Wenatex Blog :: Healthy Sleep for a Better Life

Today, I received the latest newsletter from one of the most prestigious medical schools in the USA, John Hopkins Medicine, in which they discuss the latest advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of depression and anxiety.

The opening article was the following:

If you read carefully, you will see that the first question asked by professionals in relation to mental health is:

“Do you toss and turn at night, or wake up at 3 am unable to get back to sleep?”

This tells us two things:

1.         People who suffer from mental disorders generally suffer from sleep problems.

2.         People who suffer from sleep difficulties have a high probability of suffering from mental problems.

It concludes with:

“When your emotions cloud your outlook, interfere with your relationships, or affect the way you sleep at night and function during the day, you may be suffering from depression or an anxiety disorder.”

A friend of mine went spiralling into clinical depression and I remember that she was sleeping an average of 18 to 21 hours per day. The sad thing is that this continued until she committed suicide.

Do you have stories you would like to share? You can do it anonymously.

Until tomorrow be wise and have fun

Juan

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Imagine this: one day you don’t feel very well and you go to the doctor. After what seems like an eternity of tests, in a monotone voice he tells you, “ I am sorry to inform you that you have cancer…”

some of the side effects of the sometimes extremely aggressive treatments can cause people to end up with a devastating sleep deficiency. These side effects include: nausea, constipation, vomiting, skin problems, itchiness, fever, heart rhythm troubles, breathing troubles, and many others. However, the most important challenge is to keep anxiety and depression under control. Depression works in a spiral i.e. a depressed person will experience at some stage sleep problems, and sleep problems may end up producing depression.

It is essential that every physician in charge of treating patients diagnosed with cancer includes a thorough diagnostic of the sleep status of the patient. Including a physician specialising in sleep disorders in your team can only be of an immense advantage.

Does anyone out there have an experience to share with regard to cancer and sleep problems?

For more information please visit the Australian Sleep Association:

http://www.sleepaus.on.net/index.html

Be wise and have fun

Information provided in this blog is to be used for educational purposes only. It should NOT be used as a substitute for seeking professional diagnosis or treatment of any disorder.