Book Review: Good Night
I was very excited when I learned that Michael Breus, Ph D. had published a book. Breus is the sleep expert on the popular site WebMD, an has other sleep sites Soundsleep Solutions and The Insomnia Blog.
The Sleep Doctor really deserves credit for giving us practical suggestions for better sleep in Good Night. Often when I read books about health improvement, I feel like the author is a doctor writing for the audience of another doctor. Those types of books have a lot of wonderful information - it is too bad you have to go to med school to understand it, and even then it may not have an application in your life. The Sleep Doctor’s book is not like that - it is gives doable advice, and quick hints on getting better sleep.
This is an excellent book if you are not familiar with sleep health because Breus discusses the most common sleep disorders, as well as the common things that disrupt your sleep. Even if you are well read in sleep health, Breus includes latest healthcare discoveries and makes hard concepts easy to understand.
The book starts off with discussing the most common causes of sleep problems, and gives us a solution to those problems. For example, the sleep problems caused by having young children, by smoking, using caffeine, stress, and business needs. What I really like about Breus is that he does not try to make us sacrifce the rest our lives in order to have perfect sleep. He is not going to tell you not to have your Starbucks fix, or convince you to quit smoking. He realizes that people do not have perfect conditions, and he encourages to break down a big problem (never feeling well rested) into smaller problems, and make small adjustments in order to get maximum results.
After these quick fixes, the Sleep Doctor goes into depth about why sleep is so important, and the pontential results of not getting enough sleep. This leads us into the best part of the book - your own 28 day program to getting better sleep (the full title of the book is Good Night: The Sleep Doctor’s 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health
The last part of the book recognizes there are times when good habits may not be enough, or are not right at a point in time. He briefly presents medications, and other sleep aids that may help us as a last resort.
Overall, and excellent book. I definately reccomend that you buy this book, or check it out at your local library. Breus also has information on his website Soundsleep Solutions.
GoodKnight 420G CPAP Machine
Steven K. Roberts has written a review of the the Puritan Bennett GoodKnight 420G CPAP machine. Steven does not have a lot of experience with other units, but he is happy with his CPAP machine. Steven says that he had picked the machine because:
- The small size works with his nomadic lifestyle. The size (2.9″ X 5.6″ X 7.7″) of this CPAP unit is great if frequent travel is needed.
- It was simple to operate. Steven gives some instructions on his review.
- The 420S and 420E have more complex functionality, but for price concerns, the 420G will do the job.
Bedwetting Diapers - Disposable Products For Older Bedwetters
By: Peter Crump
Bedwetting diapers are not just for infants and babies. They come in sizes all the way up to adult so that any one with a bed wetting problem can feel secure that he/she will not wake up to wet sheets in the morning. Along with ensuring you or your child a dry night, wearing diapers at night means you also have less mess to clean up. These diapers are disposable, so they won’t add to your mounds of laundry. Actually, disposable bedwetting diapers will cut down on the amount of laundry that you have to do because you will no longer have to wash bedclothes each day.
Even with having bedwetting diapers for your child, you still have to pursue other methods for treating the problem of bed wetting. These diapers can give the child or adult a false sense of relief and not really do anything to help the problem at all. If there is a medical reason for the bedwetting, you know that using bed wetting diapers will probably be only a temporary measure. If there is no medical reason, then you need to combine using an adult bed wetting diaper each night with a method of behavior modification such as using an enuresis alarm to wake the wearer at the first sign of moisture.
There are bedwetting diapers that look just like underpants. This makes it much easier for your child to sleep at a friend’s house without anyone knowing about the bedwetting. These diapers have an absorbent liner that soaks up the urine and does not let it seep through to the pyjamas or the bedclothes. However, if the child is in bed for a long time, there is the possibility that some of the urine will seep out through the legs of the diapers causing an accident. The top layer of plastic on a bedwetting diaper helps to keep the moisture away from the skin.
You do have to be aware of the cost involved in using larger size disposable bedwetting diapers. This is why you do need to look for treatments that will not only reduce the number of bedwetting episodes, but will help cure the problem. There are child and adult bed wetting diapers that you can get that are reusable. This type of diaper is a cheaper alternative to the disposable bed wetting diaper. It also comes like a pair of underpants or a liner that fits on the underpants. With these adult bedwetting diapers, the person still feels wet, but the wetness does not seep through to the clothing. The wetness helps to wake the adult up so he/she can go to the bathroom.
You do have to choose the best bedwetting diapers for your child. Look at the liners, diapers and absorbent underpants to determine which one would best meet the needs of the child or adult. Liners are strips of absorbent material that have a sticky side that adheres to the underpants, thus keeping them in place. They are not noticeable and will not irritate the skin in the same way as some bedwetting diapers will.
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Article Source: http://www.article-emporium.ca
Find out more about Bedwetting, visit Peter’s Website Bedwetting Answers and find out about Bedwetting Diapers and more, including Adult Bedwetting and Bedwetting Alarms
Tags: [Adult Bedwetting, Bedwetting Diapers, older bedwetters Sleep Enuresis]Adult Bedwetting - Exercise May Help The Problem
By: Peter Crump
Adult bedwetting is as embarrassing to adults as it is to teenagers. No one wants to admit that he/she has a bedwetting problem, but doctors see adults on a daily basis that suffer from enuresis. This is the name given to bed wetting in anyone over the age of five because by that time most children have learned to recognize the signs that they need to get out of bed to use the bathroom. Even at that age, they become very upset by bedwetting, so you can only imagine how anyone with an adult bedwetting problem must feel.
Whether adult bedwetting occurs suddenly or develops gradually, it is something that needs to be checked out by a doctor. It could be a symptom of a disease such as diabetes, a sleep disorder, an infection in the urinary system or even an allergy. Once the doctor runs the necessary tests, he/she may send you to a urologist as a precautionary measure. During this time, you can wear bedwetting diapers to keep dry during the night, especially while you are waiting for the medication to take effect. Adult bed wetting also responds well to enuresis alarms to wake you up in time to go to the bathroom.
Adult bedwetting is often result of aging and the loss of muscle tone in the walls of the bladder. There are exercises you can do to reduce the occurrences of adult enuresis. These include doing such things as squeezing the bladder several times a day. This process helps to strengthen the bladder muscles because you pretend that you are trying to stop urinating. It also works during the day when you go to the bathroom so that you are actually stopping the flow. This is one method of exercise that adults suffering from nocturnal enuresis have found effective.
If your adult bedwetting occurs occasionally, you should start a diary recording the events surrounding the bed wetting episodes. This should include such things as how much you had to drink before you went to bed and what foods you ate. Drinking too much alcohol is often responsible for adult bed wetting because it puts you into a deep sleep. Since alcohol impairs brain function, the connection between the brain and the bladder is severed so bed wetting is more likely.
One factor to look at as a cause of adult bedwetting is the psychological factor. Stress and trauma can bring on bedwetting in an adult who did not even wet the bed as a child. This is where keeping a diary of events leading up to the adult enuresis episodes can help you determine what is causing them. Once you realize a pattern in stressful events and adult bedwetting, then you can take steps to avoid certain things that bring it on.
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About the Author:
Find out more about Bedwetting, visit Peter’s Website Bedwetting Answers and find out about Adult Bedwetting, and more, including Bedwetting Alarms and Bedwetting Diapers
Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com
Tags: [Adult Bedwetting, Bedwetting, bladder control, Exercise Sleep Enuresis]Get A Bed Wetting Alarm - Stay Dry Throughout The Night
By: Peter Crump
A bed wetting alarm is a very effective device to use when helping children overcome nocturnal enuresis. Bedwetting is very embarrassing to children and if not handled sensitively, it can have psychological effects, such as making them feel ashamed of fearful. Alarms for bed wetting help to treat the problem rather than just mask the symptoms to make it appear as if the bed-wetting problem has been resolved. A bed wetting alarm is a device to be used along with another method of treatment. Parents should be aware that this device on its own will not cure bed wetting.
A bedwetting alarm is a moisture detection system, which is worn with underpants designed for moisture. These can be the pull-ups as advertised on TV for children of all ages or regular underpants. If you use regular underpants with the bed wetting alarm, you should have liners on the mattress because it does take some time before these alarms start to work. You should not expect a miracle to occur the very first night your child wears the bedwetting alarm. There are many different kinds of bedwetting alarms so it’s important to choose the one that is right for your child.
There are signs that will tell you if a bed wetting alarm will be good for you. First and foremost is the price. This must fit within your budget and of course it must be comfortable for the child. Most of the bedwetting alarms have some method of attaching them to the nightclothes, preferably the underpants. You should carefully inspect it to make sure that there are no sharp edges which will dig into the child and prevent him/her from getting a good night’s sleep. If the bedwetting alarm is not comfortable, it will not be effective.
Bedwetting alarms use batteries as power, so there won’t be any wires in which your child can become entangled. You do need to make sure that the replacement batteries are a reasonable price and keep a stock of them on hand. Once the sensor on the bed wetting alarm does detect moisture it will emit a sound to wake the child. You do have to experiment with the sound to make sure that it will wake the child without waking up anyone else in the house, if that is what you want. Once the alarm goes off and the child gets up to the bathroom, a bedwetting alarm needs to be reset. Therefore you will probably have to teach the child to reset this or tell him/her to wake you so that you can do it for him/her.
Another factor you have to take into consideration when using a bed wetting alarm is the level of moisture that you want it to detect. If you set it too low, even sweating during the night might set the alarm off and if you set it too high, then the child might have actually wet the bed before it goes off. You need a bedwetting alarm that will not slip out of place as your child tosses and turns during the night. Bedwetting alarms also have to be durable so that if the child drops them, they do not break easily. A bed wetting alarm must be loud enough to wake the child or it will not be effective.
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About the Author:
Find out more about Bedwetting, visit Peter’s Website Bedwetting Answers and find out about Bedwetting Alarms and more, including Adult Bedwetting and Bedwetting Diapers
Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com
Tags: [Adult Bedwetting, Bedwetting Sleep Enuresis]Treating Bedwetting Problem
By: Kevin Pederson
Bedwetting is also known as enuresis. Hereditary is one of the prime reasons for this condition. It is one inheritance you do not want to be part of. One should not be embarrassed about this condition as you are not alone; many kids are being treated for the same. It is a temporary phase, wherein girls and boys are equally affected. Drinking too much water before bed time or laziness is not the cause of bedwetting.
Common causes for bedwetting are:
- Runs in family
- Deep sleep
- Trouble in waking up
- Slow development of the central nervous system, useful for bladder control
- Hormonal imbalance
- Irregularities in urethral valves in boys or in the urethra in girls or boys
- Problems with spinal cord
- Small bladder
A normal age for the child to achieve bladder control is around six to seven. Trying to treat the child for bedwetting at that age can be disastrous. Every child is an individual with his or her own capabilities. Hence the time taken to attain bladder control may differ from child to child. If bedwetting continues after the ages of eight or nine, then it becomes a problem.
Some Remedies
Studies have shown that babies who are breast fed for longer periods i.e. more than three month are likely to have better control over their bladder.
Do not react, as it is beyond your childs control, praising or punishing your child does not help.
Make arrangements for the child to change the sheets by himself/herself. You can keep the necessary clothings next to the bed for him/her to change, this helps in the process of making him/her confident.
If need be, use bedwetting alarms. These alarm helps to register in childs mind, the importance of going to the bathroom when need be. These alarms are very sensitive to moisture, making it the apt tool to detect wet bed. You can buy these new age alarms anywhere in the market.
Have proper sleep because lack of sleep is another reason for bedwetting.
Calcium and magnesium supplements control bladder spasms, vitamin A helps in normal functioning of the bladder, zinc improves bladder function as well as the immune system
St. Johns Wort, Plantain, Cornsilk and Parsley taken three hours before hitting the sack can help in preventing bedwetting problem. These herbs help the urinary tract muscles that control the bladder. This may be a long process, so be patient.
Along with the use of these remedies, there is immense need for family support. Parents patience and love would surely help the child get through this condition.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
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About the Author:
Kevin Pederson is the webmaster of sites like Home Remedies which provides home based remedial measures for all times. Home Remedies for Bedwetting. Click here to know more about Bedwetting and its solutions.
Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com
Tags: [Adult Bedwetting, Bedwetting, bladder control, Sleep Enuresis Uncategorized]An Adult Bedwetting Message Board - Find Out How Others Are Coping
By: Peter Crump
An adult bedwetting message board and chat line is an easy way for adults coping with enuresis to get helpful ideas from others in the same situation. There are many sites on the Internet that deal specifically with adult bed wetting issues. These sites often have medical doctors who reply to patients’ questions and offer helpful advice. Here adults can read the messages from other males and females and may get the answers they need without having to send any message. An adult bedwetting message board is anonymous, so none of your friends will know about your problem.
You can simply do an online search for “Adult Bedwetting Message” and the results will show you many message boards set up for this purpose. Here you will find messages about all kinds of bedwetting issues and read the advice that the doctors and other adults offer. Maybe one or more of the experiences may be identical or similar to your situation. This will not only help you find a solution, but will also give you relief in knowing that there are other adults with bed wetting problems.
There are also different products you can use to keep you dry at night, such as disposable bedwetting diapers and liners, but you need to buy the ones that are right for you. For example, adult male bedwetting requires different products than for female bedwetting simply because of the differences in the male and female bodies. An adult bed wetting message board is also a way of finding out about the different products and how most adults feel about using them. When you want to post a message on an adult bedwetting message board, you will probably have to register. However, you can feel secure in knowing that your information will never be made public.
The Urology Forum is a good example of an adult bedwetting message board that is monitored by a doctor. Using an adult bed wetting message board should never take the place of consulting with a doctor about your bed wetting problem. Whether it is something that occurred all of a sudden or developed over time, it could be symptomatic of a more serious problem and you need to have the necessary medical tests to get the proper treatment. It could also be a symptom of a condition that is easy to treat and you could be suffering through bed wetting episodes needlessly. Adult male bedwetting is often a source of embarrassment to men and they have a hard time dealing with it. It usually takes a lot for them to speak to a doctor about bedwetting and for these people a message board can be really helpful.
An adult bedwetting message board is not just about bedwetting. Here you can find answers to questions about all kinds of bladder and kidney related problems. Adult male bedwetting, painful urination and other topics are open for discussion. The answer you want may be waiting for the click of the mouse when you start using an adult bedwetting message board. You might also be able to help others and reassure them that they are not alone.
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About the Author:
Find out more about Bedwetting, visit Peter’s Website Bedwetting Answers and find out about Bedwetting Diapers and more, including Adult Bedwetting and Bedwetting Alarms
Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com
Tags: [Adult Bedwetting, Bedwetting Diapers, enuresis Sleep Enuresis]Sleep Enuresis: Causes and Treatments
By: Jared Winston
Sleep Enuresis, more commonly known as Bedwetting, refers to the lack of ability to maintain urinary control during sleep. This recurrent involuntary urination is also called Nocturnal Enuresis, which is characterized by at least two occurrences per month in 3 to 6 years old infants and at least one occurrence per month for older children.
Though it is considered normal for children below 7 years old to have enuretic episodes, 5% of 10 year old and 3% of 12 year old children, and as many as 1-3% of 18-year-old teenagers may continue to experience this disorder.
Primary and Secondary Enuresis:
Primary Enuresis is involuntary urination that occurs from infancy with at least two episodes a week, and comprised of 70-90% of all cases. Secondary Enuresis, on the other hand, refers to a relapse after experiencing an extended period of dryness. Adults are more likely to suffer from the secondary type.
Causes of Sleep Enuresis:
Sleep Enuresis can be caused by many factors including hormonal, dietary, or emotional factors.
One of the most common causes of Sleep Enuresis is the inability to develop the antidiuretic hormone cycle in some people. In this cycle, which is typically developed by individuals by the age of 2 to 6, the pituitary gland releases a hormone at night that promotes water retention in the kidneys, thereby reducing urine output till sunrise. Failure to develop this hormone cycle naturally leads to Sleep Enuresis.
An overactive bladder can also cause Sleep Enuresis in many children. By nature, muscle spasms occur in the bladder during urine retention and removal. When these spasms become too active or uncontrollable, the bladder is incapable of holding the normal amount of urine, which eventually results in accidental urination during sleep.
Another common hereditary factor is failure to develop an awareness that enables a person to awaken before urinating on bed. This awareness is normally developed by children during the natural process of learning how to control the bladder while awake.
Besides these common causes, medical disorders such as diabetes, urinary tract infection, sleep apnea or epilepsy and psychiatric disorders may also cause individuals to develop Sleep Enuresis.
Treatments:
Simple behavior modifications can be very effective treatments for children with enuretic episodes. For example, intake of liquids and dietary bladder irritants such as citrus products should be discouraged before bedtime. Taking note of when the enuresis actually occurs, and waking and taking the child to toilet before that hour, can also be very helpful.
Psychological treatments such as encouragement of self-reliance, participation in management, inculcation of self-respect and responsibility are also recommended by many experts. Physical punishments and coercion, on the other hand, are considered to be the most counterproductive measures and should be avoided at all costs.
Using devices such as bedwetting alarms and moisture alarms, combined with bladder muscle exercises, dietary changes, retention control training etc can also be helpful remedies in treating Sleep Enuresis.
For some of the more severe cases that cannot be treated by behavior modification, alarm devices and other treatment methods, using medications such as Desmopressin, a synthetic substitute for the missing antidiuretic hormone discussed earlier, is found to be very effective. Desmopressins such as DDAVP, Stimate, and Minrin can easily be administered nasally or intravenously.
Copyright © Jared Winston, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
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Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Enuresis affects those both young and old, but the problem can be conquered. Receive effective bedwetting advice and enuresis tips at Bedwetting Relief.
Tags: [Bedwetting, Nocturnal Enuresis, Sleep Enuresis Treatment]Vocal Exercises for Snoring
National Public Radio has an article on vocal exercises that can help with snoring. I do not know how effective these excercises are, but what bad could come out of singing?
Tags: [Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Treatment vocal exercises]