Anti-Aging, Health & Nutrition Facts

By Gisele Brosnan

Melatonin is an all natural sleep aide. It’s secreted by the pineal gland, a small pea size gland in the center of the brain, as our eyes register the fall of darkness. At night melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep and wake cycles. The amount of melatonin produced by our bodies decreases with age. Scientists believe this may be why young people have less of a problem sleeping than older people will. Though we create our own melatonin, you can also buy a Melatonin supplement at most natural health food shops.

It seems that melatonin supplements make it easier sleep and ease jet lag (for long distant travelers), without the hazards or side effects of prescription and over the counter sleeping pills.

Currently, research is being done to also determine melatonin’s effect as an anti-oxidant. Tests are still being done now because there is much still to be learned about melatonin and its effects on the human body.

It’s been reported that some parents are now offering melatonin to children diagnosed with hyperactivity or autism. Some parents claim the effects of the melatonin has calmed and relaxed anxiety ridden children. While this may be true for some children, it’s not the answer for everyone. Check with your pediatrician before starting any supplement programs with your child.

According to wikipedia.com, melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that can easily cross cell membranes and the blood-brain barrier. Unlike other antioxidants, melatonin does not undergo redox cycling, which is the ability of a molecule to undergo reduction and oxidation repeatedly. Redox cycling may allow other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, to act as pro-oxidants, counter intuitively promoting free radical formation.

Melatonin, once oxidized, cannot be reduced to its former state because it forms several stable end-products upon reacting with free radicals. Therefore, it has been referred to as a terminal (or suicidal) antioxidant.

The only real way to test the effects of supplemental melatonin is to try it. You can buy melatonin at most pharmacies, drug stores, health stores, and just about any store that sells vitamins.

Talk to your doctor about your sleep deprivation problem first!

Before purchasing any supplements, you will want to look into exactly why you feel the need for this particular supplement. Is your lack of sleep just temporary? Has this been going on for a period of time? It is best to speak to a family doctor or naturopathic doctor about your problem with sleeping to rule out any serious problems before considering a melatonin supplement as a cure all.

A cautionary note: chronic use of melatonin supplements may suppress the body’s own production of the hormone. Nobody knows what might happen if you have high natural levels and take a supplement on top of that. Melatonin can interact with other hormones, which is why, in part, pregnant women and children should never take it. Such drugs as aspirin, beta-blockers, and tranquilizers can affect melatonin levels. Finally, nobody knows what the best dosages are to take. Melatonin pills are not standardized. Thus, you really don’t know what you’re swallowing. That’s why you should really consult your doctor before moving forward.

Like many herbal remedies, melatonin is not regulated by Health Canada. Make sure to talk to your family doctor or your naturopathic doctor before even buying and consuming Melatonin. It might be an herbal remedy, but you can never be too cautious. If you doctor doesn’t approve of you decision of consuming Melatonin, he/she can prescribe a sleeping medication that will be right with your body’s chemistry.

After all, not all bodies are created equal, so no one pill will work for everyone. Talking with your doctor and experimenting with different ideas is the best way to get a great night’s sleep. You may have to try several different things before you find the right solution or combination for your sleeping deprivation problem, but you and your doctor will find what works best for you.

Gisele Brosnan is a contributing Editor for http://www.mybeautymatch.com. Canada! Find out which http://mybeautymatch.com anti-aging skincare products, treatments & solutions will help you possess optimal skincare & beauty at every age. Our site is dedicated to providing information on http://mybeautymatch.com anti-aging treatments and about aging well options so you can keep feeling beautiful for as long as you want.

You can search the web for information on treatments to reverse wrinkles or simply visit our site: mybeautymatch.com. Visit our site often and you’ll be well informed when is comes to non-surgical facelifts and effective anti-aging products, medical treatments & body and mind health.

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For those of you that are students, here are a few tips to help you succeed in your endeavors.

Do you drive your car to school? You better buckle up because many of today’s car crashes are caused by sleep depravation. Chances are you’re not getting enough sleep at night. Sleep depravation doesn’t just cause physical symptoms; your brain can be affected as well. This article looks at the connection between sleep and learning.

According to the national sleep foundation 85% of students do not get enough sleep at night. What’s enough sleep? While definitions vary, the average is 8.5 hours of sleep per night according to the foundation. If 85% of your fellow students are suffering from sleep loss, then you can gain a major edge in the classroom just from lying in bed, relaxing, and falling asleep.

Lack of sleep impairs ones ability to pay attention, abstract thinking, creativity, communication, problem solving, innovation, and more. If these symptoms look familiar, they are also symptoms of ADHD, the attention deficit disorder many learners experience. Studies have shown that these symptoms lead to poor performance in the classroom.

The key to getting more sleep is making sleep a priority. Many operate on a sleep schedule that treats sleep as a low priority. While this is common, it is not a healthy habit. To make getting more sleep a priority you can add incentives to getting rest. This could include investing in a new set of super soft sheets. Even some sleep inducing music, such as sounds of the sea can help one fall asleep.

Once a student is given more sleep the results should be almost instant. You will see grade go up because of better quality work. There will be a significant increase in energy which can be translated into more productive work time.

It has been noted that getting more sleep can have other fringe benefits besides helping you learn better. When the body gets at least 8 hours of sleep the body burns more calories, and after being rested the chance increases for more active behaviors while you are awake. This can lead to significant weight loss for those getting sufficient sleep. Also sleep can contribute to happiness. Serotonin the chemical the body needs for a good sleep also provides happiness feelings to the brain. Thus when one sleeps more they are happier.

Brad Bahr is the editor of many health related websites and publications. He has been testing and reviewing nutritional supplements for over 20 years. After trying hundreds of products, he recommends one supplement above all others for renewing health and energy: http://www.hgh-facts.com

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by Mike Herman

Some of the people who snore are actually suffering from a condition knows as sleep apnea. A symptom of sleep apnea is snoring, and what is happening is the the snore actually stops breathing while they are asleep.

With sleep apnea the person stops breathing for 10 or more seconds five times, or more, every hour which can lead to there being low oxygen levels in the body which in turn leads to many more serious health conditions.

The three most likely people to suffer from sleep apnea are:

* Those who are overweight. * Those who smoke cigarettes. * Those who drink alcohol.

Regular snoring (the medical term is ‘primary snoring’), is often more of a problem for the spouse, significant other and family members or the snorer. However there are some possible serious effects that may develop where the snorer’s body is “struggling” to breath. This condition, a precursor to sleep apnea, is known as ‘Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) .

which is a precursor to sleep apnea which results in extreme sleepiness, with such dangerous side-effects as falling asleep at the wheel while driving an automobile.

Beyond snoring is the serious condition of sleep apnea. It occurs when the person snoring gets to the point where they actually stop breathing for ten or more seconds, possibly a hundred or more times each night.

Stopping breath and severly interuptting you sleep can cause daytime sleepiness, a big increase in automobile accidents, irritability, personality change, restless sleep, headaches, and shortness of breath.

Having sleep apnea can result in other health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease … and even death. With such potentially serious problems as these, you can see why is a serious problem and it is very important to catch and treat it before it get too serious.

Signs of Sleep Apnea are;

* Waking up tired

* Daytime sleepiness

* Poor memory

* Impaired concentration

* Headaches, particularly in the morning

* Impotence in men

* Frequent need for night time urination.

There are two types of sleep apnea “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” and “Central Sleep Apnea”, although neither is good, “Central” is even more serious.

Obstructive sleep apnea is thought to mainly affect men who are 40 and 60 old and it is said to occur when the nasal passages and the upper airways become obstructed during sleep. Ordinarily the obstruction is caused by the soft tissue of the throat (the pharynx) simply relaxing during sleep. This obstruction prevents breathing until the levels of oxygen in the blood fall to such a low level that the sufferer wakens and responds by taking a deep breath - accompanied by snorting, rasping and other noises associated with snoring.

Obstructive sleep apnea is generally caused by, or made worse by, being overweight.

Central Sleep Apnea occurs when the nerves that automatically regulate breathing do not work properly It is a neurological problem; no “mechanical” obstruction is involved, as is the case with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

In both cases, and if left untreated, severe sleep apnea can eventually become life threatening.

If you snore and notice any of the above mentioned symptoms, talk with your primary doctor and have it checked out.

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