Each of us has a secret double life.
For about two thirds of the time we are conscious beings, thinking about the world inside and out, and negotiate our way through life's obstacles. For the other third of the time we are nearly lifeless lump of flesh, unconscious, everything, but our imagination, like lying down in bed to sleep. We all know that sleep is important for health. But for an activity that consumes about 8 hours of daily life,surprisingly little act of sleeping, or the way in which our culture teaches us to think of sleep. Sleep behavior, like all human activities, is defined by our culture.
Sometimes the practices taught by our culture to the way our bodies function effects. As medical anthropologists, we are able to research the possibilities of our cultural practices, our health. And we discovered that the way in which it may have been trained to sleep in one of the leading causes of various diseases that afflictour society.
Of course, if you consider the culture of sleep, has isues such as length of time to sleep, to sleep and time of day. Frequent naps or sleep up to 8 hours in a row? Sleep at night or day?
Other issues include sleepwear. Sleep naked or with pajamas or underwear? Sleep in your underwear? If the leaves are natural fabrics like cotton or silk or polyester okay? And washing and fabricPlasticizers used in the sheets, pillows, and pj?
You should eat before bed? What are the effects of television before going to sleep? You should take sleeping pills to help you sleep?
These are some of the culturally defined issues, which were to help, as we all sleep, some of which have potential effects on health. However, there is a cultural issue that tops the list of importance, and that can lead to health a lot. It has to do with sleepLocation. You sleep on a hard bed, flat, face down, compressing the nose and eyes out of bed and pillow? Or are you on your back with your head slightly raised, how to use it to sleep is the case with many indigenous cultures, hammocks, or other uneven surfaces?
The reason why this question is because the last movement is the brain and the brain all together on your posture during sleep.
All of us had experienced, period or vertigoLightheadedness when getting up from bed too fast. This effect is called orthostatic hypotension, and the result of the fact that the blood pressure when you lie down and sudden increase in the head falls temporarily deprives the brain of sufficient blood pressure, leading to dizziness or lightheadedness. Blood pressure increases rapidly, making the blood supply to the brain, how it feels normal again.
This phenomenon indicates that the relative position of the body affects the severityHead and brain circulation. You can also view this one stands head, many yoga practitioners do every day. Intracranial pressure increases dramatically as the blood flows to inflate the head, which is bright red and the veins of the neck, as pools of blood in the venous system.
But apart from these examples, very little, if any, is in medical textbooks of physiology and the severity of its effects mentioned on the circuit. However, no one can fully understand brain circulation, withouttaking into account the gravity.
The effect of gravity on brain circulation is purely mechanical, and refers to the position of the head than the heart pumping. When we get up, is the head above the heart, so it must pump blood against gravity - from the heart to the brain - the reduction of the effective pressure which is transferred to the arterial blood in the brain. Meanwhile, drain the blood from the brain, helps the heart by a train of gravity.
InIn contrast, when we lie down and horizontal, are the heart and the head now in the same plane. This eliminates the effects of gravity on the cerebral circulation. The heart pumps blood in the head with force, without resistance of gravity, increasing intracranial pressure. And again the blood from the brain to the heart must do so without the help of gravity, causing a backup of blood in the brain.
In practice, it increases the intracranial pressure and brain circulation in general,when you are relaxed in comparison to a halt.
Of course, the body is intelligent and has mechanisms for monitoring intracranial pressure in conditions of different severity. When the brain receives the pressure of lying, there are various pressure receptors in the head and neck developed to lower blood pressure, which is blowing too much pressure on the brain and the possibility of a blood vessel or the creation of an aneurysm brain. Therefore, blood pressure is lower when we sleep,and horizontally.
But these mechanisms to regulate the pressure in the brain has a limit. As we go all day in an upright position, gravity pulls our bodily fluids inexorably downwards, and that is why many people have swollen feet and ankles at the end of the day. When we sleep, the effect of gravity is lost, as the fluid leaves your legs and return to the head. So, despite our brains normal defense mechanisms, through the night and increased intracranial pressure is higher in the morningafter hours flat, and the lowest at the end of the day, vertically hours.
What happens if the intracranial pressure is high for a long time flat? Increased blood pressure causes extra spinal fluid in the form of increased intracranial pressure, cerebral ventricles. The ventricles swell and the brain cells are surrounded by excess fluid, mainly caused by cerebral edema. This edema would lower the available oxygen and glucose for the brainCells. The absence of assisted gravity drainage from the brain would cause a backup of blood in the venous system and the collection of the sinuses in the brain. The brain of the cycle would be relatively stagnant, as the only force that moves through the blood would be the thrust of the blood pressure (which is strongly reduced after cerebral circulation) and the suction force of the right atrium of the heart to be. And in addition to brain swelling under the pressure of the eyes, ears,Face, nose, mouth - the entire head - is subjected to pressure overload and the tissue with the liquid!
There is a field of medicine that studies diligently the effect of gravity on physiology. The sub-specialty is aerospace medicine. Astronauts in space are in a zero gravity field, and we know that this causes the blood to move to the head and brain, associated with increased intracranial pressure and concomitant migraine, glaucoma, Meniere's disease and other problems with pressure arecongested brain. To study the effects of weightlessness on earth these rocket scientists are people lying flat! However, because the medicine is a field so vast, with various specializations to learn more and more about less and less, there is little exchange between the near-earth space medicine and medicine. Otherwise someone might recognize that it is flat, we need to do when we sleep. If it causes problems for astronauts, it could lead to problems, for everyoneelse?
We found out about this exploration of space, while we conducted our research positions in sleep as a possible cause of migraine. We hypothesized that sleeping too flat for too long each night might intracranial pressure and fluid retention (edema) results in brain tissue associated with hypoxia and hypoglycemia. The brain can not function properly without adequate amounts of oxygen or sugar, and this state would be the worst in the morning, what with most migraine. Occur
While migraine has been thought of as a pathological phenomenon, it is also possible that the defense mechanism of migraine is the brain's blood with oxygen and sugar again. After all, the only way to get what it needs from the brain blood flow, and during a migraine, open the arteries in the head and send blood to the brain with violence. Perhaps we have established that migraine is a type of emergency "in the brain", replacing old with new blood. If so, couldwe prevent sleep in patients with migraine headache with the head slightly raised?
We tested our theory by about 100 volunteers, patients with migraine with the heads of their beds, sleeping increased from 10 to 30 degrees. Elevation head, we theorized, would be the brain circulation, improving some of the gravity drainage help. And 'interesting, we discovered that the space medicine, the researchers found that the circulation of the brain (and heart pumping function), optimally at a 30 degree headElevation.
To our surprise, we found that most patients with migraine in our study experienced relief at rest, this simple change! Many had not again after migraine patients with migraine for 30 years or more! The results were very fast, within a few days. And it was very interesting side effects. Our volunteers woke up more alert. Morning sinus congestion was significantly reduced for most people. Some have reported that they no longer had any allergies.Could have discovered the true purpose and the cause of migraine?
The implications of these results were, frankly, surprising for us. Many diseases are on the rise in intracranial pressure due to "unknown". Home position has never been investigated as the cause of this increased pressure. The implications go far beyond the prevention and treatment of migraine. Any condition that is associated with increased intracranial pressure, and that is usually worse in the morning after a night of horizontal time canpotentially related to that of gravity and sleep position.
Remember that control of the central nervous system of the brain and change all bodily functions. If some congested centers of the brain's sleep and put under pressure too low for long hours every day, these centers can not function properly. Depending on how a person sleeps, the peculiarities of their brain circulation and other variables to different people can experience this pressure in the brain differently. For some,the respiratory center in the hypothalamus may be particularly congested, leading to sudden infant death syndrome (which has been associated with the head and body position during sleep together), sleep apnea, or even asthma. Sleep apnea has been shown to be treatable with changes in sleeping position.
Strokes are clearly associated with increased intracranial pressure, and usually occur at night or early morning hours during sleep. This is when the intracranial pressure is higher.
Glaucoma is clearly caused bythis mechanism. E 'already known that the intraocular pressure rises and falls when the head down when the head is high. It 'important to note the position of the head while taking the values of pressure in the eye sensitive to Because of this relationship between intraocular pressure and head position. Eye pressure is also higher in the early morning. Raise the head during routine sleep should for the treatment and prevention of glaucoma.
Wide eyes and breasts seem related to the headPressure. Just as the brain becomes more pressure when lying down, are the head and face pressure, too. People with these problems usually find relief by sleeping elevated 10-30 degrees.
Alzheimer's disease, we believe, the end of the disease, the brain can be caused by chronic congestion and pressure caused by the shallow sleep as possible. The ventricles are enlarged brains of Alzheimer's disease, what can a history of ventricular pressure and generalized lesions along the ventricle suggestAreas of brain tissue, which were damaged by this pressure chronic. Other studies have shown that Alzheimer's is associated with increased intracranial pressure, but the cause was considered unknown, as is the case with almost all the problems of intracranial pressure.
It should be noted that the blood-brain barrier can not function properly when put under pressure. Excessive intracranial pressure can cause leaks in the barrier due to the expansion of the basement membrane, so that heavy metals such as aluminumand mercury, as well as viruses and bacteria that enter the brain, which would otherwise have to be excluded. This may be why some brain problems with heavy metals, such as Alzheimer's disease have been linked.
Attention Deficit Disorder and hyperactivity is also known to play with the "pulse" in the brain that helps control the behavior together. We found several children with ADHD experience a profound improvement in self-control, raising his head, whileSleep.
In addition to the head position with respect to gravity, we also found the side or tummy sleeping may cause problems. For example, we found several cases of sleep related carpal tunnel syndrome in hands and wrists, and shoulder pain from sleeping on the side. And keep in mind that the pressure head increases and the drainage decreases, when the head is turned sideways. Sleep on your back to avoid compression of the limbs and internal organs.
It 'also interesting to notethat patients with problems of asymmetry is generally worse than the sleep. For example, eye for eye disease is not on the side of the face, the more sleep. Ear infections will be worse for the ear "down". You can also say that a person is sleeping on the side observing the shape of the nose. Apart from accidents, the nose should be symmetrical, but from the pillow, because sleeping on the side of the face and the pressure on the curved nose for hoursevery night. The nose is the side that most slept on point.
Men should be noted, that can sleep on the side of testicular cancer and possible compression can cause malfunctions. And women who sleep on your stomach or side below the breast to pressure and circulation problems. Side sleepers can accommodate more problems on the breast of it.
We must tell the doctor, however, that while the effect is the rise of the head during sleep dramaticallyand transformation for many patients and should be considered essential for prevention strategies, the fact is that many people change their behavior to resist sleep. They have been conditioned to sleep on a certain type of birth. And even if they change their sleeping position, it is difficult to ensure compliance, if the person is unconscious! It takes enormous will power to change the behavior of sleep. But it is worthwhile to see how people usually within a weekIncreased sleep.
We found the best methods for the collection of heads with more cushion with a wedge of foam, placing blocks under the legs of the bed frame at the head of the bed or on an adjustable bed. While the ideal location is high with 10 to 30 degrees head elevation of 10 degrees is fine for starters. The legs should be slightly increased, too, and the person should try to stay on your back as much as possible. The ideal position is that it would be ifMake yourself comfortable in an armchair. (Chairs would be nice to use, too, but usually give little support for your lower back.) Also note that some people find a level of growth than others. People with low blood pressure have the head lower than those with higher blood pressure. Others may have some neck and shoulder complaints about the new location. But by experimenting with pillows under his arm, under the buttocks (to avoid slippingthe bed), and under the feet and legs, the patient should see a simple solution.
Recognize when taking the history into force, the neck injury and neck muscles tight, the venous drainage of the brain affected by the compression of the jugular veins through the tight muscles. Neck massage and spinal adjustments can help the general circulation of the brain. We had a couple of circumstances where there is little or no improvement from the height of man, but the subjects had a history ofWhiplash injuries.
Of course there are times when people feel dizzy, lie down need to get more blood to the head. It could also better for people less sleep during the night and lost sleep with a nap or a siesta during the day. That would avoid the extremes of high and low intracranial pressure. But our culture, it is necessary for most people to do all their beds at one time. Sleep, is ultimately a cultural issue. The point is to be aware of how you feel, andrecognize that your body can be positioned relative to gravity is an important factor in health and disease.
We will continue this action of gravity and sleep position on health research and encourage operators to communicate the experiences of their patients' with us. We are also very strongly recommend that you read our book, Get It Up! It reveals the surprising lifestyle simple migraine, Alzheimer's, stroke, glaucoma, sleep apnea, impotence, and a number of causes! (ISCD Press, 2001), where we discussthe profound importance of this theory, including a long list of references to various diseases and intracranial pressure and the effect of gravity on brain circulation. When you see the evidence, you are probably as surprised as we that sleep research has ignored this critical aspect of sleep.
Sleep in the flat all day, the biggest mistake people are making lifestyle in our culture. Some of the worst diseases of our time can be in our bed!
