RIGHT PILLOW FOR BACK SLEEPERS

RIGHT PILLOW FOR BACK SLEEPERS

from the article 'What’s the Right Pillow for You?'
By Bonnie McCarthy, Special to Lifescript
Published January 30, 2011

Back Sleepers

In this position, an unsupportive pillow or no pillow at all may place unnecessary pressure on the back and the joints between the vertebrae.

But a stack of pillows can cause injury too, Zanzana warns. If it makes your head jut farther forward than normal, you’ll get pain and tightness in your neck.

For back sleepers, she recommends memory foam, which molds to the neck’s natural curve. Denser pillows tend to be more supportive, but they’re also more expensive.

Another option is a water pillow, which has a water-filled base sandwiched between polyester filling. Just add water to achieve the desired pillow height.

Both types of pillows offer consistent support, even when you change positions.

Also, placing a second pillow under your knees – such as a bolster (tube-shaped pillow), half-bolster or wedge – can alleviate pressure on the lower back.

MY THOUGHTS

if you're wondering....

here's a memory pillow from bracesupport.com

a water pillow from zimbio.com

and a bolster from seattlehomesmag.com

Cure for Insomnia: Sleep Better - Naturally

Sleep Better - Naturally

By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
Updated December 22, 2009
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Getting eight hours of sleep each night helps protect your heart health, keep your stress in check, preserve your memory, and enhance your mood. Yet, a 2009 report from the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reveals that the number of Americans sleeping a full eight hours nightly has dropped to just 28%. What's more, previous NSF research shows that 67% of American women frequently experience trouble sleeping, while 43% say that daytime sleepiness gets in the way of their daily activities.

Adopt Healthy Habits

If you need to stop skimping on sleep, start by improving your sleep habits so that you sleep better. Stick to a regular bedtime and wake time; use your bedroom only for sleep and sex; and create a sleep environment that's dark, quiet, comfortable, and cool.

Maintaining healthy habits throughout the day can also promote sounder sleep. Cutting back on caffeine, getting regular exercise, and spending time outdoors each day can all guide you toward more restful slumber.

Nighttime Stress Relief

Since stress makes it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, creating a stress-reducing bedtime routine increases the likelihood of getting your eight hours each night. Here are five soothing activities to consider including in your routine.

1) Yoga

A daily yoga session may help increase total sleep time in people with chronic insomnia, according to a preliminary study published in 2004. When practiced at bedtime, gentle yoga poses should help ease muscle tension and calm your mind.

2) Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Another means of releasing muscle tension, this technique involves slowly tensing and then relaxing every muscle group in your body. Starting with your toes, tense your muscles for five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds. Move on to your legs, and gradually work your way all the way up to your face. For more intense relaxation, incorporate deep breathing into the exercise.

3) Meditation

Research suggests that meditation may benefit people with sleep disorders. Before you go to bed, try devoting five to 10 minutes to a simple meditation practice.

4) Guided Imagery

Visualizing yourself in a peaceful place (such as a beach, meadow, or mountain setting) can lure your mind away from stress-inducing thoughts and lull you to sleep. To heighten the relaxing effects of this technique, try to imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures you might experience in such a place. Listening to a guided imagery CD can also enhance your visualization exercises.

5) Aromatherapy

Certain essential oils such as lavender and chamomile possess sedative properties known to promote sleep. Before bedtime, try taking a bath infused with a few drops of relaxing oils. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to your favorite massage oil and knead away your muscle tension, or shake two or three drops of lavender oil onto your pillowcase and breathe in the calming aroma as you fall asleep.

Natural Sleep Aids

A number of natural remedies and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda, and herbal medicine can offer further help in achieving healthy sleep.

MY THOUGHTS

relax! relax! relax. or make yourself so tired you'll just drop dead on your bed.

Natural Cure for Insomnia

Is there a natural alternative to sleep medications?

By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
Updated October 04, 2007
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Sleep medication is appropriate in certain situations, and many of the newer medications have fewer side effects. If you're currently taking sleep medications, I'd suggest talking with your doctor about whether natural sleep aids might be a good option for you.

There are plenty of natural alternatives that may help people fall asleep and stay asleep. The ones that don't involve taking a herb or supplement can often be combined with medication.

•Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of short-term psychotherapy that involves modifying sleep habits and behavoirs, such as:
•using your bed and bedroom only for sleep
•going to bed and waking up at the same time every day
•avoiding napping during the day
•getting out of bed if you're having trouble falling asleep for longer than 15 minutes
•avoiding caffeine during the day
•minimizing light and noise in the bedroom

CBT is one of the better-researched natural sleep aids. For example, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association randomized 75 subjects to CBT, progressive muscle relaxation, or placebo. After 6 weeks, the number of nightly awakenings and time to get back to sleep had been reduced by almost 50 percent in the CBT group, compared to 16 percent in the progressive muscle relaxation group and 12 percent in the placebo group.

National Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists

•Visualization is another drug-free option. It involves imagining a relaxing scene using all the senses. It is generally done about 20-25 minutes before the desired bedtime. For example, if you're imagining yourself on a tropical island, think of the way the warm breeze feels against your skin. Imagine the sweet scent of the flowers, look at the water and listen the waves…you get the picture. Involving more senses is generally thought to be more effective.

•Progressive Muscle Relaxation has also been explored as a natural remedy for sleep. Starting at one end of the body, it involves tensing then relaxing one muscle group at a time, working your way to the other end of the body.

Although the herb kava kava is a herb often marketed as a natural sleep aid, it should be avoided. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a consumer advisory about the potential risk of severe liver injury resulting from the use of dietary supplements containing kava. To date, there have been more than 25 reports of serious adverse effects from kava use in other countries, including four patients who required liver transplants.

Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally in the body. The pineal gland in the brain makes serotonin which is then converted into melatonin at night when it gets dark. It's also available as nutritional supplements.

A number of studies have found that melatonin supplements lessens the time it takes to fall asleep, promotes sleepiness, and lengthens sleep time. Most studies have been small and very short in duration, so more research is needed.

Some experts caution that melatonin should not be used by people with depression, schizophrenia, autoimmune diseases, and other serious illness. Pregnant and nursing women should not use melatonin. And although melatonin is produced in the body in very small amounts, the amounts found in supplements and used in studies have contained much larger amounts. Short-term side effects can include headache and sleeplessness, and it is not known what the long-term side effects are.

And finally, with any sleep difficulty, the first step should be consulting a doctor. Chronic insomnia can be a symptom of an underlying condition, such as depression, heart disease, sleep apnea, lung disease, hot flashes, or diabetes, so it's important to see a doctor if you are having trouble sleeping.

MY THOUGHTS

take out the tv from bedrooom. i've been sleeping so much better hen i did. exercise a couple of hours before bedtime with a hot bath afterwards also helps.