Health Care

By: Angus Fairley

We all experience a sense of unease, anxiety when we are faced with a stressful situation, such as an interview; exam or if we are worried about an illness and this is totally normal. Anxiety is only a problem when it becomes excessive.

Sadly for a great number suffering from anxiety disorders they are severe, prolonged and interfere with everyday activities. Such anxieties include phobias such as agoraphobia and sudden unexpected panic and anxiety attacks.

Generalized anxiety disorder is when you get a sudden surge of fear although no danger exists, adrenalin pours in as your body prepares for action, but as no action follows and there is no way for this nervous energy to be discharged, which lead to physiological confusion, or what we know as anxiety attack symptoms.

Your heart races, your mouth is dry, dizziness, over breathing, clammy hands, a lump in the throat, and what feels like a tight band around your head. These feelings build until clinging to anything that will support your shaking legs you fear you might burst a blood vessel or drop down dead any minute.

Apart from the obvious symptoms of the anxiety attack you may also experience other psychological symptoms such as tiredness, insomnia, feeling uneasy all the time, unable to concentrate and may even think that you are going mad.

It is always wise to visit a health practitioner as sometimes anxiety disorder symptoms can be linked to a physical illness like a thyroid disorder. It may be the symptom of another mental health problem such as alcohol dependence, depression or separation anxiety in which case counseling will be beneficial. It can also be caused by substances like caffeine, and ecstasy, or if you are withdrawing from long-term use of tranquillizers.

Your physician will be able to decide what anxiety treatment is necessary and talk over any anxiety medication side effects should he decide to prescribe any medicines.

When you are anxious you often don’t realize that you are breathing wrong and this can be one of the main cause of the feelings of anxiety. Learning to breath correctly can change a nervous wreck into a relaxed person.

To check your breathing stand up with one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest, breathe normally and note which hand is moving. If the hand on your chest is still and the lower hand is moving then you are breathing from the bottom of your lungs and using your diaphragm correctly.

If not you should place your hands together on top of your stomach with your two middle fingers touching, and then try to breathe them apart. Practice this daily until it becomes automatic, as it is no good to think about this when you are in the middle of an anxiety attack, but practicing before hand can lessen its effects and may prevent it from happening.

However there is an emergency measure if you have lost control of your breathing during an attack so keep a paper bag handy. This is not as silly as it sounds, as when you exhale into a paper bag and then breath in the same air, you correct the balance by re-breathing the carbon dioxide, which you have lost. This regulates your breathing and the panic will subside.

Help is only a click away at http://www.anxietypanicfear.com. Remember there is more than one way to skin a cat and we will be taking a look at more on anxiety and panic attacks in our next article.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

By: Alien

There are countless causes of headaches, but one that is often overlooked is posture. Take a minute to think about how you sit and stand. Now consider how your body feels when you are lying down. Do you experience aches or discomfort around your neck and back? Are there certain positions that seem to cause tension and trigger headaches for you?

Poor posture can result in muscle tension within and around the shoulder and neck joints and muscles. It can also exacerbate headache pain stemming from other causes. Some people find that during stressful situations, posture suffers and breathing patterns may become shallow and tensed. For this reason, it can be helpful to focus on correct posture alongside deep breathing. This will allow you to alleviate physical discomfort from a hunched over posture, for example, while also utilising deep breathing exercises to ease the bodily tension that can occur from anxiety and stress.

Consider How You Sit and Stand

It makes sense to maintain good posture by paying attention to the way you move your body. Poor posture can result in painful and chronic tension in your neck and back, leaving your muscles tensed and possibly triggering headaches. If you do find that your headaches are related to tension from poor posture, try to develop an awareness of how you hold your body during daily activities and in particular, how your sit and stand. Some of the ways you can encourage and maintain proper posture are:

* Avoid sitting or standing in one position for prolonged periods of time.
* Sit up straight and use any cushions or back supports for your lower back as needed.
* Consider a special headset if you spend a lot of time on the phone. Holding a telephone between your shoulder and head, especially for prolonged periods, can strain muscles and result in sharp tension headaches.
* Adjust computer screens so that your neck is not strained.
* When lifting anything, especially if it is quite heavy, lift with your arms and legs, not your back.

Mind Your Breathing

Breathing is obviously necessary for existence, yet many of us tend to take shallow, laboured breaths. Rarely do most people breathe deeply on a regular basis, but by consciously focusing on breathing and replacing superficial breathing with deeper breaths, you can better oxygenate your body, ease tension and help headache pain.

The effects of deep breathing can be quite powerful and it may feel unusual at first, as it is very different from the shallow superficial breathing most people perform.

Deep, slower breaths relax the nervous system and provide wonderful physical and emotional benefits for tension, which can really benefit headache pain management. It's also important to learn deep breathing as it assists in releasing tension. Try taking a slow deep breath in to a count of three, and focus on any issues in your life that are stressful and may be triggering headaches and muscle discomfort. Then, release very slowly to another count of three, and imagine your worries dissolving and releasing with your breath. The mind can be a powerful tool when used with deep breathing and may help alleviate headaches triggered by stress.

Bringing it all Together

Combining good posture with deep breathing exercises not only provides immediate stress and headache relief, but when performed consistently, it can prevent headaches as well. If you regularly work on deep breathing, you may find that eventually, you are breathing at a deeper level without conscious intent. What this means is that you have integrated more relaxed and deep breaths without having to 'force' yourself to breathe differently. Try to find a comfortable standing or sitting position that maintains correct posture and use deep breathing to release tension and stress. The benefit of these techniques is that they can be performed virtually anywhere and you can obtain immediate calming relief.

So the next time you experience a headache, consider your posture as a cause and check to be sure you are sitting, lying or standing comfortably. If you find your posture is poor, try adjusting it and also consider adding in deep breathing to provide headache relief.

In addition, you may want to consider visiting a physical therapist, who can help you to identify and correct any postural problems that may be triggering or causing your headaches. Keeping your spine and posture healthy as well as using deep breathing for relaxation is all part of headache management.
Poor posture can trigger headaches and when corrected, you may find head pain relief. Combining good posture with deep breathing exercises may also help your headaches.
Alien writes for Migraine symptoms. He also writes for home remedies for headaches and depression treatment

Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

By: Jim Martinez

There is nothing more embarrassing than waking yourself up with a loud snore. A full night's sleep became a thing of the past and was replaced with morning headaches and fatigue. I was tired all day long and getting through a ten hour work day was getting to be a chore.

I decided to make an appointment with my primary care doctor. I was finally asking for help. My doctor listened to all my symptoms and complaints and looked up from her lap top computer and said that I had sleep apnea and wanted to make an appointment for a sleep study as soon as possible. My doctor explained that sleep apnea was a serious medical condition that was characterized by snoring and day time sleepiness. People who had sleep apnea complained of being sleepy and tired. They would snore and stop breathing in their sleep. Frequently, the spouse wakes up because of the snoring. My husband would wake me up and ask me to roll on my side.

The sleep study was an overnight stay at the hospital in a special area where you were placed in a room that looked very much like a bedroom. They mailed a list of requirements one week before your sleep study appointment. You were to be at the hospital by 6 p.m. and bring either pajama top and bottom or a sweat pant and a loose top. You could bring toiletries and bring your own pillow.

I was admitted to the Sleep Study area of the hospital and was taken to my bedroom. The nurse came in and explained that I would be given time to relax by reading or watching television. You could also bring in light snack food and bottled water. About 8 p.m. the nurse came into my room and told me she had to prepare me for my sleep studies. She placed electrode patches on various places on my scalp, face, arms and legs. Then long wires were attached to these electrodes and finally connected to a small bedside monitor. She also let me practice with a breathing device which was placed over my nose. This device was attached to long plastic tube which was connected to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine that was placed at my bedside. The nurse explained that the CPAP machine would flow pressurized air through my nose and keep my airway open when I laid down to sleep. I would also be monitored by a camera all night and a call light was placed at my bedside, as getting out of bed was difficult due to the wires that were attached to your arms and legs.

Falling asleep wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. But I drifted off to sleep after a few episodes of tossing and turning. At about 12midnight, I was awakened by the nurse and given the nose piece to put on. This nose piece was held in place with a elastic strap placed over my head by my ears. Falling back asleep with this device attached to my nose was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I had to concentrate on keeping my mouth closed because as soon as I started to fall asleep my mouth breathing habit would take over and I would wake up with the air rushing out through my mouth. After a few episodes of mouth breathing, the nurse returned to my room and placed a chinstrap that kept my mouth from opening. I struggled with that chinstrap and needless to say it was a long night. In the morning the nurse gave me some information about my oxygen level without the breathing device. The normal oxygen level is 90-100%. I was at 65% oxygen level and that is not a good level.

Within a week of the Sleep Study I was using the CPAP machine every night and after one month of changing nose pieces I found that I could not tolerate the CPAP machine. I was placed on oxygen with the nasal cannula tubing which did not require the pressurized oxygen.

I also learned that sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that could lead to other problems such as heart problems. The risk factors related to snoring are heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and increased tiredness and sleep apnea.

Do not be afraid to let your doctor know about your abnormal sleeping habits. It could help prevent future health problems and give you a good night's rest and peace of mind.

Article Source: http://myarticlezine.com

Jim Martinez is a National Sales Director for Ameriplan USA, offering discount dental, prescription, health, vision and chiropractic plans. For information on Ameriplan discount dental plans and more health related articles, visit www.familydentalhealthplans.com