Wednesday, April 08, 2009 12:27 AM
WOOTS. Im quite satisfied with my new blog skin. =D hahas. How do you think about my new skin? Well. I din really change it, just adding the border and a colume. =D Hope you guys like my blogskin!
And yups. Today went k with Derick and HowCher. Nice experience uhs.. hahas. We gained 1 extra hour without paying it. Cool. But im bad at singing=[
Then bused back to Tampines Stadium and walked home from there. Reached home around 8pm..
Actually today meeting KhaiMummy for lunch but he got something on. So yah.. Cheers! xD
Kinda sad about later. Cause plan change again. Sad sad sad. Gonna watch movie later on..
Hmms. i think i have serious sleepwalking? I have sleepwalking when im REAL real tired. I already have like 2 or 3 senario like will end up at my mum's room the next morning where i've slept in my room in the night. I dun remember i did went over to my mum's room. =X
I did some research on sleepwalking.
What causes sleepwalking?The normal sleep cycle involves distinct stages from light drowsiness to deep sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a different type of sleep, in which the eyes move rapidly and vivid dreaming is most common. During a night, there will be several cycles of non-REM and REM sleep. Sleep walking (somnambulism) most often occurs during deep non-REM
sleep (stage 3 or stage 4 sleep) early in the night. It can occur during REM sleep near morning.
In children, the cause is usually unknown but may be related to fatigue, prior sleep loss, or anxiety. In adults, sleep walking is usually associated with a disorder of the mind but may also be seen with reactions to drugs and alcohol, and medical conditions such as partial complex seizures. In the elderly, sleep walking may be a symptom of an organic brain syndrome or REM behavior disorders.
The sleep walking activity may include simply sitting up and appearing awake while actually asleep, getting up and walking around, or complex activities such as moving furniture, going to the bathroom, dressing and undressing, and similar activities. Some people even drive a car while actually asleep. The episode can be very brief (a few seconds or minutes) or can last for 30 minutes or longer. Experts believe that sleepwalking probably results from immaturity in the brain's regulation of sleep/wake cycles. Most children outgrow the symptoms as their nervous systems develop. Sleepwalking that begins later in life or persists into adulthood may have psychological causes such as extreme stress or, rarely, medical causes such as epilepsy.
One common misconception is that a sleep walker should not be awakened. It is not dangerous to awaken a sleep walker, although it is common for the person to be confused or disoriented for a short time on awakening. Another misconception is that a person cannot be injured when sleep walking. Actually, injuries caused by such things as tripping and loss of balance are common for sleep walkers. Sleep walking occurs at any age, but it occurs most often in children aged 6 to 12. It may occur in younger children, in adults, or in the elderly, and it appears to run in families.
What Symptoms of Sleepwalking?
One of the key signs is walking or moving about during sleep. Sleepwalkers engage in their activities with their eyes open so they can navigate their surroundings, not with their eyes closed and their arms outstretched as parodied in cartoons and Hollywood productions. The victims eyes may have a glazed or empty appearance and if questioned, the subject will be slow to answer or unresponsive. Difficulty in arousing the patient during a sleepwalking episode with amnesia following waking.Sleepwalking typically occures in the first third of a sleep episode. Sleeptalking may also take place during a sleepwalking episode. Although, sleeptalking during sleepwalking will most likely result in incomprehensible muttering. The range of sleepwalking actions can range from a simple act of sitting up in bed, to getting up running around and screaming. Sleepwalking episodes usually occur one to two hours after going to sleep and last from one to 30 minutes. A sleepwalker has open eyes and a blank expression, and is usually difficult, if not impossible, to awaken. The next morning, he or she won't remember the episode.What causes snoring?
Snoring is the sound made by air passing through irregularities and narrowings in the throat and windpipe. Snoring can occur when someone breathes in or breathes out. Snoring in itself is not dangerous, but it can be the first stage in the development of apnea. Weight gain, sedation or anything else that further constricts the upper airway could turn a chronic snorer into a sleep apnea patient.
Also, there are some data to suggest that chronic and severe snoring may lead to high blood pressure and cardiac changes. Doctors in Bologna, Italy have reported that chronic snorers tend to have a greater incidence of high blood pressure. More recently, doctors in Helsinki, Finland also found the same strong relationship between snoring and high blood pressure.
Snoring is often related to physical obstructive breathing during sleep. This physical obstruction occurs when the muscles of the palate, the uvula, and sometimes the tonsils relax during deep sleep, and act as vibrating noise-makers when the air of breathing moves across them. Excessive bulkiness of tissue in the back of the throat as it narrows into the airways can also contribute to snoring, as can a long palate and/or uvula.
Large tonsils and adenoids can cause snoring in children. Overweight persons also have bulky tissues in their neck. Cysts or tumors could be present, but these are rare. When muscles are too relaxed, either from alcohol or drugs that cause sleepiness, the tongue falls backwards into the airway or the throat muscles draw in from the sides into the airway. This can also happen during deep sleep. Excessive length of the soft palate and uvula may dangle into the person's airway and act as a flutter valve during relaxed breathing and contribute to the noise of snoring.
When a person has a stuffy or blocked-up nose he must blow hard to inhale air through it. This creates an exaggerated vacuum in his throat; the collapsible part of the airway then pulls together with the floppy tissues of the throat. Snoring then occurs in persons who would not snore if they could breathe properly through their nose. This explains why some people snore during hay fever season or when they have a cold or sinus infection. Deformities of the nose or nasal septum may also cause such an obstruction. Deviated septum is a common term for the deformity of the wall inside the nose that separates one nostril from the other.
Most cases of snoring are due to the nightly accumulation of secretions in the back of the throat and the associated tissue swelling. These factors produce a partial airflow obstruction and narrowed airway, allowing vibration of the soft tissues in the throat.
What treatment is available to stop snoring?Avoiding alcoholic beverages, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines before retiring; Exercise the throat, the tongue, and the jaw muscles so the breathing passage will widen and stay open when you sleep. Sleeping prone or on one's side; or raising the head of the bed may help. Special antisnoring pillows are no more effective than regular pillows or raising the head of the bed.
The various devices promoted to reduce snoring usually work well only in mild cases and do not relieve sleep apnea. Nasal infections and allergies should be treated. Use CPAP mask (a device you wear on the nose while sleeping to decrease snoring and sleep apnea). Use dental appliances to prevent tongue from falling back. For heavy snoring, surgically correcting obstructive conditions in the nose, pharynx, or uvula (eg, by laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty) may be the only solution if treatment is needed.
I guess LeongWei, WeiSian and HanLin need to know the snoring part. =X
What causes insomnia?About half of all insomnia cases are caused by psychological or emotional problems. Acute stress, depression, anxiety and other behavior-related problems are common psychological causes. Certain conditions seem to make individuals more likely to experience insomnia. Examples of these conditions include: advanced age (insomnia occurs more frequently in those over age 60); female gender; and a history of depression. If other conditions (such as stress, anxiety, a medical problem, or the use of certain medications) occur along with the above conditions, insomnia is more likely.
Underlying medical conditions such as sleep apnea or hyperthyroidism can also cause insomnia, as can pain and discomfort caused by arthritis or congestive heart failure. The use of caffeine or other stimulants, alcohol or other depressants, sedatives, poor sleep habits or a change in sleep patterns, and eating or working before sleeping can all cause sleep problems. Rarely, periodic jerky leg movements (nocturnal myoclonus), which happen just as the individual is falling asleep can cause insomnia.
There are many causes of insomnia. Transient and intermittent insomnia generally occur in people who are temporarily experiencing one or more of the following: stress, environmental noise, extreme temperatures, a change in the surrounding environment, sleep/wake schedule problems such as those due to jet lag, or medication side effects.
Chronic insomnia is more complex and often results from a combination of factors, including underlying physical or mental disorders. One of the most common causes of chronic insomnia is depression. Other underlying causes include arthritis, kidney disease, heart failure, asthma, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, Parkinson disease, and hyperthyroidism. However, chronic insomnia may also be due to behavioral factors, including the misuse of caffeine, alcohol, or other substances; disrupted sleep/wake cycles as may occur with shift work or other nighttime activity schedules; and chronic stress.
In general, the numerous causes of insomnia that can generally be broken down into three categories: insomnia due to another sleep disorder, insomnia due primarily to physical medical disorder, and insomnia due primarily to temporary events or factors
In many people, psychological causes of insomnia include anxiety, stress, depression, in addition, a lack of a good night's sleep can lead to these very same psychological problems, and a vicious cycle can develop. Professional counseling from a doctor, therapist, or sleep specialist can help individuals cope with these conditions.
The physical causes of insomnia include hormonal changes in women, decreased melatonin, medical conditions (allergies, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, and Parkinson's disease.), pain and discomfort from a medical illness or injury often interfere with sleep, genetics, and other sleep disorders.
Short-term insomnia can be linked to events and factors that are often temporary, such as adjustment sleep disorder, jet lag, working the night shift or long shifts, medications, overuse of caffeine and alcohol, environmental noise, extreme temperatures, or a change in a person's surrounding environment.What's the treatment for insomnia?Patients can make changes in their daily routine that are simple and effective in treating their insomnia. They should go to bed only when sleepy and use the bedroom only for sleep. Other activities like reading, watching television, or snacking should take place somewhere else. If they are unable to go to sleep, they should go into another room and do something that is relaxing, like reading.
Watching television should be avoided because it has an arousing effect. The person should return to bed only when they feel sleepy. Patients should set the alarm and get up every morning at the same time, no matter how much they have slept, to establish a regular sleep-wake pattern. Naps during the day should be avoided, but if absolutely necessary, than a 30 minute nap early in the afternoon may not interfere with sleep at night.
Relaxing before going to bed will help a person fall asleep faster. Learning to substitute pleasant thoughts for unpleasant ones (imagery training) is a technique that can be very helpful in reducing worry. Another effective measure is the use of audiotapes which combine the sounds of nature with soft relaxing music. These, alone or in combination with other relaxation techniques, can safely promote sleepiness.
Can also use prescribed medicine by doctor or therapy.
Evon's xD
