

Levothyroxine

Off late, there have been several studies that suggest the use of levothyroxine for the treatment of IH. That is potential miracle molecule that can cure subclinical hypothyroidism in human beings. However, there is a massive caveat to this treatment that is keeping it from extensive human trials. Repetitive therapy with levothyroxine can cause cardiac arrhythmia in mammalian subjects.

Hypocretin Agonists

Hypocretin-1 is one of the most robust wake-promoting molecules in animal models of research. However, it does not cross the blood-brain barrier. Recent publications on the treatment of insomnia show the creation of a hypocretin receptor for the animal brain. It is indeed possible for the scientists to create something similar, but a hypocretin agonist for the treatment of hypersomnia.

Clarithromycin

In a world, where the treatments of central hypersomnia disorders are few, researchers have to make the most of what they have. Clarithromycin has recently become famous as the miracle drug that can treat and potentially control hypersomnia.

It is one unique compound that has GABA modulating qualities. However, it is still in phase 2 clinical trial levels, and not much is public about the effects of clarithromycin on the overall health of individuals suffering from hypersomnia.  

What is an Exceptional Case of Hypersomnia?

Very recently, the American Sleep Association has included the human form of African sleeping sickness or African trypanosomiasis. It is a disease that causes a hyperimmune reaction that keeps the sleep cycles undisturbed in the initial phases of the disease. It is entirely different from the immune response to HIV and Whipple’s disease cause.

During the infection of these two diseases, the auto-antibodies send the infected person to a sleepless hyperdrive in the initial stages of the disease. However, as the disease progresses and the trypanosomes enter the meninges, and the brain, auto-antibodies against the nervous system take over and send the patient into a stage of comatose sleep for long hours. The entry of the trypanosomes into the CNS disrupts the sleep-wakefulness cycles. It results in the disappearance of the circadian rhythmicity of the patient’s sleep-wake transitions. There is a general absence of conventional sleep structures, and the excessive sleep can occur at any time.

The treatment of this form of secondary hypersomnia usually depends on the kind of infection. For example, trypanosomiasis is a protozoan disease that requires intensive treatment involving several doses of strong antibiotics such as pentamidine, suramin, nifurtimox, and melarsoprol.

Similarly, if Whipple’s disease or HIV is the cause of hypersomnia in a patient, the treatment should be to treat and eliminate the causal organism, rather than to dispense symptomatic treatment.

Why is Learning About Hypersomnia so Important?

We have all heard about that one person, who falls asleep everywhere or the other person who slept at least 8 hours at night but was always tired. When we gossip about such individuals, we rarely take into account that this can happen to us tomorrow. Take for example the case of Danielle Hulshizer. She fell asleep before midnight, every night, but never felt fresh after waking up. She was one of those people, who are most likely to say “five more minutes” after the alarm went off. There were times when her fiancé would pick her up from bed physically to see if she would stand. Even that would be a failed attempt at times since she would slump right back on the mattress or on the floor and continue sleeping.

It seems fine as long as the person is living alone or has flexible job hours. For people with a family or a new partner, managing their sleep schedule along with meeting their family and social responsibilities become impossible. That is one of the reasons adults with flexible job hours often find it easier to manage their hypersomnolence without medical intervention. However, those are rare cases, since for most adults suffering from EDS it starts to interfere with their family life. Therefore, most doctors recommend family counseling along with other medication and behavior therapy as ways to manage instances of excessive daytime sleepiness.

More sleep is rarely helpful for these people. It causes more distress than de-stressing. It often leads to chronic pains of the lower back, stiffness of muscles on the shoulders and neck, terrible headaches and blood pressure problems. Imagine waking up tired after 12 long hours of sleep, or maybe you do not have to! If you recognize more than one symptom we have mentioned here, it is time for you to visit a sleep specialist.

As you can see, hypersomnia or excessive sleep is rarely a case of laziness. It is a severe disorder that affects every aspect of a person’s life. Visiting a doctor is always the best thing to do before you start taking stimulating medication. As we have mentioned before, hypersomnia can have more than one cause, the treatment of this disorder can be quite complicated. Although many forms of primary hypersomnia are not completely curable, they are easily manageable thanks to modern medical research and technology. You will need to undergo polysomnography and other SOREMPs tests to confirm the diagnosis, but at the end of it all, staying awake to appreciate an entire day is worth it!

Residing in a modern, urban environment increases the chances of experiencing insufficient sleep. Should your home be located within a city or its surrounding areas, there’s a 70% chance that you’re not getting enough sleep.

About 70 million people in the US suffer from sleep disorders. Sleeping disorders have graduated from being a lifestyle disease to an epidemic in the states in the recent years. Only about 10% of those people see sleep-wake disorders as a serious medical issue and seek treatment for the same. Most of the affected population does not realize the severity of the problem up until the deprivation interferes with the productivity of the individual.

A majority of the US population, who seek medical assistance for their sleep disorders rely on strong somnolent for their daily nightly slumber. It makes us question the long-term action of these chemical compounds. Is it possible for people to wean off sleeping pills? Can you switch to a healthier alternative for long-term relief from insomnia and sleep-wake disorders such as essential oils?

Why is this the Era of Essential Oils for Sleep?

Modern science allows people to restore their sleep-wake cycles and sync their circadian rhythms using natural hormone supplements. There are many sleep-inducing medications that not only help with reducing the latency period of sleep onset but also help with the quality of sleep.

There are sleeping aids that improve the duration of rest and allow people to get their complete rest on all nights of the week. Pharmaceutical sleeping aids are always instantly useful, but they might not be the long-term solution for you. If you do not get enough sleep, it might be time for you to make a few changes in your lifestyle and sleep hygiene.

Insomnia and delayed sleep phase disorder are the two most common sleeping problems that plague the modern population. Teenagers, young adults, and even the older adults suffer from various forms of sleep disorders that they believe to be insomnia. However, the lack of sufficient rest is not the same as insomnia. The latter is a chronic lack of sleep that can result in excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and fatigue.

Almost everyone has faced problems falling asleep or staying asleep in their lifetime. Once the challenges keep recurring, it becomes worthy of immediate medical attention. The most common effects of a sleeping disorder include;

 

• Decreased cognitive functions.

• Imbalance of mood and frequent mood swings.

• Addiction to caffeine, wakefulness promoting drugs and increased chances of alcohol addiction.

• Problem performing regular activities.

• Frequent irritability.

Can Caffeine Replace the Need for Sleep Therapy?

Many people refrain from all kinds of medical and OTC aid and rely on two solid cups of caffeine to boost their morning energy. A cup of coffee in the morning seems like the best way to drive drowsiness away, with another cup following it in the mid-afternoon. However, how good is that practice for you?

People with Hashimoto’s, adrenaline fatigue, anxiety disorders, hormonal imbalance, hypertension, and unpredictable hot flushes often get to see the other side of regular coffee consumption. Here are a few reasons you should always reconsider your daily coffee habits.

1. It increases the blood sugar levels.
   
2. Coffee promotes cravings for carbohydrates.
   
3. It can stimulate adrenaline activity.
   
4. It can increase stomach acid levels and boost acid reflux.
   
5. It can exacerbate the effects of PMS.
   
6. Caffeine increases the inflammatory response in people.
   
7. It can cause poor sleep and increase the effects of insomnia.
   
8. Impacts on thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion levels.

These are only some of the more prominent effects of coffee on the human system. Several subtle interactions have a massive impact on the body including great fatigue and stress. One alternative to your mid-day caffeine shot is peppermint. Try taking a whiff of strong peppermint essential oil for sending a jolt of energy to your extremities and remain active throughout the day.

Why do you Need Natural Sleep-Inducing Components Instead of Sleeping Pills?

Chemical components like benzodiazepines pose a high risk of addiction in long-term users. Almost all sleeping medications have some form of side effect that takes a toll on the health in the long run. These medications can increase the chances of getting cancer later in life by 35%. They have strong interactions with neurotransmitters like GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid).

Xanax and Valium are common medications people use for improving their sleep duration and quality. However, the awareness lot are gradually replacing their sleep medicines with essential oils (EOs) that can show long-term improvement of sleeping habits. Since they can bind to olfactory receptors and act as the critical intermediates that can regulate neurotransmitters to boost sound rest, essential aromatic oils are becoming the favorite instruments of inducing proper resting hours and resetting the circadian rhythm among people of all ages.  

How do Essential Oils Work to Induce Calmness and Relaxation?

Essential oils for sleep are transdermal. They can cross the skin barrier, and they can work on the physio-chemical signaling process in multiple ways. Applying them during the day or night can have distinct effects on your homeostasis due to the biochemical effects they have. You can choose to mix a few drops of essential oil with your body lotion or inhale them via diffusion.

The presence of the aromatic molecules can change your fatigue levels instantly. For example, lavender essential oil molecules can enter the bloodstream in less than 5 minutes. It is especially useful when you massage it in with your body lotion. The calming effect of lavender or ylang-ylang essential oils is prominent when you directly massage them onto your skin or inhale them.

An initial study from 1992 showed that the concentration of lavender rose to a maximum after about 20 minutes of application or diffusion. The sedative effects stayed for 90 minutes and then subsided quickly. The impacts of most concentrated forms of essential oils are ephemeral. Therefore, experiencing side effects or unwanted symptoms is very uncommon for all aromatic oils.

What are the Essential Plant Oils you Must Try for Experiencing Better Quality Sleep?

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils people use for relaxation. Every study since the dawn of essential oils for sleep shows that using essential oils have very few side effects. Since they are entirely natural and we often find ourselves among the natural sources of these aromatic oils like the lavender flower or jasmine flower, their results are controllable and positive. Almost no adverse effects were present during these prolonged studies on chosen test subjects.

Another research involving aromatic lavender oil shows that people who were initially on benzodiazepine could quickly switch to the essential oil therapy on a regular basis to restore optimum duration and quality of sleep. This study suggests the frequent use of lavender and other essential oils for temporary relief from the extensive use of strong sleep medications.

Essential oils can have more than one impact on human health. Anxiolytic oils can have stronger calming effects on the body that can induce healthy sleep. Almost all sleep-inducing essential oils can have stress-busting and anxiety-relieving effects. A few of the oils you can try for dual impact include;

• Angelica oil

• Orange bigarade

• Bergamot oil

• Palmarosa oil

• Sweet orange aromatic extract

• May Chang

• Geranium

• Valerian

• Patchouli

• Sweet marjoram

• Sandalwood

• Chamomile

• Basil

• Lemon-scented ironbark

You can choose to use these essential oils alone in the diffuser or mix equal parts of 2 or 3 essential oils with the carrier oil for enjoying the positive effects.

How can you Include the Aromatic Oil of Your Choice in Your Daily Routine?

Essential oils do not work independently of a human being’s biochemical metabolism. Therefore, the way a particular aromatic oil works for you will never be the same as it does for your friend or your acquaintance. Several people are allergic to the smell of rose or jasmine.

Using essential oil from these flowers or plants can be far from relaxing for the majority of the people. It is something we see in the effectiveness of medication as well. Some people may show a higher resistance to tranquilizers and sedatives. Either they take a higher dose of sleeping medication, or they switch to a newer compound that is more effective.

In case an aroma oil does not work for you transdermally, or via diffusion, you can always try utilizing other options. It can take some time for you to exhaust all the available relaxing and sleep abating aromatic extracts before you find the one that agrees with your system.

Here are the several ways you can enjoy the effectiveness of aromatherapy;

1. Diffusion. You can either create a homemade blend of your favorite oils and carrier oil (live virgin olive oil or linseed oil) in your diffuser. You can add two parts of the significant relaxing oil along with one portion of each sweetening oil for the best effect. For example, people find the blend of 2 drops of ylang-ylang, 1 drop of marjoram, and one drop of lavender very soothing before bedtime.
   
2. Topical application. Another way to enjoy the bliss of aromatherapy is by applying the critical oils on your body directly along with your moisturizer or body oil. There are several trigger points like the wrists, bottom of the feet, behind the knees and the ears and on the fold of the elbow. Applying the essential oils mixed with body lotion can trigger relaxation in less than 5 minutes.
   
3. Misting spray. Many DIY hackers are expressing their loyalty for the misting sprays during the hot summer months. Mixing a couple of drops of your favorite essential oils along with clean water in the right proportions can work as the miracle stress buster. A smart way to experience better sleep is by misting your pillow immediately before rest. Keep the DIY spray bottle by your bed, and once you wake up in the middle of the night, you can always spray some more on the pillow and your mattress.
   
4. DIY detox bath. Detoxifying bath recipes can be hugely diverse. The methods can vary from region to region depending on the availability of the resources. You can also choose to restrict your first DIY bath experience to hand and foot soaks. While you can get a detoxing foot spa and hand spa at massage centers for a fortune, you can always create one from the essential oils you have at home. Stock up on bath crystals or Epsom salts. You will still need it for starting your DIY home spa. Add one-fourth cup of apple cider vinegar, two drops of lemon essential oil and five drops of lavender essential oil. Replace the carrier oil with one teaspoon of liquid castile soap for a hand or feet soak recipe. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
   
5. DIY hand moisturizer or cream. A delicate blend of one-fourth cup shea butter, one-eighth cup carrier oil and one tablespoon of beeswax can contribute to an excellent hand cream or hand moisturizer base for all. Be careful of allergies while adding the beeswax or carrier oils to your cream base. You can add any relaxing essential oil (15 drops) to the mix for imparting healing and relaxing effects to it.

There are plenty of ways to make the essential oils a part of your regular life. Whether you like to smell fresh and zesty all day long or whether you like a beautiful aroma inside your house, there’s always a way of inducing relaxation. Other methods to enjoy the stress-busting effects of aromatic oils include DIY hand soaps, DIY body soaps and shampoos, skin serums and body lotions with infused oils.

What are the Most Straightforward Five EO Blends that Work for All?

There are a few sleep blends that work for everyone. Mixing more than one essential oil with carrier oils have become the popular practice nowadays. Each type of oil is a concentrated extract of plant chemicals that usually come from the flowers, leaves, barks, roots and even fruits. Due to their diverse sources and different nature of chemical constituents, each one has distinct effects on the nervous system and the endocrine system.

It is the principal reason why you need to try all the aromatic oils before you can go ahead and blend them. However, the following are the five most popular recipes that can help you rest better than before.

Recipe 1: This one works best in cases of insomnia. The effectiveness of the formula and the sheer lack of side effects make it ideal for children and grown adults as well.

1. Add a drop of rosemary oil.
   
2. Mix in three drops of eucalyptus oil.
   
3. Add two drops of lavender.
   
4. Mix this with 10 ml of carrier oil.

You can add this to your lotion directly or to a diffuser. The recipe is effective transdermally as well as olfactorily. Massaging it to a visibly tense area of the muscle always helps in relaxing the area.

Recipe 2: This one is the best treatment for insomnia that arises due to excessive anxiety and stress.

1. Add two drops of each – roman chamomile, sweet marjoram, and lavender.
   
2. Add this mix to 10 ml of any carrier oil.

You can try to massage this mix under your feet for instant relaxing effects. You may want to skip the carrier oil and add this to the diffuser for the traditional aromatherapy.

Recipe 3: There are times when stress, muscle tightness, and headaches make it impossible for people to sleep. Here’s a method for your stress-induced insomnia .

1. A single drop of sweet orange oil.
   
2. Add One drop of lavender to it.
   
3. Mix in Two drops of essential geranium extract.
   
4. Mix this with 10 ml carrier oil.

You can massage this onto your neck, shoulders, forehead and your feet. This one is an easy recipe that is one of the most effective in reinstating restorative sleep in children and adults.

Recipe 4: Beating nausea becomes a considerable factor after an evening of partying or a whole day of eating junk food. Insomnia due to nausea can be annoying and challenging. It is one recipe that works like a miracle for us.

1. Add two drops of sweet orange oil.
   
2. Include two drops of peppermint essential oil.
   
3. Mix this in with 10 ml carrier oil.

Massaging this mix onto your stomach and feet can drive away your nausea in record time.

Recipe 5: This “sweet sleep” recipe is one of our favorites due to the easy availability of all the components and the natural resolution of chronic fatigue syndrome.

1. Mix three drops of lavender.
   
2. Add three drops of Roman chamomile.
   
3. Add three drops of sweet orange.
   
4. Mix this with 10 ml carrier oil.

Skip the carrier oil if you are looking for a diffuser blend. You can add this directly to your massage oil or apply this directly on your chest, throat, neck, and feet.  

These are the five of the most straightforward essential oil blends that can relieve your regular stress, fatigue, anxiety and insomnia symptoms. The mixtures are great for diffusion or direct topical application unless you are allergic to any particular component.

How can You find the Best Carrier oil for Your skin, Hair and overall Health?

The most important part of any natural essential oil blend for sleep is the carrier oil. Whether you decide to make a mix for your electric diffuser or a hand cream for your family, you must consider the options of carrier oils. Research shows, several of these oils have specific effects on controlling acne, skin infections, the roughness of skin, and chronic rashes.

Without the proper knowledge about the irritating or soothing impacts of oils, you might spend years of a toxic carousal that can cause the skin to break out or worse. The base oils are usually nut derivatives. Considering the predominant nut allergy in the US population, it is imperative that you check their suitability for yourself and your family.

Different skin types have different base oil requirements. You can combine multiple base oils or use them as a moisturizer for your skin. Their fundamental role is as a dilution agent for the strong aromatic compounds present in essential extracts. Since the essential oils are products of repetitive extraction and partial distillation, the results are stronger than we presume. Applying essential oils directly to skin or hair can cause more harm than benefit.

Choosing the correct base oil can take sufficient time and a lot of hit-and-trial methods. It is entirely alright to engage in different skincare or healthcare routines around the year to suit the needs of the changing weather. The best quality carrier oils are not as volatile as the aromatic oils. They do not evaporate readily in heat. Here are a few carrier oils you can try this year for exacting the most out of your essential oil blends –

Grapeseed oil. It is perfect for massages since it is not as heavy or sticky. It is high in linoleic acid that makes it ideal for the dry and damaged skin. Although it has a short shelf-life, it is suitable as a moisturizing agent.  

Jojoba oil. The eponymous oil in almost all good shampoos, conditioners, and serums. It has a nutty smell and medium-light consistency. It has a long shelf life too.

Olive oil. It is the most common carrier oil in the entire world. We love it because it is easy to buy, store and use. You can use it without blending for conditioning your hair or soothing dry, irritated skin. It is thicker and hence better suited for the winter months. It has high omega fatty acid content.

Coconut Oil. The fractionated form of coconut oil is liquid and has no aroma. It is the best natural source of essential fatty acids for skin and hair. It has a long shelf life, and it is perfect for winter months.

Cocoa Butter. The smell is just incredible, although it is difficult to manage at room temperatures. You can easily blend it by heating it and then mix it with essential oils. The chocolaty aroma makes it perfect for making hand creams, face creams, and lip balms.

Shea butter. Another fantastic natural source of essential fatty acids that rejuvenates skin. It has a pleasant nutty smell, and it can moisturize your skin for long hours.  

Sweet Almond oil. Although this one is easy to find online, we do not recommend it for everyone. Almond oil comes from nuts, and it can worsen skin conditions in those with nut allergies. Always check for allergies before switching to this carrier oil.

You must experiment with the available carrier oils before settling for one. Skin texture can vary incredibly between people and what works for one does not necessarily work for another person. To find the one that suits you perfectly, give each type of carrier oil a chance for about two weeks before you shift to another.

Is it Safe to Ingest Essential Oils for Sleep?

A huge mistake people make is assuming the safety of products just because they are natural. Essential oils might come from plants and plant products, but that does not automatically make them safe for ingestion. There are several flowers, fruits and leaves in the wilderness that are severely poisonous for human consumption, although several medicines come from them. Anything that is natural does not have to be harmless.

100% pure and natural essential oils are in high concentration due to the repeated purification and distillation steps they go through. They contain a high consistency of aromatic compounds that contribute to their aroma and volatility. These are also the same molecules that give them their healing abilities. Nonetheless, we cannot ingest them and digest them without experiencing the adverse side effects. It might seem like swallowing a sleep-inducing agent is the best way to enjoy its calming effects but adding essential oils to your tea or drinking water might not be a great idea.

Unless you have a doctor or experienced aromatherapist telling you precisely what to do or how to prepare the delicious blend, there is no way you can be sure about the safety of the mix. Ingesting aromatic compounds in large amounts on a regular basis can compromise liver, kidney, stomach, and even brain functions in adults. Instead of using the aromatic essential oils, you can try using the source flowers or the roots to make tea. For example – check out the recipes for chamomile tea, valerian root tea, calming lavender water and lemon zest sleepy tea for shooing away insomnia.

It is best to restrict yourself to inhalation therapy and transdermal administration for the time being, in case you cannot find a proper guide for the process.

How are Essential oils Useful for Inducing Relaxation?

Some essential oils like cedarwood, vetiver, lavender, Roman chamomile, bergamot, wild sweet orange, and frankincense have a sound relaxing effect on the nervous system. They can diffuse through our skin, or they can bind the smell receptors inside our nostrils that start a cascade of reactions.

Over 6000 years of data on aromatherapy contributes to the collective knowledge about the therapeutic effects of these EOs. They contain a mix of saturated and unsaturated aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, esters, alcohols, terpenes, ketones, ethers, and phenols. These are the organic molecular structures that contribute to the distinct smell of each EO. The oils come from different plant parts like the specialized cells, root, root hairs, intercellular spaces and even reservoirs that store these compounds for either promoting communication or defense.

They have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, circulatory, emotional, calming and even energizing properties. Some of them can usually enhance sleep quality and duration due to their complex chemical structures. These EO molecules are parts of the several cascading and intertwined biochemical reactions that lead to muscle relaxation, unwinding of the nervous system and induction of sleep. They can mediate the release or suppression of neurotransmitters like serotonin, noradrenaline, and endorphins to alter the states of activity and rest.

Although scientists and medical researchers do not yet understand the complex mechanisms of the actions of these EOs, their studies prove the usefulness of EOs in treating sleep-wake disorders and circadian rhythm disorders.

Why Should you Give Aromatic Essential Oils for Relaxation and Sleep a Chance in your Life?

Research reveals the effectiveness of essential oils in replacing traditional sleep-inducing medication in children and adults. Unlike the barbiturates and benzodiazepines that the doctors prescribe at times, these natural EOs do not induce addiction among people. You can start with personal aromatherapy with a necessary dispenser, and you can stop it any time you want. Making blends of essential extracts that boost sleep is also cost useful and straightforward. Even children can enjoy the relaxing benefits of these blends without experiencing any addictive or adverse side effects.  

You can choose from among several procedures to include aroma oils in your daily life. You can pick between cosmetic aromatherapy, medical aromatherapy, massage aromatherapy, and psycho-aromatherapy to introduce serenity and repose. You can either pamper yourself a little by hitting the spa or save a fortune by making your DIY aromatherapy arrangement. Nonetheless, the EO industry is about to experience a boom of almost $11.5 billion by 2022.

Essential oils are your wholly natural and healthy reason to enjoy life to the fullest. There is no longer any cause for you to stay up all night and feel tired the next day. Your kids can now concentrate on their studies since they can sleep better, all naturally during the night. Thanks to the web, you can buy real and 100% pure natural EOs any time you want. Choose any calming natural oil blend you like, pick carrier oil and get your dispenser working for a complete night’s rest.

Ever found yourself jolted awake from a state close to sleep by a loud noise that apparently no one else heard? This phenomenon usually occurs at the moment one is drifting off to sleep or beginning to awake. It seldom happens in the depths of deep sleep. People frequently describe the experience of hearing loud sounds like screams, gunshots, crashes, bangs, or blasts. This experience isn’t just a product of one’s imagination. Rather, it’s a rare type of sleep disorder.

Scientists initially believed this problem to be unique among human beings, but off-late, a large percentage of adults are reporting experiences that point towards the precedence of exploding head syndrome. The experience of the loud noise or explosion gives the disorder its moniker. Experts call these loud explosion-like noises hypnagogic hallucinations or delusions that occur immediately before a person is about to fall asleep. These are in their auditory form, but at times they occur with visual hallucinations as well. It is not a part of paracusia that usually accompanies psychiatric disorders.

While auditory hallucinations may be a part of several psychiatric diseases, they do not serve as the only distinguishing factor for them. Therefore, people experiencing auditory hallucinations like explosions, gunshots or even loud voices do not necessarily have psychiatric disorders. Earlier, the scientists and doctors attributed auditory hallucinations to cognitive suppression, but newer research shows their co-existence with speech misinterpretations. Several underlying neural activity disorders might contribute to auditory hallucinations in all ages.

Over the last decade, psychiatrists and neuroscientists have tried to link several instances of auditory hallucinations during sleep with genetic components. The trials have remained unsuccessful till now. The non-psychotic causes of hypnagogia are still majorly unknown. The research on the causes and treatment of the same are ongoing. Some psychologists and sleep experts are of the opinion that sleep-related disorders are forms of dissociative disorders that people experience when they are about the fall asleep.

People with this complaint often have dissociative episodes during sleep-wake transitions. They are more likely to have a history of childhood trauma, PTSD, and borderline personality disorders. Experts often refer to exploding head syndrome as nocturnal disorders or dissociative pseudo parasomnia.  

What is Exploding Head Syndrome?

“Episodic sensory shock,” “resetting of neural pathways,” “snapping of the brain” and “sensory discharges,” many terms often refer to the same syndrome. The exploding head is a phenomenon a lot of people experience on a regular basis while falling asleep or while waking up from a deep sleep. Some of them have been experiencing this ever since they were children. As a result, they do not think of it as something extraordinary or a disorder.

Several studies over the last couple of years show that the exploding head syndrome is another parasomnia or sleep-wake transition disorder that manifests in the form of sudden loud sounds that jolt people out of their slumber. It is a sleep-wake transition disorder that usually takes place during hypnagogia or hypnopompia. These two phases occur during different stages of the sleep cycle, and they facilitate a plethora of auditory hallucinations.

Most people experience hypnagogic hallucinations on a regular basis, but the problem arises when part of it involves loud bangs or booms that disrupt their resting state and send them on a trip to sleep deprivation.  

Who is More Likely to Suffer From EHS?

The beginning of the episodes comes without any indication. Initially, this particular disorder did not have as many reported cases as insomnia, RBD or restless leg syndrome. It could be due to the taboo associated with mental disorders and people’s proclivity to believing that hearing “inaudible” noises is a sign of mental illness.

Experts found one of the first instances of EHS is in the biography of Rene Descartes dating back to 1691. Current studies on the epidemiology of the disease show that over 13.5% of the American population may be suffering from this nocturnal disorder.

• Women are more likely to experience exploding head syndrome (EHS) and other related parasomnias than men.

• Most patients begin to experience these episodes by the age of 54.

• It can occur as frequently as once a day or once a week.

• The incidence decreases with progressing years, even without extensive therapy.

It is everyday sleep-wake transition disorder experts have observed among children. People who experience EHS also experience isolated incidents of sleep paralysis and vivid dream-like hallucinations during their transition between sleep and wakefulness.

What is a Parasomnia? Does Explosive Head Syndrome Qualify as a Parasomnia?

Parasomnias are all the unnatural or abnormal things that can happen to people when they are falling asleep, waking up, or sound asleep. Apart from sleep apnea, other sleeping disorders including night terrors, sleep-eating, sleep-walking, and hypnic jerks are all forms of parasomnia. It can encompass all types of strange behaviors, emotions, and perceptions during different stages of sleep.

Most parasomnias are part of the transition between REM and NREM sleep. Some of the parasomnias disappear as they grow older. This class of sleeping disorder often causes people to hallucinate. It can even result to auditory hallucinations and visual hallucinations. Exploding head syndrome falls under the category of parasomnia. It involves hearing unpleasant loud noises that do not exist.

It is a perfect example of a parasomnia that disrupts rest. It sometimes causes people to believe that they are suffering from a stroke or a heart attack. Further, it can result in physical distress due to the suddenness, but they rarely occur due to physical suffering. Therefore, it is a classic case of parasomnia in children and adults. Sometimes, it coincides with phases of sleep paralysis in children.

It can be quite disorienting and terrifying for a child. It can lead to further problems with sleep schedules, and sleep hygiene if recurrence of sleep paralysis in kids does not receive enough attention. Not all parasomnias have a medical cure. However, children might require counseling and extra care to help them get over the fear of auditory and visual hallucinations during the nighttime.

What are the Exact Symptoms of this Sleep-Wake

Transition Disorder?

EHS lacks diagnostic procedures due to the lack of observation or real-time testing. There are several symptoms and signs that people have reported over the last couple of years. There are several known and unknown genetic factors, environmental stressors and other causes of such sleep disorders. These are more common in children than adults due to the high plasticity of their brain structure.

Sudden Loud Noise

We do hear sudden loud noises when we are asleep from time to time. As long as it is our neighbor mowing the lawn at an ungodly hour, we should be thankful. People with EHS often hear loud sounds that are not even real. They seem to be coming from within their heads since no one else in the house, or the neighborhood can listen to them. People describe the loud noises in the following ways.

• Gunshot

• Bomb explosion

• Clashing cymbals

• Screaming or shouting

• Falling or crashing utensils

• Rushing sound

• Loud slamming of doors

 

• Electrical whirring and buzzing

A Fflash of Light

The brain works in mysterious ways. Some people experience just the sound, while others always see a flash of light accompanying it. There is no real source of light, just like there is no real source of the sound. There is no current explanation for this symptom of EHS.

Anxiety and Fear

It is very uncommon for anyone to report the physical sensation of pain accompanying an episode of this parasomnia. However, they describe feeling anxious and afraid as a result of the sudden loud noise. The suddenness often causes considerable distress, which causes people to wake up feeling upset, disturbed or even scared.

Discomfort and Difficulty in Breathing

People often report feeling short of breath as the sound startles them awake. Some of them bolt upright that increases the heart palpitations. Experiencing faster heartbeat for an extended period can cause breathing difficulties that might require medical attention.

Sleep Paralysis Attacks

Some cases of EHS come with accompanying sleep paralysis. It is a popular sleep-wake dissociative disorder that gives people a feeling of OBE-ing or losing control of their limbs. Perceptions of a hefty weight on the chest and sensation of a supernatural presence in the room are standard parts of the audio-visual hallucination.  

People suffering from frequent attacks of EHS and other forms of hallucinations often feel paranoid. Some claim government conspiracies or even presence of alien beings in their neighborhood to explain their “unexplainable” auditory hallucinations. However, the episodes are the scariest for children, who are learning to sleep in their rooms alone. The confirmed diagnosis assures them that they are not alone in the world. There are thousands of ordinary productive people out there, who suffer from this nocturnal hypnagogia.

What Factors Cause People to Hear Loud Noises or Explosions in their Head?

The exact causes of this syndrome are still unknown. There have been several theoretical explanations that put forth neural misfiring, neurological disorders, psychological issues, and even stress as the probable cause of this disorder.

1. A neurological condition such as small seizures of the temporal lobe can potentially cause a person to hear sudden loud sounds.
2. Sudden compression or dilation of the tympanum or pressure changes in the tensor tympani can lead to loud noises only the person can hear.
3. People, who suffer from high levels of fear, anxiety, and stress, are more likely to experience frequent episodes of EHS.
4. The occasional impairment in calcium signaling pathways can lead to the same.

Some scientists prefer classifying the occurrence of EHS with hypnic jerks. These are common myoclonus or muscle jerk movements that occur when someone is in the process of falling asleep. According to Thorpy and Plazzi, authors of The Parasomnias and Other Sleep-Related Movement Disorders, 2010, exploding head syndrome is an amplified form of a hypnic jerk.

One of the most prevalent theories among the experts is the abnormality of the reticular formation in the lower part of the brain (brainstem) that is responsible for the transition. Other approaches include the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, decline in delta sleep, and PTSD. The current research cites the issues with how a brain “shuts down” during sleep as the leading cause of hypnic jerks and audio hallucinations.

Other sleeping disorders, both REM and non-REM, underlying medical conditions, mental health challenges and history of substance abuse often contribute to exploding health syndrome among the adult population. In children, the causes are less well known, and experts believe it to be another parasomnia that can potentially disrupt their sleep quality and result in sleep deprivation.

Which Other Sleep-Wake Disorders Affect EHS?

Hypnagogic jerk is typical for all ages by several names including sleep start, sleep twitch, night start and myoclonic jerk. It usually results from involuntary muscle twitches that can make a person “jump” while falling asleep. It usually cause rapid breathing, excessive sweating, feeling of a “shock,” or falling from a great height.  

The incidences of the hypnic jerk usually increase in frequency with an increase in stress levels. People with irregular sleep schedules often suffer from sleep starts more often than those with regular sleeping habits. Improvement of sleep hygiene can improve sleep quality and reduce the frequency of sleep starts.

Sleep deprivation is a significant reason behind hypnagogic jerk. It usually occurs during a non-REM sleep cycle, and it is an abrupt movement of the muscles. They are very common during childhood. A child aged eight can experience over ten myoclonic jerks per hour. The occurrence decreases with age to almost 1 per hour by the time people are 65.

Interestingly, most cases of night starts occur without any particular signs or reasons. Research by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine cites caffeine consumption, stress, anxiety, and excessive strenuous activities post evening as leading causes, but these factors do not elicit sleep jerks in everyone. 

Other leading hypothesis states that the reflex might be evolutionary. The brain misinterprets the relaxing of muscles while falling asleep as the signal the body sends when a primate is dropping out of the tree. The hypothesis also states that it allows people to readjust their sleeping postures to something more comfortable than their initial one.

What are the Risks Associated with Exploding Head Syndrome?

The name might sound scary and dramatic, but it can be quite misleading. Yes. It is indeed frightening to hear sudden loud bangs and crashes immediately before falling into a deep sleep state, but it is more perplexing for the individual since they cannot find the source of it after they are wide awake. It often leads to a semi-groggy state of confusion.

From a physiological point of view, exploding head syndrome does not cause any physical harm. There is rarely any physical pain associated with these episodes unless there are additional complications that cause the sufferer to act out after the loud sounds. Other than the occasional hard knocks on the head on the bookshelf above or the stubbing of the toe on the bed frame, there are no reports of physical injury that the EHS causes.

However, people suffering from exploding head syndrome often lay awake after an episode. The trauma from the EHS experience can either last for the night or for coming few nights as well. People, who experience EHS on an almost regular basis often report accompanying insomnia and sleep deprivation that results due to the rapid breathing, anxiety, and shock.

Sleep deprivation can be a serious issue, depending on its extent. While some people report missing an hour of sleep each week due to recurring events of EHS, others lose between 60 to 90 minutes of sleep per day due to regular episodes. Lack of enough restorative rest can compromise cognition and decision-making abilities.

People operating heavy machinery, driving for long distances daily and making critical decisions on a regular basis either as a part of their job or life, often find it difficult to perform to their best abilities after extended periods of staying awake or losing rest. While EHS is a benign condition, its effects are not always that benign. It deserves medical attention and treatment due to its potential interruptive quality.

What are the Treatment Options for Exploding Head Syndrome?

Since most doctors and sleep specialists view EHS as physically harmless, finding a treatment can be difficult. There are not many options to treat a parasomnia like EHS, but it does help to know that you are not the only one suffering from it. Just learning more about the condition often allows people manage it better than before and find a way to reduce the frequency of these episodes.  

In case the condition becomes chronic, and you are crying for a good night’s sleep, here are some mind-blowing things you can try.

Talk to Your Physician Separately

A study on a group of 11 physicians revealed that 9 of them had experienced incidents like loud noises and flashes of bright light while falling asleep. Two of them experience these incidents on a regular basis and have been doing so ever since they were children. Therefore, there is still hope that your doctor will understand the seriousness of your complaint and take the latest research on parasomnias into account before giving you actionable advice.

Sometimes, doctors will prescribe tests to ensure that there are no minor seizures or headache disorders. They will likely reassure you that these processes are harmless. It is prevalent practice for all general physicians. Additionally, they might ask you to keep a personal sleep-log that will hold your day’s activity and sleep quality.

Try New Medication

It should be a step that follows the doctor’s visit. Ideally, you should never try taking medicines that promise to boost sleep quality or duration without expert advice. Additionally, medications are not a confirmed cure for EHS. Some investigations indicate that tricyclic antidepressants like clomipramine and calcium channel blockers might work in reducing the frequency of it.

Control Your Anxiety and Stress

People, who exert themselves more throughout the day are more likely to experience parasomnias while falling asleep. Sleep-wake transition disorders often coincide with nighttime anxiety, regular stress, and physical exhaustion.

Modern alternative treatments suggest the use of mindfulness techniques to boost positive energy and channel out the tension. Meditation before bedtime and working out in the mornings are beneficial for treating stress and anxiety in all ages. You can also try some simple relaxation workouts in bed to end the unpleasant saga of night starts.

Inculcate Good Sleeping Habits

Good sleeping habit is a broad term that encompasses everything from regulating a sleep schedule, maintaining a regular dinner time, practicing a healthy diet and maybe even meditating for 10 to 20 minutes before sleep.

A large number of people often complaint of insomnia, sleep deprivation, and excessive daytime sleepiness due to a severe lack of regular sleep time. Lifestyle choices and excessive use of electronic gadgets are making the problem worse for all ages.

Opt for Counseling

Although the taboo on mental illnesses and psychological care is receding, several individuals still shy away from asking for expert help from psychologists and psychiatrists. Since there are no apparent causes for the explosive noises, people often assume that they are suffering from one psychological disorder or another.

Incidentally, whether there is an underlying psychiatric condition or not, people often benefit from opting for regular counseling sessions. Firstly, these sessions help people express their feelings, fears, and trepidations about the EHS episodes. Secondly, they can understand that they are neither odd nor untreatable. Finally, talking about life problems and the challenges sleep-wake disorders pose in their lives can help them unwind. It reduces the stress levels significantly and automatically reduces the EHS incidents.

Stop Sweating It

People often spend many sleepless hours worrying about sleep. Checking your watch every 20 minutes and calculating the amount of sleep you will get before the alarm goes off hardly helps in calming you down. Research shows that when people worry more about their sleep onset or sleep duration, they end up staying up for long hours.

A fascinating study states that people often benefit from letting the thoughts and ideas flow before sleep. If there are a bunch of to-dos for you the next day, you might benefit from making a mental list of the tasks. Do not resist the process. The moment you stop worrying about sleep and start thinking about every other thing in that might flow through your mind. You will find the sleep-onset time coming closer than before.

Nightcaps Do Not Help

Stay away from alcohol for a while and see if that helps. Many people believe that nightcaps help them fall asleep quickly. What they do not realize is that the effect of alcohol is temporary. As soon as the ephemeral stupor passes, they might find themselves wide awake. Hypnic jerks and EHS can occur while they are falling asleep or waking up due to the effects of the liquor. Remaining well hydrated and drinking juices with a lot of Vitamin C often help more than drinking alcohol before bedtime.  

Sometimes, a few simple changes can help you embrace better sleeping quality. Sleep-wake transition disorders are characteristics of poor sleep hygiene. Taking a warm bath before bedtime, adding muscle relaxing bath salts, and massaging your calves and back with warm oil can help you enjoy your sleep. You can also try using lavender oil blends such as Roman chamomile blend with sweet orange blossom essential oil in your bath or your body lotion to induce relaxation of your body and mind.

Chamomile tea, jasmine tea, and lemon zest tea reportedly help people fall asleep faster without unpleasant episodes of nighttime starts or loud imaginary noises. Respected research papers on essential oils and their effects on sleep highlight the impacts of these aromatic compounds on decreasing the recurrence of sleep-wake disorders or parasomnias.

How can You Manage Your Auditory Hallucinations?

A list of essential precautions you must take to protect yourself, and your loved one include removing solid headboards, detaching sharp bed ornaments, moving the bed from in front of windows and by reducing the height of the bed. Sudden movements like sitting upright with a start or falling back on the mattress after the “spasm” ends, can cause the sufferer to hit his or her head on the hard headboard or bang his or her feet on the hard bed frame. To prevent them from taking a hard tumble, always prefer sleeping on a low bed that is away from open windows.

For children, you might want to keep the idea of a bunk bed or an open French window at bay for the time being. Sometimes, management of sleeping disorders like EHS is more important than finding a cure. Learning more about this particular parasomnia will help you take care of yourself and to keep your loved ones safe.

People who suffer from EHS do not realize that they fall in the broad spectrum of sleep-wake disorders. Sometimes, they drift into regular sleep and start dreaming. Occasionally, their common dream will turn into an episode of sleep paralysis that precedes a loud, horrific scream and maybe buzzing sounds. A few folks, who can control lucid dreaming and out-of-body experiences, believe these episodes of loud noises to be a part of their regular lucid dreaming. With practice, some of them can control the screams, explosions, bangs, and clangs, and channel them into more tolerable and less shuddering electrical whirring noises.

Sometimes, auditory hallucinations are as simple as rings of the doorbell, barking of dogs, and slamming of doors. If you live alone, and without pets, this can be terrifying indeed. However, forums for people who have experienced EHS before assuring others that there is always a way to control these instances.

The Last few Words About the “Mind-Blowing” Disorder

While reading about the explosive head syndrome, you will notice most blogs, articles and research papers stating that it is a rare disorder that only affects a few. It could not be more untrue right now. With the fast-paced lifestyle, almost 15% of the population report auditory hallucinations. It includes children, adults and seniors alike.

To understand the cause, you may want to think of your brain as a computer processor. When your mind prepares for the sleep mode or hibernation mode, several neural connections are still firing. There are times when the computer freezes while starting or shutting down. There can be the rare misfiring of neurons inside the brain. It results in small but significant kinks that manifest in the form of auditory hallucinations and visual hallucinations.

A recent Journal of Sleep Research study showed that out of the 211 undergraduates who were a part of the survey, almost 18% had experienced EHS in the past at least once. 33% of the group stated that they had experienced sleep paralysis and visual hallucinations along with the loud noises. Psychologists further demonstrated that these episodes were not indicative of brain aneurysms, strokes, or epileptic seizures.

Further research has revealed that sleep experts indeed had no idea of how common this experience was since people usually did not approach their physicians with their bizarre and often scary accounts. Many people experiencing this sleep-wake disorder on a regular basis still believe they are alone and they do not want to attract undue attention to themselves.

In reality, EHS is a widespread phenomenon, especially among kids. It is utterly manageable since the introduction of a few good sleeping habits can alleviate the symptoms significantly. Many of the medications that claim to treat EHS, actually dull the noises instead of eliminating them entirely. There is always another way for beating the exploding head syndrome, recognize the category of sounds and not be afraid of them. This method can work better than medication for children and the elderly.

Some folks hit the sack and **bam**—they’re out cold in seconds. Yet, there’s a crew who’ve done everything for some z’s: running themselves ragged all day, dodging snoozes until it’s almost tomorrow, steering clear of naps, popping sleep aids, and even guzzling chamomile tea. Get this: over 60% of U.S. adults wrestle with sleep troubles at least once in a while. If you’re in the camp craving better sleep, stick around for some eye-opening tips that could be the game changer you’ve been looking for.

Now, the fast lifestyle that demands caffeine, alcohol and fast food have made sleep disorders a household issue for almost all families. People often expect adults to suffer the most from a plethora of sleep problems, but studies show that teenagers bear the brunt of a fast lifestyle the most. Extended school hours, extracurricular activities for extra credits and social media on electronic devices drive sleep away from them every night. The average high schooler faces about 90 minutes of sleep deprivation each night.

What is the Role of Melatonin for Sleep?

It is a time when sleep experts and general physicians have started considering sleep disorders as severe ailments, almost akin to an epidemic among the American population. While many primary and secondary factors contribute to the lack of proper rest in individuals, each case points towards one hormone that wreaks havoc to sleep schedules.

Melatonin or N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine is a natural biochemical messenger molecule that determines our quality and quantity of slumber. If you have fixed resting hours, but you wake up tired each morning, you might have to blame your melatonin metabolism. It is a hormone that your brain (pineal gland) synthesizes for your body. The generation process depends on the activity of the mammalian clock genes.

How Does the Sleep-Hormone Work?

The time and level of melatonin synthesis depend upon the internal body clock or circadian rhythm. The messenger molecule level in the system starts increasing immediately after sunset and during the evening. It is due to the action of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN).

Those that have a perfect 24-hour circadian rhythm that is in sync with the external clock, often experience the higher concentration of melatonin at around 3 am. That is when the sleep is the deepest in human beings. It remains high enough up until this hour, and then it starts decreasing with the early hours of dawn.

By the time you wake up at around 6 or 7 in the morning, melatonin should be the lowest in concentration. People, who manage to wake up on time naturally, each day, often have optimal melatonin synthesis and break-down processes.

What Functions Does Melatonin Have Besides Controlling Sleep?

While this hormone is responsible for controlling sleep in higher mammals, it does have other functions that very few people know. These actions determine how much the supplemental doses of melatonin can react with other metabolic processes.

Here is a hint of the different roles this biochemical messenger plays in the human system.

• It is a potent anti-oxidant in our system.

• Melatonin plays a significant role in the protection of the liver from pancreatitis.

• It is one of the few hormones that have a preventive effect on several neurodegenerative diseases.

• It can regulate the formation of fat cells.

• Melatonin acts as a messenger between the brain, liver, kidney, and intestines. All these organs have melatonin receptors.

• It can form complexes with aluminum, copper, and cadmium. Although the biological implication of this is not well-known.

Currently, several researchers and organizations are running tests on the potential effects of melatonin and its regulatory effects on brain diseases, neuron aging, fat cell breakdown, and liver diseases.

What are the Therapeutic Uses of the “Sleep Molecule”?

Melatonin is a natural component of our biological system. Since each human being already has this bio-active agent present in their body, the side effects of introducing melatonin for therapeutic purposes are significantly low. Additionally, this compound is relatively easy to create in laboratory procedures.

Different kinds of insomnia and sleep disorders respond to this hormone upon conventional treatment. Interestingly, melatonin supplement for individuals, who have normal levels of the hormone, does not affect their sleep duration or quality. Over the last few years, researchers have been trying to treat many diseases with melatonin. Here are a few examples of the therapeutic effects of this hormone.

1. Cancer. Cancers of the colon, rectum, brain, breast, and lung respond to melatonin therapy. However, this natural hormone acts as an anti-cancer agent only when patients undergo supplemental melatonin treatment along with regular radiation and chemotherapy cycles. The hormone can reduce the adverse effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients upon conventional treatment.
   
2. Alzheimer’s. Melatonin not only prevents premature aging and early onset Alzheimer’s, but it also treats the disease. Several research papers show that the levels of this messenger decrease with increasing effects of the neurodegenerative disease. Introducing melatonin into the patient’s system slows the neural degeneration process of the brain.
   
3. Gallbladder stones. This is a unique hormone that has widespread effectiveness in treating several disorders and diseases, including gallstones. It can help in the conversion of cholesterol into bile. It mobilizes the stones through the bladder and out the urethra. There is a theory that states the contribution of free radicals in the body to gallstone formation. Melatonin has strong anti-oxidative properties, which can be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of gallstones.
   
4. Headaches. Several types of headaches, especially cluster headaches benefit the most from melatonin supplement therapy. However, it is essential that the individual suffering from migraines consult a doctor before starting their melatonin treatment. It is primarily because a headache is also a potential side effect of the hormone therapy.

Melatonin can offer the consumer protection from radioactivity. It is right for those undergoing radiation therapy for cancer or pain. Tinnitus is another annoying but persistent problem that affects several people across the country for unknown reasons. Research shows melatonin’s effectiveness in treating the eponymous ringing in their ears. It can either be due to better sleep or due to its antioxidant activities. Doctors don’t yet know much about the interactions melatonin causes that relieve tinnitus.

Are There Ways to Control Melatonin Levels Naturally?

There are several natural influencers of melatonin in our immediate environments. Since the synthesis of the hormone depends exclusively on the internal clock genes, there is an extensive relationship between the hormone and the amount of environmental light your body is receiving. People, who spend more time outdoors during the day and stay away from blue light in the evenings, experience standard melatonin actions that can support healthy sleeping habits.

Other factors like the duration of the day, artificial lighting in your office space and your bedroom, choice of food and drinks often influence the hormone levels. A drop or sudden rise in the level of melatonin can leave you feeling fatigued, drowsy, confused, and sulky. Here are a few natural ways you can boost maintain the melatonin synthesis-breakdown balance in your body.

1. Start eating melatonin-rich food like strawberries, tomatoes, rice, barley, olives, walnuts, and cherries. Adding these to your dinner menu, in their natural form, will help you fall asleep faster.
   
2. Cow’s milk has melatonin. If you are not lactose intolerant, you can consider adding cow’s milk to your daily diet.
   
3. Expose yourself to pleasant sunlight in the mornings to lower your melatonin levels.
   
4. Stay away from blue LED lights in the evening and switch to all-white LED in the house to boost a healthy spike in sleep hormone levels.
   
5. Remove caffeine and alcohol from your evenings to keep your sleep-hormone level regular.

Investigations show that when your body absorbs the melatonin levels from your food, you immediately begin to feel calmer and sleeper than before. Choosing the correct diet can significantly influence the quality and duration of your nightly rest.

What are the Potential Side Effects of Taking Sleep-Hormone Supplements?

There are people, who suffer from more severe forms of sleep disorders. For them, these natural processes do little good, due to prolonged negligence. Our system often becomes resistant to natural sources of hormones and supplements due to extended periods of deprivation. In such cases, doctors put them on regular melatonin supplements.

If you are one of the many, who are currently taking melatonin supplements for sleep, you need to stop worrying. It is a natural sleeping aid that has infinitesimally little side effects.

1. Melatonin is already available in the natural form of vegetables, fruits, and animal products. Your body needs volumes that are higher than the natural sources.
   
2. They now come in pill, tablet, chewable and liquid forms.
   
3. Even children can take melatonin for their extensive RBD, night terror, and sleepwalking problems.
   
4. The doses can range between 1 to 10 milligrams per individual, depending on preexisting health conditions, body weight, and age.
   
5. The ideal time to take the supplement is usually half-an-hour to an hour before sleep.

Even though melatonin has very few interactions and side effects, you need to ask your doctor for the complete information on the “drug” before you can start a course.

What are the Correct Dosages of the Hormone that can Treat Sleep Disorders?

The correct dosage of melatonin can help you fall asleep without sweating it. There are millions of people, who take the hormonal supplement for sound sleep each night. Thousands of them believe that increasing the dosage can help them fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. However, that is rarely true.

As we have mentioned before, melatonin for sleep does not support the cause. Instead, it can cause dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Although the side effects of this medication are limited, you need to take the possibilities of unpleasant impacts into account before self-medicating or adjusting the dosage.  

Here is a vague guideline for the dose of melatonin for various problems associated with sleep.

Insomnia and Occasional Sleepiness

These are very common afflictions among the regular American. Children and adults suffer from these problems indiscriminately. The typical dosage for insomnia is about 5 mg before bedtime for adults. Children should, of course, take a smaller dose as per the doctor’s advice. The presence of too much melatonin disrupts the sleep-wake cycle.

The prescription of melatonin to children with neuro-developmental disorders is widespread since they face the most difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep during socially accepted bedtime. Several children require higher than the recommended dosage, but this needs close monitoring and regular testing.

Extensive Periods of Wakefulness Each Night

Several studies suggest a dosage of 2 to 12 mg of melatonin on a regular basis for up to one month for combating delayed sleep phase syndrome.

Disturbed Sleep-Wake Cycle

There have been extensive studies on this form of sleep disorder. Many teens, young adults, and even the elderly population often find themselves awake in the middle of the night and overcome by drowsiness the next day afternoon.

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is usually a product of a disrupted circadian cycle. About 2 to 12 mg of melatonin is the ideal dosage for treating this disorder. The dosage varies significantly due to the tolerance of the individual and the effective minimal dose threshold.

Jet Lag

Jet lag sounds like a simple problem that is a product of extensive travel. It might look like one of those fancy “luxury lifestyle” problems that only affect the rich and the famous, but in reality, traveling outside the country has become extensively popular among all socio-economic classes. Jet lag is a real problem every traveler needs to face.

Sometimes, staying awake throughout the new daytime and only taking 20-minute naps in the afternoon can help you fall asleep at night. However, extensive studies show that jet-lagged travelers benefit more from taking 0.5 to 8 mg of melatonin on the night of landing. If you need, you can continue with a mild dosage of melatonin each night until the lag passes.

Melatonin is entirely different from any other sleep medication or tranquilizer you may have taken this far. Since it is a natural component of our biological system, you are at lesser risk of facing side effects. It helps to restore your sleep-wake cycle of 24 hours. If your body fails to produce enough melatonin per night after dark, the supplement can make up for it. Although it is a natural hormone, you should not exceed nine months on melatonin therapy for effective treatment of any sleep disorders.

Why Should Children try Therapy for Better Rest?

Children who sleep soundly perform better than those who suffer from sleep deprivation. Several pediatricians recommend some form of the calming agent for children who have trouble falling asleep on time every night. Youngsters can suffer from over 1 hour of lost sleep for weeks during school. Poor sleeping hygiene and lousy choice of food often affect their sleeping hours.

Proper rest has a strong relation with ADHD and excessive daytime sleepiness in all age groups. Children often benefit from small doses of liquid melatonin. The dosage depends on their daily need, and usually, a sleep specialist or a doctor provides the necessary advice on the same.

Your child might benefit from readjusting their daily schedules, improving their sleep hygiene and adjusting their bedtime. Engaging in regular physical activity can help children with their sleep-wake cycle beyond belief. Since melatonin treatment should never be a long-term solution for sleep disorders in children, you must always emphasize more on their light exposure, physical activity levels, and diet.

What are a Few Safety Tips you Must Always Remember About Melatonin?

Children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and the older population must exercise extra caution while taking melatonin for sleep. Here are a few things you must ensure during your sleep improvement phase.

1. You should never take melatonin for extended periods. There can be severe side effects for prolonged use since these are usually hormonal effects and they can persist for years. Several times, these side effects stay dormant for months or even for years before surfacing.
   
2. This hormone can increase blood clotting. It can be a serious health challenge for those suffering from heart ailments. Several people recovering from thrombosis use anti-clotting medication to dissolve blood clots. Doctors usually do not recommend melatonin for them. You should always be careful if you are taking medication similar to warfarin.
   
3. Pregnant women and lactating mothers should not use this treatment. If the use is unavoidable, you need to stay under a doctor’s observation for the treatment period.
   
4. Patients with a history of depression or a high predisposition to familial depression should refrain from using melatonin to treat their sleep disorders.
   
5. People who have to drive long distances regularly or operate heavy machinery should not undergo melatonin treatment. The effect of these supplements can interfere with your cognition and decision-making abilities.

Animal-derived melatonin from the pineal glands of cows has been in use for several years now. Although several countries like Germany and Canada have banned the sale and prescription of this supplement since it increases the chances of certain viral infections, you can find it today in the US. Interestingly, in the US, you can buy it as an OTC supplement instead of a medicine or drug.

How Does the Sleep Signaling Molecule Help to Restore Your Sleep?

Melatonin does not work alone to boost your sleep duration and quality. This natural supplement works towards the restoration of your body’s circadian rhythm. By setting the right time for sleep, your body can go back to feeling hungry at the right times and sleepy during bedtime.

1. Melatonin levels increase as the sun goes down and the rise signifies a sharp decrease in core body temperature.
   
2. It lowers your blood pressure and helps your muscles relax by releasing a sleepiness response.
   
3. Melatonin receptors in the brain bind to the rising levels of the hormone to reduce the neural activity. It also decreases the dopamine levels that boost calmness.

The specific cell signaling process melatonin induces, and the mechanism of this hormone’s action is unclear to the research community and medical practitioners. However, they are sure that bright light can suppress the hormone synthesis.

The blue light wavelength can reduce the level of the hormone in the body, and this makes us feel awake. Staying away from bright light, either by replacing your home light with softer mood lighting or by using blue-light blocking goggles can help you maintain a regular melatonin rise and breakdown cycle for a long time.

How do Researchers Know the Effects of Melatonin on Sleep?

There have been several studies that elicit the relationship between this hormone and rest. Research under Dollins et al. showed that the minute quantities of melatonin could improve sleep onset time significantly when the environment was sleep-inducing as well. The studied doses reduced oral temperatures among the subjects and shortened the sleep latency.

A recent 2017 study by Xie and Chen shows that melatonin can improve sleep onset time, sleep duration and rest quality in people without creating dependence. Benzodiazepines, antihistamines, and antidepressants can result in prolonged addiction problems among the users. N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine is a natural hormone that our pineal gland produces. Therefore, the chance of developing an addiction to it is doubtful.  

Melatonin is an alternative to current therapies that address sleeping disorders, with fewer side effects and dependence problems. This hormone is also seeing extensive use in the treatment of hypersomnolence, breathing disorders, and parasomnias. Research shows that it might be useful in treating eye problems, hypertension, and heartburn in chronic cases.

Recent research highlights the potential use of N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine in the treatment of seasonal depression. Winter blues are typical in countries and regions that experience almost six months of darkness during the winter months. This disorder impacts nearly 20% of the adults in the US. The hormone reduces the effects of seasonal depression naturally for long-term redressal and helps reinstate the regular sleep cycle in spite of the extended periods of darkness outside.

What is a Long-term Solution that can Work After You Stop the Sleep Hormone Treatment?

Since all research articles and health magazines are screaming about restricting melatonin use to only a couple of weeks or a couple of months, there must be some way to restore your sleep in long-term without the interference of other chemicals.

Once you are on melatonin, you can experience child-like slumbers and pleasant dreams. But, once the doctor or sleep specialists take you off it, you will revert to old sleeping problems. Withdrawal and reversal of symptoms are bound to happen if you do not make the necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Here are a few things you can try to spruce up your mornings post melatonin therapy.

1. Try working out every morning for a while. Meditation of course helps, but you need to mobilize your body to send the message that it is time to be active. It can boost your morning metabolism and use up the leftover melatonin from the previous night.
   
2. You should welcome the morning by stepping outside. It is challenging for homemakers and home-based freelance workers to spend time outside daily during the mornings. However, research shows that sunlight is vital for establishing the natural rhythm in our body. The internal clock genes depend on sunlight for their regular functions to a great extent.
   
3. Eating healthily throughout the day, keeping your bowel movement timely, and detoxifying whenever necessary can help you reduce excessive daytime sleepiness. If morning sunlight cannot prevent you from feeling sleepy by 10 am, you need to consider blue-light boxes for mornings. You can switch to green tea, lemon-ginger tea and protein-rich breakfasts for giving your body the necessary zest.
   
4. Avoid caffeine after the evening. Ideally, switch to decaf if you love the taste of coffee. Tea has a significant concentration of caffeine, and you can prevent nighttime sleep deprivation by avoiding all sorts of caffeinated products after 6 pm. the normal metabolism requires about 4 hours to flush out 100 grams of caffeine. Remember to never consume more than 100 grams of caffeine in the form of tea, coffee or energy drinks on a regular basis.
   
5. Go to bed at a regular time each night. Some people find it easy to fall asleep by 11 pm, but you might not be one of them. If you finish work by 9 and you want to eat slowly, then enjoy some time with your friends or family, your daily bedtime might be. There is no need to feel guilty about a later than usual night, as long as you are getting full sleep. Going to bed at a regular hour helps your body understand what’s the appropriate time to feel sleepy.
   
6. Most importantly, you need to limit your blue-light exposure throughout the evening. Post 6 or 7 pm, you should try to avoid using your PC or laptop. We know how ridiculously impossible that sounds, but even taking a break every 15 minutes helps. Two hours before bed, keep your mobile phone away or at least install a blue-light blocker. Several Android and Apple applications now claim to block blue wavelengths of light, but their efficiencies are debatable.

Try to continue without melatonin supplements for as long as possible after a course of treatment. You can always start taking them when you have to travel overseas, or the sleep-wake disorder becomes chronic once again.

Correcting sleep-wake ailments can be tedious. It takes a lot of tenacity and patience to perfect an already askew routine. Some people have to try for over a year to come back to a regular 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. The only secret to success is never giving up.

How to Know When to Stop Taking the Supplements?

Melatonin levels are difficult to ascertain or assume in an individual. If the melatonin supplement does work, you must not continue for longer than two months. It is safe for an individual to regularly take the recommended dosage for only two months at a stretch. In the meanwhile, if you become pregnant or develop other health complications stop taking melatonin immediately and contact your doctor.

There are times when doctors presume a lack of enough sleep hormones in the system since the patient exhibits a lack of regular sleep patterns. In reality, there are several reasons why a person can experience extended periods of wakefulness. From lifestyle disorders to benign tumors in the brain, there can be various reasons for prolonged and unnatural wakefulness in human beings.

You must stop taking the hormonal supplements if they show no improvement of sleep in 2 weeks. Increasing the dosage is risky, and you must never attempt it on your own.

Why Should you be Very Cautious About Melatonin Treatment?

Melatonin is not another sleeping pill you can pop before bed. It might not be that simple. Since it is a hormone, it has several underlying effects and interactions that experts are still exploring. Parents must be cautious while giving melatonin to their children. Children and the elderly require round the clock observation when the begin melatonin therapy for sleep.

Since it is a readily available OTC medication, people tend to treat it like aspirin or Advil. However, the repercussions of wrong dosage or unnecessary treatment with a hormonal supplement can be deleterious for the health of the consumer. Any form of treatment for any disease or disorder involving melatonin requires close examination, tests, and advice by a doctor or a specialist.

Melatonin does not have the same effect on everyone. It can be due to genetic differences between the receptors of the particular hormone, increased resistance to the sleep-molecule or due to other unknown factors. Several researchers have shown that for several test subjects with insomnia, this sleep hormone does not do much to improve sleep quality or duration. It is useful in treating circadian rhythm disorders by strict regulation of administration time and quantity, as per the instructions of a sleep specialist.