One night you wake up because someone has just started a chain saw next to your head, and discover your charming bedmate, the one who’s never snored before, sawing logs in bed. Of course, he’s still sound asleep, but you’re now wide-awake. His snoring is so loud that you’re not likely to get back to the Land of Nod unless you move to another room. How could someone who never snored before suddenly start snoring? Several different conditions — both simple and more complex — can cause snoring,

If your bedmate tells you that you snore so loudly that he or she has to sleep in another room, and he or she can still hear you from that room, you may have sleep apnea, a breathing disorder marked by frequent interruptions of breathing during sleep. During an apnea episode, you completely stop breathing for at least 10 seconds. The struggle to breathe triggers an emergency alert response in your brain. You wake up just enough to open your airway and gasp for breath, and then fall right back asleep, usually without knowing what has happened. To meet the medical definition of sleep apnea, these episodes must occur at least five times per hour of sleep. Most people with sleep apnea suffer from 20 to 60 such episodes per hour during the night so they wake up feeling unrefreshed. Yet, many sufferers aren’t aware they have a problem.

Apnea is derived from the Greek word apnoia that means “without breath.” Hypopnea is a kind of abnormally reduced breathing that can also affect people with sleep apnea. Until recently, many medical professionals were still in the dark about sleep apnea and its implications for other health problems. Many family and primary care doctors still don’t look for signs of sleep deprivation in their patients who report excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and fail to order additional tests when a patient complains that his or her bedmate snores so loudly it shakes the bedroom walls.

You may be saying, “Well, so what if I snore? I’m not going to waste a bunch of time and money getting treated for that!” Think again. Sleep apnea is a life-threatening condition that can lead to a variety of medical problems and even increase your risk of having an accident. And, the longer it goes untreated, the progressively worse it gets. So you may want to get it looked into after all. Today, not tomorrow.

Melatonin for sleep

Melatonin is one of the natural sleep aids based on the hormone melatonin which is produced by the pineal gland in the brain that regulates sleep cycles and seasonal changes within the body. The hormone became very popular as a sort of “magic bullet” sleep aid a few years back, but less popular after its side effects including depression, weepiness, and headaches became known. It’s usually one of the major ingredients in natural sleep aids. If you do decide to try melatonin for sleep, use a very small dose (1 to 2 mg), not because high doses are dangerous but because they render subsequent doses of melatonin ineffective. Also, use only totally synthetic melatonin. You don’t want to use melatonin whose source is harvested pineal glands off slaughterhouse floors or concentrated organic melatonin from cow regurgitate — yuk! By the way, it’s illegal to feed cow-brain melatonin to your livestock — if you had any — because of regulations designed to curb mad cow disease. So if it is not good enough for your cows, it is probably not good enough for you.

Valerian Root

Valerian Root has a long history of use as a calmative and natural sleep aids. Patients find Valerian Root beneficial in treating mild cases of insomnia.  But Valerian Root can interact with some prescription medications, including antidepressants, anxiety drugs, and even some medications for insomnia. Be sure to let your doctor know if you’re taking this herb to prevent potential problems. In addition, Valerian Root may cause the following side effects: Headaches Indigestion or stomach ache Restlessness.

Chamomile tea

For centuries people have used chamomile tea as a natural sleep aids and to treat a variety of health complaints, sleeplessness among them. Germans are so fond of it they call it “alles zutraut,” meaning “capable of anything.” Chamomile tea reportedly helps to promote a deep sleep and produces a soothing feeling of relaxation and calmness. But before you run to the store, consider the following drawbacks: It causes contact dermatitis or other allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. It interferes with antiepileptic medications. If you’re on aspirin therapy or taking a blood-thinning medication like Coumadin, heparin, or warfarin, don’t take it. It can increase the risk of bleeding and hemorrhage when taken with these drugs. Many other herbs are touted as sleep remedies from time to time. Just be sure to check with your doctor before adding a new herb to your regimen to make sure it won’t conflict with something you’re already taking.

Very loud snoring: Sleep apnea produces distinctive snoring. As sleepers repeatedly struggle to reopen their collapsed airways and suck in great gulps of air, they produce an amazing assortment of gasps, gurgles, wheezes, alarming choking noises, grunts, and of course, snores. But these aren’t just any old snores; these are loud snores — snores that other people can hear and feel all over the house, snores that even your neighbors can hear with the windows closed.

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS): If you wake up feeling like you haven’t slept, or have a tendency to nod off whenever you get still and quiet for a few minutes (say, at your desk at work especially after a large lunch, in business meetings, and even at the movies), not only is it embarrassing (and potentially detrimental to your career), but also another good clue that you may have sleep apnea. If EDS becomes severe enough, a person may inadvertently fall asleep without warning, which can be extremely dangerous, especially if the individual is operating heavy equipment (like an automobile).

Interrupted breathing: If your bedmate tells you that you woke him or her up with your snoring, and then you really woke him or her up when you stopped breathing altogether, you can bet you probably have sleep apnea.

Nighttime heartburn: If you experience heartburn during the night or upon waking, you may have sleep apnea. The attempt to breathe against a closed airway increases pressure in your chest, which forces the contents of the stomach upward. If this happens continuously, the soft tissue valves that prevent gastric juices from flowing backwards may fail, and you’ll have acid reflux in your throat and mouth. The result isn’t just a bad taste, but a fit of coughing and possibly spasms of your larynx.

Decreased daytime alertness: If you’re normally a pretty sharp tack, but realize you’re no longer as alert as you used to be, you may be suffering from sleep apnea, especially if you have one or more other symptoms. Decreased alertness makes you more prone to accidents and more frequent mistakes, memory loss, and instances of impaired judgment.

Irregular heartbeat: The repeated oxygen deprivation and negative chest pressure produced when you attempt to breathe against a closed airway caused by sleep apnea can damage your heart and trigger an irregular heartbeat. Continued oxygen deprivation may stimulate the body to overproduce red blood cells, resulting in a condition called polycythemia, which also contributes to right heart failure.

These are just a few examples of sleep apnea symptoms. If you feel you may have sleep apnea, you should visit your Doctor right away.

Get Your Baby to Sleep in 20 Seconds!

Dear parent,

Are you looking for a real solution to put your baby to sleep fast? Is your baby waking up regularly or not sleeping through the night? We were having these problems with our daughter Abbey. We were desperate for relief from the sleepless nights and unending frustration. We finally found it!

INSTANT BABY SLEEP SYSTEM

It’s called the Instant Baby Sleep System and it’s nothing short of a miracle when it comes to getting your baby sleeping through the night.

Our Daughter Abbey would take HOURS to fall asleep. Once she did, she would be up and crying again in 40 minutes and the pattern would begin all over again. What a nightmare! Then we discovered the Instant Baby Sleep System. The 1st night, Abbey went to sleep in about 10 minutes and STAYED asleep for 6 hours! Within about 3 days, Abbey was falling asleep within seconds and now our baby sleeps through the night! What a relief to know that she is getting the sleep she needs not to mention the same for my husband and I.

WHAT IT DOES

Did you know that an infant’s brain is more active than a college student’s? Looking around and taking in surroundings  is how baby learns and becomes aware of our world. This curiosity has its place but baby doesn’t know when to stop and an over stimulated baby doesn’t want to sleep.  The Instant Baby Sleep sound track GENTLY produces energy over the full human hearing spectrum (20Hz – 20KHz), This is also known as “White Noise” or “Pink Noise”.  It’s not really noise, but soft sounds and pulses that gently eases the brain into the sleeping state. This technology has safely and effectively been used for years by hospitals, play groups, doctors and paediatricians. Now it is available to you!

If you’ve tried everything else and really want to learn how to get your baby sleeping through the night, you really need to try the Instant Baby Sleep System. It’s available as an instant download so you can be on your way to your baby sleeping through the night TODAY for less than $20! Get the relief you need and deserve.

HURRY, don’t lose another minutes sleep!

CLICK HERE for More Info on purchasing the Instant Baby Sleep System.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) September 14, 2005

Award-winning Creative Director, Paul Holcomb, announced today the creation of a new online consultancy, The Insomnia Group. This announcement coincided with the launch of its new website site: http://www.theinsomniagroup.com.

The new company offers a full suite of web-centric consulting, entertainment, advertising and promotional services. Company founder, Paul Holcomb, states that the primary service, however, is ideas. “WeÂ?re going head-to-head with the conventional notion of what a marketing agency should be. If we box in our services, we might miss an exceptional opportunity to get the attention of our clientÂ?s customers. Customers are busy, mobile and in control of their media experience. We need to constantly think about fresh ways to connect with them.

As the name implies, The Insomnia Group fosters an environment that encourages innovation and thinking regardless of the time of day. This team of self-titled insomniacs is prepared to entertain great ideas even if they come at 2:30 in the morning.

“Most agency employees communicate with coworkers primarily by E-mail and Instant Message during the workday. At dayÂ?s end, they disconnect. WeÂ?ve just removed the boundaries of office hours and buildings and are virtually connected to each other at all times,” stated Holcomb. “ItÂ?s an eccentric approach thatÂ?s not for everyone, but weÂ?re connected from U.S. to Sweden, 24-7. The light is always on here.”

The company made the decision to offer clients individual attention from someone who has a personal interest in their success. “WeÂ?re a good fit for a client who would rather pay to have a senior marketing executive with them “in the trenches” than help finance a swanky office and layers of personnel who will never work on their account. The people who can help our clients succeed should stand shoulder to shoulder with them on an ongoing basis.”

For more information about The Insomnia Group, visit the website at www.theinsomniagroup.com.

For more information about The Insomnia Group, visit the company website at www.theinsomniagroup.com.

The Insomnia Group is an interactive entertainment agency that specializes in providing web-centric consulting, promotions, campaigns, and other interactive services. Principal locations are in Orlando, Florida and Malmo, Sweden.

For more information, please contact Blaine Brooks, The Insomnia Group, brooks@theinsomniagroup.com, (407) 923.8885, www.theinsomniagroup.com

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More Insomnia Press Releases

West Allis, Wis., (PRWEB) September 20, 2009

The Sleep Wellness Institute, Inc., Wisconsin’s largest independent sleep disorders diagnosis and treatment center, has expanded its insomnia treatment services to include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and has hired licensed clinical psychologist Lisa Cottrell, Ph.D., to provide the new service.

“Insomnia is more than not sleeping well,” explained Mark Stoiber, President of the Sleep Wellness Institute. “It’s characterized by consistently having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.” A serious health issue if left untreated, chronic insomnia can disrupt daily life and damage health. Numerous studies have shown a link between consistently poor sleep and depression, anxiety disorders, diabetes and even heart disease.

Dr. Cottrell explained that “Without treatment, insomnia usually will not just go away. For some, medication may be helpful. But for most, this option leaves unwanted side effects and sometimes can cause ‘rebound insomnia’ when medication is stopped. That’s because medication can’t address the factors that contribute to insomnia. That’s where Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help.”

CBT has been used for years to successfully treat everything from anxiety to chronic pain. Studies now show that 70% to 80% of people with chronic insomnia see improvement with CBT treatment. Studies also show that the sleep improvement lasts for years after treatment is finished. That’s because CBT puts power in patients’ hands and teaches them how to gain control over their sleep. With this treatment, good sleep becomes a way of life.

The Sleep Wellness Institute is accredited to diagnose and treat both adults and children with sleep disorders by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It is also one of only a handful of sleep disorders centers certified by the Academy to train sleep technologists.

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More Insomnia Press Releases

New York, NY (Vocus) June 11, 2009 -

Laurence Barsh, DMD spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine in Seattle on June 5, 2009 on the subject of educating the public about dentistry’s role in the management of snoring and sleep apnea. Dr. Barsh advised the attendees that the profession has an obligation to screen dental patients for snoring and sleep apnea and work with physicians in management of treatment. He said that while practice web sites are an ideal way to educate the public about the medical problems associated with sleep breathing disorders and dentistry’s role in their treatment, more effort is needed to reach those who may be unaware that they have a sleep breathing disorder.

“Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are ideal ways to start a conversation with the public who may not know that their health can be affected by problems with breathing during sleep,” said Dr. Barsh in a recent interview. “Our role as doctors,” continued Barsh, “is primarily one of education. People who are unaware that they may have a sleep-breathing problem are online and we have to go where they are if we are to succeed in any form of awareness campaign! “

It has been estimated that in the United States alone 20 million men, women and children suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Millions more snore. Of these 20 million, only about 10% have been diagnosed despite the fact that the average life span of an untreated sleep apneic is years less than those without sleep apnea. Snoring and sleep apnea have been related to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, obesity, depression and erectile dysfunction as well as vehicular accidental injury and death. The increased medical costs of those with untreated sleep apnea are estimated to be in the billions a year.

About Snoring Isn’t Sexy, LLC

Snoring Isn’t Sexy, LLC was founded in 2008 by Laurence I. Barsh, DMD, a dentist who has been involved with sleep medicine since 1992 and who now devotes full time to educating the public about dentistry’s role and responsibility in the recognition and management of snoring and sleep apnea. Dr. Barsh and the dentists associated with Snoring Isn’t Sexy, LLC feel strongly that management of sleep-breathing disorders is a shared responsibility of both the medical and dental professions.

Snoring Isn’t Sexy, LLC consists of independently owned and operated affiliated offices. Visit http://www.SnoringIsntSexy.com for a directory of all participating dentists.

Contact:

Laurence I. Barsh, DMD

888.203.0488

http://www.snoringisntsexy.com

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Find More Sleep Apnea Press Releases

West Allis, Wis. (PRWEB) June 29, 2009

The Sleep Wellness Institute, Inc., Wisconsin’s largest independent sleep disorders diagnosis and treatment center, now offers a free, online service that allows web users to determine if they are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea.

The screening service is a combination of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Berlin sleep apnea questionnaire, and a body mass index (BMI) calculator. The Epworth helps determine a person’s daytime sleepiness level, the Berlin is focused on behaviors that are typical of sleep apnea, and the BMI is based on weight and height. A BMI of 30 or greater is considered one of the risk factors of sleep apnea.

The interactive screening can be found on the Sleep Wellness Institute’s website, www.sleepwellandlive.com.

Sleep apnea is a common, yet serious sleep disorder that can lead to or exacerbate other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes, explained Mark Stoiber, president of the Sleep Wellness Institute. It affects approximately 18 million Americans and is typified by snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, and daytime exhaustion.

The Sleep Wellness Institute is accredited to diagnose and treat both adults and children with sleep disorders by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It is also one of only a handful of sleep disorders centers in the country certified by the Academy to train sleep technologists.

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Restful Insomnia

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 19, 2009

Tonight, seventy-million Americans will battle insomnia. They will plump pillows, rehash arguments, fold laundry, take sleeping pills, watch TV. They’ll seek sleep but not find it. According to the National Sleep Foundation, up to a third of all Americans suffer from occasional or chronic wakefulness. Prescriptions for sleeping pills have increased 60% in six years, even though recent medical research (Journal of American Medicine, June 2006) shows that behavioral therapies such as Restful Insomnia (Conari Press, January 2010) are more effective for sleeplessness than pills.

The Restful Insomnia five-part program is easy to make a part of each night’s rest by offering techniques that help the sleep-deprived to accept insomnia, befriend the night, and greet the morning refreshed.

From the Introduction

“I tried to seduce sleep. Pills had side effects: I was groggy, dependent, and duller during the day – and that was before the side effects of new pills, side effects such as ‘sleep-driving’ at night. So instead, I tried cures from books, Internet sites, acupuncturists, friends, and doctors. If they worked at all, it was just for a night or two. All they did was give my insomnia a slightly different twist:

A snack or a glass of wine before bed (weight-gain insomnia); No food or wine after 8 P.M. (weight-loss insomnia);     Sleepytime tea (wake-up-to-pee insomnia); Calcium, magnesium, melatonin, and L0tryptophan (expensive urine insomnia); Sleep ‘hygiene’: lights out at eleven, no napping, and waking at seven (exhausted insomnia); New pillow and mattress (in-debt insomnia); Exercise, warm baths, and relaxation exercises (healthy insomnia); Washing dishes, answering e-mail, and folding clothes (efficient and more exhausting insomnia); Yoga handstands, journal entries of irritations, banging my head against the headboard (Help me! insomnia)

It turns out the failed insomnia cures were gifts in disguise. During those long, lonely nights, I uncovered riches in the dark – how to befriend myself at night, how to mimic the benefits of sleep, and how to create a deep rest that renewed me. I shared these methods with other insomniacs who learned to uncover their own riches and rest in the dark.

In this book, I’m excited to share my Restful Insomnia program with you, one of the seventy million Americans who battle insomnia each night.”

Restful Insomnia shows readers how to end the war with sleeplessness by learning to use their waking night hours to quiet the mind, replenish their inner creativity, and relax deeply — deriving many benefits of sleep.

Praise for the Book

“Sondra’s program is a valuable addition to the approaches that I review with patients. Her book can help those with frequent insomnia explore different techniques at their own pace and focus on the ones that seem most beneficial. Everyone deserves a peaceful night; Restful Insomnia is one tool that will help many achieve it.” Teresa E. Jacobs, MD, Creekside Sleep Medicine Center, Bellevue, WA from the Foreword

About the Author

Sondra Kornblatt is a health and science writer and the author of A Better Brain at Any Age and co-author of 365 Energy Boosters. She developed the Restful Insomnia program in 2000 and has been teaching it in the Pacific Northwest since. Learn more at www.restfulinsomnia.com. She lives in the Seattle area with her two children.

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Tampa, FL (PRWEB) June 9, 2008

Marketdata Enterprises, Inc. (www.marketdataenterprises.com), a leading independent market research publisher, has released a groundbreaking new 145-page market study entitled: ”The U.S. Sleep Market.” This is a complete analysis of all segments of the United States sleep aids business.

“Of a total population of 305 million Americans, 58% are estimated to experience insomnia symptoms or sleep disorders. Companies across America are trying to sell us a perfect night’s sleep with sleeping pills, premium mattresses, high tech pillows, white noise machines, sleep masks, aromatherapy, and more. Sleep disorder diagnosis and sleep hygiene has fast become a $ 23.7 billion a year industry,” according to Research Director, John LaRosa.

Major Findings:

Marketdata estimates that the U.S. sleep market was worth $ 23.7 billion in 2007. However, growth this year will be less than 1%, due to the recession, more home testing, and more generic sales of sleeping pills. To 2012, we forecast 8.8% annual growth.

The major anti-insomnia drug producers spent $ 619 million last year advertising Ambien CR, Lunesta and Rozerem, producing $ 2.7 billion in sales. However, this was down 18% as Ambien came off patent and sales of generics rose. New drugs are in the pipeline.

Sleep Labs, which perform studies to diagnose sleep disorders, are estimated to number 3,300+. The typical lab has revenues of $ 1.33 million and conducts 1,250 studies per year. Labs are located in hospitals, MD practices, universities, or are independent. This segment will be worth $ 4.47 billion in 2008.

A March 2008 ruling by the Center for Medicare Services will have a major impact on the field of sleep medicine. Portable devices may now be used for home testing, resulting in short-term uncertainties for sleep labs but boosting the market for CPAP devices – a $ 2.4 billion market that’s growing 18% a year to 2012 and that’s dominated by ResMed and Respironics.

The huge $ 13.7 billion retail mattress market and $ 900 million pillows market are being hurt by the recession. Retail sales are forecast to grow just 1% this year, but to rebound in 2009. Premium non-innerspring (air, memory foam) models are selling well.
According to Research Director, John LaRosa: “As obesity rates climb and Americans age, more people are developing sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and other sleep disorders. Plus, stressors from the economy, terrorism, longer workdays, and women entering menopause are resulting in more sleepless nights. Some claim that ‘sleep is the new sex — we need more of it and can’t get enough of it.’ First launched in 1977, there are now about 3,300 ‘sleep labs’ in the United States.”

Competitor Profiles provided for: ResMed, Respironics, SleepMed, Sleep Solutions, Sleep Holdings, Avastra Sleep Centres, Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Serta, Select Comfort, Simmons, Apollo Health, and Marpac.

Note: Marketdata also operates a leading consumer healthcare website covering a wide variety of sleep disorder topics, named: www.sleepweb.com .

About the Report & Marketdata

Marketdata Enterprises is a leading independent market research publisher and consulting firm with a specialty tracking service sectors since 1979.

The ”U.S. Sleep Market,” published in June 2008, is a complete analysis of the sleep aids market. It contains 25 tables and is 145 pages long. The study costs $ 1,895, but is sold by individual chapters at lower cost. It is available in digital or print format. This new Marketdata study examines all major market segments: anti-insomnia drugs (OTC & prescription), sleep labs, mattresses and pillows, CPAPs (continuous positive airway pressure devices) for sleep apnea, and retail sleep aids (earplugs, sleep lamps, sound machines, eye masks, books on sleep).

Marketdata performed a custom mail survey of 900+ sleep labs in March-May, deriving key operating ratios, average revenues, patient demographics, and more.

The study includes market size estimates for 1987-2007, with 2008 and 2012 forecasts, client demographics, in-depth competitor profiles and rankings in each market segment, discussions of market nature & structure, history and evolution, in view of recent Medicare rulings regarding home testing. Advertising strategies, R&D, sleep disorder publicity and other demand factors analyzed.

Contact Information:

John LaRosa, Research Director

Marketdata Enterprises, Inc.,

Phone: 813-931-3900. Fax: 813-931-3802

www.marketdataenterprises.com

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More Sleep Aids Press Releases