Are Noise Cancelling Headphones Safe To Use with Children

This is a question that I have been asked many times over the years and the simple answer is that they are. Children pose no risks to using noise cancelling headphones as along as they keep the volume below (how many decibels).

Noise-canceling headphones have been designed to reduce background noise by producing an “anti-noise” sound wave that interferes with any background noise. The design of the headphones includes a microphone and electric circuitry that generates the opposing sound and unlike smartphones, does not emit low level radiation.

This type of headphones have been designed to help the user listen to music without the interference of background noise that disturbs their music. For children, we can use this technology to help reduce noise and help promote sleep where there is background noise. An example of this would be on an airplane where the sound of the engines tends to interfere with children trying to sleep.

By using a noise cancelling headphone, firstly children will not have turn the volume up so high and therefore not risk damaging their sensitive ears, but we can also use the technology to create a quieter environment for children which in turn will help to promote sleeping, especially in noisy situations.

Dieting? 8 Myths To Help You Control Your Weight

Dieting is often a difficult process and over the years i have come across many patients that have struggled to control their weight.

Myth No. 1 – Salt Cause High Blood Pressure

The average body needs around 6 grams of salt/sodium per day to maintain the bodies fluid balance, however with processed foods becoming so common in our diets, many of us easily exceed this level. Salt does Cause blood pressure problem, but you have to nearly double this level each day for it to start to cause you problem. Medical research shows that high blood pressure is rarely linked to purely salt concentration in the diet, but rather a combination of salt and other toxins in the body.

Myth No. 2 – Carbohydrates Make You Fat

Carbohydrate-rich foods are a great source energy as they provide a lot of fibre and nutrients that our body needs on a daily basis. However they also contain a high concentration of calories and ultimately what makes us fat, is a calorie rich diet with a lack of exercise to burn off those calories.

Diets such as the Atkins diet where the body is starved of carbohydrates are famous across the internet with many users boasting about their success in losing weight, however often it’s not the carbohydrates that are the problem, but how we cook those carbohydrates. An example, potatoes are a great source of carbs and probably the best source of vitamin C across the food groups, however we often fry them with batter to make chips which increases the calorie-count substantially.

Myth No. 3 – Dairy Products Make You Fat

Again another example of where certain types of dairy products do make you fat however diary products are packed full of nutrients that the body needs on a daily basis. What makes us fat is by drinking or eating the “Full Fat” versions of many diary products such as full fat milk which is high in calories, fat and a selection of other nutrients that the body does not need.

By drinking or eating low-fat versions of diary products we’re still allowing our bodies to benefit from the protein, zinc, Vitamin B and calcium that all diary products are packed with. What’s more the low-fat versions of many of our favorite dairy products contain more nutrients that the full fat versions. Take skimmed milk which contains nearly double the calcium levels than full fat milk contains and will help prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Myth No. 4 – Red Meat Is Bad For You

The short version, another round of rubbish. Processed red meat should be avoided, however natural steaks of organic red meat are okay to eat as part of a well balance diet.

What caused this myth was that The World Cancer Organisation came out with a report that suggested that people limit their red meat intake down to around 500grams per week. As with all reports, the general public decided to change this from 500grams per week to red meat is bad for you and wipe it out of their diet. The problem with this is that red meat is a fantastic source of protein and iron which the body needs. Of the years, i have seen patients that have such low contentraion of iron in the body due to not eating protein, they are suffering from anaemia.

Myth No. 5 – Fresh Food is Better Than Frozen

I am not 100% sure where this came from but it’s total rubbish and whilst it’s not medically proven, the opposite is almost true. Low quality frozen vegetables are probably not as good for you as fresh food, but as long as the vegetable is frozen with a few hours after it’s picked, the nutrient loss will stop and those good minerals and nutrients locked into the vegetable.

In some cases, fresh fruit and vegetables can be less good for you than frozen however it does depend on where it’s come from. As an example, Apple’s are grown in South America, picked when they are not ripe, transported to the UK fresh, placed in a warehouse and stored until they are ready to be placed on the shelf and bought by you or me. During this time, the heat, air, water and time will cause a significant loss of nutrients to the fruit meaning that it’s probably better to buy frozen or even tinned.

Myth No. 6 – Soy Products Reduce Menopausal Problems

Another total rubbish myth that has no medical research to back it up, however this time I do know where it came from. Over the last half-century, it’s been noted that Asian women have less menopausal symptoms than their western counter parts due to their diet which is high in soy product such as Tofu that contain natural plant oestrogens. It’s said that these natural oestrogens help to offset Asian women’s dwindling levels as they are going through menopause.

Over the years medical research has show that this simply is not true and whilst early signs showed some benefits to soy, once the sample size started to increase in numbers, that percentage has been drastically reduced.

Myth No. 7 – Brown Bread Is Better For Your Than White Bread

Typically when choosing a loaf of bread, you need to focus on what it made from and not so much the colour of the bread. To feel the full benefits of bread, you’re looking for the words “WholeGrain” Or “Whole Wheat” as this type of bread has been made from flour where the outer husk has not be removed and therefore it contains larger concentrations of Fibre, Protein, Vitamins, Folic Acid and Biotin.

Whether its white or brown bread does not really matter as it could be white bread that has been dyed or even brown bread that has been made from milled wheat where the nutrients have already been extracted.

Myth No.8 – Crash Diets Help To Reduce Weight

Crash diets typically consist of diets involving a calorie intake of less that 1,000 calories and can be a great way to reduce weight quickly.  The problem is the effect on your body in the short-term and over the long term 71% of patients put the weight back on in the long term.

Medical research suggest the short term effects of a crash diet include slowing your metabolism which only helps to put the weight back on if you move away from your crash diet.  What’s more, a crash diet deprives your body of essential nutrients and can weaken your immune system and increase cardiac stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does Drinking Iced Water Help To Loose Weight?

Across the internet and on many dieting website’s there is a common myth that drinking iced water helps you to loose weight. Let’s get this point cleared up once and for all. Drinking Iced water does not help the body to loose weight in a measurable way. Whether you drink water at room temperature, or chilled will have no effect on how much weight you loose.

Technically It’s True

Okay yes technically it have been proven to help you loose weight, but the difference in calorie burn is marginal. The idea behind drinking iced water suggests that your bodies metabolic rate will increase as the body try’s to counteract the cold water and increase its internal temperature back to normal levels.

It’s a nice idea, but when you start to research and measure the levels of calorie burn, actually research shows that if you drink one litre of chilled water, the calorie burn effect is really only 20 calories.

You would do much better to swap out that can of Diet Coke that contains around 300 calories for a glass or water rather than worry about drinking chilled water.

How to Stop Sweating So Much All The Time

Sweating is a totally natural way for your body to cool itself down when it starts to overheat, however some people seem to sweat far more than others which can cause numerous sociological problems especially within those under the age of 25. The good news, is that it’s entirely treatable and something that you do not have to suffer with.

Hyperdidrosis

Hyperhidrosis is the medical condition that affects around 5% of both men and women in the UK cause them to sweat profusely all day, everyday. It occurs in both men and women in equal numbers and cause major distruptions to there social environment and can effect all aspects of their life. Typically those suffering from Hyperhidrosis sweat up to five times as much as normal.

Excessive sweating usually starts in childhood and whilst there is no known cause or cure, there are a number of preventative treatments that you can look at to reduce your sweating.

Hyperhidrosis Vs. Diffused Hyperdrosis

Generally hyperhidrosis only occurs in a small specific area o the body and is not cause by a medical condition or medication that you’re taking. The most common areas of the body for hyperdidrosis to occur are the armpits, part of the face, palms of your hand and your feet with excess sweating only occurring during the day when your active.

Diffused Hyperdrosis is generally caused by an underlying medical condition or medicine that you’re taking to treat your body such as with diabetes. Unlike Hyperhidrosis, diffused Hyperdrosis tends to be on a much larger scale and may occur during the night.

Should You Get Treated?

Sweating is totally natural, even if you suffer from Hyperhidrosis there are thousands of people across the UK today being treated for the same thing. It’s not un-common, it should not be something your too embarrassed about to speak with your doctor and is something that you need to take seriously.

Excessive sweating has been the route cause of low self-esteem, low personal and social problems with those suffering from hyperdidrosis tending to shy away from social events to avoid any embarrassment.

Over the years I have met hundreds of patients that have finally plucked up the courage to get treated in their 30’s, only to find out the treatment was so simple they regretted taking so long making a decision.

Tips to Reduce Your Sweating

Before we look at medical treatments to stop your excessive sweating, lets look at a few tips to help you keep your life under control. In order to keep your body cool and allow it to regulate itself avoid digesting chemicals such as alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. They will cause a delay in blood circulation and have the opposite affect to cooling your body as it will no longer be able to regulate itself.

Drinks

It’s very important that you’re drinking plenty of water to ensure that you flush out excess toxins and waste products and keep your body hydrated at all times. I would also highly recommend that you drink cold water especially on a hot day as it will help to regulate your body temperature and keep your sweat glands under control.

One point, you can drink to much water which will have the opposite affect by washing out minerals from your body. Make sure that you combine drinking water with natural fruit juices that are high on electrolytes.

Caffeine cause you to sweat in two ways. Firstly its a natural stimulant and therefore will speed up the body causing you to sweat more, but secondly caffeine also causes anxiety which in turn cause you to sweat more as you become nervous.

Food

Both what you eat and how much you eat have major consequences on how much you sweat. Remember your eating for energy and not to strain your body as this will cause it to sweat.

Firstly, watch out for the size of your portions. If you find yourself overly full after your meals, you will be straining your body as your body needs to use more energy to digest the food. A full stomach will cause an average person to start sweating meaning that if you suffer from Hyperidrosis you will be seriously sweating as your body tries to digest.

Secondly, watch out for the type of foods that you consume and focus on eating healthy foods that are light of chemical toxins. This means avoid sugar, processed foods to include those pre-made, pre-package or frozen meals and especially avoid spices. Instead focus your diet on whole grains that are high in Vitamin-B and fiber, fresh fruits especially melons and berries, vegetables or salads and proteins to include fish, eggs and small amounts of red meats.

Clothes

What you wear will have an important impact on how your body regulates itself and in turn how much you sweat. It’s important that you give the body the best possible chance to regulate it’s own temperature and this means that you need to focus on wearing natural fibers. Cotton and wool are generally considered the best materials as they provide space for evaporation and free flowing air as long as they are worn loosely. It’s also a great idea to leave you top button undone and your collar open as this will help heat to escape from your body as your core body temperature starts to increase.

Other that choosing what to wear, thinking smart is also important. Carry and extra shirt, wear an under-shirt made of cotton to absorb the sweat and starching your shirts which will help to prevent your shirts sticking to your body are all great ways to keep cool.

If you’re going to be outside, try to cover your head. DuraCool make a range of cooling towels that will bring down the temperature by 10 degrees and help to keep you cool. Check them out here.  They are brilliant, however you’re effectively putting a wet towel on your head and those towels do tend to drip slightly.

Body

We have talked about what to wear to keep cool above, however your body structure will also play an important role. Two inches of fat around your waste will do a fantastic job of keeping you warm in the winter, however it’s not much good when you’re trying to keep cool. If your fat percentage if down near the 10% mark, your body will have a much easier job of regulating its temperature and therefore getting yourself down to the gym and loosing those excess kilos will have a greater affect than anything else we have talked about in this section.

Other than loose weight, think smart by shaving your excess hair especially around your armpits and groin area. Sweat tends to accumulate around the hair fonicals causing bacteria which causes an unpleasant odor.

Action

If you want to stay away from medical treatments, other that your diet and what you wear, you can also thinking about your actions. It’s important that you plan ahead and keep calm. The minute that you become nervous, you trigger the sweat glands to start producing more sweat.

If you need help controlling your emotions, try Yoga as it teaches you to control you’re breathing, keeping you calm during those difficult periods, however with all forms of exercise, i would recommend that you don’t go for an intense work out or yoga session directly before you need to leave the house. Exercise is fantastic to keep the body healthy, however it will cause you to sweat and increase the body temperature which will take some time to cool down especially if it’s hot outside.

Excessive Sweating Treatments Available to You

Before you start taking any forms of excessive sweating treatments that are not natural, it’s important that you consult your doctor and ask for advice. It may seem like a treatment is the way to go, however you need to think about the side affects that could cause you great problems.

Generally it’s considered that prescription antiperspirants that contain aluminium chloride are a great cure to excessive sweating. They work by blocking the sweat ducts from producing sweat and can have had great results with many of my patients, however they also cause skin irritations and in extreme cases bleeding and serious scaring. Consulting your doctor will help you to understand if you’re to suffer from side effects and the best excessive sweating treatments for your needs.

Medication

If antiperspirants don’t work, the next option for you is to start taking anticholinergic drugs or beta blockers such as benzodiazepines. In the short term they are fine, however we would generally recommend that you don’t take drugs over the longer term due to the side affects that come with it.

In the short term, drugs such as glycopyrrolate will provide a great way to reduce the activeness of the sweat glans, however they will not help the body to regulate temperature and have been associated with heat stoke where effectively the body overheats. Other serious side affects include trouble breathing, chest pains and memory loss meaning that for anyone with high blood pressure or chest problems, drugs are not an option.

Injections

The next level up from taking medications is to start having the sweat glands injected with Botulinium Toxin (Botox) to effectively switch off the sweating glands. Botox injections will solidify the skin around the sweat glands making sure they cannot produce sweat, however they are not for everyone and you need to know the side effects before you start taking injections.

The key problems with taking injections is that they do not last forever. As with taking Botox to reduce wrinkles on your skin, injecting Botox to stop you sweating will only last for a few month before you need to repeat the process. The other key side effect is the feeling which some patients do not like. Botox freezes any movement around the skin and this can cause loss of movement in your facial muscles or given that you can have Botox in your hands and feet, loss of feeling and therefore problems with walking and even picking up items. Something to think about and discuss with your doctor before you start taking injections.

Surgery

If all else has failed, the last resort is surgery. Surgeons have two options if patients want to find a more permanent cure for excessive sweating. First up, patients can have a procedure called Iontophoresis which uses an electrical machine to pass an electrical current through the skin. The results are few similar to Botox, however are more permanent where the skin effectively solidifies around the sweat glands stopping them from producing sweat. If you want to use Ionophopresis, I would highly recommend that you try Botox first to make sure that you’re happy with the results and the the side effects that come with this type of treatment.

The second and more severe surgical procedure is too simply cut out the sweat glands however this is very intrusive and can leave substantial scars and skin grafts which are needed to cover up those scars.

Follow Up

I would highly recommend that you don’t you use surgery until you have tested and tried every method possible on the market today, however once you have tried everything, the final stage is surgery. If you gives you the confidence that you need to live your life and have discussed the possible outcomes with your doctor, then there is no reason why it cannot be supported.

Remember, excessive sweating is not something you need to be embarrassed about, concerned with, or afraid about. It’s perfectly natural and most importantly you’re not the only person that has this problem. Please consult with you doctor and get the help that you need to carry on living your life to the fullest.

Why You Should Be Brushing Your Teeth With Baking Soda

Baking Soda (Sodium Bicaronite) has been used in dental hygiene for hundreds of years due to its properties, however over the last half-century it’s fallen out of love with the general public as fluoride based toothpaste has taken over and due it it’s abrasiveness which has been said to damage tooth enamel.

Abrasiveness

The truth is that actually baking soda is far less abrasive to tooth enamel that your standard tooth past. Generally toothpastes are rated an RDA (Relative Dentin Abrasiveness) scale from 0 – 200 with 0 being the least abrasive and 200 being the most. Pure baking soda has an RDA rating of seven, whilst the RDA for baking soda toothpaste’s starts at 40 and quickly rises.

This makes baking soda a great polishing agent for teeth and by using baking soda you’re easily able to remove plague and stains from your teeth without damaging the enamel surrounding your teeth.

Reasons For Using Baking Soda

Other than baking soda being a very unobtrusive substance to brush your teeth with, there are many other reason you should be using pure baking soda to brush your teeth.

A healthy mouth is a non-acidic or neutral on the pH scale and with many foods that we’re eating and bacterial metabolic acids, your mouth is becoming more and more acidic. Baking soda will help to increase the pH levels and neutralise out the acidic levels within the Oral Cavities. In addition to having a healthy mouth due to low acidic levels, baking soda can also help your calcium intake by your teeth and help strengthen enamel.

One Problem

Baking soda might be an effective germ killer and good for your teeth, but it’s not very good at providing you a minty fresh breath. If this is something that you worry about, I would highly recommend that you look at a decent mouthwash.

How To Brush With Sodium Bicarbonate

Brushing your teeth with baking powder uses the same process as brushing your teeth with toothpaste with the only difference being that you need to get the baking to stick to your toothbrush in order to get it to the right place.

Obviously with baking powder being a powder, you need to take you toothbrush and make it as wet as possible before start. This way the powder will stick to your tooth brush and you will be able to direct it in your mouth.

Instructions:

  1. Pour a small quantity of baking soda onto a dish.
  2. Wet your toothbrush thoroughly.
  3. Dip you toothbrush into the powder and try to get as much power to stick on the brush as possible.
  4. Try to bush individual teeth, rather than rows of teeth as this have been proved to be more effective at cleaning than simply brushing an entire row of teeth.
  5. Wash your mouth thoroughly with water afterwards.

Follow Up

Sodium Carbonate (Baking Soda) has been proven to provide benefits to your teeth and as a result should be something that you factor into your health regime. As always, you don’t have to use sodium carbonate every day to see the effects and maybe its something that you could factor into your week.

Another option could be looking at the many examples of baking soda based toothpaste if you don’t want to rub pure baking soda into your teeth. Check out here for a great baking soda toothpaste option here.

Should You Take Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Supplements?

My personal view is that you should not be taking daily supplements of anything outside of a well balance diet, unless it’s been specifically prescribed by a medical practitioner to treat a specific problem in the body.

That all said, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a natural antioxidant that is synthesized by the body and is a vital participant in the chain of chemical reactions within the body that creates energy. Whilst it can be found in every cell in the human body, it found in the greatest concentration in those organs that require the greatest energy requirements, the Kidneys, liver and the heart and given these vital organ’s need to perform at their best on a daily basis, there is medical research to show that CoQ10 supplements will add to your health rather than hinder it.

Typically CoQ10 supplement are available in two forms: Ubiquinol (the active antioxidant) and Ubiquinone (the oxidized form), however both supplements have been designed to help with oxygen utilization and energy production specifically in the heart muscle cells.

Why is CoQ10 necessary For The Heart?

Coenzyme Q10 is necessary for the hearth in numerous ways however mainly its used too assist in maintaining the prescribed normal oxidative stat of LDL cholesterol, circulatory health and the optimal function of the heart muscle.

In addition the function of the heart, medical studies have show that CoQ10 also supports the health of the vessel walls thus allowing blood flow to run smoothly through the heart muscle.

CoQ10 may play a role in reducing the severity of migraine headaches, increasing sperm concentration and mobility in men and slow the progression of Parkinson disease, however the medical research and clinical trials have not been conclusive and thus is just theory at this stage.

Two Signs of A Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency?

Typically there are two keys signs that you have a CoQ10 deficiency. Firstly given that CoQ10 is heavily concentrated in the heart muscles, deficiency has been associated with cardiovascular problems such as heart failure and high blood pressure, however if you’re taking statins to lower your cholesterol then you could be at risk.

Statins are fantastic at reducing your cholesterol level, however the side effect is that they also block the bodies ability to synthesis CoQ10. If you’re taking statins to reduce your cholesterol, I would highly recommend that you consult your doctor to check you CoQ10 levels especially if your short on energy or your joints and muscles continually ache.

How Much CoQ10 Does The Average Human Body Need

This is where you really need to consult your doctor as it becomes a question of your shortfall from your diet and more importantly, how your body metabolizes CoQ10 through the day.

What we do know is that research has shown us that you can take up-too 1,200mg per day without any side effects. This research was conducted during test of CoQ10 in correlation with patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, however I would highly recommend that you first think about your diet and make sure that you include CoQ10 strong foods such as fish, meats, soybeans, sesame seeds and rapeseed, whilst at the same time supplementing your diet with between 90 – 120 mg of CoQ10.

One point, CoQ10 is a fat soluble supplement meaning that you need to make sure that you take your supplement with food and ideally with a meal containing fat.

Remember, these levels are for adults only. Given there is little research on children and the side effects that it can cause, I would highly recommend that don’t give to children under the age of 21.

What’s The Best Sleeping Position For A Good Nights Sleep

The best sleeping position is a personal choice, however there are a positions that will help you sleep and those that will cause you to wake up with aches and pains. Medical research has shown that the best position to sleep in is on your back whilst using a thin pillow as it allows you to keep you head, beck and spine in a neutral position and therefore elevates back and neck pain, however it will not help with snoring if you’re prone to this. It’s also been said that sleeping on your back reduces wrinkles, however this is very much more of a myth than actual fact and I cannot find any accurate medical research to back this up.

Across the internet, there are many different explanations to the best and worst positions to sleep in with some even taking into account your personality to decide which is the best position to sleep in. Typically however there are three key positions that the average person will sleep in, the back, the side and front. Again, we can look at the Pro’s and Con’s of each position, but which is going to give you the best nights sleep is really a personal choice.

Sleeping On Your Back

As mentioned above, the key benefit to sleeping on your back is your posture. Keeping your head, neck and back in a straight line will benefit you more than anything else as it allows your body to complete relax and not being forced into any contortions.

Before we get into the key con’s, if you’re going to sleep on your back, make sure that you only use a single, soft pillow. The aim of sleeping on your back is to keep your posture straight. If you use multiple pillow, you end up raising the head which creates a kink between the head the shoulders and in turn causes neck pain.

There is also a lot of frankly myths across the internet that sleeping on your back reduces wrinkles on your face. Yes I can see the idea behind this as I understand that allowing the skin around your face to breath rather than it being squeezed up into a pillow at night will help reduce wrinkles, however there is no medical studies or any scientific research to support this.

Sleeping on your back is not all positive as it does promote snoring and sleep apnea. When you sleep on your back, gravity forces the base of your tongue into the airway which obstructs breathing and increase snoring. If you suffer from snoring, it’s generally recommended that you sleep on your side, however if you suffer from back and neck pain, I would advise you to sleep on your back and look at snoring aids to reduce your snoring.

Sleeping On Your Side

Across the world, the sleeping on your side is the number one choice to get a good nights sleep and whilst this information is not entirely accurate given that we’re unconscious during sleep, most people will start off sleeping on their side before moving to other positions.

The best side position to sleep in is the one that keeps your head, neck and spine in a straight line and therefore the number of pillows that you need to achieve this does depend on the width of your shoulders. What you do with your legs, is really a personal choice. The fetal position where you effectively curl up on your side is generally considered a great position to sleep in.

The choice of whether you sleep on the left or the right side is really up to you however sleeping on the left side is generally consider better than sleep on the right side for both blood pressure and digestion. This comes down to how the organs in your body are situated with the heart being on the right side and the stomach being in the middle, but the TUBE being directed towards your mouth on the right side.

Sleeping on the left side, stretches out the heart which allows it to pump better and therefore increasing blood flow and keeps the stomach straight which helps to ease heartburn and acid reflux.

The key problems with sleeping on your side really refers towards the flow of blood around your body. Firstly lying on your side means that most of your upper-body weight is situated directly on your shoulder/arm which causes restricted blood flow to the arms and often causes “pins and needles” where especially the hand has suffered from restrictive blood flow.

Sleeping On Your Stomach

Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended in any cases. I have heard reports that sleeping on your stomach directly reduces snoring, however whilst this is true, the side-effects far out weight any benefits from reduced snoring. If you’re trying to reduce your snoring at night, I would highly recommend that you look at snoring aids, rather than sleeping on your stomach.

The key problem with sleeping on your stomach is that is reduces the natural curve of the spine which can lead to lower back pain, whilst sleeping with your head fixed to one side will also cause neck pain. If this is the only position that you can sleep in, you need to use pillows and start training your body to sleep on the side. Start by sleeping half on the pillow and half on the bed and the increase the number of pillows under you until your lying at 45 degrees.

The Five Principles of Getting A Good Nights Sleep

Sleeping, it’s something that we all need to do but something that many of us struggle with on a daily basis. Medical studies suggest the average human body needs between six and nine hour per night to be fully functional during the day, however there are extreme cases where people are sleeping much less or much more each day.

The human body needs sleep to effectively reset the brain and this does take time. In this section we’re looking at how to get a good nights sleep, especially for those who struggle to sleep.

The single most important advice to getting a good nights sleep and be fully functional during the day is to make sure that you go to bed and wake up at the same time each and everyday. A late night should not be more than one hour after your regular going to bed time and a “lie in” again should not be more than one hour after your regular wake up time.

Sleeping

Studies across the world have shown that there are many reasons why some people have a difficult time sleeping, however they are all addressed easily and only but the very severe cases, do not require any forms of medication or sleeping aids.

For the average human, sleep occurs when your naturally tired, in a comfortable place, warm and can relax easily into a deep sleep. If you find your self unable to sleep the first check you need to do is your surrounding area.
Hard/Soft Mattress or Pillow

Are you uncomfortable because your mattress or pillow is too hard or soft? Being able to lie down in a comfortable position is one of the key principles in getting a good nights sleep. If your mattress is either to hard or soft, this can be difficult. If you cannot get yourself into a comfortable position firstly check your mattress and consider replacing it with either a harder or softer mattress depending on your personal preferences.

The same applies to your pillow where again this is personal choice, however if your pillow does not give you the support that you need, it can easily cause a bad nights sleep.

Remember, how hard or soft a mattress needs to be, does depend on your weight and in many cases a husband and wife sleeping in the same bed will require a different hardness to get comfortable. If you’re looking for a new bed, it’s important that you choose a split mattress that offers support for both parties.

Noise

The second principle to getting a good nights sleep refers to the level of noise in your room. Both too much and too little can leave you struggling to sleep, however it’s a personal preference to which is more suitable for your needs.

If your the type of person that is always thinking about something they either have not done or need to do the next day, background noise could really help you get to sleep. In this case I would highly recommend that you look at a White Noise Generator which will give your room some background noise.

On the same token, maybe your room is too noisy because your partner snores or you live in an inner city apartment where you can hear the traffic. If this is the case then you need to think about getting ear plugs. Many of my patients have not tried or are worried about using earplugs given the fear of not waking up in the morning. Technology has moved on in the past few years to the point where now vibration alarm watches that you can wear on your wrist exist and will wake you up in the morning.

Your Diet

The third key principle of sleeping is to watch your diet especially what and when you eat and drink. If you cannot sleep because you enjoy coffee and have just had a double express before bed, this is probably your problem.

On the same token sleeping on a full stomach is never a good idea and whilst often you will feel tired after you eat, you need to make sure that you resist the temptation to sleep after you eat.

Part of your diet need to be your exercise regime or lack of it as is so often the case. The human body needs to be tired in order to sleep properly, however so often the case for insomnia is that the body does not need the sleep that it’s getting. The easiest way to speed up this process of getting the body tired to make sure your taking 30 minutes of activity each day. Recent medical studies have found the best way to make the body tired is to….., however there are other options here.

Preparing To Sleep

The first principle of getting a good nights sleep is to make sure that you prepare to sleep. There is no point in taking a cold shower, drinking coffee or worst of all, watching a video on your smartphone or IPAD.

Technological devices are utterly useless for sleeping and are easily the most common sleep disturbing habit that we have picked up in the last 20 years. The problems with looking at these bright screens right before sleeping is that they will reduce your levels of Melatonin and shorten your REM cycles. It’s very important that you switch off your smartphones at least an hour before bed as it will drastically improve your quality of sleep.

The Consistent Bed Time Routine

In the UK today, Insomnia affects approximately one-third of the population, however it’s more common in women that men and more common in those over the age of 50 where the body does not require the same amount of sleep that it once did.

Medical studies across the years have show that there are a variety of factors that can cause insomnia, however the the most common relate to stress, medication side effects, hormones, depression, pain, worry and the anxiety of not being able to get to sleep.

Below are 10 great ways to try and beat Insomnia, however it’s important to remember that insomnia is not something that you need to worry about. Not sleeping or only sleeping a few hours during the night is perfectly fine if this is only happening a few nights a week.

Consistent Bedtime Routine

The body needs to understand when it’s time to go to bed and more importantly, when it’s time to get up in the morning. It’s not something that is going to happen over night, however it is very easy to train your body to achieve this.

It’s important to remember, your consistent bedtime routine starts in the morning and not like many of my patients, 15 minutes before they want to go to sleep. In order to get to sleep that evening you need to make sure that your waking up at the same time each day. This way the body knows how many hours it’s going to be awake for, before the next sleeping cycle starts.

Caffeine is okay during the morning, but you should stop your caffeine intake after midday and make sure that you exercise during the day for a minimum of 30 minutes. Both the type of food that you eat and the timing of your food is very important. Make sure that you spread your meals out throughout the day whilst ensuring that you have eaten your daily food intake by the latest 7pm. This way when you start preparing for bed, your stomach is empty and your body can focus on sleeping and not digesting food.

If you’re really struggling to sleep, stay away from alcohol as this make send you to sleep if you drink enough of it, your sleep quality will be terrible and as soon as the alcohol wears off, you will be awake again and with the dehydration process that occurs, it’;s going to be more difficult to get back to sleep once you awake.

As mentioned above, it’s important that you start your day both in the right frame of mind, but also at the same time everyday. It’s also very important that you head to bed at the same time everyday. This way your body naturally gets into a rhyme and knows that sleep is around the corner.

Roughly an hour before you head to bed, you need to think about getting your body into a position where naturally you can fall asleep. The most important part of this process is to stay away from electronic devices such as smartphones, computers and IPads as they will do nothing for you.

Once your ready to sleep and have switched off your electronics, you need to de-clutter your mind and relax. Studies have shown that those who worry about getting to sleep have a harder time actually getting to sleep than those who can relax.

If you struggle to get your body into the right frame of mind for sleeping then think about learning to relax through mediation. In the past I have recommend using relaxation technique regularly especially those that involve breathing exercises such as ……. or to an extent yoga.

It’s also a great idea to dim the lighting around your house before bedtime. This may seem strange, but it shows the body that it’s time to sleep and will naturally help you feel tired.

White Noise is a fantastic way to keep your brain from being active whilst your trying to sleep.

In the early stages when your still in the process of getting yourself into a sleeping routine, it’s a great idea to use natural sleeping aid treatments, however you need to stay away from hard medication as these are likely to knock you out quickly, but you will find it difficult to wake up in the morning.

Natural sleeping aids will not force the body to sleep, but instead encourage you to become tired naturally. With this natural treatment, waking up in the morning is much easier and therefore recommend. Generally the two best natural sleeping aid treatments are valerian and melatonin.