"Get Some Sleep!" - Issues in Insomnia

 Finding it hard to sleep no matter how tired you are? Waking up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours and anxiously watching the clock? Having trouble in getting back to sleep when awakened? Oh, you are probably experiencing Insomnia. Insomnia is a common sleep disorder where people have a difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep, or both. As a result, they may get too little sleep or have poor quality of sleep. You may not feel refreshed when you wake up. Though insomnia is a most common sleep complaint, insomnia is not just a single sleep disorder. It’s more accurate to think of it as a symptom to another health problem. The problem in insomnia differs from person to person. Others are caused by extreme intake of caffeine. Others are caused by emotional issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, etc. Anyway, there are two types of Insomnia.
Transient Insomnia or Short-term Insomnia – It is very common and often brought by situations such as stress at work, school, family pressure or traumatic experience that lasts for days or weeks
Chronic Insomnia or Long-term Insomnia – This one lasts for a month or longer. Most cases of chronic insomnia are secondary, in which it is a symptom or side effect of some other problem. In contrast, primary insomnia isn’t due to medical problems, medicines, or other substances. It is its own distinct disorder and its caused isn’t well understood. , any life changes can trigger primary insomnia, including long-lasting stress and emotional upset. Some people experiencing this kind of insomnia for years, passing it off, as their normal “sleep pattern”.

Common Mental and Physical Causes of Insomnia

Psychological problems that can cause insomnia: anxiety, depression, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, depression, traumatic disorder.
Medications that can cause insomnia: anti-depressants, cold and flu medications that contains alcohol, pain relievers that contain caffeine, high blood pressure medications
Medical problems than can cause insomnia: asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, acid reflux, or chronic pain
Sleep disorders that can cause insomnia: sleep, apnea, restless legs syndrome

Insomnia Cures and Treatments
Changing habits that disrupt sleep - Like for example, you drink excessive amounts of coffee during the day, or maybe you’re using sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep. Oftentimes, changing the habits that are reinforcing sleeplessness is enough to overcome insomnia altogether. It may take few days for your body to get used to the change, but once you do, you will sleep better.
Take a Warm Bath - It’s a great way to relax your body but don’t overdo it. Too long in hot water will drain your vitality. Use bath salts or throw Epsom salt and baking soda – one cup of each. This will relax you and also help remove toxins from your body.
Stick to a regular sleep schedule - Support your biological clock by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends. Get up at your usual time in the morning even if you’re tired. This will help you get back in a regular sleep rhythm.
Avoid naps - Napping during the day can make it more difficult to sleep at night. If you feel like you have to take a nap, limit it to 30 minutes before 3 p.m.
Avoid stimulating activity and stressful situations before bedtime - This includes vigorous exercise; big discussions or arguments; and TV, computer, or video game use.
Limit caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine - Stop drinking caffeinated beverages at least 8 hours before bed. Avoid drinking in the evening. While alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it interferes with the quality of your sleep. Quit smoking or avoid it at night, as nicotine is a stimulant.
Dietary Supplements for Insomnia
Melatonin - A naturally occurring hormone that your body produces at night. Melatonin is also available as an over-the-counter supplement.
Valerian - A herb with mild sedative effects that may help you sleep better. However, the quality of valerian supplements varies widely.
When to consider seeking for a Professional Insomnia Treatment

If you’ve tried the insomnia cures and treatments listed above, and are still having trouble getting the sleep you need, a doctor or sleep disorder specialist may be able to help.

>If your insomnia doesn’t respond to self-help strategies
>If your insomnia is causing major problems at home, work, or school
>If you’re experiencing scary symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath
If your insomnia occurs almost every night and is getting worse

Quitting Junk Foods

Don’t Eat that Junk!

That tempting appeal of a bag of salty, crispy, and greasy snack chips whenever watching your favorite movie, doing your home works, surfing the net or simply brought by emotional stress is what you call craving for junk foods. But craving is simply not just “craving” for it. It is the same response of our brain which is similar as to what we call “addiction”. Well, junk foods are definitely bad for our health. Junk foods are loaded with flavor enhancing chemical like monosodium glutamate, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame, all of which are known as highly addictive. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) over excites the brain to the extent that it causes neurological brain damage but of course because it taste good, people become addicted to it. Natural foods and spices do not trigger the same addictive effects in the brain as junk food chemicals do, because they have not been chemically processes to over stimulate our taste buds and brain. Other than that, it contains high levels of saturated fats which may cause obesity. I know quitting junk foods habit is really difficult but when the health effects of eating junk foods are fully understood, those hoping to acquire a healthy living are likely to get the motivation they need to succeed.

Harmful effects of eating Junk Foods

· It contains much of sugar which can make you prone to diabetes
· High levels of salt and saturated fats found in junk foods can cause
heart disease and blood pressure
· It can cause obesity or excessive gain weight for those who prefer junk foods and skipping important meals
· It contains preservatives and food coloring which contain carcinogenic substances that are harmful for your body system, specifically in your cardio-vascular system
· High level of oil and cholesterol resulting strains on the liver
· High levels of salt may increase the risks of kidney stone
· Poor concentration and lower the memory
· It can also depress our mind, resulting in the poor mental health and concentration which generally creates an unhappy outlook in our life.

To make it short, Junk foods do not contain any Vitamins or Minerals and does not have any health benefits. But the biggest irony regarding junk foods is the fact that it is mostly prepared out of healthy food. Nevertheless junk foods are popular because of their appeal to manufacturing industry and of course their taste. People prefer to eat them without even thinking the possible effects of junk foods in their body. Other may say eating junk foods occasionally is not a major threat to a healthy living, eating such food immoderately can quickly become a serious problem. We should always remember that it is important to have a healthy and balanced diet in order for us to keep going and be able to fight against harmful diseases. But how can you guard yourself from those diseases if you are constantly eating unhealthy foods such as Junk foods? Well, think again. Making a wiser eating choice is a lot easier.

Creepy Sinkholes

A hole that appears all of a sudden that could swallow anything on it? This usually happens in cartoons, anime and other fictional movies, sounds magical but very creepy in real life. Imagine a hole that will appear all of a sudden that could “eat” anything” on it. And yes it is possible, and is very common in some places. Sinkhole, sometimes called snake hole, swallow hole, or devil's hole, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rocks, salt bed or rocks that can naturally dissolve by circulating ground waters through them. As the rocks dissolves, spaces and caverns are formed underground. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. These collapses can be small, or can be huge and can occur where a house or road is on top. Sinkholes can also be formed in retention ponds from large amounts of rain. It can also form in coral reefs and islands that collapse to enormous depths which are known as Blue Holes. Blue Holes become popular diving spots though nobody know its depth.

Sinkholes have some various names, like

Blue Holes - This name initially has been given to the deep underwater sinkholes of Bahamas but often is used for any deep water-filled pits formed in carbonate rocks. Name originates from the deep blue color of water in these sinkholes, which in turn is created by the high lucidity of water and the large depth of sinkholes – only the deep blue color of the visible spectrum can penetrate such depth and after reflection return back. The deepest known undersea sinkhole is Dean’s Blue Hole in Bahamas.

Tiankengs - These are extremely large sinkholes which are deeper and wider than 100 m, with mostly vertical walls, most often created by the collapse of underground caverns. This term is proposed by Chinese geologists as many of the largest sinkholes are located in China. The largest tiankeng is the 662 m deep Xiaozhai tiankeng, which is also the largest known sinkhole of the world.


Sotano - This name is given to several giant pits in several states of Mexico. The best known is the 372 m deep Sótano de las Golondrinas – Cave of Swallows


Cenotes - Characteristic water filled sinkholes in Yucatan, Peninsula and Belize and some other regions. Many cenotes have formed in limestone which deposited in shallow seas created by Chiczulub meteorite impact.

Black Holes - Group of unique round, water filled pits in Bahamas. These formations seem to be dissolved in carbonate mud from above, by the sea water. Dark color of water is caused by the layer of phototropic microorganisms concentrated in dense, purple colored layer in 15 – 20 meter depth – this layer "swallows" the light. Metabolism in the layer of microorganisms causes heating of water – the only known case in natural world where microorganisms create significant thermal effects. Most impressive is Black Hole of Andros.