What you need to know about sleep:

You’re tired. You could put your head down on a desk right now and fall asleep immediately. You went to bed late last night, had trouble falling asleep and woke up too early. And let’s not kid ourselves: Tonight will be the same unless … well, read on.

This is the classic not-so-shut-eye experience of many Americans who think they are sleep-deprived and possibly need pills or other treatment to fix their insomnia, teeth grinding, jet lag, restless or jerky legs, snoring, sleepwalking and so forth.

Reality is quite different.

For instance, insomnia is said to be the most common sleep disorder, but these dissatisfying sleep experiences only get in the way of daily activities for 10 percent of us, according to the National Institutes of Health. And in almost half of those cases, the real underlying problem is illness (often mental) or the effects of a substance, like coffee or medication.

Here are five recent findings that might help you rest easier:

1. We sleep better than we think we do

For most of us, sleep deprivation is a myth. We’re not zombies. The non-profit National Sleep Foundation (which takes money from the sleep-aid industry, including drug companies that make sleeping pills) says the average U.S. resident gets 7 hours a night and that’s not enough, but a University of Maryland study earlier this year shows we typically get 8 hours and are doing fine. In fact, Americans get just as much sleep nowadays as they did 40 years ago, the study found.

2. We need less sleep as we age

We’ll die without sleep. The details are sketchy, but research suggests it’s a time when we restore vital biological processes and also sort and cement memories. Last year, the World Health Organization determined that nightshift work, which can lead to sleep troubles, is a probable human carcinogen. On the upside, the latest research suggests we need less of it as we get older.

3. You can sleep like a baby (or Thomas Edison)

Multiple, shorter sleep sessions nightly, rather than one long one, are an option. So-called polyphasic sleep is seen in babies, the elderly and other animals (and Thomas Edison reportedly slept this way). For the rest of us, it is more realistic and healthy to sleep at night as best we can and then take naps as needed. EEGs show that we are biphasic sleepers with two alertness dips — one at night time and one mid-day. So talk to HR about setting up a nap room, like they have for NASA’s Phoenix mission team members.

4. Animals exhibit a range of sleep habits

The three-toed sloth sleeps 9.6 hours nightly. But newborn dolphins and killer whales can forgo sleeping for their entire first month. However, the latter extreme is not recommended for humans. We grow irritable and lose our ability to focus and make decisions after even one night of missed sleep, and that can lead to serious accidents driving and using other machinery.

5. Get used to being tired, hit the desk

The bottom line is that a good night’s sleep is within the reach of most of us if we follow common-sense guidelines for sleep hygiene:

• Go to bed at the same time nightly.
• Set aside enough time to hit that golden 7 hours of sleep.
• Refrain from caffeine, heavy or spicy foods, and alcohol and other optional medications that might keep you awake, four to six hours before bed-time.
• Have a pre-sleep routine so you wind down before you hop in.
• Block out distracting lights and noises.
• Only engage in sleep and sex in bed (no TV-watching, reading or eating).
• Exercise regularly but not right before bed.

But you already know all this and you don’t do it. So your realistic plan might be to surrender to the mid-day desk nap.

Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS)

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a disorder characterized by the perception of loud noises (e.g. a bomb explosion, gunshot or cymbal crash) when going to sleep or awakening. Contrary to the name, EHS is not associated with pain. However the noise attacks can elicit a great deal of fear, confusion and distress in sufferers. Reports of tachycardia and palpitations are also common. Despite the distressing nature of EHS, relatively little is known about the prevalence and underlying cause of the condition. Some scientists have estimated that EHS may affect 10% of the population. Females tend to be more at risk than males and the average age of onset is 50 years old.

Stress and exploding head syndrome

A few sufferers hear the noise in only one ear, while others hear it in both ears. In other cases, the sound seems to come from inside the patient’s own head (thus the condition’s name).

Most researchers find that exploding head syndrome often occurs in people who are dealing with high levels of stress and physical or mental fatigue. It affects both men and women, though the condition appears more commonly in women, and among people 50 years and older (though it’s also been reported in children).

Because there’s been little research into the condition, nobody is certain what causes exploding head syndrome. Some experts have speculated that it’s related to minor seizures in the brain’s temporal lobe; others suggest it might be related to hearing disorder

Doin’ the hypnagogic jerk

Exploding head syndrome is one of several conditions described as hypnagogic, or occurring in the transitional state between sleep and full wakefulness.

The “hypnagogic jerk” is an involuntary muscle spasm or twitch that occurs as a person is drifting off to sleep.

The muscle spasms may occur spontaneously or may be induced by sound, light or other external stimuli. Some people report hypnagogic jerks accompanied by hallucinations, dreams, the sensation of falling, or bright lights and loud noises coming from inside the head.

As with exploding head syndrome, researchers aren’t sure why hypnogogic jerks occur, but a few theories exist. One hypothesis says that these events are a natural part of the body’s transition from alertness to sleep, and occur when nerves “misfire” during the process.

Another popular idea takes a more evolutionary approach to hypnogogic jerks, explaining that the spasms are an ancient primate reflex responding to the relaxation of muscles at the onset of sleep — the brain misinterprets the relaxation as a sign that the sleeping primate is falling out of a tree, and causes the muscles to quickly react.

Is there a cure for exploding head syndrome?

When exploding head syndrome is related to stress or fatigue, experts recommend stress-management techniques such as yoga, meditation or simply a hot bath before sleeping.

Doctors have reported that many sleep disturbances like exploding head syndrome are related to the use of certain medications or drugs, according to the ASA. Moderating the use of these drugs may alleviate the symptoms of exploding head syndrome.

Some evidence suggests that clomipramine, a member of an older class of tricyclic antidepressants, can help treat exploding head syndrome.

For many patients, the condition comes and goes, disappearing for long stretches at a time, then eventually going away entirely on its own.

There are various theories as to what might cause EHS. For instance, some scientists have speculated that EHS may be associated with minor temporal lobe seizures. Another theory is that EHS is caused by sudden shifts of middle ear components. Other possible causes include stress/anxiety, impairments in calcium signalling and brainstem neuronal dysfunction.

Fortunately, exploding head syndrome is not as dangerous as it sounds.

But it is a real condition, and researchers are finally beginning to seriously investigate the rare and little-understood sleep disorder.

People with exploding head syndrome hear extremely loud noises — a gunshot, an explosion, a thunderclap — as they’re drifting off to sleep, or as they wake up from a deep sleep.

When exploding head syndrome is related to stress or fatigue, experts recommend stress-management techniques such as yoga, meditation or simply a hot bath before sleeping.

Doctors have reported that many sleep disturbances like exploding head syndrome are related to the use of certain medications or drugs, according to the ASA. Moderating the use of these drugs may alleviate the symptoms of exploding head syndrome.

Because of the benign nature of EHS, many individuals do not require medical treatment. However if an individual is suffering from disturbed sleep or considerable distress as a consequence of EHS, then treatment may be necessary. Tricyclic antidepressants have been proven useful in some individuals. Some evidence suggests that clomipramine, a member of an older class of tricyclic antidepressants, can help treat exploding head syndrome.  Calcium channel blockers may also be beneficial. Non-pharmacological strategies such as relaxation, improved sleep hygiene and counselling may also help to alleviate symptoms.

For many patients, the condition comes and goes, disappearing for long stretches at a time, then eventually going away entirely on its own.

“The initial signs and symptoms of GBS are varied and there are several disorders with similar symptoms. Therefore, doctors may find it difficult to diagnose GBS in its earliest stages. There is no known cure for Guillain-Barré syndrome. However, some therapies can lessen the severity of the illness and shorten recovery time. There are also several ways to treat the complications of the disease. Typically, the point of greatest weakness occurs days to at most 4 weeks after the first symptoms occur. Guillain-Barré syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and rapid, unexpected onset of weakness—and usually actual paralysis. Fortunately, 70% of people with GBS eventually experience full recovery. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks up to a few years. ”

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke – NIH (https://www.ninds.nih.gov/guillain-barre-syndrome-fact-sheet)

“Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome is a rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your hands and feet are usually the first symptoms.

These sensations can quickly spread, eventually paralyzing your whole body. In its most severe form Guillain-Barre syndrome is a medical emergency. Most people with the condition must be hospitalized to receive treatment.”

MAYO CLINIC

“The critical inner voice supports an individual’s negative identity, leading to both self-attacks and hostility toward others. This helped me to identify a split in the personality between the self system and the anti-self system. The division of the mind reflects a primary divide between forces that represent the self and those that oppose or attempt to destroy it.

Destructive actions directed against other people occur when feelings of frustration are combined with negative cognitive processes. Since people filter events through the voice process, during times of stress even innocuous incidents can be imbued with a negative loading.

Some people tend to distort others or view them with suspicion, resulting in a basic paranoid or victimized orientation toward life. Their voices impart negative information to them about others: He’s just taking advantage of you. Or, She’s always intruding into your life. Extreme negative voices are at the core of all forms of criminal and domestic violence and explosive behavior.”

Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-experience/201901/insight-the-violent-mind)

“Currently, some 50% of the US population has a chronic disease, creating an epidemic, and 86% of health care costs are attributable to chronic disease. The medical profession and its leadership did not recognize or respond appropriately to the rising prevalence of chronic disease. As a consequence, a health care crisis emerged, with inadequate access to care and quality of care together with excessive costs. In the years since the 1950s, when the chronic disease prevalence grew, the clinical literature did not follow. It remained preoccupied with acute disease. Similarly, medical education did not change. Studies and critiques gave little or modest attention to the rising dominance of chronic disease and neglected elements of good care.  Now, the medical profession and its leadership are confronted by the responsibility to build a practice of medicine with a health care system that better meet the needs of patients with chronic illness & reduces the health care crisis.”.

National Library of Medicine NIH

Chronic diseases are crushing healthcare.

Our healthcare system is good at treating short-term problems, such as broken bones and infections. Medical advances are helping people live longer. But obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. The population is aging. We need to do a much better job managing chronic diseases.

Chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease take a heavy toll on health. Chronic conditions also cost vast amounts of money. The trends are going in the wrong direction:

• Obesity increases the risk of developing conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The rate of obesity in adults has doubled in the last 20 years. It has almost tripled in kids ages 2-11. It has more than tripled in children ages 12-19.

• Without big changes, 1 in 3 babies born today will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

• Average healthcare costs for someone who has one or more chronic conditions is 5 times greater than for someone without any chronic conditions.

• Chronic diseases account for $3 of every $4 spent on healthcare. That’s nearly $7,900 for every American with a chronic disease.

• These chronic diseases drive healthcare costs at an alarming annual rate:

• Heart Disease and Stroke: $432 billion/year.

• Diabetes: $174 billion/year.

• Lung Disease: $154 billion/year.

• Alzheimer’s Disease: $148 billion/year.The human cost of chronic diseases cannot be ignored:

• The Human Cost

  • Chronic diseases cause 7 out of every 10 deaths.

  • Chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are the leading causes of disability and death in the US.

  • About 25% of people with chronic diseases have some type of activity limitation. This includes difficulty or needing help with personal tasks such as dressing or bathing. It may also mean being restricted from work or attending school.

  • Today, Americans suffering from chronic diseases face rising healthcare costs. They also receive lower quality care and have fewer options.

  • Health insurance co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses continue to rise. In many cases, choices and care are limited.

  • The disabling and long-term symptoms that often come with chronic diseases add to extended pain and suffering. This decreases the overall quality of life.The financial and human costs of chronic diseases can no longer be ignored.

  • There is a way we can prevent this and it would be keeping your weight ideal for your height within the therapeutic body mass index range (calculate it for free online).  If you need to lose weight you’ve come to the right blog.  Do it through diet, exercise balanced with rest and practicing routine healthy habits that prone you to having a healthy body overall which prevents disease.  So many diseases are due to these factors not practiced daily =  good diet with exercise, healthy habits and a therapeutic weight for your height.  If we had most of American citizens living this way certain diseases would be decreased terribly helping our country out with this economy of ours with the health care system.  If you need assistance in reaching these healthy practices   Do you want a better fit body or even an overall healthier family including grandchildren to even our country than take the action NOW.  For your goal in playing a part in living healthier and spreading the good news would benefit you and all around us.  Also, for the next decade & generation to be healthier will help Americans holistically in their lives all around (including our health care showing a spread of disease in lower percentage due to healthier dieting and activity choices by our people, who are so important in helping to decide where the health of the present and future of the US citizens lies.  Should it take our government to make a move (finally after so many years)?   We must face the epidemic of chronic diseases. If we don’t, the human costs will continue to soar. We might even face a lack of available or affordable care when it is needed most.

• • REFERENCES:
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic Disease Overview: Costs of Chronic Disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/overview.htm. Accessed July 24, 2007.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight and Obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/trend/index.htm. Accessed July 24, 2007.
  • American Diabetes Association. The Dangerous Toll of Diabetes. American Diabetes Association Web site. Available at http://diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/dangerous-toll.jsp. Accessed May 18, 2007.
  • Partnership for Solutions. Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care, September 2004 Update. Partnership for Solutions Web site. Available at http://www.partnershipforsolutions.org/DMS/files/ chronicbook2004.pdf. Accessed July 24, 2007.
  • Mensah G, Brown D. An overview of cardiovascular disease burden in the United States. Health Aff 2007; 26:38-48.
  • American Diabetes Association. Direct and Indirect Costs of Diabetes in the United States. American Diabetes Association Web site. Available at http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/ cost-of-diabetes-in-HYPERLINK “http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/cost-of-diabetes-in-us.jsp”us.jsp. Accessed September 20, 2007.
  • Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures 2007. Alzheimer’s Association Web site. Available at http://www.alz.org/national/documents/Report_2007FactsAndFigures.pdf.

“4 Types of Spina Bifida. Many babies with myelomeningocele tend to be in a feet-first (breech) position. If your baby is in this position or if your doctor has detected a large cyst or sac, cesarean birth may be a safer way to deliver your baby. Myelomeningocele requires surgery to close the opening in the baby’s back within 72 hours of birth. Performing the surgery early can help minimize the risk of infection associated with the exposed nerves. It may also help protect the spinal cord from more trauma. During the procedure, a neurosurgeon places the spinal cord and exposed tissue inside the baby’s body and covers them with muscle and skin.  Than its  treatment for complications — such as weak legs, bladder and bowel problems, or hydrocephalus — typically begins soon after birth. Ongoing care and even though there is no cure most people with spina bifida lead long and productive lives. !”.

MAYO CLINIC

“Hispanic women have the highest rate of having a child affected by spina bifida, when compared with non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black women. The estimated lifetime cost of care for a person with spina bifida, with caregiving costs, is $791,900. ”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spinabifida/data.html)

Non-modifiable risk factors to breast cancer means factors we cannot change:

Modifiable risks risk factors to breast cancer. This means factors we can control:

Weight. Being overweight is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, especially for women after menopause. Fat tissue is the body’s main source of estrogen after menopause, when the ovaries stop producing the hormone. Having more fat tissue means having higher estrogen levels, which can increase breast cancer risk.

Diet. Studies are looking at the relationship between diet and breast cancer risk and the risk of recurrence. The Women’s Health Initiative Trial suggested that a diet very low in fat may reduce the risk of breast cancer. More research is needed in this important area for women who are interested in eating well to reduce their risk of ever getting breast cancer.

Diet pretty much affects your weight.  Unless you have a high metabolism or are severely active eating fattening foods will put on weight.

In the meantime, here’s what dietitians suggest:

• Keep your body weight in a healthy range for your height and frame. Body mass index, though not a perfect measurement, can help you estimate your healthy weight.
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit (more than 5 cups a day).
• Try to limit your saturated fat intake to less than 10% of your total calories per day and limit your fat intake to about 30 grams per day.
• Eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Avoid trans fats, processed meats, and charred or smoked foods.

You’ll find that processed foods generally don’t fit in this type of diet as well as fresh foods do. For more information, visit our page on healthy eating to reduce risk of breast cancer in the Nutrition section.

Exercise. Evidence is growing that exercise can reduce breast cancer risk. The American Cancer Society recommends engaging in 45-60 minutes of physical exercise 5 or more days a week.

Alcohol consumption. Studies have shown that breast cancer risk increases with the amount of alcohol a woman drinks. Alcohol can limit your liver’s ability to control blood levels of the hormone estrogen, which in turn can increase risk.

Smoking. Smoking is associated with a small increase in breast cancer risk.

Exposure to estrogen. Because the female hormone estrogen stimulates breast cell growth, exposure to estrogen over long periods of time, without any breaks, can increase the risk of breast cancer. Some of these risk factors are under your control, such as:

• taking combined hormone replacement therapy (estrogen and progesterone; HRT) for several years or more, or taking estrogen alone for more than 10 years
• being overweight
• regularly drinking alcohol

Recent oral contraceptive use. Using oral contraceptives (birth control pills) appears to slightly increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer, but only for a limited period of time. Women who stopped using oral contraceptives more than 10 years ago do not appear to have any increased breast cancer risk.

Stress and anxiety. There is no clear proof that stress and anxiety can increase breast cancer risk. However, anything you can do to reduce your stress and to enhance your comfort, joy, and satisfaction can have a major effect on your quality of life. So-called “mindful measures” (such as meditation, yoga, visualization exercises, and prayer) may be valuable additions to your daily or weekly routine. Some research suggests that these practices can strengthen the immune system.

The National Cancer Institute estimates an outstanding 80% of cancer in America is do to our lifestyles particularly DIET and EXERCISE. That includes Breast Cancer. I am not saying it is the only reason but a large percentage has to do with it and with changing it to a healthy one if your diet is not already including your exercise it lowers the probability for a large amount of people in America from getting cancer.  This principle also pertains to many other diseases (Ex. Obesity, High blood pressure, Diabetes, etc…)

Breast cancer is a polygenic and multifactorial disease for which estrogens have been recognized as the main risk factor, and for which lifestyle plays a key role. Previous epidemiologic cancer research performed in Uruguayan population delimited its dietary and anthropometric profiles (use for identification, use for the purposes of understanding human physical variation and in various attempts to correlate physical with racial and psychological traits). Recognizing the difficulty for universalizing a nutritional basis for prevention due to different eating patterns among regions and countries, what was summarized was the existent knowledge linking nutrition, estrogens, metabolism and Breast Cancer. As an attempt towards primary prevention of Breast Cancer, present recommendations mainly based on country-specific research findings and modifiable putative risk and protective factors, proposing to modify the intake of meats and other fatty foods – especially sources of Ω-6 and Ω-3 fatty acids – adding olive oil, selected vegetables, citrus fruits and working towards adequate body fat/muscle proportions. From a medical and ethical viewpoint, it is justified to recommend certain nutritional changes to women, because no adverse side effects are expected to occur.

There is evidence for an inverse association between physical activity and breast cancer risk. The evidence is stronger for postmenopausal breast cancer than for premenopausal breast cancer.

The National Cancer Institute states 80 percent of all cancers is due to our lifestyles. For some who are already active and eating healthy your already ahead of many in prevention of cancer but for those who don’t you dramatically alter your risks going towards higher probability of possibility getting cancer. If your one of those people I have great news this risk is controllable and you can fix it.

The modifiable risk factors are ones like your eating and exercise, which you have full control of. I am not saying become a weight lifter or workout in a gym 4 x/wk if you don’t now. What I am saying is increase your activity with some exercise like walking a mile a day or what you can tolerate and increase your exercise overtime.  If you get yourself up to 2 to 5 miles a day, great! If you become a regular at the gym or weight lifter great but you don’t have to go to that extreme of being a Sylvester Stallone or Rocky.

Non modifiable+modifiable risk factors: