SLEEP & HOMOEOPATHIC TREATMENT

SLEEP

Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings.

It is distinguished from wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, but is more easily reversed than the state of being comatose. Sleep occurs in repeating periods, in which the body alternates between two highly distinct modes known as non-REM and REM sleep. Although REM stands for "rapid eye movement", sleep affects other brain-body functions, including virtual paralysis of the body.

During sleep, most systems are in an anabolic state, helping to restore the immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems.

STAGES OF SLEEP

Usually sleepers pass through five stages: 1, 2, 3, 4 and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

These stages progress cyclically from 1 through REM then begin again with stage 1.

A complete sleep cycle takes an average of 90 to 110 minutes.

STAGE -1

Stage 1 is light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In this stage, the eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. During this stage, many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling.

STAGE- 2

In stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves.

STAGE-3

When a person enters stage 3, extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.

STAGE-4

In stage 4, the brain produces delta waves almost exclusively. Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep or delta sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone from them.

 In deep sleep, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. This is when some children experience bedwetting, sleepwalking or night terrors.

REM SLEEP

Slow wave sleep comes mostly in the first half of the night, REM in the second half. Waking may occur after REM.  If the waking period is long enough, the person may remember it the next morning. Short awakenings may disappear with amnesia.

In the REM period, breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed. Brain waves during this stage increase to levels experienced when a person is awake. Also, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, males develop erections and the body loses some of the ability to regulate its temperature. This is the time when most dreams occur, and, if awoken during REM sleep, a person can remember the dreams. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep each night.

Infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep. Adults spend nearly half of sleep time in stage 2, about 20% in REM and the other 30% is divided between the other three stages. Older adults spend progressively less time in REM sleep.

Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

1. Keep Healthy

·         Exercise regularly. Exercising for at least thirty minutes each day will help you fall asleep at night. Just make sure you don’t do it too close to bedtime or the reverse will be true.

·         Lose weight. Being overweight increases the risk of snoring and sleep apnoea, neither of which result in a good night’s sleep.

·         Have a health check. Many diseases interfere with sleep. For example, thirst through the night may indicate diabetes, burning feet can point to small blood vessel or nerve disease, and frequent visits to the bathroom could signal a prostate, kidney, or heart problem.

·         Balance menopausal hormones. Hormonal changes at menopause can cause hot flushes, joint pain, and palpitations that interfere with sleep. Bring you body back into balance with the help of your local homeopath or natural therapist.

2. The Food Factor

·         Avoid caffeine. Drinking coffee, or even tea, will stop some people falling asleep. Be aware that caffeine is also in some processed foods, drinks, and even medications such as diet pills.

·         Avoid foods which irritate. Dairy and wheat products are high on the list of foods that cause sleep-disturbing problems such as gastrointestinal upsets, congestion, gas, and apnoea in sensitive people.

·         Eat a protein snack a few hours before bed. L-tryptophan from protein foods will help your body produce the sleep-promoting neuro-transmitters of melatonin and serotonin. Carbohydrates such as a small piece of wholemeal bread may also help tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier.

·         Avoid fluids two hours before bed. This will reduce the likelihood of waking to go to the bathroom. Empty your bladder before going to bed.

·         Avoid snacks, especially sugars and processed grains, before bed. These foods cause rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar levels that disturb sleep.

·         Avoid alcohol. The drowsiness produced by alcohol is short-lived and stops you entering the deeper and more restful stages of sleep. As its effect wears off some hours later, you are also more likely to wake and then be unable to go back to sleep.

·         Sip chamomile tea before going to bed. Chamomile tea has a mild homeopathic effect of relieving anxiety and inducing relaxation – just the thing for a good night’s sleep.

3. Prepare the Bedroom

·         Make bedroom an attractive place to sleep. Don’t dump work, chores, or junk on or around your bed. You will sleep much better in a relaxed and uncluttered environment.

·         Check your bedroom for electro-magnetic fields (EMFs) and remove electrical devices. These can disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and serotonin that lead to sleep. If you are especially sensitive to EMFs try switching the circuit breakers off at night, cutting the power in your home.

·         Maintain a moderate temperature. The recommended temperature for sleep is no more than 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit). A warmer temperature can disturb sleep.

·         Darkness will help. Even small amounts of light can disrupt your body’s production of the neuro-transmitters needed for sleep. Reduce the light in your room by black-out curtains and avoid sudden exposures to bright light if getting up at night, as these can stop you body’s production of melatonin.

·         Change the noise. Gentle music, white noise or relaxation CDs can help you relax and unwind. Sounds of the ocean can be particularly soothing for sleep.

·         No TV before bed. Stop watching TV well before you go to sleep and certainly do not watch it in the bedroom. An exciting program will over-stimulate your brain, and make it harder to fall asleep.

HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINE FOR SLEEPING DISORDER

several remedies are available to treat sleeping disorder  that can be selected on the basis of CAUSE of sleep disorder, sensations, modalities , position of sleep &  etc.

Aconite-

 Sleeplessness after midnight, with anxiety, restlessness, continual tossing about; eyes closed, caused by fear, fright, anxiety, with fear of the future; anxious vivid dreams; sleeplessness from a nervous fear that he was not going to get asleep; sleeplessness of infants and of the aged.

Alumina-

 Lies awake from crowding of fancies or ideas, or from heaviness in his arms; unrefreshing night sleep, feels too warm, starts in affright, muttering and citing ; on awaking, weak and faint till he eats.

Ambra-

Sleeplessness without cause ; sleepless after worriment in business; walks the floor anxious and restless; nervous, weak, irritable women and children ; body cold, anxious dreams ; awakens weak, languid.

Arg met-

Cannot fall asleep easily and sleep is restless ; as soon as she sinks in a slumber, an electric shock of the whole body or of single limbs appeals and interrupts sleep ; nausea; seminal emissions during dreamy sleep; prostration on awaking.

Arg  nitr-

kept awake by fancies and images hovering before his imagination.

Arsenicum-

Sleeplessness, with restlessness and moaning, awakened by pains, especially before midnight.

Aurum met-

Awake all night ; no pain ; no lassitude or sleepiness in the morning ; worse after midnight.

Belladonna-

 Sleep prevented by anxiety, with great anguish, restlessness, frightful visions ; drowsy in the evening, but no sleep follows, and feels in the morning as if he had not slept enough.

Bryonia-

 Sleeplessness, on account of uneasiness in the blood and anxiety; thoughts crowd one upon another; night very restless, disturbed by frequent dreams; no sleep before midnight, on account of frequent shivering sensation over one arm and foot, followed by sweat ; prattling, murmuring delirium.

Camphora-

 Sleeplessness alternating with coma.

Capsicum-

 Sleepless from emotions ; homesickness, cough ; restless, dreamy sleep.

Carb. Veg-

 Sleepless from uneasiness of body, awakens often after midnight from cold limbs ; does not fall asleep till after 1 a.m.

Causticum.-

Sleepless on account of dry heat ; very uneasy all night ; after a short sleep awakened by anxiety and restlessness, which scarcely allowed ten minutes' quiet in one place ; must sit up ; involuntary throwing of head from side to side till exhaustion brought sleep.

Chamomilla-

Sleepiness with yawning during day ; at night sleepless with anxiety, inability to remain in bed, with prattling delirium ; starting in sleep, weeping and complaining ; pain seems to be felt during sleep.

Cimicifuga.-

Great restlessness at night, imagines strange objects in room, under bed, with dilated pupils and tremor of limbs ; sleeplessness after severe mental exertion ; from hysteria, dentition, typhus, etc. ; children wake up frightened.

Coca-

 Nervous sleeplessness, hallucinations, delirium ; sleeplessness with desire for work ; disturbed sleep, with frequent waking, unpleasant dreams, and constant perspiration.

Cocculus-

Sleeplessness from mental activity, chiefly of memory, from night-watching ; constant disposition to sleep, but sleep is restless, interrupted by frequent wakings and startings, so that in the morning he is still sleepy, and his head feels worse after sleeping.

Coffea-

Sleeplessness from overexcitement of mind and body, from joy or agreeable surprise, from long watching, from excessive use of coffee ; sleeplessness of children without cause.

Digitalis-

Sleeplessness, with constant desire to urinate, in nervous persons ; uneasy, unrefreshing sleep.

Ferrum-

 Anxious tossing in bed after midnight; can lie only on back at night ; child does not sleep, on account of itching from ascarides.

Gelsemium-

Wide awake feeling, or lies in a half-awake state, with incoherent talk; sleepless from violent itching of face, head, and shoulders during dentition ; night terrors on account of his nose being  stopped up and dry ; chronic cerebral irritation and pulsation in head and body.

Hyoscyamus-

 Sleeplessness from nervous excitement, especially after violent diseases ; suitable to irritable and easily excited persons.

Ignatia-

 Sleepless from grief, care, sadness; anxious thoughts and depressing emotions. Child awakens from sleep with piercing cries and trembles all over.

Iodum-

Sleepless after midnight, or restless sleep, with vivid anxious dreams.

Lachesis-

Persistent sleeplessness ; sleepless in evening, with talkativeness; awakens at night and cannot sleep again; always worse after sleep, especially during  climaxis.

Lycopodium-

Sleep restless; at ease in no position ; cries out, starts, jerks of limbs ; on awaking cross, kicks and scolds, feels uhrefresbed ; hungry when awaking at night.

Mercurius-

 Sleepless from ebullition of blood and anxiety, from embarrassed portal circulation, with beating at the pit of the stomach, sometimes accompanied by profuse sweats or with extreme depression of spirit and other nervous symptoms.

Moschus-

Sleepless from nervous excitement, without any other ailment ; restless nights, full of dreams of strife and effort ; cannot lie long on one spot, for the part on which he laid becomes painful as if sprained or broken ; sleep uneasy, wakes every half hour and throws off covering, feels too hot, yet vloes notperspire.

Natrum mur-

Tormenting sleeplessness after gnawing grief; on falling asleep, twitching in limbs, and electric shocks through whole body ; sleep often interrupted by the need of allaying thirst and desire to void urine ; complete sleeplessness at night, from simple wakefulness, without being sick.

Nux vomica-

 Sleeplessness caused by excessive study late at night ; sleepy and dull in the evening, goes to bed early and sleeps well until 3 A.M., then wakes and lies awake thinking with mind quite clear and active till       5 a m., then dozes and sleeps an hour and wakes more tired than when he awoke at 3 a.m., and often with a headache.

Opium-

Stupid sleeplessness, with frightful visions before midnight; insomnia, with acuteness of hearing ; clocks striking and cocks crowing at a great distance keep her awake.

Pulsatilla-

 Sleepless after late supper or eating too much, with orgasm of blood and congestion to head, heat causing anxiety ; wide awake in the evening, does not want to go to bed ; first sleep restless, sound sleep when it is time to get up ; wakes languid and unrefreshed.

Sepia-

 Restless sleep, awakes early in the morning and cannot go to sleep again ; wakeful at night from rush of thoughts.

Sulphur-

 Sleepiness in the evening, hut the night is full of unrest, tossing', nervous excitement orgasm of blood; pains of various kinds and hut little sleep throughout the night.

Tabacum-

 Insomnia of dilated heart.