Natural Remedy For Enjoying A Good Night’s Rest
11 Mar 2010
Contributed by: (http://www.india-herbs.com):
Sleep is the state of natural rest observed in humans and throughout the animal kingdom, in all mammals and birds, and in many reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
In humans, other mammals, and many other animals that have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies — regular sleep is necessary for survival. The capability for arousal from sleep is a protective mechanism and also necessary for health and survival.
Sleep is generally characterized by a reduction in voluntary body movement, temporary blindness, decreased reaction to external stimuli, loss of consciousness, a 70% reduction in hearing capacity, an increased rate of anabolism (the synthesis of cell structures), and a decreased rate of catabolism (the breakdown of cell structures).
Sleep Stages
The measurement of eye movement during sleep is used to divide sleep into two broad types: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Each type has a distinct set of associated physiological, neurological and psychological features.
Sleep proceeds in cycles of REM and NREM phases. In humans, this cycle is approximately 90–110 minutes. Each phase may have a distinct physiological function. Drugs such as alcohol and sleeping pills can suppress certain stages of sleep (see Sleep deprivation). This can result in a sleep that exhibits loss of consciousness but does not fulfill its physiological functions.
In REM, the brain is active and the body inactive, and this is when most dreaming occurs. REM sleep is characterized by an electroencephalography (EEG) that has low voltage and mixed frequency, similar in appearance to the awake EEG. During REM sleep there is loss of skeletal muscle tone, and an active sympathetic nervous system. When penile erections occur during sleep, it is usually REM sleep.
In NREM sleep, the body is active and the brain inactive, and there is relatively little dreaming. Non-REM encompasses four stages; stages 1 and 2 are considered ‘light sleep’, and 3 and 4 ‘deep sleep’. They are differentiated solely using EEG, unlike REM sleep which is characterized by rapid eye movements and relative absence of muscle tone. There are often limb movements, and parasomnia sleep walking occurs in non-REM sleep.
A cyclical alternating pattern may sometimes be observed during a stage.
Rechtschaffen and Kales originally outlined the criteria for staging sleep in 1969. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) updated the staging rules in 2007.
Stage 4 Sleep. EEG highlighted by red box.
REM Sleep. Eye movements highlighted by red line. Both REM sleep and NREM sleep stages 3 and 4 are homeostatically driven; that is, if a human is selectively deprived of one of these, it rebounds once the person is allowed to sleep. This suggests that both are essential in the sleep process and its many functions.
NREM
NREM accounts for 75–80% of total sleep time in normal human adults, and consists of four stages according to the 2007 AASM standards:
Active Sleep is a phase of sleep in newborns that appears similar to REM sleep in adults. Neonatal sleep depends on age and is sometimes divided into Active Sleep, Quiet Sleep, and Wake. This is less specific than the classification of adult’s sleep, and is often based on behavioral criteria because it is technically difficult to record an EEG from a newborn. Some scientists suggest that Active Sleep is similar to REM sleep. Others say it is an entirely different state, and point to differences between a developing central nervous system and a mature one.
Sleep Regulation
The cycle of sleep and wakefulness is regulated by the brain stem, thalamus, external stimuli, and various hormones produced by the hypothalamus. Three processes, influenced by hormonal, neurological, and environmental factors, underlie sleep regulation:
A homeostatic process determined by prior sleep and wakefulness, determines “sleep need.”
A circadian process determines periods of high and low sleep propensity, and high and low REM sleep propensity.
An ultradian process
The interrelationships and relative importance of each process and system remain uncertain.
Some neurohormones and neurotransmitters are highly correlated with sleep and wake states. For example, melatonin levels are highest during the night, and this hormone appears to promote sleep. Adenosine, a nucleoside involved in generating energy for biochemical processes, gradually accumulates in the human brain during wakefulness, and decreases during sleep. Researchers believe that its accumulation encourages sleep. The stimulant properties of caffeine are attributed to its negating the effects of adenosine. But the role of adenosine is far from proven, as mice lacking adenosine receptors display normal sleep patterns and normal responses to sleep deprivation.
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“Insomnia’s Cure” Original song by Tad Caraway
http://www.insomniasleepcure.com Are you looking for a natural remedy for your sleep disorder? When looking for a natural remedy for insomnia you might want to try something with melatonin in it.
Insomnia cure can be permanent. Insomnia is caused by imbalance of the 5 organs system. Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized difficulty in falling and/or staying asleep. Insomnia is connected with the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs and spleen disharmony particularly with the heart, which houses the shen, or spirit. The TCM view is that the spirit cannot rest (over active), because there is heat in the heart, just like a car when the engine vibrates too much the mechanic has to tune it. The key is to use herbs to bring the organs into working harmony or in simple term to tune the engine 
No risk.
To cure chronic insomnia, research has shown that simple lifestyle changes work better, in the long run, than prescription drugs. In this video, David Schulman, MD, director of the Emory Sleep Disorders Laboratory in Atlanta, reveals some of the sleep strategies that work for his patients.
While the brain and nervous system are the areas that control the sleep cycle, most people with insomnia have normal nervous systems even though they have poor sleep patterns. The most common cause of insomnia, as observed in clinical practice of my doctor, is Candida infection and its effect on the liver.
http://www.SleepAudios.com
I made this video one night when I couldn’t sleep. I used random video footage some old some filmed for the video, to tell a story, a story as abstract as dreams. How would you interperet this as a dream, what parts are dreams and reality?, what is the most striking or memorable images or parts. There is no right or wrong answer, only your interpritation. A music video to the song Insomnia by Faithless Cheeky Records BM 1995.
This guy learns a lesson about obsessing over life instead of getting some shuteye.