A drug widely used to treat seizures and anxiety appears to be an effective treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS) and helps people with the disorder get a better night’s sleep, according to a study that will be presented as part of the Late-breaking Science Program at the American Academy of Neurology’s 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 - May 2, 2009. RLS affects up to one in ten people.

The 12-week study involved 58 people with RLS. Of the group, 30 people received the drug pregabalin and the rest received placebo. Sleep studies were performed at the beginning and end of the research.

Researchers found nearly two-thirds of the people who took pregabalin had no RLS symptoms while taking the drug. For people who still had symptoms, those symptoms had improved by 66 percent while taking the drug, compared to the placebo group where symptoms worsened by 29 percent.

Sleep also improved for those taking pregabalin. The study showed the group spent more time in slow wave sleep, otherwise known as Stage 3 or deep sleep, and they spent less time in the lighter sleep stages known as Stage 1 or Stage 2 sleep compared to those taking placebo.

“Since RLS symptoms get worse at night, it’s difficult for people with RLS to get adequate sleep,” said study author Diego Garcia-Borreguero, M.D., Director of the Sleep Research Institute in Madrid, Spain. “However, our findings show pregabalin helped people get more deep sleep. The drug was well tolerated and is a promising alternative to current treatments because of its superior effects on quality of sleep.”

Pregabalin has been approved for epilepsy, nerve pain, generalized anxiety and fibromyalgia.

RLS is characterized by an urge to move the legs, generally accompanied by unpleasant numbness, tingling, or burning sensations; an increase in symptoms during rest and a partial and temporary relief from symptoms through activity.

The study was supported by Pfizer Inc.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care.

Source: American Academy of Neurology

Expired medications are commonplace and inertia notwithstanding, many of us tend to rely on an intuitive sense of their value in continuing to store and use them. Such drugs can be harmful to health in several ways; they can be unpredictable in effectiveness, simply ineffective, or even toxic.

The formal way of classifying a medication as having expired is through it’s labeled expiry date. This date is often set based on a combination of the common properties of the dosage form as well as the stability and expiration studies of the product that have been conducted by the manufacturer. Importantly, this expiry date is contingent on specific storage conditions of the product. Although a medication may pass it’s labeled expiry date, it may not necessarily be any less effective or dangerous to consume depending on the product itself, the storage conditions and the circumstances leading up to expiry.

When most medications pass their expiry date under appropriate storage conditions, they are generally taken to have become so variable in effectiveness as to have become unsuitable for use. This often comes about as a result of the degradation of the active ingredients of the medication with exposure to physical, chemical or microbiological variables like temperature, pressure, humidity, light, bacteria as well as other components of the product known as excipients.

Creams may “crack” once their expiry date is passed, leading to a separation of the components and hence provide a non-uniform delivery of active ingredients. This can lead to the poor control of conditions like eczema or acne. Tablet medications can mechanically “powder” off, change in consistency with exposure to water vapor or even experience the contained drug itself becoming ineffective on prolonged exposure to air as occurs with glyceryl trinitrate, an emergency medicine that can easily become ineffective in relieving acute symptoms of chest pain. With common injections, should the acidity change to fall outside a fairly narrow range, significant pain and tissue damage can result from use. With most eye drops, an expiry date of one month after opening is accepted to minimize the potential for dangerous bacterial contamination.

With any medication, once a specific threshold of remaining active ingredient is passed, the medication can no longer be relied upon to deliver accurate doses. This loss of reliability is often exacerbated by the fact that the active ingredients can degrade into various combinations of active, inactive or toxic breakdown products. The common aspirin is for instance, known to react with moisture to breakdown into salicylic acid, which is active, and acetic acid, which is inactive and can lead to toxicity in excess.

While the expiry date provides a useful gauge of when to stop using a medication, there are also many other factors that can informally accelerate the expiry of a medication and make it dangerous to use, chief among which is how the medication is stored. It is oftentimes not just the medication that is affected by storage conditions but also the storage container. Under inappropriate storage conditions, certain containers can leech material into liquid medication preparations, or medication particles can stick to the container rather than remain separated. On average, a 10 degree rise in temperature doubles the rate of chemical reactions that occur to a medication product and can accelerate the rate of bacterial contamination several fold. Just like an ice cream can simply melt or a loaf of bread becomes mouldy much quicker if not refrigerated, many medication products can easily expire much faster when not stored appropriately.

With oral liquid and topical medications, potentially dangerous changes associated with expiry can at times be detected by color or consistency changes, component separations, altered smell or taste (oral preparations). Should a suspicion of expiry arise, a medication expert should be consulted regardless of whether or not the labeled expiry date has been passed.

“Expiry” should also be understood to occur once a supply of medications is no longer used appropriately for it’s intended purpose. Consultation with a medication expert is always advised to prevent the inappropriate use of existing medication supplies. Inappropriate use can often occur with self-medication and is harmful. An unfinished supply of a previously used antibiotic may be tried to treat a new infection that is actually untreatable by or resistant to that antibiotic. This practice may not only delay recovery but can also encourage the proliferation of “super bugs” that have resistance to many antibiotics. Another incorrect purpose involves sharing medications and this can be especially harmful if another is allergic to the shared medication or a child or pet is medicated with an adult’s medication. Children often require dose adjustments to accommodate their size while many human drugs are often unsuitable for pets. Even a simple food like chocolate that we may enjoy can easily be toxic to a pet dog.

Another mechanism whereby medication expiry is dangerous occurs when an unfinished supply is used despite new information that points to increased precautions associated with the medication or that has led to it’s recall. An example is obtaining pain relief from a previous supply of a painkiller like Vioxx (rofecoxib) or Celebrex (celecoxib) in spite of an existing heart condition that is now known to relate to an increased risk of fatality under those circumstances of consumption.

Expired medications that are kept instead of discarded not only take up space but can actually discourage the appropriate use of new supplies in the treatment of illness. A medication cabinet, if not tended to regularly, could eventually contain more expired medications than viable ones and this can lead to the accidental consumption of an expired medication in place of a viable one. It is definitely advisable to clear the medication cabinet of expired medicaitons at least annually if not more often.

A further danger however, lies in how expired medications are disposed of. Expired medications and pharmaceutical byproducts can be harmful to the environment especially when they end up in our rivers and drinking water supply. Hormonal compounds like estrogen from birth control pills and patches as well as antibiotics have been linked to being flushed by individuals and institutions into sewage, draining largely unchanged and collecting in rivers and streams, then returning in tiny amounts into drinking water. Traces of antibiotics could worsen bacterial resistance while estrogens and other steroids are known to change the reproductive characteristics of fish. Even trace amounts of chemotherapy medications have emerged in tap water and this could be severely detrimental to the unborn babies of pregnant women who drink such water. The long-term impact on human health of medications in our rivers and drinking water is as yet unknown but no one would want to wait to find out. We can all play our part by inquiring on and using pharmacy or state-run programs for the disposal of expired medications instead of sending them down the sink or the toilet bowl.

A pharmacist is the expert of choice to approach in handling medication expiry and should be consulted if in doubt. As a general rule, it is always best to safeguard your own health and that of those around you by expeditiously and appropriately discarding all expired medications.

Expired medications are commonplace and inertia notwithstanding, many of us tend to rely on an intuitive sense of their value in continuing to store and use them. Such drugs can be harmful to health in several ways; they can be unpredictable in effectiveness, simply ineffective, or even toxic.

The formal way of classifying a medication as having expired is through it’s labeled expiry date. This date is often set based on a combination of the common properties of the dosage form as well as the stability and expiration studies of the product that have been conducted by the manufacturer. Importantly, this expiry date is contingent on specific storage conditions of the product. Although a medication may pass it’s labeled expiry date, it may not necessarily be any less effective or dangerous to consume depending on the product itself, the storage conditions and the circumstances leading up to expiry.

When most medications pass their expiry date under appropriate storage conditions, they are generally taken to have become so variable in effectiveness as to have become unsuitable for use. This often comes about as a result of the degradation of the active ingredients of the medication with exposure to physical, chemical or microbiological variables like temperature, pressure, humidity, light, bacteria as well as other components of the product known as excipients.

Creams may “crack” once their expiry date is passed, leading to a separation of the components and hence provide a non-uniform delivery of active ingredients. This can lead to the poor control of conditions like eczema or acne. Tablet medications can mechanically “powder” off, change in consistency with exposure to water vapor or even experience the contained drug itself becoming ineffective on prolonged exposure to air as occurs with glyceryl trinitrate, an emergency medicine that can easily become ineffective in relieving acute symptoms of chest pain. With common injections, should the acidity change to fall outside a fairly narrow range, significant pain and tissue damage can result from use. With most eye drops, an expiry date of one month after opening is accepted to minimize the potential for dangerous bacterial contamination.

With any medication, once a specific threshold of remaining active ingredient is passed, the medication can no longer be relied upon to deliver accurate doses. This loss of reliability is often exacerbated by the fact that the active ingredients can degrade into various combinations of active, inactive or toxic breakdown products. The common aspirin is for instance, known to react with moisture to breakdown into salicylic acid, which is active, and acetic acid, which is inactive and can lead to toxicity in excess.

While the expiry date provides a useful gauge of when to stop using a medication, there are also many other factors that can informally accelerate the expiry of a medication and make it dangerous to use, chief among which is how the medication is stored. It is oftentimes not just the medication that is affected by storage conditions but also the storage container. Under inappropriate storage conditions, certain containers can leech material into liquid medication preparations, or medication particles can stick to the container rather than remain separated. On average, a 10 degree rise in temperature doubles the rate of chemical reactions that occur to a medication product and can accelerate the rate of bacterial contamination several fold. Just like an ice cream can simply melt or a loaf of bread becomes mouldy much quicker if not refrigerated, many medication products can easily expire much faster when not stored appropriately.

With oral liquid and topical medications, potentially dangerous changes associated with expiry can at times be detected by color or consistency changes, component separations, altered smell or taste (oral preparations). Should a suspicion of expiry arise, a medication expert should be consulted regardless of whether or not the labeled expiry date has been passed.

“Expiry” should also be understood to occur once a supply of medications is no longer used appropriately for it’s intended purpose. Consultation with a medication expert is always advised to prevent the inappropriate use of existing medication supplies. Inappropriate use can often occur with self-medication and is harmful. An unfinished supply of a previously used antibiotic may be tried to treat a new infection that is actually untreatable by or resistant to that antibiotic. This practice may not only delay recovery but can also encourage the proliferation of “super bugs” that have resistance to many antibiotics. Another incorrect purpose involves sharing medications and this can be especially harmful if another is allergic to the shared medication or a child or pet is medicated with an adult’s medication. Children often require dose adjustments to accommodate their size while many human drugs are often unsuitable for pets. Even a simple food like chocolate that we may enjoy can easily be toxic to a pet dog.

Another mechanism whereby medication expiry is dangerous occurs when an unfinished supply is used despite new information that points to increased precautions associated with the medication or that has led to it’s recall. An example is obtaining pain relief from a previous supply of a painkiller like Vioxx (rofecoxib) or Celebrex (celecoxib) in spite of an existing heart condition that is now known to relate to an increased risk of fatality under those circumstances of consumption.

Expired medications that are kept instead of discarded not only take up space but can actually discourage the appropriate use of new supplies in the treatment of illness. A medication cabinet, if not tended to regularly, could eventually contain more expired medications than viable ones and this can lead to the accidental consumption of an expired medication in place of a viable one. It is definitely advisable to clear the medication cabinet of expired medicaitons at least annually if not more often.

A further danger however, lies in how expired medications are disposed of. Expired medications and pharmaceutical byproducts can be harmful to the environment especially when they end up in our rivers and drinking water supply. Hormonal compounds like estrogen from birth control pills and patches as well as antibiotics have been linked to being flushed by individuals and institutions into sewage, draining largely unchanged and collecting in rivers and streams, then returning in tiny amounts into drinking water. Traces of antibiotics could worsen bacterial resistance while estrogens and other steroids are known to change the reproductive characteristics of fish. Even trace amounts of chemotherapy medications have emerged in tap water and this could be severely detrimental to the unborn babies of pregnant women who drink such water. The long-term impact on human health of medications in our rivers and drinking water is as yet unknown but no one would want to wait to find out. We can all play our part by inquiring on and using pharmacy or state-run programs for the disposal of expired medications instead of sending them down the sink or the toilet bowl.

A pharmacist is the expert of choice to approach in handling medication expiry and should be consulted if in doubt. As a general rule, it is always best to safeguard your own health and that of those around you by expeditiously and appropriately discarding all expired medications.

Are you thinking about using herbs to help your insomnia? Here’s one herb that you should use with caution.





Herbal remedies for insomnia have a long tradition stretching back throughout human history.



Recently, they’ve been getting some press as a gentler and more effective alternative to insomnia medications. Unlike sleeping medications, most herbs used for insomnia are not addictive, do not promote overuse and have little or no side effects.



There is one herb, however, that is commonly used for insomnia relief that you should take care when using. It’s called Valerian.



Valerian is a perennial plant native to Europe and Asia and naturalized in the Americas. It has a strong odor that many people find unpleasant.



Valerian has been in use since at least since ancient Greek and Roman times, especially to relieve stress, anxiety and tension.



For sleep disorders, most people take a valerian capsule or tincture that is made from the roots and the leaf stems of the plant. The typical recommended dose is about 1 teaspoon in water 1/2 hour before bed.



Few serious problems have been reported from using Valerian, but there are a 2 major side effects to be aware of if you plan to use this herb as a sleep remedy.



1. Valerian is a natural mild depressant and can interfere with your mood. It also has the tendency to make some people feel lethargic or sluggish in the morning.



2. Valerian can become addictive especially if used with alcohol. Be careful not to combine Valerian with alcohol use.



And of course, Valerian should not be used by women who are pregnant or by children under 5 years.



Valerian use gets best results for occasional insomnia.

More and more Americans are feeling the effects of the condition called insomnia each year. While these people can barely muster up the energy to get their jobs and household work done, they barely manage to get by. And while my main attention will be here at home through this article, this condition is affecting nearly one third of the earth’s population. It’s about time we found an insomnia natural remedy that worked out of the vast amount on the market today.



For those of you who don’t know what this insomnia is, it’s the inability to stay asleep or even fall asleep to make it simple. It is a vital part of your body’s function to rest and it can seem impossible not to fall asleep, but the truth is a lot of us just aren’t getting it including myself. In this stressful world, the days of closing your eyes and dozing off into dreamland are gone.



Not having the energy to sit up is something these people feel seven days a week. It’s just one of the many symptoms associated with sleep loss you face while searching for an insomnia natural remedy. The world we live in requires us to constantly use our minds and physical being to break at the jobs we have, and this can be taking a harsh toll on your body.



You’re probably wondering why these people don’t seek help whether it be buying sleeping pills at the health section of the store or even going to see a doctor. The sad fact is that neither of these options is really useful. These pills are only useful to the few of us who don’t have the long term form of this version otherwise they become immune to them after taking them for several months. And the doctor has always been thought of as a last hope, but you’ll be surprised to hear what he has to say.



Trying to find the perfect insomnia natural remedy at your doctor’s office may seem like a lost cause. Don’t panic just yet though. If you’ve only had the problem for a month or less, you don’t have too much to worry about. However, the doctor still can’t do much for you besides give you prescription sleep aids and tell you about lifestyle changes.



While swallowing a pill sounds simple, it won’t take away all of life’s problems. As a matter of fact, you could be getting into more trouble than it’s worth with these. These sleep aids are addictive as any other medicine on the market and they come with some nasty side effects including hallucinations. The best advice I can give you is to steer clear from these and keep looking for an insomnia natural remedy.

Sleep deprivation is a growing problem in the United States. More than 40% of the population is chronically sleep deprived. Prior to the invention of electricity people slept an average of 10 hours per night. Today people are trying to get by on as little as 4-6 hours per night.



This chronic sleep deprivation is having a serious impact on our health. People who are sleep deprived experience decreased alertness, increased body weight, decreased energy, moodiness, decreased memory, decreased reaction time, decreased productivity and performance, increased risk for infection, safety hazards, decreased creativity, accelerated aging process, decreased general wellbeing, and decrease in communication skills. These are just some of the consequences of chronic sleep deprivation.



Women are especially prone to sleep deprivation. You are managing and performing all your work responsibilities, household duties, parenting and family responsibilities, and still desiring to find time for a social life, exercise and recreation. It can be difficult to keep up with all the day to day activities and be in bed early to ensure you get a good night’s rest. Most of you are probably pushing yourself to keep going even through the exhaustion. Drinking large amounts of caffeine or eating for energy. This busy lifestyle can lead to serious health issues if left unbalanced. Most people have no idea how much their lack of sleep is affecting their life until they start to repay their sleep debt.



Some signs of sleep deprivation are:



Falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. Most people will take 15-20 minutes to fall asleep if not sleep deprived.

Struggle to get out of bed in the morning

Require an alarm clock to wake up

Feeling drowsy or tired during the day

Falling asleep during the day

Excessive moodiness

Decreased alertness



An interesting experience happens when you start to honor your body and give it the rest it requires. You will actually become more productive, have energy that lasts all day, be more creative and resourceful; you will be in a good mood and be less prone to illness. When you wake up refreshed and energized, you will be excited to face the day instead of dreading getting out of bed. As you start to make sleep a priority, note all the improvement that occurs with better sleep.



According to Dr. James B. Maas there are 4 golden rules for sleep. The first rule is to get adequate sleep every night which is usually 7-9 hours per night for adults. The next is to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday including weekends. The third rule is to sleep 7-9 hours for a continuous period of time. The final rule is to make up any lost sleep as soon as possible.



To help you sleep better and feel well-rested and full of energy here are some tips and tricks.



1. If you aren’t sleeping long enough, start to go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier. Every week continue to go to bed an additional 15 minutes earlier until you find the right amount of sleep for your body. You will know you have had enough sleep when you don’t require an alarm clock to wake you up and you feel well rested upon waking up.



2. Sleep in a dark cool room.



3. Create a bedtime ritual to prepare your body for rest. Consider creating a power down half hour where you spend 10 minutes doing light chores and preparing for the next day, 10 minutes on personal hygiene and 10 minutes in prayer or mediation.



4. Remove any electronic devices from your bedroom. TV’s and computers in the bedroom have been shown to affect quality of sleep.



5. Do not eat for at least 3-4 hours before bedtime. Digestion requires a lot of energy and will interfere with sleep.



6. Replace your mattress every 5-7 years.



7. Replace your pillow every 1-2 years.



8. Create a restful environment in your bedroom. Eliminate clutter and other distractions that will interfere with sleep.



9. Avoid doing any activities in bed other than sleep and intimate relations.



10. Listen to quiet music or nature sounds to block out any other distracting noises and promote rest.



11. Journal your thoughts, worries or to do list prior to going to sleep so you are not lying in bed worrying. Write them down and let them go for the night.



These are a few tips and tricks to get you started to create a restful night’s sleep. We create our habits and they are the foundation for everything you do. You may have created a habit of putting sleep as a last priority. I encourage you to start to develop new habits around sleep and notice how much better you feel when you are well rested.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall into sleep where you shouldn’t? And how difficult it is to sleep where you should? How can a church pew possibly be more comfortable than your bed? Why can’t your body just do the right thing at the right time? Often, our own mindset is to blame. We allow negative thoughts about sleep to build up. Then when we try to sleep, we start reviewing all the reasons it will never happen.



What’s the best way to get around this problem? Many people like you have discovered that meditation can be a big help. There’s no need to put on Indian ragas and break out the incense. You don’t have to achieve a transcendental state or fold your legs into the lotus position. In fact, this little meditation exercise can be done practically anywhere. There are four steps:



Step One: Get Comfortable



This doesn’t necessarily mean to make a dash for the La-z-boy. But you should get into a comfortable seated position. Feet on the floor usually works best, along with palms on your thighs. Keep your shoulder muscles as relaxed as possible. The idea is to stop thinking and get relaxed. Don’t fret over the price of oil or the latest news. Just shut it all out for a few minutes.



Step Two: Breathe Deeply



Don’t gasp for air through your mouth and don’t start hyperventilating. Do try breathing in very slowly and deeply through your nose. Fill your lungs with air, hold it…then slowly breathe out. Did you feel it? While exhaling, you should begin to feel very relaxed and calm.



Step Three: Go (Mentally) To Your Happy Place



This step is often called visualization. That just means to “see” a comfortable and relaxing place in your mind. Let your current reality fade out a little and picture yourself in place you have imagined. The idea here is to help you feel relaxed while you breathe deeply.



Step Four: Relax



It might sound difficult to relax on command. But if you’ve relaxed your body, started deep breathing and fixed your mind on a place of peace, you should be starting to get pretty relaxed. After a few minutes of this, open your eyes. This should help you feel much better prepared to fall into sleep.



This little exercise in meditation is actually an excellent stress reduction technique. It helps you clear your mind of things that could hinder your ability to fall into sleep. Try performing these four simple steps right before bedtime. This should put you on track for sleeping in the right place at the right time, so you can enjoy being awake the rest of your day.

How high is dangerously high blood pressure? Could it start when your blood pressure is just slightly above normal for the damage and harm to begin? What can you do to lower your blood pressure? Do you need to use different treatments depending on how high your blood pressure is?

This article precisely explains the relationship between your BP reading is and what you need to do now.

What Level is Normal for Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure is usually defined around the 115/75 mark or 120/80 mark. These two ratings are very similar.

Reading: 180/110+

Severe hypertension begins when your reading is 180/110. If you don’t get to a doctor straight away, with a level as high as this, you could die within months or even weeks, and that you already have some level of organ damage. This is what is considered to be dangerously high blood pressure.

You will immediately go onto drugs.

Reading: 160-179/100-109

This band, although less serious than 180/100+ still means you are at a significant increased risk of stroke and heart attack. If your blood pressure is at this level it’s highly recommended you dosomething quickly about it and see your doctor.

Reading: 140-160/90-99

Many people with high blood pressure are within this range and your medical practitioner may try to put you onto drugs. However, it’s important to recognise that there’s no reason why you cannot simply try natural methods first. Natural methods are considered by some doctors to be superior to drugs, so they are worth investigating.

Reading: 121-139/81-89

The fact remains that although this is called “pre-hypertensive”, you could still be at double the risk of a stroke or heart attack. Because you are not registering in the band above, some doctors opt not to prescribe drugs and ask you to monitor your blood pressure. If you are in this category, it’s  strongly recommend that you monitor your hypertension closley and introduce natural methods to get it back into the healthy range as soon as possible.

Wake up From Our Shallow Slumber
By Rhona Kornel

A lot of speculation exists about the amount of hours required to sleep. It depends on the individual and varies according to how active you are or are not, if you eat life-giving or life-draining foods and how emotionally and mentally demanding the day has been.

Increases the need for sleep:
• Sugar and all processed ‘food’
• Lack of exercise
• Arguing
Decreases the need for sleep:
• Fruit and vegetables
• Regular exercise
• Peacefulness

For the average person to achieve deep sleep, the remedy is simple and involves learning to breathe slowly in combination with certain exercises.  When you wake up in the morning and your eyes and skin feel rejuvenated and you feel great, you know you’ve had restorative sleep.  It really feels like this.  The sense of well-being is unmistakable!
It is important to address any obstacles that may arise in your effort to restore normal sleeping habits.  If you find you lack motivation, or you experience discomfort or resistance to relearning how to sleep with these exercises, you may need a coach such as myself.  It is very important to develop the habit of regular nightly practice of this program.  This is a tool for life.  Be prepared for gentle and wonderful changes in your health, attitude and behavior! 
Over the years, I have not employed expensive, elaborate tests of my sleep patterns.  I did not have my circadian rhythms analyzed.  I did not explore Cognitive Refocusing, Monotonous Stimulation, and Stimulus Control or Paradoxical Intention.  I was prescribed medication, but chose to find a more natural way.  I put my anxiety and insomnia to rest and took control of my life by learning how to breathe.  I learned how to have perfect nights every night and wake up refreshed.
By sharing with you Deep Sleep in 7 Minutes, I offer you the most important secret of attaining a tremendous sense of well-being.  Tested and true, I have seen overwhelming results. 
Staying healthy and happy, you need to learn the art of sleeping. If you are an athlete, your performance and quick recuperation depend on good sleep.  If you operate heavy machinery, your heightened alertness depends on proper sleep.  If you need to concentrate and be fully awake during the day, deep sleep will help you.  If you want to be more creative you need to tap into these sources of energy at night.  If you are challenged with an illness you definitely will find an ally in sleeping well.  If you are an older person, sleep is so important to maintain a long and healthy lifestyle.
Statistics show that sleeping problems increase with age for all of us. The Better Sleep Council Statistics estimates that two out of every three seniors suffers from sleep deprivation. The relationship between poor sleeping habits and degeneration of the body and mind is scientifically proven. Which comes first; poor sleeping habits or old age and sickness?
Does old age cause poor sleeping habits, other complaints, illness and general degeneration? Or are poor sleeping habits the culprit?
It’s time to wake up from our shallow slumber and realize that we can improve our health, slow down aging and access more of our human creative potential if we learn how to recharge fully every night. Now you know one of life’s best-kept secrets.  Tell everyone.  Give them a copy of this article. They will thank you. 
Learning the art of sleeping is one of the best deeds you can do for yourself, your loved ones, your boss and colleagues, society and even the planet at large. Connecting to the power of deep sleep will enable you to have a perfect night of sleep every night and be at your best, shining, successful self during the day!
For more information please see www.sleepin7.com

By Alan Crossley, C.Ht

Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep affects over 64 million people in North America and millions more around the world.  Although insomnia can be a symptom of other health problems, for many people it is simply an inability to calm the mind that keeps them awake.   It’s also a self perpetuating problem because once you begin to TRY to get to sleep it becomes almost impossible to do so.  To make matters worse, if the problem persists for several nights, anxiety can then become a factor as you begin to worry in advance, that you won’t be able to fall asleep when you go to bed.

Hypnosis provides a quick and easy solution for many people who suffer from insomnia.  The structure of the language patterns used by Hypnotists causes the listener to attach their own meaning to certain statements that the practitioner is making, thereby occupying the conscious mind while suggestions are given to help the listener enter into a state of physical relaxation.  It’s not long before you just find yourself deeply relaxed and drifting along as you listen to all the positive suggestions the Hypnotist is providing.

Some people who have never experienced Hypnosis may not consider it a viable option because they have seen Hypnotists at stage shows or on TV that seem to have control over peoples actions.  The fact is that all Hypnosis is Self Hypnosis and it is the listener that actually has control over the experience.  When you are in Hypnosis, you can stop or pop out of the experience any time you wish. 

In our Hypnosis recordings, we also provide suggestions that will “break the insomnia cycle”.  On of the ways to achieve this is by teaching the unconscious mind to respond in a desired way to a specific phrase.  For example, once the listener is in a very deep state of physical relaxation,  the phrase “sleep now” can be associated to the state so that in the future the listener need only say or think that statement 3 times in order to return to the restful state.  This is referred to as anchoring because it “anchors” a physical or mental state (in this case deep relaxation) to a specific phrase or action.  Best of all, once the unconscious mind learns this, getting to sleep gets easier and easier.

So don’t be afraid to give Hypnosis a try if you suffer from insomnia, it really can help and you may just find yourself sleeping better that you have in a very long time.