Health Care

By: Kathy Joyce

Bruxism is a sleep disorder that causes sufferers to grind their teeth while asleep. It affects over 20 million people and if left untreated can wear down your teeth and cause headaches, and ear ache. Bruxism can also lead to jaw pain and if you have any existing dental health problems it could make them much worse. Over the long term bruxism can eventually wear away the enamel on your teeth causing sensitivity to hot and cold foods. Eating ice cream or drinking hot tea could become very painful.

What causes bruxism? It seems that many people who suffer from sleep apnea also suffer from bruxism. Sleep apnea is when someone stops breathing for a very short time during sleep and is associated with loud snoring. Bruxism can be caused by stress, making your jaw muscles stiff and tense. You could try relaxation exercises to ease your tension and try and resolve the issues that are making you stressed. Regular daily exercise can help to ease stress as it releases endorphins which are natural painkillers that also produce feelings of happiness and wellbeing. Smoking and drinking to much alcohol or caffeine can also aggravate the condition as they are all stimulants. Try cutting back on coffee especially a few hours before you go to bed. You could try drinking decaffeinated coffee instead.

Bruxism can be a side effect of prescription drugs such as anti depressants. Dental malocclusion is when the teeth are not properly aligned and don't fit together. This condition may result in bruxism with a subconscious reaction to the abnormality by grinding the teeth into correct alignment. Regular check ups at your dentist should reveal any underlying dental problems and prompt treatment will save a lot of problems in the future. If your dentist suspects that you suffer from bruxism he will probably recommend a mouth guard for you to wear at night preventing you from grinding your teeth in your sleep.

Stop grinding your teeth at night and save on expensive dental bills. Discover the causes and cures of bruxism and other sleep disorders at www.sleep-disorders.org.uk

By David Abramson

I Can't Sleep!
But Sleeping Pill Users Live Shorter Lives
The Smart Solution is safe, quick and easy

30, 40, or 72 million -- depending on whom you believe -- is the number of Americans who have a sleep disorder. How do they gather these stats, and what precisely do they mean by 'sleep disorder?' And who are 'they,' anyway?

None of that matters! If you nod off on the job, or your social life has become drudgery or nothing seems as much fun because you are constantly tired from lack of healthy sleep, the statistics don't matter. You need sleep!

More and more you've got "the lights on nobody home" curse and your enjoyment of life begins slipping into a haze. Simple things like taking your health walk become too much trouble. Food discipline, which has never been easy -- forget about it! Life passes you by, one day after another, they all seem pretty much the same -- you are tired all the time. Insomnia has taken the joy out your of life.

What Are The Sleepless and Grouchy to Do?

So you take sleep drugs or sleep supplements and things do change.

You have the jitters, the fresh carton of Super Extra Rich Chocolate Mint Swirl was there last evening, but it's missing in the morning, and no one else likes it. What happened to it? Your passably sunny disposition gets a little cloudier, you're less alert, and you become even more overstressed causing dull work days, missed pleasures, and accidents. I could go on, and so could you'

Read the list of side effects for Lunesta, Rozarem, and Ambien, to name a few. Read the sleep blogs. It's not a pretty picture

The sleep drugs were supposed to make things better, and in some cases they did -- at first, but it wasn't long before things took a turn for the worse. But those of you who were desperate for anything that would stop the mind chatter, stop the nights of staring into the abyss, prevent the dreaded dawn -- you had to do something.

Users of Sleep Drugs Live Shorter Lives

So we ignored what the drug companies, (compelled by inadequate laws and a self confessed understaffed FDA) themselves, admitted were possible side effects of even the new class of sleep drugs, namely: all sleeping drugs have the risk of becoming habit forming, grogginess, mental impairment, difficulty in urinating, depression, malaise -- and the list goes on. What they often don't make clear is that these sleep drugs do not work long term, can have an effect on breathing, and that users of sleep drugs live shorter lives.

But what about the All Natural and Dietary Sleep Supplements & Herbs?

The use of all natural and dietary sleep supplements can put you at even greater risk for more serious, even fatal consequences. At least the pharmaceutical companies are required to get FDA approval, no matter that their system, by their own admission, is not up to the responsibility.

The "natural" and "dietary" designations for sleep imply that since it's not man made or it's a man made food, certainly it must be safe. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Take just one example of an "all natural" cure. "Popular comfrey tea contains alkaloids toxic to the liver, and animal studies suggest it is carcinogenic, " said Varro Tyler, an emeritus professor at Purdue University.

Comfrey is banned in Canada and severely restricted in Germany, but still sold in the USA with dangerously deceptive advertising.

And what about dietary supplements such as L-trytophan? L-trytophan is based on the naturally occurring amino acid found in turkey. It makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. It's a food. What could be wrong with taking L-trytophan for insomnia? Plenty.

"In the summer and fall of 1989, an epidemic outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) occurred in the United States. This illness is associated with the use of dietary supplements containing L-tryptophan. In all, more than 1500 cases of EMS, including at least 37 deaths, have been reported to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although the true incidence of the disorder is thought to be much higher. Some individuals suffering from L-tryptophan-related EMS have recovered, while other individuals' illnesses have persisted or worsened over time."

This report was published by the FDA in 2001, after the 37 known deaths. With a number of highly questionable rationalizations and unlawful marketing, L-trytophan is still being sold as a sleep aid in 2007.

There are hundreds more examples of dangerous all natural and manufactured dietary supplements being sold to help you sleep.

The very serious problem in taking any natural or dietary supplements to help you sleep is that there's no oversight, no collective information, and minimal disciplined study. And this can be fatal. Correction, this has been fatal.

Who Cares? I want Sleep. I'll try anything!

But none of that matters, because now it's time for you to discover a way to relax deeply, and fall sleep quickly and easily at bedtime without pills of any kind.

Sleep is your birthright. And you don't have to take drugs or pills, study sleep books, adhere to sleep plans, attach gadgets, endure white noise or sound effects to get night after night, of blessed, healthful, wonderful, luxurious, well deserved, sleep.

The Easy Quick & Safe Solution
To Getting Your Well Deserved Sleep

For over 10 years, with a circulation of nearly 5000 CD's, The Sleep Waves One music has quelled anxiety, dissolved the worries of the day, quieted mind chatter, and transformed fear, sadness and resentment into peaceful relaxation, helping people just like you fall asleep quickly, safely, and easily.

"I am a life long insomniac and I have found one item that has helped me enormously... it is this CD. It just relaxes you in very short order and the music is just so beautiful."
Janet Ryan, Business Owner

See many more testimonials at Sleep Without Pills.

So what is The Sleep Waves One CD?

It's an immensely pleasurable, solo harp, world class performance, music CD that has been Alpha Waves Certified by a professional leader in the field that has helped countless people just like you, flow quickly and gently into a river of deep relaxation and sleep.

The Cutting Edge of Sleep Solutions

Quantitative EEG studies show a dramatic increase in alpha wave, and a substantial reduction in beta wave activity in people listening to The Sleep Waves One CD within four minutes. This combination of factors calms the brain resulting in a state of deep relaxation.

It is the most effective Sleep CD Available

According to QEEG Studies conducted by Dr. William Collins, a leader in the field, 'this CD is substantially more effective at inducing relaxation than all other music tested.'

There are many other relaxation CD's out there, but none has the scientific testing, the research, the 5000 CD's over 10 years in the field, or the great relaxation and sleep results as evidenced by the extensive testimony recommending The Sleep Waves One CD. Also, it is Alpha Waves Certified'

Important note: Always consult with your physician before making changes in regimens of prescriptions & treatments. The Sleep Waves One CD is not to be considered a cure or treatment for any disease.

© David Abramson 2007 SleepWithoutPills.com

About the author:
David Abramson B.A. Psychology, writer, filmmaker, AFI Grant Winner, who has consulted, mentored, counseled, written, and edited in health, business, publishing & film. To learn more on this subject go to SleepWithOutPills.com or email sleepcomments@aol.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