Search Results for: blog are you suffering from a sleep disorder

Always Confirm Your Test Results. It Could Save Your Life

Imagine if you or a loved one was diagnosed with cancer. Many of us are familiar with the panic and devastation that such a diagnosis causes. Now imagine that doctors knew that the cancer was there but didn’t tell you for more than a year. Meanwhile, the cancer had time to grow and spread. What would you do? For many people, this is not a “what if” but a reality. MSNBC recently reporting on the story of Peggy Kidwell, who’s cancer continued to eat away at her body for a year, while her mammogram report sat idle on the desk … Continue reading →

Study Shows Lack of Sleep can Raise Blood Pressure

As I get older, I realize just how much sleep, or lack thereof, can affect you. For whatever reason, lately I’ve been having trouble sleeping. I know that lack of sleep can make you grouchy and irritable, but today, I read that a study may show that lack of sleep can do even more harm by raising your blood pressure. The study, published in Hypertension, the journal of the American Heart Association, was authored by Dr. Susan Redline, Professor of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The … Continue reading →

Seasonal Affective Disorder

When I first got divorced I was sad. Not really depressed but probably more than just run of the mill sad. In the winter it was particularly bad, I went to work when it was dark and came home when it was dark. There were entire days I never saw the sun. When I wasn’t at work, I just wanted to sleep. I would come home from work, throw something together for dinner and then nap on the couch until Hailey woke me up for bed. After a few weeks I realized there was a problem, my house was a … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Moodiness and Bipolar Disorder

I was talking to a co-worker the other day and we were discussing a teenage client who has extreme mood swings. One minute he’s happy go lucky, joking and laughing, the next he’s angry at the world and wants to hurt someone. “I’m guessing he’s Bipolar ,” my peer said. I just rolled my eyes. Often people will say things like this when dealing with moody people. After all, most know that people who suffer from Bipolar Disorder have extreme ups and extreme downs. The misconception that most people have is that these ups and downs happen quickly, like mood … Continue reading →

Borderline Personality Disorder: Joanie’s Story

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In our continuing series on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (see links below), we will look today at the story of Joanie. Joanie began to display the initial symptoms of BPD when she was in her late teens but was not formally diagnosed with the disorder for several years. As is typical of persons suffering BPD, Joanie’s personality is essentially unstable, with inexplicable mood swings and rapid changes in her view of her own self. Hence her “apparent” self esteem could range from being very outgoing and confident to being self absorbed and unsure of herself. In reality, Joanie has low … Continue reading →

Fitness and Sleep

If you have ever tried hitting the gym or getting in your daily run while sleep deprived, then you probably know that fatigue and fitness training don’t mix. But, just how bad is it to exercise when you are dog-tired? Pretty bad, according to a new report. Research indicates that people who workout when they are suffering from sleep deprivation are five times more likely to sustain injuries. The study also revealed that athletes who extended their nightly sleep and reduced accumulated sleep debt reported improvements in various drills conducted after every regular practice. The study, which was conducted by … Continue reading →

PTSD And Your Soldier

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Shortly before my husband’s unit returned from Iraq the National Guard gave a family briefing and talked about what we should expect from our soldiers upon their return home, we were told they had not seen enough action to warrant PTSD for any of them. That statement had struck me odd at the time because I knew many of our soldier’s had seen more action than anyone would want to see in a lifetime and given part of our unit had been at a place that was nicknamed “Camp Mortar” for the large number of attacks, I wondered how these … Continue reading →

Depression in babies and young infants

Could you ever imagine a tiny baby being depressed? Although hard to believe, researchers have noted classic signs of depression in young babies, even those under the age of six months. Although most people associate the occurrence of depression with a series of negative life events, it has now been recognized that even babies as young as six months can display symptoms of depression. In particular, infants of depressed mothers exhibit depressive behaviors, such as a lack of responsiveness and interaction with others, lack of interest in their environment, unhappy facial expressions (as opposed to outright crying), and slow movements. … Continue reading →

Where’s “IT” at? Keeping your Child’s Anxiety Out of the Bag and on the Chain.

If you’ve ever had to enter into hand-to-hand combat with the witch under the bed or the bearded baddie at the window, then you already know that children’s anxiety can be disturbingly real to them. Just like adults, children can also suffer from free-floating and generalized anxiety or panic attacks. One in nine children are affected to the extent that it constipates their daily functioning and our nightly sleep. The witch or monster doesn’t just appear every now and then as part of normal chronological or problem solving development, they rarely leave and they will taunt the child at any … Continue reading →

No Two Depressions are Created Equal

Most people don’t start out in life intentionally headed toward depression. Life just takes you down that detour sometimes, for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes it’s a traumatic event that shakes your world and shatters your confidence. Sometimes it’s the cumulative effect of anxiety and fear about yourself and your future. Sometimes it’s the sheer weariness of never seeming to get on the right road to happiness. Sometimes it’s the constant criticism and negativity of the people you travel with. Sometimes it’s because no matter how fast you go, you can’t seem to outrun your past. Sometimes it’s because … Continue reading →