Insomnia Help

Relaxing Sleep CD

2009-02-09T12:16:00.000+13:00

Are you having trouble sleeping?

We live in stressful times in which many people are suffering from anxiety and sleepless nights. The economy has gone belly up and it is all caused by greedy cheating bankers and money men who couldn't even restrain their greed in their own interests.

If stress, anxiety and maybe also anger, is giving you sleepless nights a relaxing sleep cd is something that could help you. You just go to bed and listen. You will not hear the end of it!

This relaxing sleep CD can also be downloaded as an MP3 so you are able to get it immediately and use it tonight. Relaxing Sleep CD

My Sleep CD A Natural Insomnia Remedy

2008-12-06T02:12:00.003+13:00

I don't know if any of you are interested but I just want to give a bit of publicity to my sleep cd.

I am selling it for only $27 and for that you get

A 60+ page ebook crammed with information on sleep and how to get a good night's sleep every night and
A 30 minute relaxation mp3 download. This is for daily relaxation sessions to help you overcome any tension and anxiety you have because that leads to insomnia.
The sleep cd itself which comes in the post but you can also download it so there is no need to wait for the post.

You can use all of these downloads they very same day that you purchase them. This is the link to find out more about it: the sleep sound sleep cd

Please come back and leave a comment it you buy it. Let us know what you think of the program.

Natural Insomnia Remedy

2008-11-30T22:47:00.003+13:00

What is a natural remedy for insomnia?

I think it is one which allows you to get a good night's sleep without drugs. A natural insomnia remedy would also allow you to wake up in the morning feeling great. Refreshed. Ready for the day ahead.

My experience is that sleep medication does not do that. I am talking about prescription sleeping pills. They just do not give you a natural refreshing sleep.

So its better not to use them even if you are really sleep deprived. Look for a natural insomnia remedy that will restore your sleeping to what it was before you started to have insomnia.

Here is one natural insomnia remedy you might like to try.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

2007-06-19T12:16:00.000+12:00

The following progressive muscle relaxation exercise will help you to become completely relaxed. If you do it in bed when you are ready to sleep it will help you to fall asleep easily.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) Exercise

Read right through these instructions once before you begin. The muscles that we will be focusing on in order are:

1. Hands, forearms and biceps

2. Feet, calves, thighs and buttocks

3. Shoulders, throat, neck, face and head

4. Chest, abdomen, lower back

If this is new to you, you might want to do only a small part of the exercise for the first few times. A few days for each muscle group will help you to fully respond to the relaxation. Don’t rush through the practice.

When you are ready lie down and take some slow deep breaths. Breath in slowly, hold for a second or two then as you exhale allow yourself to feel your whole body letting go of tension. You might imagine the tension leaving your body like a grey mist with each exhalation.

Concentrate on the first group of muscles, your right hand and arm. Make a fist to tighten the muscles in your hand, continue tightening the muscles all the way up to your bicep, holding as tight as you can. Hold this tension for a count of 10, or longer if you can manage it. Don’t hold your breath during any of these tensing practices.

Now release, saying “Let the tension drain away. My arm and hand is relaxed and limp.” Let your arm and hand go limp, notice the feeling and the warmth in your arm. Feel the difference between your right and left arm. Repeat two times.

Don’t hold your breath, breath in and out slowly and deeply throughout these exercises. Each time you release say the relaxing phrase “Let the tension drain away from…” for each body part.

Now, concentrating on the left hand and arm repeat the exercise. Always notice the feeling of relaxation that you have when releasing the tension.

Follow the same procedure with your right foot, calf, thigh and buttock muscles. One at a time tense these muscles as hard as you can, count to 10 or higher slowly, then release. Pay attention to the different feeling in your left and right sides. Repeat using your left leg starting with your left foot and leg muscles.

Focus then on your shoulder muscles. Shrug your shoulders as high as you can and hold tight, then allowing them to go limp. Feel the difference.

Now concentrate on your head. Frown as hard as you can, hold, then release allowing your forehead to go smooth. Now raise your eyebrows as high as possible, hold then release.

Screw up your eyes, feeling the tension. Hold as before and then relax.
Clench your jaw tightly. Notice the tension throughout, hold, then release, relaxing with slightly parted lips. Feel and compare the difference.

Press your tongue tightly against the roof of your mouth. Hold, then release, again paying attention to the difference between the relaxed and the tense state.

Repeat with your lips, pressing them together and then making a tight “O” with them. Relax. Then make a false smile as wide as you can. Hold then release. Notice the relaxed feeling in all of your head muscles.

Carry out this technique at least once a day or use it to relax before you go to sleep at night.

To learn more about relaxation and sleep read the book e-book Go To Sleep Secrets which is part of the Sleep Sound Program. Click on the link above.

How to Get Back to Sleep When Sleep is Disrupted

2007-05-30T11:50:00.000+12:00

Waking during sleep doesn't become a problem unless waking is constant or unless you can't get back to sleep and feel tired during the day. Sometimes waking is a symptom of depression so if you are having this problem consider consulting your doctor.

Here are some ideas as to what you can do if you have trouble getting back to sleep.

Get up and get out of bed. This might sound contrary to what you are trying to do, but here's why getting up makes sense. You might not be tired, especially if you've slept for 5 or more hours. So if you cannot resume sleep after trying for about 20 or 30 minutes get up and do something that will make you tired again.
Don't turn on a bright light. That might send a signal to your internal clock and your body may react as if it were morning and time to get up. Instead, turn on a low light and read something really boring like the manual for a new appliance.
Do not attempt to do anything that needs concentration. For example don't catch up on work or schoolwork projects.
Don't watch TV. TV can be alerting and will not make you feel sleepy. Listening to the radio is a better option. Many people say that listening to the radio in bed sends them to sleep. You might need to get some earphones if you do not sleep alone.
Try visualization. Imagining something repetitive can help your mind lose interest and soon you will find that it will begin to shut down. That's the theory behind counting sheep. If you can get your brain to focus on the image, it won't wander off into an area that it finds more stimulating.
Have a snack. If you feel hungry, it will be difficult to get back to sleep. So get up and eat a small carbohydrate rich snack. Carbs help you to feel sleepy again and milk contains tryptophan which is also helpful for sleep. A small bowl of cereal with milk, or fruit, nuts or crackers are good choices. With a little something in your stomach, it'll be easier to fall back asleep.
Go to bed later. If you go to bed and you have trouble falling asleep, you simply might not be tired when you go to bed. So stay up a while longer and use that extra time to do something relaxing like yoga, meditation, or soak in a warm bath.
Make sure you are warm enough in bed. Cold feet can prevent you relaxing enough to drop off to sleep. On the other hand don't get too hot as this too can disturb your sleep.

If you need some additional help why not try the Sleep Sound audios? These have helped hundreds of people to regulate their sleeping again. Its pretty hard to stay awake when listening to them.

Check them out here: Sleep Sound

Sleep Sound Audios

2007-05-07T14:39:00.000+12:00

I am getting some great feedback on my Sleep Sound Program! Yay!!! It is a lovely feeling to be able to help people from all over the world to get some relief from insomnia. Insomnia ruins your life so its important to do something about it. If you haven't tried my sleep program yet have a look at it now. (The link is above)

Dangers Of Prescription Sleeping Pills

2007-03-22T17:02:00.000+12:00

I recently came accross this article by Danna Schneider and thought it interesting enough to post here. What a scary thought- automatons at the wheel.

Recently a woman here drove her car off the road because she fell asleep at the wheel. There was no suggestion that she had taken sleepig pills I think she was just exhausted. Three of her four children were killed. Poor woman I so feel for her. She will suffer for that lapse for the rest of her life. Don't let it happen to you.

Here is Danna's article.

You've probably heard of sleep walking, talking in your sleep, and even slightly more bizarre waking/sleep phenomena such as cleaning and other normal activities being carried out while one is technically, and for all intents and purposes, asleep.

What about sleep-driving though? That one tends to get everyone's attention, and to stir alarm and fear in those that have a tendency to sleep walk, since this particular form of sleep walking can have deadly consequences. The sleep-driving phemonena is getting publicity lately though, and is also capturing the attention of the FDA, which is the government arm which regulates the food and drug industry.

You see, sleep-driving is rare, but it has been linked to prescription sleep aids in the instances reported, since the drivers were all on one sleep aid or another, and that is what has logically been blamed for the bizarre occurrences.

Sleep-driving is where a person who is not fully conscious actually gets their car keys, starts the car and subsequently drives around, perhaps aimlessly, or perhaps to a location they are accustomed to driving.

The person will then have absolutely no recollection of having driven their car while asleep. There have already been about 12 reports of sleep-driving, however it is thought this is not even the real count, since many of these incidents may go unreported since the subject doesn't remember driving after the incident is over with.

Sleep-driving is not just related to one or two prescription insomnia drugs and prescription sleep aids, but actually all of them may potentially cause this type of semi-conscious activity.

Major makers of prescription sleep aids, such as the companies behind Ambien and Lunesta, have now been required to put warnings on their labels, warning consumers of the possibility for sleep driving as well as other activities that may be performed in the sleep while on their drug which may also threaten one's safety, with driving obviously being the most imminent threat.

Although there have not been any deaths reported in connection with sleep driving, it is acknowledged that this may be something that has occurred, but has not been pinpointed as a sleep driving incident. How can sleep-driving and other complex sleep-related activities be avoided, or the risk at least be mitigated that these types of incidents will occur?

Well, authorities on the subject recommend that patients do not mix sedatives, whether over the counter or prescription, with any type of prescription sleep aid. They also recommend that patients stick to the dosage, and do not increase it on their own, and also that they remain cautious of mixing any other types of prescribed drugs or over the counter drugs with their prescription sleep aids.

There are also some excellent natural choices such as herbal and botanical formulas that will enhance your body's natural ability to produce melatonin and other chemicals which relax the body and induce sleep, which do not have any known side effects such as those we just talked about.

Natural sleep aids allow you to get your rest and wake up refreshed, without having to worry about feeling heavily drugged or sedated, so it's well worth a look if you've been thinking about getting help for insomnia or a rough period in your sleep cycles.

Article contributed by Danna Schneider
Danna Schneider is the founder of natural sleep aids and natural high supplements, where news and suggestions on new natural ways to combat both insomnia and poor sleep patterns can be found as well as tips to live a healthier, happier life through natural supplementation and lifestyle choices

Some Tips For A Good Night's Sleep

2007-01-24T13:06:00.000+13:00

Improved sleep behavior and attitudes do more good than sleeping pills for the treatment of insomnia, experts at a recent National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference agreed, says Daniel Kripke of the University of California, San Diego. The changes he recommends:

Do not take sleeping pills. This includes over-the-counter pills and melatonin.
Don't go to bed until you're sleepy. If you have trouble sleeping, try going to bed later or getting up earlier.
Get up at the same time every morning, even after a bad night's sleep. The next night, you'll be sleepy at bedtime.
If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep, get out of bed and return only when you are sleepy.
Avoid worrying, watching TV, reading scary books, and doing other things in bed besides sleeping and sex. If you worry, read thrillers or watch TV, do that in a chair that's not in the bedroom.
Do not drink or eat anything caffeinated within six hours of bedtime.
Avoid alcohol. It's relaxing at first but can lead to insomnia when it clears your system.
Spend time outdoors. People exposed to daylight or bright light therapy sleep better.

Gene Makes for Early Risers - washingtonpost.com

2007-01-23T11:12:00.000+13:00

If you want to go to sleep early evening and you are ready to start your day when the rest of your family is still sound asleep, it may be your genes. But- this is just a study on mice.

"Early to bed and early to rise might make you healthy, wealthy and wise, but it's likely the result of a gene mutation, researchers report.

For some time, scientists led by Dr. Louis J. Ptacek, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, have been studying several families with a unique sleep problem. These so-called "morning larks" have a condition known as familial advanced sleep phase syndrome (FASPS). People with this condition have a gene mutation that causes them to go to sleep -- in the most extreme cases -- at four or five in the afternoon and wake up at one in the morning, he said..." To read the rest of the artiicle click on Title link above

Insomnia Problems

2007-01-20T00:09:00.000+13:00

My insomnia is much better now than it was a while ago. One problem I do have is that no matter how tired I am during the day and evening as soon as 9.00 pm arrives I begin to wake up. I then don't want to go to bed! Its my second wind that is meant to come much earlier in the evening - around 5.00pm for most people, or so I have read.

If I go to bed later, say 12.30 I do get to sleep straight away usually, or if not I use my insomnia audio and that does the trick. But I am not getting enough sleep as I still have to wake up at 7.30am and I need at least 8 hours. I have tried going to bed earlier but I don't settle very well if I am not tired.

New Insomnia Cure? Not Yet!

2007-01-10T10:42:00.000+13:00

"Scientists have developed a little gadget that can be used for 15 minutes before sleeping to treat insomnia and stress.The device, developed by New York based company Helicor, is under clinical trial on 100 patients at Duke University ..."Something to look out for but not yet- still in trial.

I must say I get tired of articles in the press that say " new cure for ....." and then when you get there it is still in trial. Seems a bit dishonest to me. Sometimes the item is descrbing something that has only had its first animal trial or even earlier just an in vitro trial. Such things may never come to anything and we don't hear from them again- or they may but in 10 or more years time.Well this one isnt that far away, at least they have the gadget and are trialling with humans so maybe we will see it again one day!

Self Help Audios At Magnetic Sounds

2006-12-21T20:20:00.000+13:00

Self help audios - Have a look at this new site. Lots of downloadable self help genre audios. You can learn more about the insomnia audios there too. Must rush its nearly Christmas and I have to cook!!

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

2006-12-21T01:38:00.000+13:00

I have a new venture which I am very excited about. It is a downloadable audio books shop and its called "Beresford Books To Listen To"

If you still can't sleep you can listen to a story! ( But try my best selling insomnia beating audio first, it will work better!)

All the books can be downloaded and most to an MP3 player. I just gave my daughter who has her birthday today- a downloadable book and she was thrilled. I gave her "Anna Karenina" It will last her a while it has about 100 chapters! Your purchases are kept fo you and you can download them when it suits.

There is a fantastic selection so if you forgot anyone go and download a book for them. Set up an account in their name and then give them the link and the password.

This is the place: Beresford Books To Listen To

Please check it out and tell your friends too please!

Liz

Where To Get The Sleep Program

2006-12-10T15:54:00.000+13:00

I forgot to put in a link in my last post as to where you can get the CD s or the MP3 version. So here it is- the headline above is the link.

I only launched this prgram on 1 November and haven't advertised it much yet. But I am getting some good feedback on the program from those who have found and bought it. Even better, I have already got some good testimonials - no-one has asked for refund either.

I just need to do some Google adwords to market it- putting this off is daft but they are so expensive -to get anywhere near being found by a searcher is up to $3 a click. Wow! Did you know that the ads on the right side of a Google search result is paid for by the advertiser as $x per person who clicks on it? Wicked!!

So if you know anyone who is having trouble sleeping please tell them about this program. :-)

Liz

Sleep Sound Is On CD Now

2006-12-05T21:19:00.000+13:00

Finally got the CDs finished and uploaded. I am so plesed about this. Lots of people wrote and told me they couldn't get them on MP3 because they had a slow connection or no MP3 player. So I rushed to get these done. It does cost more, obviousley but I have kept it as low as I can.

I was sending out ones I had copied here at home-but postage from New Zealand to the US took about 10 working days so it was hopeless. People are used to etting stuff fast. Of course I am used to the delay since I live in New Zealand and most of what I buy online comes from America.

Now I am trying to get some new audios done before the New Year. How can this year have gone so fast???

Liz

Sleep Sound C Ds Nearly Ready

2006-11-22T23:06:00.000+13:00

I have been flat out getting the Sleep Sound audios onto CD, well 2 CDs in fact. I am impatient for them to be ready because I have so many people email and tell me that they do not own an MP player (yet) or their internet connection is not broadband so it would take 10 hours to download the program.

Sorry folks I should have worked that out before I started. But- if you want the program on CD I sugest you get in touch and reserve a set because I only ordered 100 copies. I will order more but 100 was all I could get before the Christmas rush.

Just visit http://www.sleep-sound.com and use the contact details to send me an email if you want to pre-order.

Thats it for now- I am exhausted from staying up too late working. Last night the batteries ran out on me asI was half way through my Sleep Sound audio. I had to get up and come downstairs to find new batteries and then decided I was hungry ... and well I got to bed pretty late!

Liz

What Is Your Burning Question About Sleep

2006-11-15T19:13:00.000+13:00

Tell me what is it you really want to know about sleeping problems? Have you any idea other than just "why can't I sleep?" What have you tried already? What worked and what didn't work? Do you know why?
Have you only tried sleeping pills? If so were , or are, you happy with the result?

Finding Insomniacs

2006-11-12T23:16:00.000+13:00

I was chatting with my daughter on the phone today and we were talking about insomnia and how it can suddenly just hit you out of the blue. She has never had it until recently when a whole lot of stressful events occurred all at once. She was saying how you just can't understand insomnia until you get it. That is so true. I don't think anyone understands just how much it ruins your life. So maybe that is why we don't get much sympathy or understanding.

Most other chronic disabilities or serious health conditions, which sleeplessness is, gets understanding and help. Allowances are made for not being your usual cheerful efficient self. But sleeplessness isn't treated that way is it? People just think you are a bit tired but so what, so are they! Have you found that? I certainly have. I think even doctors don't get it- until it hits them.

If you are suffering from sleeplessness why not subscribe to this blog? Its here to talk about any problems you may be having with your sleep. We can get questions answered here too. How about a forum? Anyone think that would be useful. If so would you email me or leave a comment here? You can contact me by email here:

emberesford(at)sleep-sound.com- change the at to @

I would love to hear from you if you are suffering from sleeping problems and if enough people are interested we could start a forum.

Liz B

Could This Help Your Insomnnia?

2006-11-11T00:11:00.000+13:00

Intriguing ideas in an article by Steve Pavlina. Very popular too. Its called
"How To Become An Early Riser" but it has relevance for insomnia too.
Leave you comments-I would love to know what you think.

Here is a snippet.

"...I read that most insomniacs are people who go to bed when they aren’t sleepy. If you aren’t sleepy and find yourself unable to fall asleep quickly, get up and stay awake for a while. Resist sleep until your body begins to release the hormones that rob you of consciousness. If you simply go to bed when you’re sleepy and then get up at a fixed time, you’ll cure your insomnia. The first night you’ll stay up late, but you’ll fall asleep right away. You may be tired that first day from getting up too early and getting only a few hours of sleep the whole night, but you’ll slog through the day and will want to go to bed earlier that second night. After a few days, you’ll settle into a pattern of going to bed at roughly the same time and falling asleep right away..." read more

No postings - too tired!

2006-11-08T23:39:00.000+13:00

Well I meant to write every day but have been very remiss. I am just too tired as I am trying to get my site working for selling my wonderful new sleep audio. What a week its been though. My host server went down for 14 hours and 3 hours the following day. I was frantic because I am paying for Google ads. Help I must have lost a lot of money and customers plus wasted expensive clicks . Why can't the hosting companies send an email to affected customers so they could know they need to pause their ad campaigns???

Then I had other problems getting the big zipped files to load- but you don't want to know about that. So I am tired because I was up half the night trying to get the thing going. Self inflicted insomnia!

Its up now but I can hardly feel happy with the service I am getting- who knows when the server might go down again. But I am getting some great feedback on my audio so that is very good news. It has taken a lot of work to get it going. Check it out here: http://www.sleep-sound.com and do please send me any comments either good or not.

Liz

Are You Sleeping?

2006-11-01T20:33:00.000+13:00

If you are here I guess the answer is that you aren't sleeping. But how much sleep do you need- and how much sleep do you get? Do you know what your sleep debt is? How do you manage when you can't sleep?

Well I am sorry to ask so many quuestions here but I am curious about insomnia. I can read the various research studies but those studies could be flawed, maybe the subjects were too few, or from a particular population group or whatever. Unless I follow up and read the original journal article its not possible to know imporant the results are.

I hated statistics at University but am glad I had to do it because it makes me so much more wary when I hear about "breakthrough" research. One very important thing is that the first study isn't important unless it can be replicated. How often do we get accurate reporting on these things? Usually it comes from a press release issued by the article's authors or publishers. Or some journalist who only read the abstract.

I would like to do a poll here on sleep but have no idea how to do one- so I can't! But please feel free to leave a comment. And can anyone recommend a good forum on Sleep problems. Havve tried Sleepnet and I don't much care for it- its too hard to follow on the system they are using.
Hey maybe I could start a new one? I might see if people who buy my sleep sound program would be interested in joining up.

That's it for today folks.

Leave a comment and get a free link for your sleep related blog or web site.

Psychology Today: How to Get Great Sleep

2006-10-29T19:32:00.000+13:00

Psychology Today: How to Get Great Sleep: "Two Systems, One Sleep

Recently, scientists have come to recognize that sleep is regulated by two entirely different systems. The knowledge that we have two roughly parallel forces guiding our need for sleep has opened the bedroom door to multiple ways of treating insomnia.

One force is the sleep homeostat. This functions like a drive that 'builds up during wakefulness in pretty much a linear fashion and is discharged when you sleep,' explains Arthur J. Spielman, associate director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at New York Presbyterian-Cornell Medical College. The homeostatic pressure to sleep depends not only on how long you are awake but on how active you are while awake.

But if you build up a need for sleep in a linear fashion, one would think you'd get sleepier as the day proceeds. It doesn't happen quite that way. Enter circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock. The circadian system is tied, albeit imperfectly, to cycles of light and dark. We have dedicated sensors on the retina that deliver the daytime/nighttime message directly to the pineal gland tucked deep inside the brain. In response to darkness, this tiny nodule of brain tissue produces the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, broadcasting the sandman's message to brain areas that govern everything from body temperature to protein synthesis to hormone production to alertness."

This is all described in more detail in my ebook "Go To Sleep" that comes with the Sleep Sound Insomnia Cure Program

Meditaters May Need Less Sleep

2006-10-26T22:35:00.000+13:00

The latest research is good news for insomniacs. If you can't sleep, meditate, it may just help you to feel more alert and less tired.

Researchers at The University of Kentucky have found that meditation fends off tiredness more effectively than naps, exercise or caffeine. The results of this small study were presented at a recent conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

The subjects were12 volunteers who had not previousley meditated. After being taught how to meditate they were given tests over several weeks to measure alertness and reaction time both before and after 40 minutes of sleeping, exercise or meditation or after caffeine intake.

The results showed that meditating caused best response. Sleeping made them less alert, but this was likely to be due to initial grogginess on awaking. Caffeine helped and exercise did not help consistently.

The alerting effects of meditating were even more pronounced when the subjects were very tired after skipping a night's sleep.

Other studies have shown that when meditiating brain waves produced are similar to the brain waves produced during sleep. It has also been found that those who meditate regularly need less sleep overall. It seems possible that meditation could serve the same unction as sleep. If this is the case those who suffer from insomnia could help themselves by learning to meditate and practicing it daily.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) For Insomnia

2006-10-24T09:57:00.000+13:00

There aren't many studies on the use of CBT for insomnia but here is what a recent one showed.

Patients with insomnia who implemented cognitive behavioral therapy interventions such as relaxation techniques had greater improvement in their sleep than patients who received the sleep medication zopiclone, according to a study in the June 28 issue of JAMA......

...In another study, CBT delivered via the Internet in a self-help format showed significant improvements in individuals with chronic insomnia," the authors write. "Finally, future research should seek to identify which single factors in the CBT regimen produce the best results and to what extent booster sessions at 1 to 2 years after initial treatment may be necessary to maintain improvements."

About the Newer Sleeping Pills

2006-10-24T09:26:00.000+13:00

This is from a report on sleeping problems by Johns Hopkins . You can read the whole article by clicking on the link above

Which, if any, of these sleeping pills would you prescribe for insomnia?

Much depends on a patient’s specific problems. Having trouble falling asleep is one problem, having trouble staying asleep is another. Working out the proper dosage may take time. Some people can reestablish their sleep cycles fairly quickly on small doses.

But if sleeping pills are needed for long-term use for insomnia, there’s no reason not to prescribe one of the newer sleeping pills. Lunesta, Roserem, and a new time-release formulation of Ambien CR (zolpidem) have been approved by the FDA for long-term use for insomnia. But they are very expensive. None comes as a generic. People taking sedatives for insomnia should keep in touch with their doctor for regular reevaluation of progress as well as side effects if they occur.

The New Sleeping Pills

Ambien (Zolpidem) induces sleep quickly but causes grogginess if you sleep less than eight hours. It is not approved for long-term use. 30 tablets (5 mg) cost about $80. Ambien CR, a new time-release pill, is approved for long-term use. 30 tablets (6.25 mg) cost about $100.

Sonata (Zaleplon) wears off in about four hours. It can be taken during the night if you have problems staying asleep. 30 tablets (5 mg) cost about $75.

Lunesta (Eszopiclone) will help you fall asleep quickly but should only be used when you expect to get eight hours of sleep. Otherwise, temporary memory loss may result. Lunesta should not be taken right after a heavy meal. 30 tablets (1 mg) cost about $100. It is approved for long-term use.

Rozerem (Ramelteon) is not a controlled substance, although manufacturers warn that its use increases the possibility of addiction or abuse. Rozerem helps with sleep-onset problems but is not recommended for restarting sleep if you wake up during the night. 30 tablets (8 mg) cost about $130

A useful summary. But if you do not want to use sleeping pills long term check out the Sleep Sound Audio program

My New Insomnia Program

2006-10-23T22:09:00.000+13:00

I have finally launched my insomnia cure - everyone who tried it during testing gave me great feedback. I had launched it a few weeks back but it wasn't perfect so I re-recorded and I am very happy with it now.

It is great! But I don't really know how to market it without spending $100's of dollars. I do not have a mailing list yet so I am a bit stuck.

Anyone got any ideas?

If you know anyone with insomnia this program will help them sleep for sure.
I am feeling a bit flat after all the hard work of getting it launched.

If you don't know abou this program please check it out. It is totally original and you can't buy it anywhere else. It uses relaxation, guided imagery etc to relax you and then it continues with just background ambience and brain wave entrainment.

Any ideas on this leave a comment please. Oh - the link is the in headline if you want to have a look.

Negative Effects Of Caffeine Are Stronger On Daytime Sleep Than On Nocturnal Sleep

2006-10-17T23:55:00.000+13:00

Intersesting study on the effects of caffeine on sleep

Source: Un of Montreal Date: October 3, 2006

A new study at the Université de Montréal has concluded that people drinking coffee to get through a night shift or a night of studying will strongly hurt their recovery sleep the next day. The study published in the current issue of Neuropsychopharmacology was conducted by Dr. Julie Carrier from the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal. Dr. Carrier runs the Chronobiology Laboratory at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal.

We already knew that caffeine has important effects on nocturnal sleep. It increases the time taken to fall asleep, it increases the amount of awakenings, and it decreases the amount of deep sleep. We have shown that these effects of caffeine on sleep are way stronger when taken at night prior to a daytime recovery sleep episode than in the evening before a nocturnal sleep episode."

"Caffeine makes daytime sleep episodes too shallow to override the signal from the biological clock that tells the body it should be awake at this time of day," explains Dr. Carrier. "We often use coffee and other sources of caffeine during the nighttime to counteract sleepiness generated by sleep deprivation, jet lag, and shift-work. However, this habit may have important effects when you then try to recuperate during daytime." Read the rest by clicking the link above.

New Insomnia Cure Program Launched

2006-10-13T22:33:00.000+13:00

I just uploaded my new insomnia cure. Read all about it! Give me some fedback- it cured me of insomnia and I hope that it will cure you too. It has taken me months to get it made to my satisfaction and its such a good feeling to finally be able to upload it.
It is a 60 minute brain wave entrainment plus guided relaxation. You can read all about it here: Sleep Sound.com

Binaural beats and Insomnia

2006-09-09T17:17:00.000+12:00

Have you read about binaural beats and brain wave entrainment? I haven't written here for ages because I have been flat out finishing my new audio program using guided imagery, hypnosis and brain wave entrainment for insomnia. It is almost ready and its absolutely wonderful!! Sorry I know I am a little biased but I think you will love it too. You can read about it here: Better-Nights

Liz

How Much Sleep Do You Think You Need?

2006-08-23T21:36:00.000+12:00

How much sleep do we need?

This depends mainly on how old we are.

· Babies sleep for about 17 hours each day.

· Older children only need 9 or 10 hours a night.

· Most adults need around 7-8 hours sleep each night.

· Older people need the same amount of sleep, but will often

only have one period of deep sleep during the night, usually in

the first 3 or 4 hours, after which they wake more easily. We

also tend to dream less as we get older.

There are also differences between people of the same age. Most of
us need 7-8 hours a night, but some (a few) people can get by with

only 3 hours a night. It's not helpful to regularly sleep more than 7-8 hours each night.

The short periods of being awake feel much longer than they really are. So it's easy to feel

that we are not sleeping as much as we actually are.

Relaxation Booster Audio Download

2006-08-21T16:05:00.000+12:00

How About A 20 Minute Break That Will Refresh You And Renew Your Energy?
If you are feeling tired and stressed out but you haven't got time to relax? How about a 20 minute relaxation boost audio? Easy to fit in to your lunch break or after work. Download now.
This is what you get: A guided relaxation exercise similar to a meditation. As well as spoken words the audio contains binaural beats to produce brain wave entrainment and relaxation. The beats are buried in a piece of dreamy relaxing music that in itself is relaxing to listen to.
Its a twenty minute MP3 that you can listen to on your computer or MP3 player, or you can burn it to a CD.
What is Brain Wave Entrainment? You can find out here:

Managing Stress Quick Relaxation Audio Download

Short Relaxation Booster

2006-08-18T11:32:00.000+12:00

Relaxation Audio Download-Magnetic Sounds
more tomorrow this is just a quickie post. I mad this audio to help all you frazzled people out there. I use it myself and it truly helps. It is very cheap and I am going to give one away free to someone who leave comments on this blog! It will be decided by picking a name out of my hat!

Acupressure For Insomnia

2006-08-04T14:37:00.000+12:00

Hi fellow insomniacs- here is a press release about acupressure ( very apt!) What do you think about acupressure? Have you tried it? I have for pain relief. but it didn't work for me. I may have been doing it incorrectly though. I haven't used it for sleep yet though. Now this like all press releases is a puff for Garry Craig's method and his manual although you can download his manual free.

I do find it a little hard to believe in these energy meridians that acupuncturists talk about. They are what the ancient Chinese believed before anyone really had any idea of how the body worked. Maybe the process does work, but if it does there must be another reason for its success. What do you think?
Here is the Press release:
"Thirty-two million Americans suffer from chronic insomnia and sleep deprivation. Their search for sleep has made prescription drugs, special mattresses, aromatherapy products, herbs, nutritional supplements, and other strategies popular -- but for most, a good night’s sleep followed by an alert, productive day remains elusive.

Now a simple acupressure technique called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is relieving insomnia without drugs or special equipment by addressing its underlying cause. The process can be learned free by downloading the EFT Manual here:
Http://www.emofree.com/downloadeftmanual.asp?ref=prw-insomcj
“All of the discoveries of modern physics, from Einstein on, support the ancient theory that a universal energy flows through everything in nature,” says Gary Craig, the Stanford-trained engineer who developed EFT. “This energy, called Qi or Chi, flows through the body along paths called meridians. Anything that stimulates points along these meridians helps the energy flow freely. Acupuncture uses needles, acupressure uses massage, and EFT uses fingertip tapping. By combining the tapping with focused thought, you can release energy blocks that interfere with a good night’s sleep. In countless clinical cases, EFT has helped people fall asleep and stay asleep, even in times of stress and adversity.”
A growing number of health care practitioners agree. “Most doctors treat insomnia with drugs,” says Los Angeles physician Eric Robins, MD. “I’m convinced that more than 80 or 85 percent of our illnesses, including insomnia and other sleep problems, result from how we store and process stress. Stress contributes not only to insomnia but to back pain, arthritis, bladder infections, and susceptibility to colds and flu.”Dr. Robins encourages insomnia patients to tap on their meridians while thinking about their sleepless nights. “The best advice I can give,” he says, “is to go beyond the medical diagnosis and ask what stresses, traumas, and issues might be interfering with their ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
By combining these insights with tapping, they can neutralize emotional issues, release stress, relieve physical symptoms, and get a good night’s sleep.”Nearly 60 percent of America’s adults report trouble sleeping at some time in their lives. Chronic sleep disruption can affect learning skills, memory, stamina, health, and safety – and it’s the single most important trigger for depression. Insomnia goes hand in hand with irritability, headaches, and muscle pain. Job injury rates increase 400 percent in sleep-deprived workers, and 16 percent of absenteeism at work can be linked to insomnia. Sleep deprivation contributes to automobile accidents, household accidents, and a compromised immune system.
Thanks to EFT tapping, people of all ages, including children and the elderly, can fall asleep more easily, sleep more soundly, and stay asleep longer. In some cases relief is instantaneous, while in others it comes after repeated treatments. Craig, who has collected reports from EFT practitioners for over a decade, estimates that between 70 and 80 percent of those who try EFT for insomnia experience significant improvement.
EFT has become known as a Universal Healing Aid because it provides relief not only for insomnia but also for trauma phobias, grief, anger, depression and pain management.
Because it’s new, EFT is not yet familiar to most doctors and patients, but word is spreading. Over 300,000 have downloaded Craig’s free training manual, which provides all the information needed to try this do-it-yourself technique.

technorati tags:insomnia, acupressure

Jet Lag

2006-08-03T15:23:00.000+12:00

I am suffering from Jet Lag right now. Its easy to forget how disruptive this is. I think its downplayed because we feel a bit guilty moaning about the results of our jet setting. Its not somethng land lubber folk are particularly inclined to be sympathetic about. Its rather like those who grumble about their huge tax bill- we feel they jolly well shouldn't grumble about having earned so much that their tax bill is a problem!.

I live in New Zealand and I have been to England for 4 weeks for my daughter's wedding. It takes 2 days to get to the UK from here and its not much fun in the tiny amount of space they allocate on their planes. The heat wave they are/were having lasted for my whole stay and was pretty ennnervating. I felt damp from the heat the whole time even at night. It was the hottest month on record ever. But-it was great for the wedding.

So now I am back and recovering from jet lag. Anyone found a good remedy? I have been using melatonin this time and a couple at night has made a big difference. I got them in Singapore on the way over as was unable to buy in the UK or in NZ. You can buy them online though.

Higher Number of Adults Not Getting Enough Sleep

2006-08-02T14:21:00.000+12:00

Another news item today confirming that adults are not getting sufficient sleep. We need 8 to 9 hours a night but I have lost count of the number of people who have said to me that sleep is just a big waste of their time. They try to manage on a minimal amount and are wont to boast about their "macho" achievement.

But they are selling themselves short. They don't realise just how impaired they have become nor how accident prone a lack of sleep can make us. Especially dangerous if we drive.
Says Dr. Christopher Drake, a clinical psychologist at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center.

"People tend not to recognize or not to put a lot of emphasis on that extra boost that they may get (from a full night's sleep)."

When we do have time to sleep many are finding sleep won't come and they are turning to sleep aids. According to the pharmaceutical information and consulting company IMS Health, 43.1 million sleeping pill prescriptions were dispensed last year, up from 29.2 million in 2001. That doesn't count over-the-counter sleep aids. Even more Americans choose alcohol, which can actully disrupt sleep.

Dr. Beth Malow, associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and the medical director of Vanderbilt's Sleep Disorders Center, says pills can be useful short term but its better to modify behaviors that prevent sleep. This includes reducing caffeine intake and not taking caffeine at all in the afternoon, getting plenty of exercise etc.

Learn more about how to sleep and the consequences of not sleeping

Tips to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

2006-08-02T14:09:00.000+12:00

Short on sleep? According to sleep experts, people are sleeping less than they used to and the “sleep debt” can take a toll on your health, relationships and work performance.

Newswise — Short on sleep? According to sleep experts, people are sleeping less than they used to and the “sleep debt” can take a toll on your health, relationships and work performance.

Despite the popular notion that you need less sleep as you get older, sleep needs generally remain constant throughout adulthood. And sleep loss can take a real toll on your health. Lack of sleep is implicated in a host of conditions and diseases from the common cold and memory impairment to high blood pressure. Lack of sleep has also been linked to increased risk of some cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer. And, of course, if you’re short on sleep, chances are good that you’ll be irritable and have low energy.

The August issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers suggestions to improve your sleep:

Make sleep a priority. Set aside adequate time for sleep and only do what tasks you can get done with the time remaining, instead of taking the reverse approach.

Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and can help you sleep better at night.

Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol. Nicotine and caffeine are stimulants that can keep you awake. Although alcohol is a depressant and may help you doze off, it can cause restless sleep.

Exercise regularly. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful.

Keep active. But being too busy can keep you from getting adequate sleep. Not being busy enough can cause boredom and an inability to sleep.

Develop a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it’s time to wind down. Avoid doing work activities in bed, such as balancing a checkbook or using a laptop computer.

Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Adjust light, temperature, humidity and noise levels to your preferences. Pets often disrupt sleep, even if you are not aware of it. You may need to set limits on pets sharing your bedroom.

Go to bed when you are sleepy. If you don’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you are tired.

Don’t put up with pain. If pain is keeping you from sleeping, talk to your doctor about drugs or therapies to reduce pain.

Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor to make sure the pills won’t interact with other medications you are taking. If you take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit. Never mix alcohol and sleeping pills.
The bottom line is the better you sleep, the better you feel.

New Blog For All Insomniacs

2006-08-01T16:32:00.000+12:00

Hi I just began this blog for insomniacs ie anyone who is having trouble sleeping. I am in the process of making an audio that is fnatstic for sending anyone to sleep fast. (Don't listen while driving!) I now it works for me and a few others who have given it a try. I would like some more feedback though. If you want to try it out you can simply request it via this URL:

http://www.better-nights.com/

Ok that's it for now. Feel free to leave a comment on this blog.