12/10 All Healthy Info

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. All Healthy Info Sleep Disorders and Problems December 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm Everyone experiences occasional sleep problems, but getting a good night's sleep is essential for feeling refreshed and alert during the day. Lack of sleep might make you feel foggy and unable to concentrate, or just a lesser version of your normal self. Sleep problems will eventually disrupt your work, family and personal relationships. Particular behaviors during the day are telltale signs of sleep deprivation. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms on a regular basis, your sleeplessness might be part of an ongoing problem or sleep disorder. Almost everyone will be affected by insomnia at some point during life. Insomnia – a short term or chronic inability to get high quality sleep – is a common sleep problem and can be caused by a variety of things including stress, a change in time zones, an altered sleep schedule or poor bedtime habits. The great news is that insomnia doesn't have to be a permanent problem. In many cases, self help techniques, including improved sleep hygiene, relaxation and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), can alleviate insomnia and promote better health as well as better sleep. Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that can be potentially very serious, and even life-threatening. In sleep apnea, your breathing stops or gets very shallow while you are sleeping. Each pause in breathing typically lasts 10 to 20 seconds or more, and the pauses can occur 20 to 30 times or more an hour. During the episodes of apnea, the sleeper wakes up to breathe again, disrupting sleep, and also suffers from a brief lack of oxygen. Snoring is caused by a narrowing of your airway, either from poor sleep posture, excess weight or physical abnormalities of your throat. A narrow airway gets in the way of smooth breathing and creates the sound of snoring. The snoring noise doesn't necessarily that the airway is obstructed, as it is in sleep apnea. Snoring may accompany sleep apnea, but not always. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that causes extreme sleepiness and may even make a person fall asleep suddenly and without warning. Specific causes of narcolepsy are not known but people with narcolepsy are lacking hypocretin, a brain chemical which regulates sleep and wakefulness. Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease From Diabetes December 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm Having diabetes certainly makes a heart attack more likely — heart disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. But that doesn't mean it's inevitable. There are steps you can take to help protect yourself from a heart attack, like staying active, cutting the amount of fat you eat, and controlling your weight. If you smoke, quitting is the most important thing you can do to keep your heart healthy. Making these changes is hard, so ask your family or friends to support you, whether it's helping you prepare a healthy, tasty meal or joining you for a walk. Three out of four people with diabetes die from a heart disease or stroke. While experts don't fully understand the causal relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it's clear that diabetes — especially type 2 diabetes — is often accompanied by various heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and obesity. Diabetes is also associated with an increased tendency for forming clots. Kidney disease, a complication of diabetes, also considerably boosts the risk for heart disease. And studies have demonstrated an association between the earliest stage of kidney disease (microalbuminuria) and heart disease. It can take years for complications to appear, but when they do, they're usually serious. Restricted blood flow to the heart may trigger the chest pain called angina. A critical lack of blood can also cause a heart attack, in which a portion of the heart muscle dies. When blood flow to the brain is blocked, a stroke can occur. Heart Disease December 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm Keeping your ABCs in check can also help you lower your risk for heart disease and stoke. The ABCs are an easy way to remember some of the most important health issues related to diabetes. As a man with diabetes, it's important to stay informed about related health complications, take a look at the ABCs, and speak with your healthcare provider to see if these issues are affecting you. A is for A1C Your A1C reflects your average blood glucose level for the two to three month period before the test. Your healthcare provider uses it to determine how well you are managing your blood sugar. A goal of less than 7 percent is desirable, which corresponds to an average blood glucose level of 150 mg/dL. B is Blood Pressure Men with diabetes should aim for a blood pressure level below 130/80 mm Hg. You should monitor blood pressure at each routine diabetes visit. C is for Cholesterol (lipids) A complete cholesterol test, referred to as a lipid panel or lipid profile, includes the measurement of four types of fats (lipids) in your blood, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides. LDL is sometimes called the "bad" cholesterol. Total cholesterol is the sum of your blood's cholesterol content. Triglycerides are another type of fat in the blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't need to use right away into triglycerides, which are stored in fat cells and released later for energy. Allergic Asthma December 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm Allergic asthma is probably a term you're familiar with. That's because allergy and asthma are closely connected. Most people who have asthma also have allergies, and many people, especially children, who has allergies also have asthma. Allergic asthma is the most common type of asthma and is sometimes referred to as allergy induced asthma or extrinsic asthma. As with other types of asthma, diagnosing allergy-induced asthma requires a medical history and possibly testing. Since most people with allergies and asthma have a family history of it, your doctor will ask you about your parents' and siblings' medical history of allergy & asthma. There are lung function tests, such as spirometry and peak flow rates, that can tell the doctor more about how well your airways are working. But with allergic asthma, your doctor may also want to do some allergy testing via skin tests, to learn more about whether allergens are what is causing your symptoms. The main difference with allergic asthma is what sets off, or triggers your symptoms. In people with an allergy and asthma, those triggers tend to be what are called airborne allergens. That means they circulate via air currents and are inhaled into your body when you breathe. In addition to tracking triggers and symptoms to gain insight into how your body reacts to the world around you, allergic asthma treatment focuses on avoiding triggers (prevention) and medicine. It may also include immunotherapy, which is often referred to as allergy shots.   This email was sent to wwirone@gmail.com.  Create Your Account Don't want to receive this feed any longer? Unsubscribe here.