Hello CantSleep readers,

It’s Barnaby again, and I’d like to discuss some good sleep deprivation help I’ve received from a local insomnia support group. Although I have yet to find a cause, nor cure, for my insomnia, the support of others suffering from the same ailment can serve as effective sleep deprivation help — if only for moral support. This support extends to online communities such as those who read CantSleep.com — sharing our stories and ideas about insomnia is an effective tool towards conquering this beast once and for all. Sleep deprivation help can come in the form of moral and peer support along with professional treatment.

Unfortunately, one has to determine the cause of their particular sleep troubles in order to effectuate a useful treatment regimen. I say unfortunately because I have yet to ascertain the cause of my insomnia which has periodically reared its head over the past few months. I enjoyed a brief period of sleep deprivation help through the use of Valerian, but for some reason it suddenly lost its effectiveness after two week’s use. I have ruled out sleep apnea, clinical depression and migraine headaches as potential causes — and my search continues. Until I find a long term cure for my insomnia, I must rely on sleep deprivation help in the form of support groups and online communities like the one here on this blog. I do appreciate all the suggestions and tips received from CantSleep.com readers — and I encourage everyone to continue to write in. Maybe one of you can provide the ultimate sleep deprivation help in the form of a permanent cure for my insomnia.

So long for now,

Barnaby

It happens quite often. You’re sound asleep one moment, then suddenly you’re gasping for air. You’re eyes are wide open, you are trying to inhale or exhale, but your throat is clamped shut. While there are quite a few reasons this could be happening, the most commonly known ailment is Obstructive Sleep Apnea, also know as OSA.  This type of ailment is common to approximately 5 % of the world’s population.

OSA occurs when a person who is asleep stops breathing because their airway collapses. It does not stay collapsed but it does restrict airflow for a noticeable amount of time. Symptoms of OSA, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, include snoring and being excessively sleepy during the day. Although being overweight is a risk factor for this type of problem, thin people still get it. Allowing this problem to persist can result in heart disease, high blood pressure and even stroke.

There is treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The easiest type of treatment is positional. The belief is that sleeping on your back can be more harmful to this sort of condition. Try sleeping on your side. Some people have been known to put tennis balls inside a tube sock and pin it to their nightshirt to keep them from rolling onto their back while asleep. Another way to reduce episodes from OSA is to sleep on your back with your chest elevated on a wedge type rest. Make sure it’s not a pillow that forces your chin to your chest. Avoid alcohol and other central nervous system depressants as these tend to me OSA worse by relaxing the muscles to the airway which reduces the respiratory drive and increases the amount of episodes you might have. If weight is an issue, then the simple idea of weight loss will fix the problem. Medical intervention includes the use of a CPAP machine which is worn at night and acts in a splint like manner for the airway using air from the room. The last resort method is surgery to fix the problem. However, surgery is risky in that it could make the OSA better or it could make it worse.

Before jumping into something, consider other things that may cause you to have the feeling of choking in the middle of the night. The temporary conditions of heartburn, post nasal drip and vocal cord spasms can also cause you to feel as if you’re choking. Discuss your symptoms with a doctor in order to determine a correct diagnosis as well as a correct treatment option. Most doctors will recommend an overnight sleep study if they are unsure as to your exact condition.

Summary

Sleep deprivation in babies or infants is not very different from sleep deprivation in adults. A number of adults find it difficult to sleep each night and similarly infants also have problems while trying to sleep. The only difference is that the causes of sleeping problems in babies are entirely different from the causes of sleep problems in adults.

In adults sleep problems are usually blamed on the factors like stress, jetlag, depression, work, etc. but what have these factors to do with the babies that can’t sleep ? In fact every child or baby has varying sleep patterns and different sleeping habits. Even the time, when they go to sleep also varies from one infant to other. Usually during the first few months from their birth, babies on an average, sleep for about 16-18 hours per day. The baby may wake up once or twice during this sleeping period but normally falls back asleep on his own.

Babies experiencing sleeping problems usually:

• Find it very difficult to go to sleep

• Wake up quite early in the morning

• Wake up a number of times during the night and have a difficult time in getting back to sleep

Sleeping problems in babies are often due to one or some of the following reasons:

• Babies or young children may want to grab the attention of their parents at all the times.

• The baby may be suffering from some digestive problems like colic.

• The most common reason is that the baby might be hungry and not getting proper feed.

• Sleepless nights are very common the infants start their teething process.

• The baby may be having some serious health ailment.

Some tips to handle babies that can’t sleep:

• If the baby starts crying in the middle of the night, there is absolutely no need to rush there immediately. Most of the times babies stop crying on their own and fall back asleep themselves. Your attention or intervention at each and every cry will provide the baby with a reason to remain awake.

• Make sure that the outside noises are not disturbing your baby’s sleep. If you think that such noises are preventing your baby from sound sleep then you can try to cover up these noises by playing some soft music.

• Do not encourage the baby’s habit of going to sleep in your arms. Try and cultivate the ritual of his falling asleep in the crib. Make sure to select a comfortable crib and provide the baby with soft pillows that can mould perfectly according to the shape of the baby’s head.

• Unless the doctor prescribes, you should never use any infant medication on your own, to make your child fall asleep.

• The market is replete with baby products that help in promoting sleep. These devices are called sleep machines and produce white noise. These machines allow the child to have a restful sleep.

As a responsible parent it is important for you to know when to go to a doctor regarding your baby’s sleeping problems. Despite of all your efforts, if the number of consecutive sleepless nights of your baby keeps on increasing then you must head to a physician for a thorough check-up of your baby.

Episodes of sleep paralysis are indeed terrifying and the person who suffers from this ailment is unable to move around or call for help. It is vital to seek proper medical care, once the symptoms are recognized to prevent more serious problems.

Imagine if you can’t move when sleeping! How terrifying it can be.Sleep paralysis is quite a disturbing phenomenon and a person suffering from it, is unable to move while sleeping, as he or she experiences partial paralysis even when fully conscious. There is no particular reason as to why this affects some people and not others. However, for those who have experienced it, it can be quite unpleasant. Some of them may even hesitate in seeking help as they are unsure of how to describe this peculiar condition.

People with this disorder experience sleep apnea when they are just about to fall asleep or have just woken up from a sleep. Their whole body seems to be possessed by some external force. This quite naturally arouses fear when one notices the inability to move the body for no apparent reason whatsoever. For people facing such issues when sleeping, it can appear to be even supernatural at first instance.

In sleep apnea, a whooshing reverberation in the ears, an increase in heart rate, panic and a feeling of being trapped in the room are some common symptoms experienced. Struggle for breath, sound of whispers in the ears and a feeling of floating in the air are some common things that happen when sleeping as experienced by people suffering from this sleep disorder. It is advisable to seek timely help in case any of the said symptoms are noticed. A number of effective drugs are available that help in regulating sleep patterns and promote steady sleep cycles.