Archive for August, 2008

Tips to help you sleep

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

Ambien-like drugs are excellent for short-term relief if you find it difficult to get to sleep, but neither ambien, neither any other medication should not be used over a longer period of time than necessary. You should take some of the responsibility for getting your sleep pattern back under control. Insomnia is often caused by anxiety, stress and depression. So, as a first step, look for ways in which to relieve those causes. Then, more generally, look at the following:

  • You’ll sleep much better in a dark and quiet room.
  • Always go to bed at the same time.
  • Never catch a nap in the afternoon - save all your tiredness to the night.
  • It is easier to sleep when it is cool even though this may mean using more bedding. If you live in a hot climate, use a fan. If it is cool, turn down the central heating.
  • Don’t drink coffee or other drinks with caffeine in them. It can take up to eight hours for the stimulant to clear your system.
  • Don’t drink a lot of liquid close to your normal time for bed. If your bladder wakes you up, you may find it difficult to get back to sleep. Alcohol can also lead to disturbed sleep and a hangover the following morning.
  • Don’t eat within three hours of your normal sleep time.
  • Don’t exercise your body and play computer games before you’ll go to sleep.

Re-establishing the habit of sleep is the best long-term remedy. If that fails, ambien will give you some relief.

If you experience impotence.

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Any man who is experiencing problems of sexual performance is likely to feel very depressed. This underlines the basic truth that, when there are sexual problems in a relationship, both parties are affected. If you do not deal with these problems, they fester and may ultimately destroy your relationship.

The best way is to talk

You now need to bring your partner “up to speed”. You always depend on your relationship with your partner. Whatever you do should appear non-threatening. He already has considerable worry and anxiety about his inability to perform consistently (or at all). If you come over as confrontational, he will retreat even further into his shell. So you need to think about him as a person.

  • Does his reaction changes in different situations?
  • What coping strategies can you advice?
  • What can you offer to do to help him overcome the problem?

There is no matter what method you prefer, the main statement is that all is in your hands.
There is one further reason for opening the discussion. Impotence may be a symptom of more serious medical problems. If he only focuses on what he perceives to be his current sexual inadequacy, he may completely fail to take early steps to address the more serious underlying cause.

Support your partner

Talking about the risks of not seeing a doctor may separate the emotional overtones from the physical issues. You must confirm even the worst things in the world. Ignoring the problem will only lead to you feeling guilty because you failed to take action and resentment from him that his problems were undiagnosed. Supporting each other openly and honestly is always the best foundation for a relationship.

Talking positively

That means talking positively about the different options that may have to be explored. Rather than focusing on all the things that may be wrong, concentrate on taking early action to restore good health, which if everything else is all right, may just be the simple decision to buy Cialis. By giving him encouragement, you stand a better chance of being able to work together to solve the problems as they come along. If all you do is to hold up a mirror to his negative feelings, you will both lose out.

This is an emotional minefield for both of you so approach it with care and a commitment to be patient even if his first response if very defensive and dismissive. By whatever means it takes, you need to manoeuvre him towards your family doctor and access to diagnostic services and treatment. This may be the usual case that can be treated with Cialis. You will both be reassured and can begin to restore your mutual confidence in sexual activity. If there are more serious problems of blood circulation or nerve damage, work can begin to address the problems. If the cause is more psychological than physical, counselling may be a useful first step for both of you to take.

Facts and speculations about weight gain.

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

There is one simple explanation for those extra pounds of weight. Too much food! The way the body works is very simple. If you get just enough calories for basic things like breathing, you have to burn fat to get the energy to walk around. Eat more calories than you need given your basal activity level, and your body puts on fat. Your body is actually protecting you against the next famine when you will have nothing to eat and need your fat to survive until the next sandwich comes along.

Now turn to many of the forum sites where people discuss their experience with zoloft. The general spirit of these posts is, “I weighed 120lb until I took zoloft. Now I am…”

A simple test rules out thyroid problems, one of the more common physical explanations for sudden weight gains and this leaves us with lack of exercise combined with overeating. . . and a side effect of zoloft. It is a natural association to make. You start taking a medication and immediately you put on five pounds with no obvious change in your diet or level of physical activity. So, let us start off by accepting that some people react to medications by putting on weight. Why? The medication may increase or decrease the basal metabolic rate. If this happens, your weight may fluctuate even though you do not change your caloric intake. In some people, the medication can cause hormonal changes and increase appetite. Increased levels of serotonin are also associated with hunger pangs which encourage you to eat more.

Now we are into the business of balancing the advantages and disadvantages of the particular medication. Let us say that zoloft has made a dramatic improvement in your emotional life. For the first time in months (or years), you do not feel (so) sad. If you have put on a few extra pounds, is that a price worth paying? Or will you get depressed again because your body has become less attractive? As a gentle warning, if your regular doctor asks you whether you want to try a different medication, zoloft causes less weight gain than the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

Back to denying the link. After all, the SSRIs were first promoted as anti-obesity medications. Like all decisions on whether to start a medication, you are dealing with unknowables. There is no doubt that some people eat more when they are depressed. Unless you have been keeping a food diary which counts calories, it will difficult to know how your eating habits have changed as the depression increased in intensity. You may already be putting on weight when you start taking the zoloft. Now let us reverse the psychological reaction. When people start feeling less depressed, they eat less and this reduces their weight. In other words, when the depression is cured, you may return to your healthy eating habits. Separating out the effect of the medication from the reality of the number of calories you eat is very difficult. It is easy to confuse coincidence with side effect.

So how should you react if you start zoloft and gain weight? Whatever else you may do, do not stop taking it. First, start counting calories properly. Start exercising. These are most likely to stabilise your weight. Only if you do change your diet and exercise to no effect, should you talk with your doctor. If self-help has failed, see what the professional recommends.