Many psychologists claim that insomnia is a mental disease developed by strong thinking patterns which trick the victims mind into believing that sleep is hard to achieve. Some others believe that insomnia is a real disease where a person cannot achieve a state of sleep due to many reasons, including and not limited to, too much caffeine consumption, anxiety and stress disorders, extreme excitement and or depression.

Psychologists who support the idea that insomnia is just a mental disease is due to the fact that over ninety percent of insomniacs can be put to deep sleep using hypnosis techniques by slowing down the brain activity. In some recorded cases of insomnia, it was noted that due to high brain activity a person was not able to sleep even when drugs used to induce sleep were used. Only when the brain activity was slowed down using hypnosis, were the insomniacs able to sleep. Another important fact used to argue that insomnia is merely a mental disorder is due to popular beliefs that caffeine and other such stimulating chemicals, increase brain activity.

It is believed that people become insomniacs through a simple process which becomes habitual leading to insomnia. To further explain this, when someone has increased brain activity, they cannot sleep. They soon begin fearing that they will not be able to go to sleep in time to get up for work in the morning. This fear turns a reality and in the morning they drink coffee and tea which contains high concentrations of caffeine to remain active during the day. The high concentrations of caffeine prevent the person from falling asleep. Night comes and this turns into a habitual process that goes on and on every night.

Some others claim that insomnia is a direct result of patients suffering from anxiety, depression and stress. These create restlessness during the night time, and victims are unable to sleep. So in order to treat insomnia, the patient must first be treated with his other illnesses that lead to insomnia.

What ever it may be insomnia can be cured, and it is not an illness that can have serious health defects, unless a person begins resorting to drugs to induce sleep, which takes insomnia to a whole new level. Nevertheless, you should check with an expert if you fear that you have developed this bad habit.

Jason Rickard is the owner of Your Favourite Shop - Offering White Noise and Relaxation CDs - Visit Hapa Health for more articles.

Tags: add, anxiety, cd, cds, health, help, hyperacusis, hypertension, info, insomnia, noise, snoring, whiteadd, anxiety, cd, cds, health, help, hyperacusis, hypertension, info, insomnia, noise, snoring, white

Share This

“I’m from the factory and I know how instructions are put together. You go out on the assembly line with a tape recorder and the foreman sends you to talk to the guy he needs least, the biggest goof-off he’s got, and whatever he tell you - that’s the instructions. The next guy might have told you something completely different, and probably better, but he’s too busy”. - from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Persig

I remember buying a new VCR back in 1990 that caused me no end of frustration. The VCR itself worked fine, but the programming instructions were so difficult to follow I finally gave up trying to use it. To preset a recording time required no less than 22 steps. The manual that came with the recorder only listed 21! Someone had forgotten to include the crucial last step - which could only be found printed on a tiny untitled insert burried deep within the packing material.

VCR instructions and procedures are much simpler today, but anyone who has purchased computer software in recent years can attest to the frustration of working with poorly thought out installation and operating instructions.

There are usually two distinct sets of instructions for any piece of machinery: service manuals for the specially trained experts who will have to do maintenance and repairs and operating manuals for the user of the machinery. While it is conceivable the service manual for my VCR was well written, the operating manual was a disaster.

The most complicated piece of ” machinery” we’ll ever have to operate is our own body. Yet it comes without any sort of owner’s manual!

Sure, there are a great many training programs and “instruction manuals” designed for specialists in human functioning - doctors, psychologists, nutritionists and the like. Some of these instructions can be highly specialized indeed, such as those dealing with the specifics of skin or hair care.

But we - the owners and operators of our body - don’t have an easy-to-understand set of instructions about how it functions and how we can influence the overall quality of its operation.

Most of us come from the “factory” nicely wired up and ready to operate for years, maybe decades, without the need for any clear knowledge of how we function. But over time, as our body is subjected to the strains of daily life, we often find ourselves operating at less than peak efficiency.

Sometimes we can get by with occasional help of experts. If we are injured, medical help may be all we need. If our teeth develop cavities, a dentist can fill them. But if, as so often happens, we develop restrictions in our ability to sit and stand with ease or to move with freedom and grace, we’re left pretty much in the dark as to how to improve the situation.

A number of somatic methods and therapies have been developed which are designed to help people improve the quality of their physical functioning - The Feldenkrais Method, Rolfing, Somatics, Pilates, to name but a few. I am most familiar with the Alexander Technique, a method that has a long history of teaching people how they can improve their posture and coordination.

Teaching is the key word here; the Alexander Technique is above all an educational process that recognizes that real change must come from within. It is for this reason that practitioners of the Technique call themselves teachers rather than therapists.

One of the four books written by F. Matthias Alexander, the developer of the Technique, is aptly titled “The Use of the Self”. And while the Alexander Technique certainly does not claim to offer a complete “human instruction manual”, it does provide basic, practical information about how we humans function, and how we can improve the quality of our functioning.

Two other books that provide the beginnings of a human instruction manual are “How to Learn the Alexander Technique - A Manual for Students” by Barbara Conable and “Mind and Muscle - An Owner’s Handbook” by Elizabeth Langford.

More information about the Alexander Technique can be found at http://www.alexandertechnique.com Information about some of the other somatic methods and therapies can be found at http://www.posturepage.com.

Robert Rickover is a teacher of the Alexander Technique living in Lincoln, Nebraska. He also teaches regularly in Toronto, Canada. He is the creator of The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique at http://www.alexandertechnique.com.

Tags: alexander technique, fitnessalexander technique, fitness

Share This

As the holidays approach, a frequent question
from my clients and subscribers is “How can I
avoid gaining weight during the holidays”?
Their concern is legitimate. The average
American adult gains seven pounds of fat
between Thanksgiving and New Years Day.

However, with a little know-how and effort you
don’t have to be “average”. In fact, I’ve seen
many people actually lose a few pounds over the
holidays and feel great while doing it.

One of my clients said it best, “Greg, I can’t
tell you how good it feels to have lost three
pounds during the holidays instead of gaining
ten pounds as I used to do. My friends are
jealous. It’s January 2nd and I’m feeling (and
looking) lean and mean. And, best of all, I
actually enjoyed the holidays more because I
always felt energetic. In years past, inactivity
and lots of food made me constantly sluggish
and tired.”

Here are a few tips that can bring you into the
new year without any new pounds..

1. Do some type of exercise everyday, preferably
every morning. Now this can be as simple as a 15
minute walk some days but it’s VERY important
that you do something everyday. Physiologically,
this keeps your metabolism elevated, helps to
control your appetite, and ENERGIZES you!

Mentally, daily exercise increases your mental
acuity for hours after exercise, and it keeps you
in a “healthy” frame of mind. Many people tell
me that daily exercise helps them to make better
food choices because it makes them feel like
they are doing something healthy for themselves.
Commit to doing at least 15 minutes, but
preferably 30 to 60 minutes everyday during the
holidays. I think you’ll be surprised.

2. Don’t deprive yourself of those holiday
goodies that you enjoy. Tell yourself that you
can eat whatever you’d like to as long as it’s
in moderation. For example, eat one Christmas
brownie instead of five. Take small bites of
that brownie, chew it well, savor every bite
so you can really enjoy the taste rather than
rushing to swallow it. The same for meals,
don’t deprive yourself of the foods you enjoy
but eat them in moderation and savor every
bite.

3. Have lots of “healthy” foods available at
your home during the holidays. Make a big
fruit salad to keep in the frig when you need
a snack. Have some of your favorite veggies
ready to eat for when you’re hungry. Make a
big salad and keep it ready to eat in the
frig.

4. Don’t allow yourself to get too hungry. The
hungrier you are, the less control you have
over your eating. Always eat some healthy,
filling food before going to a party,
dinner, or any situation where you will be
exposed to lots of tempting food.

5. Strictly limit or avoid alcohol. Alcohol
is really bad news!I call it the “triple
whammy”! it depresses your metabolism,
stimulates your appetite, and it’s loaded
with calories. Alcohol has as many calories
per gram as fat!

So, get energized with some daily exercise and
moderate food consumption, and REALLY enjoy
the holidays.. AND January 2.

copyright 2004 by Greg Landry, M.S.

Author and exercise physiologist, Greg Landry,
offers free, unique weight loss and fitness
articles at his site.. http://www.Landry.com

Tags: exercise, fitness, weight lossexercise, fitness, weight loss

Share This