Mental & Emotional Health

I have been horribly distracted lately by noise so was pondering how much that might contribute to our mental and emotional health. I enjoy some music but screeching loud voices, ambulances driving by, snoring and blasting televisions get to me.

Occasionally I can tune things out but certain sounds I cannot. At night I sleep with a fan running so that I can’t hear noises from neighbors outside or next door.

Everyone here seems to manage to drift off no matter what’s going on. Wild parties, thumping, snoring, dripping taps, nothing deters them from going to sleep.

• Since I’m an introvert I think that adds to my noise sensitivity. If you’re interested in taking a personality test, there’s a free online one based on the Jung Myers-Briggs typology although most people already have a good idea anyway.

There are probably plenty of extroverts who have trouble sleeping as well and get disturbed by noises. When I googled sleep and noise, pages full of white noise products came up. A fan works for me and it’s much cheaper. It might look a little strange in the winter but I’m not using it to impress anyone.

Relaxation Methods

To relax before bed meditation works well but if there’s a racket going on it’s hard to do. Soft music helps cover some noise and there are some relaxation tapes and CDs made specifically for meditation.

It’s important to get enough exercise also and if you don’t have a physically demanding job, it’s a good idea to work some sort of physical exercise into your daily routine. I find I’m a lot more wound up if I fail to take my daily walk. Yoga and Tai Chi also promote relaxation and if you’re interested in learning more there’s 22 pages of useful information at SolveYourProblem.com. (Exercise and Sleep Restfully)

Since my circadian cycle is completely out of whack I thought many others might be in the same boat. Lack of sleep or insomnia negatively affects our mental and emotional health.

The University of California investigated what happens to our minds without sleep. I highly doubt anyone who has gone without sleep would be surprised with their findings.

Apparently, it can affect our mood and lead to depression and anxiety. Really? In addition, lack of sleep tends to bypass connecting to the prefrontal section of your brain and hits the locus coeruleus or primitive part instead.

What is still disputed by many is whether lack of sleep leads to mental illness or mental illness leads to lack of sleep. It probably depends on the individual and their present situation or circumstances. Obviously sleep disturbances would contribute towards making any existing mental illness worse.

“It’s almost as though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity, in that it was unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce controlled, appropriate responses,” said Matthew Walker, director of UC Berkeley’s Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory and senior author of the study, which will be published today (Monday, Oct. 22) in the journal Current Biology.”

I know from experience insomnia can lead to strange sorts of behavior. If you’re worried or stressed about something, that can interfere with sleeping. To make matters worse, worrying about not being able to sleep makes sleep even less likely to come.

Suggestions for Getting to Sleep

Getting to the root cause of why you can’t sleep is not always helpful especially since you might already know why you can’t sleep. So what can be done about it? A sleep specialist can help you sort it out but here are some other suggestions.

• Get up at the same time every day regardless of how much sleep you got the night before. This requires some discipline and may involve feeling zombie like for a couple days.

• Try exploring relaxation methods such as meditation, yoga and deep breathing. Doing weird stuff like listening to loud rock and roll right before bed might not relax you. Not that I’ve ever done that.

• Limit or stop your caffeine intake since it is a stimulant. It’s also a diuretic so may interrupt your sleep because you might need to go to the washroom more frequently, which leads to the next point.

• Limit fluid intake.

• Don’t nap for more than a half hour at a time if you must. Any longer than that and it will interfere with your sleep come bedtime. I don’t know about you but I end up feeling groggier if I have a nap that lasts for more than an hour.

• Exercise regularly. Don’t do this right before bed or you’ll be all pumped up. Exercise does make you sleep better though as long as it’s not what you do immediately before jumping into bed.

• Some have used light therapy with some success. I can see this being especially helpful for someone who doesn’t have a lot of windows or lives in a basement apartment.

• Color therapy is also something some might want to consider.

Many sleeping pills and sedatives can become addictive so are not usually advised except as a last resort. They don’t really help you cope long term either but may be best for short periods in times of crisis.

Finally, do not hesitate to see a doctor or counselor for more professional advice. Sometimes anxiety and/or depression needs to be treated with therapy and/or medication in order to help regulate your sleep.

Everyone likes to take tests, right? No, very few people like to take tests … but what happens when they’re tests that will tell you all about yourself? I did a bit of searching and found some mental health tests that can give you some insight into yourself. I have taken each of these tests to be sure that they are accurate. *nods* Mucho scientific research occurs on my couch!

Are you addicted to the internet? - “You are an average on-line user. You may surf the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage.” I think I would have to agree with that. I spend a lot of time on my computer & online, but I get paid to do what I’m spending my time here doing.

Self test for Alcoholism - I answered yes to a few of these questions, but never more than three in each section, which can indicate a certain stage of alcoholism. If you’re at all concerned you may be an alcoholic, please take some time to call the Alcohol Hotline at 1-800-331-2900. It is both free and confidential.

Adult ADD/ADHD Test - “Dr. Amen suggests: “More than 20 items with a score of three or more indicates a strong tendency toward ADD. Items 1, 6, and 7 are essential to make the diagnosis.” I do not have adult ADD/ADHD and I didn’t think I would.

Screening for Anxiety - “The above answer(s) are anxiety symptoms that might be part of an Anxiety Disorder. It is advised to seek a psychiatric consultation.” I knew that. : )

Depression Screening Test - “Your answers show the presence of prominent depressive symptoms. It is advised to seek a psychiatric consultation.” I knew that, too!

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Test “You probably do not have clinically significant obsessions.” and “You probably do not have clinically significant compulsions.” Yup, that’s what I assumed. I’m anal about things, but I don’t significantly obsess about anything.

The Termperment Discovery Test “Guardians can have a lot of fun with their friends, but they are quite serious about their duties and responsibilities. Guardians take pride in being dependable and trustworthy; if there’s a job to be done, they can be counted on to put their shoulder to the wheel. Guardians also believe in law and order, and sometimes worry that respect for authority, even a fundamental sense of right and wrong, is being lost. Perhaps this is why Guardians honor customs and traditions so strongly–they are familiar patterns that help bring stability to our modern, fast-paced world.” This one is rather long, but it’s obviously true for me. If you want to check out ANY of these tests, this would be the one that you should check out!

Screening for Personality Disorders “Based on the above answer(s), your personality traits might be associated with following personality type(s): Obsessive Personality.” I wouldn’t have thought this, but the more that I read about it, the more I am able to agree.

Health Tests has quite the list of different tests including: the anger test, lifestyle test and even a sleep hygiene test!

mental and emotional health, quizzes, tests, surveys, anxiety, alcoholism, depression, personality disorders, anger tests, lifestyle tests, sleep hygiene tests

Machine Means Ends to Sleepless Nights - A device worn on the head could in squeeze the benefit of eight hours’ sleep into just two or three hours. Scientists in the US used a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to induce slow waves - indicative of the deepest phase of sleep and essential for learning ability and mood, in a group of sleeping volunteers. (This story is just for Mad … who has no other name but Mad. I’ve never seen him mad … so it’s all kinda weird to me. /randomness)

The face, not the body, attracts a mate - Body builders and gym buffs, look away now. It appears that the opposite sex is much more interested in your face than your bulging biceps or elegant figure, especially if you’re a man. At least that’s the upshot of the first study to assess how much faces and bodies contribute to someone’s overall attractiveness.

Gut Almighty! - Intuitions, or gut feelings, are sudden, strong judgments whose origin we can’t immediately explain. Although they seem to emerge from an obscure inner force, they actually begin with a perception of something outside—a facial expression, a tone of voice, a visual inconsistency so fleeting you’re not even aware you noticed.

A Frown or A Smile? Children With Autism Can’t Discern - When we have a conversation with someone, we not only hear what they say, we see what they say. Eyes can smolder or twinkle. Gazes can be direct or shifty. “Reading” these facial expressions gives context and meaning to the words we hear. In a report presented May 5 at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Seatlle, researchers from UCLA explained that children with autism can’t do this. They hear and they see, of course, but the areas of the brain that normally respond to such visual cues simply do not respond.

mental and emotional health, sleep, transcranial magnetic stimulation, University of Wisconsin, attraction, body building, working out, attractiveness, University of Western Australia, Psychology Today, intuition, gut feelings, inner force, The Second Brain, Columbia University, Brazilian School of Business and Public Administration, autism, facial expressions, International Meeting for Autism Research, UCLA, visual cues, children

As I was starting this post, I made it three things into my list and then accidentally lost the post. Instead of getting really frustrated, I used my own aforementioned stress techniques and moved on. I couldn’t control (or save) what I had previously lost, so I am continuing.

For the past two days you’ve been reading about life-changing activities you can do to lessen the stress in your life, but have any of you been wondering about little day-to-day things that you can do to help yourself out? Well, that’s what today’s “Stressball, III” post is dedicated to. Pick one thing a week and slowly start adding it to your life in order to reduce your stress!

*Add something beautiful to your life on a daily basis (e.g., flowers). I like to get flowers. I love having flowers around, and am thankful that my roommate is willing to replant weeds & flowers outside to cheer us both us. If I’m really craving fresh flowers, I will just buy them myself to cheer me up! : ) Looking at flowers reminds me that there is always something good in life!

*Do some enjoyable activities whenever possible. What do you like to do? Read? Check out a new book! Enjoy cooking for friends and family? Try out a new recipe! Do you scrapbook? Take pictures? Run? Watch TV? Do something that you enjoy doing; that is definitely going to help you out!

*Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace. If you can help it, remember that slow & steady does really win the race. Take your time and keep yourself calm, even under pressure!

*Take a short break after meals to relax. If you like to, get out and go for a short walk after dinner. Sip on a cup of (decaf) coffee. Read the newspaper. Enjoy your meal and then relax afterward to let it settle.

*If possible, go outside at least once per day and notice the simple things such as the weather, scenery, etc. This goes along with taking your walk! You can go for a 10-minute walk during your morning or afternoon break or even take a walk during lunch-time. Get your blood flowing and count this as part of your daily exercise requirement!

*During the day, whenever you remember, notice and tension in your body (jaw, neck, diaphram, shoulders, etc.). Breathe deeply and gently stretch and relax any tense areas. Need some stretches? Print this out and tape it up near your desk. During your breaks, use this to stretch yourself out and breathe deeply while doing so!

*Avoid holding in feelings day after day, but instead, find a safe place to feel, express and embrace them. < a href="http://www.451press.com/more-bloggers-wanted/">Start a journal! Write to get your feelings out, embrace them, and deal with them as they come. Don’t just sit on your feelings and let them eat away at you. This is one of the best stress-relievers I’ve ever encountered and probably why I enjoy writing so very much!

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So I’ve had a pretty good week … I missed work on Monday but have been on top of things the rest of the week … but today I am feeling weird. I went to bed right after Grey’s Anatomy last night (after crying, like I do every other week I watch the damned show!) but didn’t sleep well. I fell asleep eventually but was wide awake at 1am, hungry! So I ate some graham crackers and had a fitful morning’s sleep until 6:45am. Normally I’m up at 5am taking my time to get ready and do some thinking before I get going. This morning I wasn’t able to do that … so it probably threw me completely, even though I didn’t dwell on it.

I have a bit of a headache from not sleeping well, am having a hard day at work, and just feel low about it all. I just go back from sitting outside in the sunshine during my morning break and doing some writing, and still am not feeling quite myself from it all.

My job is getting me down. I am just spent at it. I am in a cycle of anxiety creating mistakes creating anxiety and so on & so on. It’s incredibly frustrating because I don’t like it (duh) and it’s creating tension for me at my job. I am concerned with finding a new job because I may only be working for six more months (if I get into school) but if I don’t get into school, I won’t be able to handle this job for much longer at this rate. I’ve never been in a position at work that made me feel like this, so I’m really down, and being hard on myself, about it. Any suggestions? I am thinking that even something as simple as changing to move to a different section in my office would help me, but we don’t have any openings right now. I am honestly afraid of getting fired because of how it would look within the hospital system … so I am torn. Argh!

My break is over, and since I’m really really trying to watch my P’s & Q’s, I must get going … but any input, from anyone … would be very helpful … even to just let me know you were reading and felt bad … or that you hated my boss.

FDA Wants Stronger Warnings on Sleep Disorder Drugs
Drugs Can Cause “Sleep Driving” Incidents

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants tougher language on drugs for sleep disorders, beefing up the warnings to consumers about potential risks. The sedative-hypnotic drug products - a class of drugs used to induce and maintain sleep - carry risks of severe allergic reactions and complex sleep-related behaviors, which may include sleep-driving, the agency said.

Sleep driving is defined as driving while not fully awake after ingestion of a sedative-hypnotic product, with no memory of the event. A year ago Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) was involved in a highly publicized mishap, crashing his car into a barricade at the U.S. Capitol. He was taking the sleep disorder drug Ambien at the time. My question is, why would you DRIVE after you’ve taken a sleeping pill!?!?

“There are a number of prescription sleep aids available that are well-tolerated and effective for many people,” said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, director of FDA�s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “However, after reviewing the available post-marketing adverse event information for these products, FDA concluded that labeling changes are necessary to inform health care providers and consumers about risks.”

In December 2006, FDA sent letters to manufacturers of products approved for the treatment of sleep disorders requesting that the whole class of drugs revise product labeling to include warnings about the following potential adverse events:
• Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) and angioedema (severe facial swelling), which can occur as early as the first time the product is taken.
• Complex sleep-related behaviors which may include sleep-driving, making phone calls, and preparing and eating food (while asleep). On Ambien I had a conversation with the bathtub once … that stuff is not for me!

FDA said it has been working with the product manufacturers over the past three months to update labeling, notify health care providers and inform consumers of these risks. The guides will contain FDA-approved information such as proper use and the recommendation to avoid ingesting alcohol and/or other central nervous system depressants. Although all sedative-hypnotic products have these risks, the agency said there may be differences among products in how often they occur. For this reason, FDA has recommended that the drug manufacturers conduct clinical studies to investigate the frequency with which sleep-driving and other complex behaviors occur in association with individual drug products.

The medications that are the focus of the revised labeling include the following 13 products:
Ambien/Ambien CR (Sanofi Aventis)
Butisol Sodium (Medpointe Pharm HLC)
Carbrital (Parke-Davis)
Dalmane (Valeant Pharm)
Doral (Questcor Pharms)
Halcion (Pharmacia & Upjohn)
Lunesta (Sepracor)
Placidyl (Abbott)
Prosom (Abbott)
Restoril (Tyco Healthcare)
Rozerem (Takeda)
Seconal (Lilly)
Sonata (King Pharmaceuticals)

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A study released by the National Sleep Foundation this week finally advertises the problem I’ve been having. “nearly 70 per cent of women say they frequently have a problem sleeping, and 60 per cent only get a good night’s sleep a few nights a week.” Well who would have guessed? The study shows that an excessive amount (72%) of working mothers suffer from insomnia while 74% of stay-at-home mothers suffered. This is a crazy statistic because that means that only 1/4 of the female American population is sleeping enough and/or getting a good night’s sleep!

Do you wonder why this is happening? I don’t. I know quite a few moms who are the first in their house to get up and the last person to go to bed. They get ready for their day, get their children ready for the day, send them off (or hold on to them) and then they work - whether it be at home or at an “office.” They pick up the children on the way home, make dinner once they are home and then the chores start; laundry, dishes, dusting, etc. They work until they’re exhausted and then fall into bed to a restless night’s sleep. What good is that!?

“Women need to make sleep a priority,” he advises. “They need to decide the following: ‘I’m feeling lousy in the daytime and the only way for me to feel better is I have to sleep more.’ And they have to make a real attempt to sleep more.”

This week is National Sleep Awareness Week and so I urge you to look at your own sleeping habits. Are you going to bed at 1am just to get up 5 hours later to start your day? If so, think about changing these habits to get at least an hour more sleep. Go to bed a 1/2-hour earlier tonight … see how that makes you feel. Half an hour won’t disrupt your day at all (you probably wouldn’t even notice it), but it will give your body a little extra time to get rested.

I also encourage you to check out how to make sleep work for you so that you are getting the best of the little sleep you are probably getting.

sleep, sleeping, stress, women, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Awareness Week