It is commonplace for several people to suffer at least an occasional night of almost non-existent sleep. The causes of insomnia differ from person to person. What made a student insomniac varies from what caused a shift worker or a traveler or an employee to acquire such sleeping disorder.

Insomnia, which is the inability to sleep satisfactorily or to have any sleep at all, is one of the most common sleep disorders. It is characterized by restlessness, sleep interruptions, decreased sleeping time than the usual, or sometimes complete wakefulness.

Aside from the annoyance that insomnia can cause to its sufferers, this sleep disorder causes those afflicted to lose enthusiasm and energy, acquire memory and concentration problems, feel lethargic, frustrated, and of course sleepy. Worse cases that may be induced by insomnia is one’s being prone to accidents, reduced work productivity and the aggravation of psychological and medical conditions.

So what exactly are the culprits that make insomnia one menacing sleeping problem?

1. Emotional Distress

More particularly when it is from internalized anxiety or anger, emotional problems can easily trigger this sleep disorder.

2. Substance Abuse

Drinking too much coffee, colas or other “energy-upper drinks” is known to cause insomnia. Caffeine from these drinks is the main reason. Chain smokers can also be easy victims of insomnia because of the nicotine that cigarettes contain. Herbal remedies, alcohol and other medications can also make one prone to becoming an insomniac. Some may think that alcohol, when consumed, can make one feel drowsy. But little did they know that in the long run, when the alcohol gets metabolized, sudden wakefulness will follow.

3. Biological Clock Disturbance.

Also known as circadian rhythm, one’s body clock, when altered, can damage the amount of sleep one can peacefully enjoy. This body clock disturbance can be caused by an irregular slumber schedule because of too much siesta or partying too late at night. It can also be jetlag or body clock disturbance due to traveling by plane to some place where there is a different time zone. Other causes may be the grave yard schedules of workers and cramming review season for students induced by exams.

4. Environmental Factors

Extreme temperatures can disrupt one’s sleeping patterns. Noise and bright lights can have the same effect too. Homesickness or when one is forced to sleep in an unfamiliar place is also one reason behind getting into the habit of not having enough sleep.

5. Health Problems

Health disorders such as diabetes, heart failure, hyperthyroidism, ulcers, and Parkinson’s disease can also induce insomnia. Asthma may also be one health problem that makes one prone to insomnia because of an asthmatic’s shortness of breath. Frequent urination, heartburn, and chronic pain from leg cramps, tooth ache and arthritis can also cause insomnia.

Psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and depression are also possible culprits for insomnia. Snoring with prolonged pauses in breathing while at sleep, also known as sleep apnea can also cause insomnia. Periodic arm and leg movements during sleep causing the muscles to twitch excessively is one underlying cause of this sleep disorder. Another cause is narcolepsy or one’s lack of control on whether to stay awake or to fall asleep, is another cause of this sleep disorder.

6. Pre-bedtime Activities

Engaging to vigorous activities such as exercise just right before bedtime can deprive one of a good night’s sleep. Consuming large meals when one is just about to sleep can also make one experience this sleeping disorder. This is because when metabolism is at its most active thus the body prompts one to stay awake.

Who are Prone to Insomnia?

Reports have it that 90% of people can acquire transient insomnia at some point in their lives. While an estimate of 30% suffers from its chronic form.

a. Women are said to be more at risk in acquiring insomnia because of the following reasons:

- Pre-menstrual syndrome with symptoms of irritability, depression and anxiety, and bloating due to menstruation disturbs a woman’s sleeping pattern.
- Menopause can also change a woman’s sleeping pattern.
- Pregnancy makes sleeplessness one common thing to happen.

b. Elderly people are also prone to getting insomnia because ageing alters one’s sleeping patterns.

c. Depressed people have lighter slumbers compared to those who don’t feel this psychological condition.

d. Students or younger ones who are conscious with their grades (because of cramming) can easily become insomniacs too.

With that vast information on what causes insomnia and who are at risk with this sleeping disorder, one can easily ward off this annoying condition.

Drink ice cold water – FAST. We’ve always been told to drink lots of water throughout the day. What you might not know is that cold water helps burn more calories. That’s because the body has to emit heat (energy!) to increase the water’s temperature. If you gulp down a glass of cold water, you can burn up to 25 calories each time you do so. Do this 4 times a day and that’s 100 calories you can burn!

Walk! In general, a mile of walking or running can burn 100 calories. The idea is to walk or run faster so that you can cover the mile in a shorter period of time. If you can cover 1 mile in 15 minutes (whew!), then that’s 100 calories off!

Drink up on that green tea. If you need cold water to burn calories, you can also use some hot green tea. According to studies, three cups of green tea can help you get rid of around 100 calories.

Dance! If you like going out, then it might just be good for your health. Dancing is one of the best activities for burning calories. You can dance in the club or at home! Even better, play with your kid while dancing, and you’ll burn even more.

Add up all those calories and you’ll lose weight in no time at all.

Let’s talk coffee. I have to have coffee to start my day and to keep me going. Otherwise, I’d be as dead as a log. If you need that fix too, then I suggest staying away from lattes and flavored coffee. If you can take it black, take it black. If not, then simply get brewed coffee and add Splenda or Equal and just use a little bit of cream. Of course, you’d have cravings for frappes every now and then. Go ahead, just skip the whipped cream!

Now on to dessert…my sweet tooth gets the best of me sometimes. Here’s a trick that I’ve learned: when I get to the crust of a pie, I stop eating. The reason? It has a LOT of calories as it absorbs the butter! Ice cream anyone? Why not try frozen yoghurt instead? If you have to have ice cream, though, then have it placed in a bowl or cup instead of a cone. That’s extra calories that you don’t need!

What about regular meals? Let’s see…I love burgers but we all know how many calories beef has, so instead of beef burgers, why not go for turkey or chicken burgers instead? If you like sandwiches, go for pita bread instead of whole wheat or multigrain bread. As for the soup, go for light soup (minestrone, pho, etc.) instead of cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, and the like.

Ready to lose some weight?

What many of us may not be aware of is that we consume way too many calories within the day. If we are aware of our caloric intake, then we can cut back and hasten the process of losing weight. Here are some tips to help you.

When you’re on a night out with friends…
Did you know that beer packs a LOT of calories? If you’re a beer drinker, your diet might be all for nothing. Instead of drinking beer, why not drink wine instead? If you cannot go without beer, then at least drink the light kind.

If you’re a cocktail person, stay away from frozen varieties. The simple reason is that the latter kind contains more mixes than the plain liquor on the rocks – more calories for slushies!

Love those chicken wings and fries? I don’t blame you – a drinking night is not complete without some sort of bar chow. To cut back on calories, avoid the rich dips such as ranch. Instead, load up on hot sauce and salsa.

Water up! Drinking water in between glasses (or bottles) is a good way to pace yourself. This will not only help you consume less calories but it will also keep you from getting a hangover the next morning.

In the next post, let’s talk about more tips.

Just last month, during the holiday break, I noticed that my younger cousins – aged from 16 to 20 – were all dealing with weight issues. And when I read a feature article on MSN about teenagers and weight loss, my interest was really aroused. Basically, the article says that a psychotherapy program may work better to help teenagers deal with weight issues and avoid obesity. This is in comparison with traditional health classes.

I agree with the idea of the program mentioned, which “focuses on improving interpersonal relationships by targeting the underlying social and interpersonal difficulties that influence individuals to engage in maladaptive behaviors.”

If you think about it, the factors mentioned above – interpersonal relationships and social difficulties – also come into play even when you’re in your 30s (or 40s for that matter). These are even more critical during the teenage period as teenagers are more susceptible to their effects.

If you think about it, the bottom line is dealing with the person with weight issues using a holistic approach. The same goes for us – if we want to lose weight for good, then we ought to take a look at more than what and how we eat. At the very least, this is something to think about, don’t you think?

I do fully understand what it feels like to want to keep on eating, especially if the food is good. For those of you who think they eat too much, here are some simple tips which can help you. I have tried them myself, and they work!

Have breakfast. It’s such an old tip, but its effectiveness has never been disproven. Eating breakfast will give you the energy to do whatever you need during the day, and avoid signaling your body to go into starvation mode. You might be surprised at how you do not get hungry easily if you have breakfast!

Drink lots of water. Another old tip, but water really does fill you up. If you find yourself craving for a snack and you just had something to eat, go get a tall glass of cold water and down it. Schedule your meals and follow that schedule. In between, just drink water – lots of it.

Stock up on tasty but healthy treats. What do I have in my fridge/pantry? Cups of low fat yoghurt, low fat cheese, crackers, nuts, apples, soy milk, and other food items that I LIKE. The trick is in finding healthy food that will satisfy you. When you get hungry, you won’t have to look far for something to munch on.

The feeling of deprivation is never good. Sadly, this is one common factor in a lot of weight loss programs. Individuals are restricted severely when it comes to food intake, resulting in the feeling of deprivation. Naturally, human instinct makes one want to get rid of that feeling; hence the problem of yoyo dieting.

The solution? Lessen your food intake but do not go to the point that you feel that you are depriving yourself too much. Crash diets, cracker diets, water diets, and so on – all of these things will only add to the feeling of deprivation. Avoid unhealthy food but do not stop yourself from eating here and there.

Crash diets do work temporarily. You’d notice, though, that you can’t seem to get past that plateau after losing a few pounds. Why? The answer is simple: effective and lasting weight loss is not achieved through diet alone. The second and vital component of weight loss is exercise. The basic principle is to burn more calories than you consume. If you stop eating suddenly, your body will go into starvation mode and burn even fewer calories. It is easy to see that you need to cut back on your calorie intake AND get moving to burn more calories and shed those pounds.

Simple enough, isn’t it? Now you need to get these ideas into your head and DO SOMETHING about it. In a couple of months, you’ll definitely see results.

Photo courtesy of http://www.womensportreport.com/

The Telegraph reports about the findings:

Researchers asked over 40,000 people if they would prefer £45 in three days or £70 in three months. Those who wanted the smaller amount were also impulsive in other areas of their life.

They were more likely to want the immediate pleasure of a cake, an affair or a puff on a cigarette than consider the long-term effect on their health or relationship.

The study by University College London found people who are young, poorly educated and on a low income were the most financially impulsive.

It’s not all that bad, though. According to Dr. Stian Reimers, those who are impulsive can learn how to control their impulsive urges:

“Simple techniques can help reduce impulsivity, like imagining how you’d feel about your decision in a year’s time or trying to avoid making decisions in the heat of the moment.”

The next time I feel like indulging in more chocolate cake that I should eat, I will try this trick.

But what about taxing soda in order to help fight fat? Well, if the U.S. health authorities are to be followed, we will soon be paying a lot more for sodas and other similar sugary drinks. According to a report by the AFP, the authorities think that getting these drinks out of the Americans’ menus would solve the problem.

Thomas Frieden, the head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, says that the average American today consumes about 250 more calories as compared to twenty or thirty years ago. Of the 250 calories, he says that about 120 come from sugared drinks and food.

So why is the government proposing taxation? Shouldn’t people be allowed to decide for themselves? For one, obesity and other health problems related to it are costing the government a whole lot of money in health care. I guess this is enough reason for the authorities to find ways to lessen the obesity figures – about 2/3 of the American population.

Take note – these drinks and food are already being taxed. The argument, however, is that the tax is not high enough to affect consumption. It’s like the taxation argument on tobacco.

So what do you think about the issue? Would you stop (or lessen) your consumption of soda and other sugar rich foods because of higher taxes?

There is something that you should know about chewing gum, though. According to a recent study conducted jointly by the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, chewing gum may help people lose weight! The study had people chew gum and offered an eat all you can snack table. The snacks were categorized into simple sugars and sweetened food. The results showed that the intake of the people who chewed gum was considerably lower than those who didn’t chew gum.

So how can you use this piece of information? It is pretty obvious, isn’t it? If you are the kind who likes to munch on snacks, then you might want to consider an alternative – sugar free gum. Personally, I think that I will try this method starting tomorrow. I do have this propensity for snacks all throughout the day. Oftentimes, I feel hunger pangs. Sometimes, I just have a severe case of the munchies. If chewing gum is going to help me get rid of these cravings, I would rather chew some sugarless gum, wouldn’t you?